Moss and Lester embarked on their journey from the capital city, Shtohess, heading towards the headquarters of The Order of the White Rose. After traveling for half a day, they arrived at a small town near the woods called the Whispering Woods.
Lester sighed deeply upon reaching the entrance of the town
"I thought we'd never stop walking...."
"Stop whining. We're still far away from our destination. We'll need to cross the Whispering Woods before entering the Central Human Territories where the White Rose's HQ is located, in the human capital of Aurburg." Moss said While looking at the map Yin gave her.
Lester Looked at Moss with a tired expression, he sighed before speaking
"Y-You weren't joking when you said our trip is going to be long," Lester said before looking at the town ahead of them. "So, why are we stopping here? Is there something we need to get?"
"No, we are just taking a short break before continuing towards Whispering Woods," Moss said before continuing inside the town
The town was filled with merchants demi-humans riding their wagons and adventurers walking the streets carrying their weapons
"H-hey Moss... Does this town have a name, It doesn't appear on your map," Lester asked while walking beside Moss.
Moss shook her head
"No, it doesn't. None of the towns or villages here in Zenduria have names. The country only recently gained independence from the Human Kingdom of Solamira."
"I see... I guess countries here are the same as back home..."
Moss glanced at Leser with a puzzled expression. "Back home?... Come to think of it, Master mentioned that Rule Bearers are people from other worlds. Does your world have demi-humans in it as well?"
"Nope," Leser replied, hands in his pockets as they continued to walk.
"Back in my world, there are no demi-humans, elves, or dwarves, and no magic—just normal people. But unlike this place, our technology is much more advanced," he explained, a hint of nostalgia coloring his voice as he reminisced.
"Really? No magic? That's hard to believe, I've grown up with magic all around me. It's hard to imagine life without it..." Moss pondered what Lester's world might look like—a place where only normal humans roamed the lands, and advanced technology replaced the use of Magic
After walking for a while, Leser and Moss stopped and sat outside a small, quaint restaurant. Leser stretched his legs and arms, relishing the brief respite, while Moss secured her brown suitcase beneath her feet.
"After we eat, let's continue to our next destination... preferably before it gets dark," Moss said, her expression stoic
"Sure thing... I'm just glad I can rest my legs" Lester said while relaxing on the chair
After a while, the waiter brought them their order. Leser had only ordered a cup of coffee, not feeling particularly hungry. Moss, on the other hand, had opted for a scoop of vanilla ice cream, elegantly placed in a glass bowl with cherries on top.
Moss slowly savored her ice cream, her usual stoic expression replaced with a look of pure satisfaction with each spoonful.
Leser couldn't help but smile, seeing Moss with such a different expression.
"Didn't know ice cream existed in this world... I guess Moss loves the stuff, judging by her satisfied face..." he thought, amused by the unexpected sight.
"Hmm?"
"Something wrong Lester?" Moss asked
Lester grinned a bit embarrassed for staring at Moss
"N-no it's nothing..."
Lester sipped his coffee while Moss continued enjoying her ice cream. After a short break, they resumed their journey toward the town's exit. However, their progress was unexpectedly halted when a man driving a wagon approached them
"Hey there, kiddos... You don't look like you're from around here. You wouldn't happen to be heading towards the Whispering Woods, would you?"
The man asked while adjusting his straw hat
"Yes, we are... why ask old timer"
Moss replied
"Well, you see, as of late, people who entered that creepy forest have been disappearing. Right now, it's only the rich merchants who hire adventurers for protection that have been coming out alive."
Lester gulped before grinning nervously hearing the man's words
"Seriously?! We barely made it out alive when Natasha tried to kill us! Now we're dealing with a creepy-ass forest!?" Leser thought to himself, feeling his cowardly side heightening his nerves.
"We can handle ourselves... thank you for the warning"
"That so? well I wish you safe travels then"
The man tipped his hat before leaving
Moss turned her head towards Leser, noticing the hint of fear in his expression.
"Come on, Leser. Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now after a few words from that man..."
Lester Grinned nervously
"W-what? I'm not afraid..." he stammered, trying to convince both Moss and himself.
"He's definitely afraid," Moss thought to herself, unconvinced by Leser's words.
Moss sighed
"Don't worry I'm here after all I'll protect you... Let's go before it gets dark..."
"Moss..."
"dammit, I'm the guy here! I should be the one doin' the protecting... I'm honestly the worst protagonist ever..."
