Once Alden finished relieving himself, taking Ignia with him and letting her roam free, he quickly returned to the camp and ensured his belongings were untouched. Then, the two missing scouts reappeared a couple of minutes later, and soon the group was all set to begin their journey back to the Sanctuary.
Alden stood at the very rear of the party, flanked by the attractive blond and flame wielder. Ignia was perched on his left shoulder, while Scar occupied the head of their formation.
Staring at his back, Alden clamped down on his nerves and began circulating his mana. It would help him respond to any danger much quicker. It also had the unintentional side effect of assisting him with his mana control, slowly refining it with every cycle completed.
Alden's brows were furrowed in deep concentration from tugging at his core and maintaining a vigilant eye on the surrounding brush. He also occasionally glanced out the corner of his eyes, wondering if the two scouts beside him were up to something.
'All the more reason to continue circulating my mana then...'
The sun's rays slowly changed colour as the party of five travelled through Nature's Grove. From the burning glimmer of dawn to the luminous shine of day.
Time passed slowly.
Along the way, Alden saw the thick foliage of the brush begin to thin out. The space between the trees also became more pronounced, shifting from dense clusters to the occasional verdant scatter. Specks of light continued to filter through from the canopy above, illuminating the group's forage through the forest.
Shifting his weight, Alden tried to keep light on his feet.
He didn't want to step on the detritus littering the moss-covered floor. That would only announce their position to the dreadful inhabitants of the grove.
Rather, he aimed to ghost along silently, as silent as a mouse.
There was only one problem with that, though.
Since he was so focused on circulating his mana and keeping an eye on the three scouts, splitting his attention towards another task was straining his mind to its limit. Alden was quickly growing tired.
However, he couldn't show any weakness.
That would only invite Scar, Charmy and the flame wielder to act.
A temptation… that could prove too hard for them to ignore.
Gritting his teeth, Alden pressed on. His dirty-white hair fluttered from a stray breeze, tickling his forehead.
Just as he almost relaxed under the sensation of the cool wind, he froze mid-step.
So too did the other scouts.
At the front of the formation, Alden saw Scar hold up a fist, ordering them to stop.
He wondered why they had suddenly paused.
That was… until he also sensed it.
Alden's expression turned grim.
A deep unease spread through the forest.
The wilderness was now silent, with no signs of swaying or rustling echoing in its leafy expanse.
It was as if it was also holding its breath.
A bead of cold sweat slid down Alden's back. Through their bond, he sensed Ignia's fear spike.
And it wasn't without merit.
Alden's senses blared, informing him that something menacing, something perilous, and something so inexplicably harrowing that he was sure to meet his end if he faced it, was nearby.
He gulped.
Moments passed in tense stillness.
Alden's muscles were on fire.
It took all he had not to let his foot which was suspended in mid-air drop to the floor. He knew they would all be doomed if he succumbed to that action.
That was why Alden used every ounce of will he had to keep his foot from falling.
The alternative was death, and he very much wanted to live.
Finally, after what felt like several epochs, Scar's hand relaxed.
Instantly, Alden let his foot touch the ground. A flood of relief welled within his chest, almost drowning him in its uncontrollable current.
His shoulders sagged.
Reluctantly, he straightened his posture a moment later.
He sensed the gazes of Charmy and the flame wielder converge on his figure.
'The danger's not over yet.'
Alden reminded himself.
He could not afford to relax.
After all, the danger didn't come from the Defiled alone.
It also came… from within.
***
Swifty yawned internally, scanning the nearby brush.
The night had been largely uneventful one save for a few close calls.
After his watch had finished, the scout had quickly closed his eyes to sleep, trying to reign in his slowly rising anticipation.
Alas, that only proved to be a fruitless endeavour.
Especially when dawn came.
As he headed off to respond to nature's call, Swifty met up with Scar.
The two quickly devised a fail-safe in the eventuality that their first plan went awry.
The scout's eyes glinted as he nodded to himself approvingly.
Scheming truly was a fun pastime. It became even better when he could simultaneously earn a mountain of profit.
The latter… that was the most important thing.
Swifty's grin widened.
Then, he froze after sighting his leader's raised fist. A shiver crawled down his spine a second later.
This pressure…
A bead of cold sweat quickly formed on Swifty's forehead.
He gulped.
Had they accidentally stumbled on one of the dire horrors inhabiting Nature's Grove?
It seemed so, based on what Swifty's senses were transmitting.
They told him in no uncertain terms… that moving an inch meant death. Not just for him, but those in his party as well.
Swifty could not allow that to happen.
He had to steal the eye-catching bird first!
Hovering on the edge of life and death, where one wrong move could spell doom for them all, the scout's resolve to get his hands on the young bird strengthened.
After a few excruciating seconds passed in tense stillness, Scar finally let his hand fall.
Swifty breathed a sigh of relief.
The glint in his eyes increased.
As the party of five slowly travelled through the wilderness, pausing a few more times in response to encountering several other hair-raising auras, the sun continued its climb towards the zenith. Bathing the group in its fiery warmth, they eventually came across a familiar golden glow shimmering in the distance.
It differed from the luminosity of the sun, possessing an ethereal and mystical radiance to it.
Staring at the Sanctuary's Barrier, Swifty grinned.
He glanced at Charmy silently for the briefest moment… then exploded into a flurry of motion.