As they continued their walk, the feeling of unease grew stronger with every step.
"Do you feel that?" Lila whispered, her eyes wide with fear. "Something's not right."
As if in answer, there was a rustling in the undergrowth, and then a low growl. Something was coming, something that made the trees themselves tremble.
Just then, they sighted a demon from the other side close to a tree. When it saw them, it dashed towards them with full force. The demon was massive, towering over the trees around it. Its skin was black as coal, and its eyes glowed red like embers. It had long, jagged claws and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. As it stalked toward them, its every step shaking the ground beneath their feet, its growl grew louder and more menacing. Ron and Lila stood frozen in terror, unable to move.
As the demon drew closer, Ron and Lila stood back to back, their weapons at the ready. Lila's heart was pounding in her. chest, but she forced herself to stay calm. Ron on the other hand was calm and unbothered. He had to focus if he was going to survive this encounter.
The demon let out a blood-curdling roar and charged at them. Ron and Lila sprang into action, each striking at the demon with their weapons. But the demon was fast and agile, dodging their attacks with ease.
It hit Lila with forced throwing her on the ground and groaning in pain while it turned to face Ron. He wanted to use his powers but afraid of the fact that Lila might notice which he wouldn't want to happen. Instead he resorted to physical combat.
As the demon lunged at him, Ron stood his ground. He was focused, calm, and determined.
He raised his weapon and blocked the demon's attack, then counterattacked, striking the demon in the chest. The demon roared in pain, and Ron pressed his advantage, raining blow after blow on the creature. For a moment, it seemed like he might actually defeat it.
Lila seized the opportunity. A bright light shone from her bracelet, a tool used by members of the Quove, and struck the treacherous beast with full force. The light was blinding, and it engulfed the beast, causing it to howl in agony. The light continued to burn brighter and brighter, until finally, the beast disappeared into a cloud of black smoke, sending it back to hell where it belongs. Lila fell to the ground, exhausted but victorious. She collapsed against a tree, panting. "Is it... over?" she gasped.
Ron nodded, staring at the spot where the demon had vanished. "It's over," he said. "We did it."
"We did it," Ron repeated, still gazing at the spot where the demon had disappeared. The weight of what they had accomplished was starting to sink in. He turned to Lila, a relieved smile spreading across his face. "We really did it."
Lila met his gaze and smiled back. "We're a pretty good team, you know?" she said, her voice trembling with emotion.
It was already 7pm. They gathered every valuable information they got from the forest to show the others likewise those they would use as clues the next day. As they found their way back through the woods, they made silly jokes.
"What do you call a bear with no teeth?" Ron asked, his voice echoing through the trees.
"Ummm... A gummy bear?" Lila said with a grin.
"That's right!" Ron said, laughing. "And what do you call a deer with no eyes?"
"I don't know... You tell me."
"No eye deer!" Ron said, and Lila dissolved into giggles. Ron knew his jokes were lame but Lila still laughed at them anyway.
"I've never seen you this cheerful before Ron" Lila says.
"You seem really happy. Why do you seem so cold every time when you could be this way?" She asked.
The question threw him off guard and he paused. Staring at her then into the sky not uttering a word.
Lila's question hung in the air, and Ron's face fell. He had been so caught up in the moment that he hadn't expected her to ask such a personal question. He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out.
Finally, he said, "I'm not used to showing my emotions. I've always tried to keep a strong facade, especially in the face of danger. But I guess in this moment, I felt safe enough to let my guard down."
Lila's expression softened. "I'm glad you feel safe enough to be yourself around me," she said.
"No tú señorita joven(not you, young lady) Ron lied.
He returned to his usual cold nature.
Lila felt she shouldn't have said anything. She found his sudden switch of behavior really absurd. Once again, they were both silent walking through the woods.
Lila felt a knot in her stomach as the silence settled over them. She had thought for a moment that she had finally broken through Ron's impenetrable wall, but it seemed like he was back to his old self again. She sighed and continued to walk, her gaze fixed on the ground in front of her. The forest around them seemed to grow darker and more foreboding, reflecting the mood of their conversation.
Ron's POV
"No tú señorita joven(not you, young lady)I lied.
I never let my guard down, I don't even let anyone cross that line but I let her, why?" he thought to himself.
I can't even deny the fact that being with her makes me happy. I really don't want this moment to end but I can't help it. What's happening to me?
Ron's POV ends
As they emerged from the forest onto the open road, Lila and Ron both breathed a sigh of relief. The sight of civilization, even in the form of a dusty road and a few scattered houses, was comforting after the tense atmosphere of the woods. Ron raised his hand and waved down the first taxi they saw, and they climbed in gratefully. As the taxi pulled away, Lila let out a long breath, feeling like they had left the worst behind them. But she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that lingered in the air.
Reaching the hotel, Lila's phone rang, and she saw that it was Christine, "We're in the cafeteria," Christine said. "Can you meet us here?"
"We're on our way," Lila replied. She turned to Ron and gave him a small smile. "Christine was on the phone, 'Let's go eat. I'm starving.'"