After making up his mind, Aryan braced himself and jumped down.
Swoosh!
The wind rushed past him as he descended, his body cutting through the air.
Thump!
He landed hard, crouching low to absorb the impact. But as his feet hit the ground, a sharp pain shot through his left shoulder.
"Hiss!" Aryan gritted his teeth, clutching at his shoulder as the dull ache intensified.
His body hadn't fully healed from the fight with Darius, and this fall had only aggravated the injury.
"Damn it…" he muttered, wincing as the pain throbbed under his fingers.
'That damn Darius! If I ever get the chance in the future, I swear I'll make him feel ten times the pain I'm feeling right now!'
His eyes blazed with anger at the thought, the memory of their fight fueling the fire inside him.
But before he could stew further in his rage, his attention was drawn elsewhere.
"Wow…" His voice trailed off, and his eyes widened as he took in the scene before him. The forest had unfolded like something out of a dream—or perhaps a nightmare.
In front of him lay a hidden world of eerie beauty. Towering trees with ancient trunks twisted upwards, their dark green canopies forming a thick roof that blocked most of the sunlight. A low mist clung to the forest floor, giving the air a strange, mystical quality. The dense foliage was lush, but it exuded an ominous feeling, as if the forest itself was alive and watching.
In the distance, faintly glowing plants dotted the landscape like tiny stars in a night sky. It was both haunting and breathtaking.
Everything about this place was surreal, a blend of beauty and danger that sent a shiver down Aryan's spine.
Just as he was about to step forward, his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden, unexpected sound.
Squeak!
Startled, Aryan's eyes snapped to a small creature darting from the bushes.
It was a small, rabbit-like animal with soft, fluffy fur and big, round eyes.
"Whoa!" Aryan exclaimed, his mood shifting instantly from anger to excitement.
"What a little cutie! How can there be such a cute-looking animal in this dangerous place? Come... come here, let me take a look at you."
The creature tilted its head slightly, its nose twitching as it sniffed the air.
Aryan moved closer, his movements slow and gentle, as if trying not to spook the animal.
He crouched down and extended his hand, beckoning the creature closer. The little rabbit-like creature hesitated but then hopped toward him.
Aryan gently scooped it up, marveling at how soft and harmless it seemed. "You're too cute to be in a place like this—"
RAWWWWR!
In an instant, the creature's mouth opened wide, far wider than it should have been able to, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth large enough to swallow Aryan whole.
"Holy crap!" Aryan yelped, throwing the creature to the ground.
As soon as it hit the dirt, the creature hissed and transformed back into its original monstrous form, scurrying away into the dark underbrush, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.
Whew! Aryan sighed in relief, his heart still pounding.
"That scared the shit outta me! What the hell was that thing?! My heart almost popped out of my mouth!"
As the panic subsided, Aryan's thoughts returned to the unsettling experience.
'How could something so small hide something so deadly?'
It didn't make sense, and the forest's deceptive nature began to weigh on him even more. He'd have to stay on guard; nothing in Shadowveil was as it seemed.
He wiped the sweat from his brow and took a moment to catch his breath. The Outer Wards of Shadowveil Forest were notorious for harboring creatures like that—a mix of beauty and danger.
Aryan had been taught that this area was home to Lesser Beasts, ranging from Rank 1 to 9. The lower-ranked creatures, like the lesser Shadow Beasts and Stoneback Wolves, were manageable but could still prove dangerous to anyone unprepared. The real threat came from the higher-level creatures—Thunderclaw Wolves with their electrified claws and the fiery Flame Serpents, creatures capable of spewing intense flames. This was just the beginning of what lurked within Shadowveil.
Shaking off the thought of more potential threats, Aryan continued to make his way deeper into the forest.
The atmosphere grew heavier with every step, the air thick with a sense of danger. The mist grew denser, clinging to his legs like ghostly hands, and the trees became more twisted, their bark almost appearing charred in places.
He pressed on, determined but wary, his hand never straying far from the hilt of his blade.
The deeper he ventured, the more the eerie beauty of the forest turned into something menacing. Yet, something urged him forward, something beyond just his own goal.
Suddenly, Aryan winced as a sharp burning sensation flared at the base of his neck.
"Tsssss…" He winced, instinctively reaching up to touch the mark on his neck, only to feel it spark briefly before fading.
"Fucking hell!" Aryan cursed aloud, gritting his teeth against the pain.
"What happened to my neck now?!"
He rubbed at the spot where the pain had flared, but when he checked his reflection in the blade of his sword, there was nothing visible. Only the faintest shimmer of the mysterious mark that had been there before.
His instincts screamed at him, the burning sensation a clear warning that something was amiss.
'What the hell was that?'
It was impossible to ignore. Something was going on with the mark, something he didn't yet understand. But Aryan had no time to figure it out.
'Whatever. No point wasting time thinking about useless things. I've got bigger problems.'
He pushed onward, forcing the burning sensation and lingering confusion out of his mind.
The air around him seemed to darken further as he ventured deeper into the unknown. He could feel the weight of the forest's mysteries pressing down on him, as if the deeper he went, the more the very land became alive with secrets.
Unbeknownst to Aryan, two glowing eyes watched him from the shadows. They followed his every move, waiting. Gleaming like dark orbs of malice, they remained still and silent, never blinking. Whatever creature they belonged to had its gaze fixed solely on him, its dark presence blending perfectly with the shadows of the forest.