Moss continued walking with Leser trailing behind her as they left the town behind. Leser's eyes wandered over the open field, where the grass swayed green under the gentle gusts of wind. It was a literal breath of fresh air for him. Back home, Leser would often find himself cooped up inside his room, spending hours playing gacha games or binge-watching anime all day long
Leser and Moss walked for four hours straight before finally arriving at a small house with a modest wheat farm in front of it. The house was situated near the edge of the Whispering Woods and had an abandoned look to it. The front door was wide open, and there were huge scratch marks on the farm's fence and the walls of the house, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
"T-This doesn't look promising," Leser muttered, eyeing the scratch marks with apprehension.
Moss nodded, her usual stoic demeanor replaced with a hint of caution. while she examined the scratch marks left on the farm's fence
"Hmm..."
"W-What do you think happened here, Moss?" Leser asked, his tone laced with a hint of fear.
Moss didn't look up from the scratch marks. "It's hard to say for certain," she replied, then turned to face Leser. "But there are traces of mana in the air belonging to a monster... and it leads all the way to Whispering Woods. Maybe... it's the same monster making people disappear when they enter the woods."
"A-A-A monster?!" Leser stammered, sweat dripping from his face, his eyes visibly afraid
"Yes," Moss replied calmly.
"Now, calm down. You're a Rule Bearer, aren't you? This is the perfect opportunity to test out your ability..."
"Sh-she's kidding, right?! There's no way I could 'test' my ability on a monster that made those huge scratch marks!" Leser thought to himself, his mind racing. The idea of facing a monster capable of such damage made him want to turn and run away as fast as he could.
"Come on Lester..."
Moss turned slowly, walking towards the Whispering Woods. The setting sun behind them cast long, eerie shadows, painting the woods with an even creepier vibe.
"Maybe if we make it in time we could save the people living here..."
Leser hesitated for a moment, feeling the ominous atmosphere intensify with each step Moss took.
"I need to get a grip..." Leser muttered to himself, trying to steady his nerves.
"Moss is right... If we can hurry, maybe we can help the people living here..."
Leser thought, steeling himself as he followed closely behind Moss into the Whispering Woods. The sun had already set, casting the woods into darkness and an unsettling silence—too quiet for comfort. Leser's eyes darted around frantically
"Could you please calm down Lester..."
Moss's tone was aloof her expression was stoic as usual
"R-Right... Sorry about that..." Leser closed his eyes momentarily, taking a long, deep breath to calm his nerves. As he walked beside Moss, their steps echoed softly in the quiet forest, the only sound breaking the eerie silence around them.
"I-I think I've calmed down now, Moss," Leser said, opening his eyes. However, to his shock, he stood alone in the dark forest. Moss was nowhere to be seen
"...."
"M-M-Moss!... H-hey... T-this ain't funny...." Leser exclaimed nervously, his voice echoing in the eerie silence. But Moss didn't answer.
"D-did she leave me here?!" Leser grinned with the thought, panic rising in his chest.
"N-no... She wouldn't do that... B-but where could she be?!" he muttered to himself, trying to quell the rising fear as he scanned the darkened forest for any sign of Moss
Leser slowly wandered through the dark forest his smartphone flashlight the only light source he had, the quiet surroundings adding to the eerie atmosphere.
"M-Moss... H-hey... W-Where are y-you..." he called out, his voice trembling slightly in the stillness of the woods.
Leser suddenly stopped in his tracks, his breath catching in his throat. Ahead, amidst the shadows, stood someone clad in a ragged black robe that covered their entire body. The figure held a lantern, its warm light cutting through the darkness around them.
Lester grinned nervously his hold on his smartphone tightening while sweat dripped from his face
"Umm..."
"E-Excuse me... W-Who are you?"
"A-are you lost too?" Lester asked while stammering
The hooded figure stood motionless, not uttering a word. Slowly, he raised the lantern he held to his face, its soft light revealing his unsettling features. The man had no jaw, no eyelashes, and his tongue hung limply from his mouth. His eyes, wide open with glowing white pupils, stared straight ahead with an eerie intensity.
Lester turned around and instantly ran as fast as he could
"Holy fucking shit!!! W-Who was that guy!? H-He looked like he came right out of a horror movie!!!" Leser thought to himself, his heart racing in terror at the ghastly sight before him.
