Kazuki and Lillans boots pounded against the earth, slipping into the mud, catching onto the roots. Branches clawed at their cloak and against their exposed skin, like the forest was Sentient beast and branches its arms—trying to drag them down.
They didn't look back.
The silent moon followed them, its moonlight falling on them giving them spotlight or a target of the hunger.
They slipped, fumbled with mud striking at their boots, leaves slapping their faces, twigs cracking beneath every step.
They kept moving.
Every stumble was followed by a surge forward
Their breaths came out in ragged clouds, hot against the cold air, burning in their lungs. The chill bit at their skin, but inside their chests, heat pounded like war drums.
Kazuki didn't know how far they'd gone, only that the trees stretched before them: never-ending blur of green.
But as moment gave way to another second, their legs began to ache, sluggish. Every step demanded another surge of strength, chipping away at their will. Their breath hitched, ragged and uneven.
Then, almost without realizing it, they broke through.
The trees began to thin out.
Branches no longer reached for them. The screeching… stopped.
The chirping noise, once deafening, ceased altogether—like it had been cut off mid-scream. In its absence, a stillness settled over the world.
The only sound now was their own gasping breaths, their boots crunching on gravel instead of muck.
Kazuki slowed first, chest heaving as he staggered to a stop.
Lillian followed, clutching her side, sweat clinging to her brow despite the cold.
They stood at the edge of the treeline, where the forest opened into a wide cover clearing.
Kazuki turned to Lillian, his voice barely more than a whisper. "I think… we made it."
She didn't speak right away. Just nodded.
Then, softly, she replied, "Yeah…"
Kazuki crashed onto the ground, letting his nerves finally rest. The rough ground beneath him was uneven, cold, and scattered with pebbles, but he didn't care. He would've laid down on thorns if it meant not running anymore.
Next to him, Lillian dropped with less grace and more exhaustion, plowing into the dirt beside him. Her cloak bunched up beneath her as a makeshift cushion, but the rest of her just melted into the earth, eyes half-lidded and dazed.
The ground was uncomfortable. Jagged. Damp. But it didn't matter.
Not after everything.
They would take any rest, no matter how poor, as long as it meant they didn't have to keep running.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
They just breathed.
The clearing held its silence. You would think in such wide-open area more wind should blew, but strangely it didn't.
No breeze. No rustling leaves. Just still air hanging heavy around them.
Kazuki lifted his head, just enough to glance around.
They were in a wide-open clearing. All around them, the forest curved inward, surrounding them like a natural arena.
To the front, the way was cleared—an opening in the trees, not wide, but deliberate, like a path carved by something or someone. The rest of the clearing was a circle of dense wood.
But that narrow gap ahead… it was the only space that led anywhere.
It was pretty much clear—they weren't out of the forest. Not truly.
This wasn't the edge.
Just a clearing inside it.
Kazuki's stomach sank slightly at the realization.
He sat up fully, rubbing the back of his neck, grimacing at the soreness in his muscles. "This place… Lillan we aren't out of forest yet."
Lillian gave a weak groan and flopped onto her back, staring up at the sky as if hoping it might argue otherwise.
"Figures," she muttered. "Of course not. When did our life went so well?"
Kazuki stared ahead, past the clearing, try to peek what lay ahead in the narrow gap. Obviously, he couldn't make out from here, the only way was to march ahead and find out.
He looked at the ground, his brows furrowed in thought, then glanced up at the eerie stillness around them.
"What do you think it's about?" he asked, voice soft but tinged with unease. "A clearing in the middle of the forest… and then a narrow path like a strip cut right through it. What do you think it's about?"
Lillian didn't answer at first.
She didn't even try to sit up—just lay there on her side, one arm draped over her face like she wanted to block out everything.
Then she sighed. Long and deep.
"Kazuki," she muttered, voice muffled, "if I knew anything about what's happening, I'd tell you. But I don't. I don't have a damn clue myself."
Kazuki followed. "True, why don't you take a rest, I will keep an eye around. After which we will go ahead."
She nodded her head. "I appreciate it."
Kazuki gave a small nod, rising stiffly to his feet. His legs protested with every motion, aching from the run, but he forced them steady. He brushed the dirt from his clothes, not that it helped much—they were soaked, caked in mud, and torn in places. Still, it was better than sitting still and letting the creeping dread return.
He looked down at Lillian one more time. She had curled slightly onto her side, cloak drawn tighter around her shoulders. Her eyes were closed in exhaustion.
The air around Kazuki's hand shimmered like a blurring vision of heat rising, and with a faint pulse of light, a sleek dagger materialized in his grip—[Hydra's Fang Dagger].
Its curved blade glinted faintly under the moonlight, tinted with a sickly green. The hilt felt cold in his palm.
He stared at it for a long moment.
All this time, he'd been relying on luck, on Lillian, on improvisation and sheer chance. And it had nearly gotten both of them killed.
The recent events had been a close call. A brutal reminder that he wasn't ready.
Kazuki tightened his grip on the dagger.
He was a liability to the team, that had to change if they wanted to make it out of this forest alive.
He needed to carry his weight.
Dagger in his hand pulsed once, as if agreeing.
Kazuki lifted the dagger to chest level, steadying it with both hands. Its weight was light, precise—made for speed and control rather than brute force.
A quiet hum.
He focused.
Slowly, he took a breath, then exhaled, letting his heartbeat settle into a rhythm.
A soft ding echoed in Kazuki's mind, followed by a faint shimmer of light in the corner of his vision.
[SYSTEM TUTORIAL: Dagger Mastery Initiated]
You have selected: [Hydra's Fang Dagger]
Weapon Type: Toxic Dagger – Lightweight, Mana-Responsive
Unique Trait: Venomous Pulse – May apply poison with Mana-Infused attacks.
─── Dagger Tutorial: Basic Infusion
───Dagger Class weapons respond best to focused, minimal mana infusion.
Too much energy will cause instability.
✦ Step 1: Focus your mana to your palm.
✦ Step 2: Visualize a thin blade of mana extending from the edge of the dagger.
✦ Step 3: Let the weapon guide the flow—Hydra's Fang is semi-sentient and will sync over time.
▶ Objective: Maintain a stable mana-blade for 10 seconds.
▶ Reward: Unlock [Mana Edge].
He narrowed his eyes, steadying his breathing again. Pushing mana to the surface, he felt a ripple beneath his skin.
He moved the dagger in a horizontal arc—then a downward slash—then back into a ready stance.
The mana shimmered again, faintly dancing along the dagger's edge.
Then moved again—this time with more purpose. He swung the dagger in a wide arc, pivoted, then tried a forward thrust.
He was starting to find a rhythm. His grip felt steadier. The blade hummed faintly with each movement, syncing with his mana like it was learning his pulse.
Then—his foot slipped.
His boot skidded on a loose patch of stones, his stance crumbling beneath him. The sudden jolt threw off his momentum, and the dagger twisted wildly in his hand.
He fumbled to recover, twisting awkwardly, one hand shooting out to catch himself against the cold earth. A sharp jolt ran up his wrist, but he managed to stay upright.
His heart thundered in his chest.
For a few seconds, he just stood there—half-crouched, dagger tight in his hands, breaths coming fast.
A drop of sweat rolled down his brow. He wiped it with the back of his sleeve and muttered, "Almost killed myself there."