Once the messenger birds were sent back to each of the units, Alketas stood up together with his wolf.
"All this talking made me hungry, let's eat," he said.
It was a lively day in the village of Mene. Its people shared their food with Nireus and his companions. Some played musical flutes showing their prowess to their visitors. Their inert hospitality was unknown to the locals till this day.
Haemon, a knight serving under Arsen, didn't let the opportunity pass by. He danced to the tune of the flutes, sending awkward smiles to the knights who knew him while laughter and joy to the others. Tereus couldn't even look at him while Rhene just laughed her heart out to the point of crying.
When Haemon saw Aeneas, he walked towards him still moving his shoulders to the sound of the flutes.
"Let's dance, young lord," Haemon said with a smile.
Aeneas stared at him. Then, he turned his gaze to his brother who was one of the many who had an awkward smile, and since Arsen just shrugged, the boy hurriedly escaped to a place far from Haemon. Meanwhile, the other locals joined in. Seeing the people who were copying Haemon's moves, Tiriara pulled Neoma and they danced, swaying their shoulders and arms around.
Laughter and stories were shared throughout the day, till the reflecting light from above started to become dimmer.
Complete darkness filled the village when night came. But, with the wolves howling, torches attached to some of the trees and small ones above the doors of each house began to light up.
The locals offered their visitors a place inside their huts to sleep through the night. Most knights preferred to sleep on the green grass still on their armor and beside their weapons to be ready the second something that could threaten them appeared.
Protected by the wolves' magic, it was another peaceful night in the village of Mene. Hours before the first light of dawn reflected from above, the chosen knights and warriors of the village left its safety to arrive in each of their designated units.
It wasn't long after when Nireus and most of the knights were up, preparing for the second day of their expedition.
One of Nireus's commands to every pair who went to each unit was to send a letter once they'd arrived. He plans to move a bit later once he knows that all units are on the move.
Everyone was able to eat and prepare before all the expected messenger birds arrived. There was a discussion about whether to leave the squires at Mene before going to the Lost Meadow. Which didn't sit well with them, they argued that the ones in other units would be there and that their purpose was to see the knights in action. So, including Neoma, who refused to stay, and his uncle, Linus, who offered his help, the lord of Arsida's unit has left the veil of mist surrounding the village of Mene.
Linus guided the unit with the help of the wolves. They coated the entire group with a cloak of mist similar to when they guided them to the village. With the wolves' help, Nireus and his unit avoided territories belonging to frightening beasts none of the other creatures in the forest tried to go against, and they also attacked maddened beasts who dared to go inside the mist.
Hours later, the unit arrived in the area with the biggest trees towering everything in the great forest. Unlike other kinds of trees, the great ones didn't exhibit the phenomena of crown shyness. Their branches drew close together, making light unable to pierce their layers of leaves. Lurking in the darkness they cast were beasts and plants that relished it. And beyond the dark, was the Lost Meadow. It was truly an uncanny sight for Aeneas and the others as the moonlord and Linus described. A wide flat plain of green grass.
Aside from Fen, the wolves hurried home once the group reached their destination.
The other units were at the meadow and their guides already left to report back to the moonlord. They have made camps, with the knights on high alert and the researchers trying what they could to understand why they were in the place. Some had visible yet minor injuries, while most, though tired, were unscathed.
Though morale wasn't that low, the moment they noticed their commander's presence, their faces lit up more, as they greeted Nireus with the Panteran bow. Four silver-ranked Chiliarchs were speaking with each other when Nireus and his unit arrived, they immediately turned and welcomed him when they saw him.
"Where's Dame Helice and her unit?" Nireus asked as he hadn't seen her. She's the Lady of Sinamos City and one of the five Chilarchs of Silver in Arsida.
"They haven't arrived yet," Cylon, a Chiliarch of Silver and Nireus's right hand, responded.
Nireus gave all units enough time as a headstart before moving the unit he leads. The only conclusion about Helice's unit was they either got lost in the great forest or encountered something that halted their tracks.
With the long history of the expeditions made in the great forest that started hundreds of years ago, it was the first time for them to reach far into the heart of the forest. Before, it was an event held once every other year but as time passed by the duration between them expanded and now it only happens every ten years. After every expedition, a small area is added to the Panteran map for the Great Verdant forest. Yet this year, they've skipped a lot of areas to arrive at the Lost Meadow.