Lester ran and ran but the Woods was never-ending, it was like he was running in circles
"W-What is this?! I don't remember this forest being this big!" Leser thought to himself in panic as he ran blindly into the darkness of the never-ending woods.
Suddenly, Leser stopped dead in his tracks, almost immediately spotting the familiar soft glow of the lantern ahead. It swayed gently from left to right, each movement revealing the horrendous appearance of the hooded man in unnerving detail.
"S-shit..." Leser muttered in horror as he turned around, only to see the same lantern approaching him from both his left and right. He was surrounded.
"F-FUCK! D-Dammit... W-What d-do I do now!!!" Leser's mind raced with panic, his heart pounding in his chest as he stood there not knowing what to do
The group of hooded men slowly approached Lester holding their hands in front of them
"G-Get away!... O-Or I-I will slice you!!" Leser shouted in desperation, but the hooded men continued their advance, closing in on him
"I-I said get away!" Leser swung his arms in a desperate attempt to fend off the hooded men. But as he did, a sudden slashing sound echoed through the air, and a white, thin string-like line appeared in front of one of the hooded men. In the blink of an eye, the figure was cleaved in half, the attack swift and brutal
Lester stood in shock, what did he just do? he asked himself
"T-this must be... M-my ability!..."
"B-but how did I do that?!... Let's see... I-I was thinking of cutting them if they were to get close. M-maybe that's what triggered my ability?" Leser wondered aloud
Lester clenched his fist
"Alright!"
"I-I'll use this opportunity... to see if I can use my ability again!" Leser declared with determination. Standing in front of one of the hooded men, he swung his arms with intent.
[ Sever ]
Almost instantly, the hooded man fell to the ground, his body sliced in half by Leser's ability. Leser couldn't contain his surprise and elation.
"I-it worked!"
he exclaimed, a wide smile spreading across his face. Turning around, he realized the other hooded men had already fled while the hooded men he sliced in half had disappeared as well, leaving him alone in the now eerily quiet forest.
"T-they're gone... as well as the ones I sliced in half..."
"O-ok... I'm gettin' a bit confused here..."
Suddenly, the entire woods began to blur and swirl around Leser, disorienting him. Amidst the chaos, a voice echoed through the air
"Die... Die...Die...Die..." The voice kept on repeating the same word over and over again its tone was harsh and its voice was ghastly
"W-what the... that v-voice Wh-what's happening?!"
Gradually, the woods returned to their normal state, the swirling and blurring coming to an end. The voice that had echoed through the air ceased, leaving behind an eerie silence in its wake.
But as it did, Leser couldn't help but notice a familiar female figure in the shadows. She had green hair and was dressed in a long black cloak, holding a wooden staff.
"M-Moss?" Leser asked tentatively, cautiously approaching the figure
Leser's eyes widened in horror as the figure turned around. It was indeed Moss, but a twisted, unrecognizable version. Her skin was pallid and lifeless, her cheeks sunken, and her eyelashes ripped clean off, mirroring the hooded men who had previously pursued Leser.
"W-what the f-f-fuck... M-moss!" Leser stood frozen in fear, his voice trembling as he beheld Moss in such a haunting state.
"M-moss she's been turned into a ghoul... N-no... Something's not right..."
he muttered while shaking his head, his mind racing. Leser's gaze fell upon Moss's hand, noticing she wasn't wearing her artifact—the [ Ring of Undiminished], the very item they had risked their lives to retrieve.
Lester grinned nervously
"Y-you aren't Moss... T-the real Moss won't just take her ring off..." Lester nervously said
The haunting figure that looked like Moss raised her staff before firing off a weak Fire spell that Lester easily dodged
Lester grinned
"I knew it... If Moss was turned into an undead or a ghoul, she'd still retain her strength. That's how it worked in the MMOs I've played,"
"I've seen Moss make a crater with just one spell.. but that fire spell was just a puff of smoke..."
"Let's see if I can cast my ability the third time!" Leser thought to himself, steeling his resolve as he lined up his arms toward Moss.
[ Sever ]
Lester swiftly brought his arms down, cleaving Moss in two. Her face transformed, shifting from Moss's features to that of a lich. The upper half of the severed body then fell to the ground.
The lich's rotting visage twisted agonizingly, its head craned upward with a slow, deliberate motion. Its hollow eyes flickered with a hair-raising intensity as they fixated upon Lester.
