Anastasia looks up at the sky, noticing the fading light. "Soon it's going to be night," she says, her voice laced with urgency. "We better hurry."
However, Jeremy suggests, "Before we eat, it's better to check the barrier's range and type first. It's always safer to be cautious than regret it later."
Anastasia nodded with agreement.
Anastasia quickly takes charge. "Alright, I'll tell you the direction of the fruits while Marriane and I check the range of the barrier." She looks at Jeremy, who nods in agreement with her suggestion.
Soon, they part ways to carry out their tasks. Marriane, walking beside Anastasia, says, "Since I'm studying magic engineering, I know a bit about barriers. However, I haven't been learning for long, so there's only so much I can deduce just by looking at it."
Anastasia listens attentively and nods. "Alright, let's do our best," she says, acknowledging Marriane's explanation before both of them move to assess the situation.
After assessing the situation, Anastasia and Marriane returned to the exact spot where they had originally been, but Jeremy still hadn't returned. They waited quietly for him. After a moment, Marriane broke the silence. "Don't we need water too?"
Anastasia nodded. "Sure, we do need it."
She then added thoughtfully, "To produce an element via magic, we need to know the name given to that element by God—the true name of the particular element." She paused for a moment before adding, "But before we get to that, don't we need a container to store the water?"
Marriane grinned and replied confidently, "Don't worry, when Marriane the craftsman is here, we've got it covered."
Anastasia couldn't help but smile inwardly. Marianne the craftsman? she thought, amused by her friend's sudden confidence.
Summary of marriane's bowl: "First, we collect the raw materials. Since all we have is black wood, we'll work with that. The next step is to make sure the wood is safe to store water; if it isn't, we'll need to extract the toxins. Then, we'll use a poison that can melt the wood and create a place to store the water. Once that's done, we'll reexamine it to ensure it's safe. And just like that, your black wood bowl is ready!"
Anastasia smiled as she chanted the true name of water, effortlessly summoning a fresh, glowing stream for her and Marriane to drink.
Just then, Jeremy appeared with a handful of strange, black, oval fruits. "Found these where you mentioned," he said with a mischievous grin. "Not sure if they're edible."
Marianne carefully examined one, and to her surprise, found it wasn't poisonous. "It's safe," she said, cutting it open to reveal a fresh, sweet interior.
" It's quite strange isn't it?." Anastasia said while looking at them "The ancient forest is so ominous. Yet, these fruits survived here?"
Jeremy said "Yes!" while taking a bite of a fruit.
"Anne, you should try one too," Marriane said, handing a fruit to her.
Anne hesitated for a moment before taking it. She sniffed it carefully, then took a cautious bite. Her eyes widened in surprise. "It's actually sweet!" she exclaimed.
The group chuckled, the eerie forest momentarily forgotten as they shared the strange yet pleasant fruit together.
After eating the fruit, Marriane began explaining the mechanism of the barrier they'd been discussing. "The barrier is quite strong, but there's one issue," she said, her tone serious. "It will only last for two to three days. It'd be a miracle if it lasted any longer."
As Marriane continued, Jeremy, listening intently, suddenly spoke up. "Then it's decided."
Marriane looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"
Anastasia, understanding his intent, answered for him. "It means it's either kill or be killed. Whatever is inside won't wait for the barrier to fall. Even if we survive inside, once the barrier is opened, we'll be as good as dead."
The weight of their situation hung heavy in the air, and the ominous forest around them seemed to grow even darker.
After a little pause Jeremy said,his voice steady."However, first we need to know who our enemy is."
Anastasia nodded, her expression serious. "We have to search before nightfall," she said. "First, we'll only find out what's inside. After all, fighting an unknown enemy is dangerous. We need to understand their weaknesses first."
The weight of her words hung in the air, the urgency of their situation clear. It was a risk they couldn't afford to take without more information.
As everyone scattered through the forest, searching as quickly as they could, the tension in the air grew. After a while, they gathered again, only half an hour left before nightfall.
Anastasia spoke first, her voice tinged with frustration. "We didn't find anything."
Marriane shook her head. "I didn't either, but there was something strange about one tree. As you can see, the trees here are massive—towering so high that we can't even spot the top. But I found one tree that stood out. It was much shorter than the others, like a normal tree. Its branches were black, and its leaves were as red as the others. But... I didn't dare get close to it. There was an off aura around it."
Anastasia frowned, sensing the danger in Marriane's words. "That tree... could it be connected to the enemy?"
Jeremy's gaze hardened. "It's worth investigating. We don't have much time."
They all knew now—something dark and unnatural was hiding in the forest, and they would have to face it soon.