In the depths of the forest, the light gradually became thin, the canopy of the trees intertwined into a thick shadow, as if a huge net enveloped overhead.Vetril and Eleanor stepped on the loose fallen leaves and walked forward cautiously.The air was filled with an earthy scent, occasionally there were a few bird songs, but they seemed to be extremely distant. There was a damp earthy scent in the air, and the occasional sound of birdsong was distant.Vetril's eyes swept around, observing the subtle changes in their surroundings.
'This forest is not right,' Vetril whispered, frowning slightly.
Eleanor gripped the staff in her hand tighter, a faint blue light glowing from her fingertips. 'Wraiths?' She asked, a hint of caution in her voice.
'Could be,' Vetril nodded, 'and there's more than one.'
As soon as the words left her mouth, there was a rustling in the bushes ahead of her. Immediately after, a massive boar rushed out, its tusks glinting with cold light and its eyes glowing scarlet. Its skin was covered with thick scales, clearly not an ordinary beast.
'It's a wild boar!' Eleanor quickly took a step back, her staff arcing through the air, 'Watch out for its charge!'
Vetril quickly activated the panel and the boar's information surfaced:
[Boar]
[Level: 10]
[Realm: Elementary Magical Beast]
[Description: An ordinary boar in the mountains, which became a magical beast due to absorbing the weak Mana]
[Weakness: Weak abdomen].
He whispered to Elinor, 'The abdomen is its weak point, I'll attract its attention and you find an opportunity to attack.'
Eleanor nodded, her gaze locked on the boar.Vetril quickly rushed to the side, picking up a stone and smashing it hard into the boar's head. The boar let out a roar and turned towards Vetril. Just as it was about to hit Vetril, Eleanor's staff swung violently, and a wind blade sliced precisely into the boar's abdomen. The boar let out a mournful scream and fell heavily to the ground in a cloud of dust.
'Well done,' Vetril breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to the boar's carcass, 'It seems this forest is more dangerous than we thought.'
Eleanor put her staff away, her brow still furrowed. 'We need to find Jerry quickly, it's too dangerous for him to be out here alone.'
The two continued on their way, the light in the forest getting dimmer and dimmer, and an eerie scent filled the air. Suddenly, Vetril's eyes were drawn to a bright flash of light in the distance. 'There's something glowing over there,' he pointed ahead, 'Let's check over there, maybe Jerry is there!'
They quickened their pace and headed in the direction of the bright light. Soon they found Jerry in a clearing. The boy was crouching on the ground, holding a softly glowing flower in his hands, his face full of joy.
'Jerry!' Eleanor breathed a sigh of relief and walked quickly to his side, 'What are you doing here?'
Jerry looked up, excitement shining in his eyes. 'I saw this flower glowing, it's so pretty! I want to pick it back and give it to my mother-in-law.'
Vetril looked at the flower and the panel showed:
[Sassilya Flower]
[Description: emits a faint light only at night, often grows in places where the water element is active, blooms once every two years]
[Purpose: Wearing it for a long period of time can slowly condition the body]
He crouched down and whispered, 'Jerry, this forest is dangerous, you can't run around alone.'
Jerry lowered his head and whispered, 'I'm sorry, today is my mother-in-law's birthday, I just wanted to give her a surprise.'
Eleanor stroked his head and softened her tone. 'We understand how you feel, but make sure you tell us next time, okay?'
Suddenly there was movement around them, five magical beasts suddenly rushed out and surrounded the three of them, Eleanor and Vetril immediately made battle preparations, Vetril reached out and shielded Jerry behind him.
At that moment, a thick fog suddenly rose up in the forest, and the fog quickly spread, and surrounded them in the blink of an eye. The Wraiths saw the rising mist and fled in bunches, watching the scene Vetril and Eleanor breathed a sigh of relief.
'This mist isn't right,' Eleanor said warily, 'It could be some sort of magical effect.'
Elinor gripped her staff tightly, closed her eyes, and mouthed a string of incantations. The top of her staff blossomed into a dazzling light, and a whirlwind rose from beneath her feet, spreading quickly. The fog was torn apart by the whirlwind, and the surrounding scenery gradually became clearer.
'The fog is dispersed,' Eleanor opened her eyes, a fine layer of sweat seeping from her forehead, 'but the magical energy of this forest is too strong, and my magic can only last for a few moments.'
Vetril nodded, 'We need to get out of here as soon as possible.'
However, when they tried to identify the direction, they found that the trees around them all seemed to have become identical, making it impossible to tell the way they came. Jerry tightly grasped Elinor's hand, his voice slightly trembling, 'Are we ... lost?'
Elinor patted his shoulder soothingly, 'Don't be afraid, we will find our way out.'
Just then, a sound if any came from the distance, like a song or a whisper.
The three of Vetril didn't care at first and continued to look for a way out of the forest, but after turning around for a while they still couldn't find a way out. So they could only decide to check in the direction of the sound.
'There's a sound over there, we can only go over there to see if there's any way out.' Vetril pointed ahead.
The three of them followed the direction of the sound, and the scenery of the forest gradually changed. The trees became taller, and a faint light came through between the branches and leaves, as if stars dotted the night sky. Eventually, they came to a lake.
The surface of the lake was as calm as a mirror, reflecting the stars in the sky. The water of the lake took on a deep blue colour, as if it contained endless secrets. On the grass by the lake, countless glowing creatures floated, like jellyfish or fireflies, their light reflecting the entire lake surface like a dream.
'It ... is so beautiful here,' Jerry's eyes widened, his face filled with awe.
Eleanor was also shocked by the scene in front of her and whispered, 'This lake ... seems to contain powerful magical energy.'
He took a deep breath and felt a cool energy surge into his body, his tiredness instantly dissipating.
'We might be able to rest here,' he said, 'The energy of this lake will be good for us.'
Eleanor nodded, and the three of them sat by the edge of the lake, taking in the mystical sight in silence. Jerry held the moonflower with a sad expression on his face.
'Sorry for the trouble!' He said softly, 'I won't wander off again.'
Vetril smiled and touched his head, 'It's alright, no matter what happens, we will bring you back to Silver Dew Town. But remember next time you must never come out at night by yourself, your mother-in-law will worry if you do.'
Jerry nodded and said, 'I definitely won't next time!'
Vetril looked at the lake, an inexplicable calm rising in his heart. He knew that there were many unknown dangers in this forest, but at the moment, he just wanted to enjoy this moment of peace.
However, just as they let their guard down, there was a sudden ripple on the surface of the lake, and a blurry figure slowly rose from the lake.Vetril quickly stood up at the sight, staring warily at the lake.
'Get ready,' he whispered to Eleanor, 'we may be facing a new challenge again.'
Elinor gripped her staff tightly, her gaze firm. 'Whatever it is, we will face it together.'
The ripples on the surface of the lake gradually expanded, and the figure became clearer and clearer, as if it was approaching them. The trio's heartbeats accelerated, and a tense atmosphere filled the air.