"R-rule B-Bearer... H-how... did you see through my meticulously crafted illusions?" The lich's voice, laden with ghastly frailty, quivered in disbelief
"S-so It was a lich the whole time?... " Lester gazed down at the vanishing figure, a flicker of insight sparked within him.
"I'm guessing this kind of lich mainly uses Illusion Magic or something the like to hunt its targets..."
Lester pondered the dying lich's nature, suspecting it relied on Illusion Magic or similar sorcery to hunt its prey. However, before he could respond, the lich's body finished disintegrating, leaving only ash in its wake.
Lester shielded his eyes as the sun began to rise. The once ominous woods were now returning to normal, the sunlight filtering through the branches and dispelling the shadows. With the lich's defeat, the sinister, unsettling atmosphere had vanished.
"The sun's already up? How long have I been here?" Lester wondered, sighing deeply.
"Now everything is brighter I can find my way out of here... maybe Moss is back outside of the woods waiting for me..."
With the sun shining and the lich defeated, Lester retraced his steps out of The Whispering Woods, his gaze wandering the vibrant, towering trees around him.
Having walked for several minutes, Lester reached the woods' entrance, his gaze searching for Moss. He then approached the small house they had just visited before venturing into the forest.
"Where could she be.." Lester asked
Suddenly Lester hears Moss's voice from behind him
"L-Lester?!" Moss exclaimed
Lester turned around but before he could speak Moss grabbed both his shoulders her eyes have a hint of irritation in them
"Where did you go!!? I've been looking all day for you!?!" Moss asked her tone laced with irritation
Lester's eyes widened before grinning
"W-what do you mean? we both entered the forest remember? and Y-you were the one who disappeared... where did you go?"
Moss looked at Lester with a puzzled expression
"What?!.."
"What are you talking about? I was just examining the scratches on the farm's fence when I saw you heading inside the forest alone!"
sweat dripped from Lester's cheeks while grinning
"I-Impossible... S-she was the one who said I should test my abilities on the monster that caused the markings on the house, and maybe find and help the people who were living in this house... and also you came with me inside the forest..."
"What?!, Why would I suggest doing something like that? you don't even know how to activate your abilities yet, Monsters are no joke... I take them seriously even though I have the means to slay them..."
"Also while you were gone I decided to go back here for the night... and the people living here are all fine they came back from town. They claim the claw marks you see were caused by a wild bear years ago"
Lester gulped
"I-it can't be the lich... illusions created by the undead can only contain horrendous stuff! at least that's what I know!" Lester thought to himself, The image of Moss that entered the forest with him looked and sounded exactly like Moss
Moss slowly loosened her grip on Lester before sighing
"but you don't sound like you're lying..."
Moss slowly looked at the forest in front of them
"Well if what you're saying is true... then the me who accompanied you into the forest wasn't me, back in the town we were in I heard a few rumors about the Whispering Woods..."
"The woods were once known as "The Woods of the Dead" due to the tremendous loss of life that occurred there during the war between Zenduria and Solamira. Situated in the center of the battlefield, the woods witnessed the deaths of thousands, making the presence of ghosts and liches there a plausible notion."
Lester looked at the forest with a nervous grin sweat dripped from his face
"G-G-Ghosts!... T-then... those scary hooded guys weren't Illusions?!?! A-and the Moss that guided me inside the woods T-They were all ghosts!!!" Lester thought before looking down at his hands
"What did you even do when you were inside the woods? did you listen to the "me" who went in with you and tested your abilities on Monsters?"
Lester slowly looked at Moss before smiling
"It's a long story..."
With a sigh, Lester sat on the grass looking at the sky trying to process everything that had happened
Several minutes later Lester stood up facing Moss
"Right!... I'm all good now... I'll tell you everything while continuing our pace... we've wasted enough time as it is.." Lester said with a small smile on his face but he still sounded nervous
"Hmmm... Are you sure? you look tired... but sure if you say so... we'll take breaks so take it easy alright?"
Moss said carrying her brown suitcase she slowly started walking inside the woods, Lester walked beside Moss his gaze on her face while recounting what happened during his time inside the forest while continuing their trip towards the Central Human Territories
--Others--
Central Human Territories- The central lands mainly occupied by Humans
Solamira: The Kingdom whose citizens are mainly Humans and the only country occupying the Central Human Territories and serves as one of the first defenses against the demons from the Waste Lands and
Aurburg: The capital City of Solamira
Zenduria: A newly established country of Demi-Humans occupying the Demi-Human Territories