Worried, Nireus spoke with the four silver-ranked Chiliarchs and decided to send an elite unit to aid the missing one. As they were picking who among them to send, the lord of Arsida decided to go himself, along with two of the silver-ranked Chiliarchs, and knights he picked.
The Chiliarchs Nireus picked were Aktis and Brygos. Aktis exhibited the greatest prowess in combat among the Chiliarchs, and Brygos was a great fighter. Nireus also wanted Cylon to lead while he was gone.
Meanwhile, the others dined with everyone else, sharing whatever food they had brought for the expedition. Most of it was dried preserved meat and a loaf of bread made to last a few weeks.
Haemon, Rhene, Tereus, and some of the knights from the Caspius manor ate in a circle with Aeneas and the others. They were eating in peace until Tiriara stood up, "This bread is too dry!" she exclaimed while asking Aeneas for water.
"It's supposed to be that way for it not to spoil quickly," Aeneas replied as he handed his canister.
Tiriara chugged the entire thing and took a satisfied sigh. When she looked at the boy as she handed the canister back, she saw a disappointed face. In response, she put out an embarrassed smile towards him.
In the distance, Aeneas saw Alistair with some of the other squires. They met eyes for a few seconds before looking away and continuing whatever they were doing.
As they shared stories while dining, they saw movement among the leaders of the expedition. Then, Nireus approached them and asked Arsen and Donos to come with him.
"Where are you going, father?" Tiriara asked.
Nireus explained what was happening briefly, he asked Konon to look after Tiriara while he and the others were gone.
A unit of forty people was formed, including Linus as their guide. Tereus, Theresa, and Argon joined the unit aside from Arsen and Donos. They checked the map they had and headed towards the base where Helice's unit was.
As the special unit left the group, the researchers began to investigate the area with the help of the knights ensuring their safety. It wasn't long when beasts appeared from the distance curious to see what the bipedal creatures were doing. So far, none decided to attack the group, maybe smart enough to be afraid of their great number, or afraid to set foot at the seemingly uncanny place for them.
One key information that the researchers have learned was that the Lost Meadow was deprived of mana. When they unleashed their glassy orb from the blue leaves hosting them, it barely changed in color. Although the orb confirmed the abundance of chaos in the area as opposed to mana, the absence of maddened beasts made the researchers second guess their theory of chaos's relevance to the phenomena that make beasts succumb in a rage only quenched by killing them.
Everyone was doing their jobs at the Lost Meadow, including the squires who assisted both researchers and knights. It was sudden when Aeneas felt pain in his right eye. A familiar kind of spasm-like pain where it feels like someone was poking it with needles. The boy was irritated at best, it wasn't the kind of pain Aeneas couldn't handle. What worries him is the thought that it might become worse like it did months ago when it last happened.
Tiriara took notice of him rubbing his eyes more frequently than normal. She grabbed him by the arm and whispered, "Is your eye hurting again?"
Aeneas blinked his right eye a couple of times before acting like it was already fine, "No, something got stuck in my eye," he replied.
The girl was doubtful, "Are you sure?" She asked.
Aeneas replied with a nod, "It's nothing," he said.
"Okay, but tell me if your eye hurts. I'll call your mother."
"Yeah, yeah I will–"
Like a moth attracted to a source of light, Aeneas's eyes swayed to the far end of the forest where green grass meets with the tall trees. He was staring as if his sight was glued. He pointed and asked,
"Do you see that?"
Curious, Tiriara looked at the same location. She tried her hardest to see what Aeneas was looking at but to no avail.
"There's nothing there."
"No, look right there. It's covered in something," Aeneas said. He pointed again, then held Tiriara's head to sway it in the right direction.
"Nothing's there. You're just jesting with me, aren't you? And here I was, worried."
But, Aeneas has a serious expression, "I think I saw someone watching us," he said.
"What? A beast?"
Aeneas said that it looked like a person to which Tiriara argued that it might be someone from the hidden village asked to keep watch of them.
The boy argued in his head whether Tiriara was correct. It did seem logical even coming from her. But, what made him skeptical was that the figure he saw was covered with something dark and red. It looked like mist, but he was sure it wasn't one, nor was it anything similar. Rather, it appeared like it had no physical self, something like energy.
Then from the figure Aeneas saw, the dark red energy converged into a fine thread and skittered towards the forest. And the next they heard was a deafening screech.