The forest was silent, except for the soft patter of rain. Bodies lay scattered—party members battered, bruised, and barely conscious. Reyand stirred first, his head pounding.
A small hand tapped his face. Then another. The baby was crawling toward him, tiny fingers slapping his cheeks relentlessly.
"Hey… hey! What—?" Reyand muttered, blinking.
When he opened his eyes, he saw the little boy, covered in mud and rainwater, crawling through the chaos with determined focus. Reyand tried to stand, but pain shot through his limbs. Then his gaze fell—and froze.
Oval's massive body lay torn apart nearby, its heads severed.
Shock gripped him. Around him, the party remained unconscious, battered and broken. The baby tilted his head in confusion, looking at Reyand.
"Thank God… you're okay," Reyand whispered, relief flooding him.
The tiny boy didn't stop there. He crawled to Jasmine first, flinging mud at her face. Then to the others—Adam, Helena, Durden, Angela—throwing mud with mischievous precision.
One by one, the party awoke, coughing, wiping mud, and staring in disbelief at the monstrous carcass of Oval.
Adam held his injured hand weakly. "Who… killed it?"
Everyone exchanged glances. Helena stepped forward cautiously. "A thunderbolt, I think."
Durden grunted, "Today luck was on our side."
The baby, undeterred, flung mud at Helena's face again. "You… little devil," she muttered, but before she could react, Reyand called, "Alice! Wake up!"
Alice remained unconscious. Reyand's voice cracked as he shook her gently. "Dear, wake up…"
The baby crawled to Alice, placing his tiny hands on her face. A soft, glowing light flickered from his palms. Alice's eyes fluttered open, her gaze locking on the glowing child.
Reyand and the others stared in awe. Alice, still groggy, simply smiled. "I… just fell asleep," she said softly.
Helena asked cautiously, "Do you remember anything about the monster?"
Alice shook her head. "No… only that it attacked us. Then I must have passed out."
Everyone breathed out slowly, relief mixing with exhaustion. They tended to their wounds, the rain washing away the mud and blood.
As they prepared to leave the forest, a voice called out sharply. A squad of soldiers emerged, led by a tall man with brown hair in golden-silver armor, a hawk insignia gleaming on his chest.
"Who are you? Why are you in this forest?" he demanded.