Ha ha ha.
Panting heavily, Aizer pushed forward, running toward the group ahead.
Although his thoughts were clearing, Aizer didn't even consider turning around—not for a second. Instead, he picked up speed, steadily closing the gap between him and the group.
[I need to buy some time to think,] Aizer thought, eyes fixed on the approaching group.
Recalling what happened to the old man when Lars had heard footsteps, Aizer quickly formulated a plan.
Releasing his grip on the mask that concealed his face, Aizer continued moving, doing the same with the makeshift hairband he had fashioned out of shadows to keep his hair in place.
Finally, feeling that everything potentially suspicious about him had been discarded, he took a deep breath before shouting.
"OLD MAN, IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, RUN, OR YOU'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!"
He yelled, his voice loud enough to grab the attention of Lars and the others.
Not feeling certain they had heard him clearly, Aizer shouted again—this time louder as he closed the distance.
Finally, convinced they'd understood him, Aizer shifted his expression into one of panic and concern, his mind already racing through possibilities.
Understanding how Lars and his group would react to strangers, Aizer decided to rely on someone already among them—the old man.
He remembered how fast Lars could move and knew better than to risk making him suspicious.
After watching the group for a moment, Aizer quickly formed a profile of Lars.
The foolish, self-sacrificing type—people who would gladly put themselves in danger for their friends. Aizer had read about such people before, so he already had an idea of how to manipulate him.
Reaching the group, Aizer immediately glanced at the distressed old man, his expression anxious, before grabbing the man's arm.
"Didn't you hear me earlier? I said run or you're going to die! We need to leave now."
"Die? Huh? What's going on?" the old man stammered, clearly in shock.
This was the first time he'd seen his benefactor, and the first thing Aizer did upon meeting him was scream about dying.
Confused, the old man opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, an exhilarated voice echoed in the air.
Turning his head he looked towards where the noise was coming from.
Looking at the black haired youth he noticed who it was, It was none other than Harry.
"Done! Done! I finally did it, Lars! Look!" Harry shouted, holding up the return shard in front of Lars's face.
The return shard was a 2D rhombus, diamond-shaped, glowing with a bright violet hue. The edges were rough and jagged, showing the poor quality of the stone.
Harry's face lit up with joy as he shifted his gaze toward Aizer, his expression puzzled.
"Huh? Who's this guy? Did I miss something?" Harry asked, looking to Lars.
But before Lars could reply, Aizer spoke again, his face filled with urgency.
"Dammit, shut up! We need to leave now, or else—"
Before he could finish, the entire group froze. Their bodies drenched in cold sweat, they felt heavy footsteps drawing nearer.
With each step, the ground vibrated, and a sense of impending doom closed in on them.
Gritting his teeth, Aizer pulled a bloody dagger from his pocket slashing his right thigh.
He gritted his teeth, enduring the sharp jolt without a sound, using the pain to focus and push back against the creeping fear in his mind.
Ignoring the pain, he looked at Lars and slapped him across the face.
Like the rest of the group, Lars remained frozen, staring into the darkness as the creature approached.
Snapping out of his stupor, Lars saw Aizer walking toward the rest of the party, repeating the same action he had just performed on him.
Following his lead, Lars pinched the cheeks of the others, the sharp sting jolting them from their daze.
Looking at Harry, Aizer shouted, "Quickly, use the return shard!"
Harry, wasting no time, activated the shard, channeling his elkris into it. As he did, the shard grew brighter, emitting a light violet glow that blinded him, but Harry didn't care. He focused intently, injecting more energy inside.
As he did, he noticed something—there was a crack in the shard.
Uncontrollably, the crack spread rapidly, quickly engulfing the entire shard.
[No…] Harry thought, horrified.
The crack spread like a plague, consuming the shard entirely.
"No, no, no, stop!" he shouted internally, his face filled with despair as the shard's glow faded and flickered out.
Without fail, the shard crumbled into jagged fragments, falling from Harry's hands.
His face went pale.
On the other hand, Aizer, having now roused the rest of the group, wiped the blood from his hands onto his pants. Turning toward Harry, his voice filled with urgency. "What's the hold-up, man? Hurry up, it's almost here!"
Saying nothing, Harry collapsed to the ground, his knees buckling as he slumped, his gaze unfocused. The fragments of the return shard slipped from his hands and scattered across the bark.
"Are you listening!? What's the hold-up?" Aizer demanded, walking over and yanking Harry by the hair.
"It's over," Harry whispered, barely audible.
"What!?" Aizer snapped, not understanding the soulless words.
"I said it's over!" Harry shouted, clenching his fists.
As if noticing the tension in the air, a terrifying pressure suddenly descended.
The pressure nearly caused Chole to collapse onto her feet.
The grip she had on her sword instinctively tightened as she gazed deeply into the eerie darkness.
Others may not have noticed, but both she and Aizer did. As they stared fixatedly toward the creature writhed in tentacles and feathers..
Furrowing his brows Aizer slightly backed up standing behind the others, the creature not once leaving his sight of view.
[I don't expect it to get here so fast..] he thought calmly as he looked towards the creature. His fearful expression Contrary to his calm thoughts.