The forest greeted them with a faint mist, lying low over the ground. This Side of the forest was filled with more mana and various types of plants.
Sunlight was scattered throughout the forest by the mist. It was a marvelous scene, like heaven's open door in the sky, but this time it was from on ground.
Rin was mesmerized by the beauty of nature. She wasn't speaking.
She just lost in beauty.
"Hey Gaja, are we really in the southern forest?" Rin asked.
"Yeah, this is the southern forest," Gaja replied.
"You know, Rin, if you head that way, there's a pond, where a small waterfall can be found." Gaja was guiding them, the places he went.
They covered a few distances.
"Hey Limbo, where are you spacing?"
"Why am I feeling that you are hiding something, like Gaja?" Rin was suspicious, since they entered the forest, Limbo hadn't let down his guard.
"Actually, everyone doesn't recommend coming here, but this place is the opposite of what I heard, so it's natural that I will be suspicious." Limbo put his thoughts before them.
But still, this is really marvelous art, like nature took its time to decorate.
Like this is a welcoming place for Gods. Maybe someone's life has been nourishing this place. Don't know why, but this place feels like, preparing for our welcome. Mana signals are strong, like masterpieces made after hours of Coding.
"Code what?" Gaja said.
Rin said, "You really talk strange, can't you just say you also like the view instead of this weird talk?"
"Who would welcome us?" Rin said.
"Hey, Limbo, can you use your compass, that way it will make sure we don't get lost."
He nodded, and without saying ... just take the action.
Limbo led the way while holding a compass in hand. The needle trembled faintly each time he turned, as if resisting direction. "This is strange, he muttered, tapping the glass."
"It's pulling south, but... Also slightly east."
"Mana stream here always drifts towards the valley," Gaja explained. "How do you even know that?" Rin asked while adjusting the strap on her back.
Gaja didn't say, but he was behaving strangely if he was looking for something or someone. To appear...
Limbo paused, system scan the surroundings.
[ Scan complete.]
[ Mana density: High ]
[ Trace detected: residual anomaly signature, 4 hours old. ]
Limbo's facial expression changed while Rin noticed, "Did you find anything strange?"
"Maybe, what we encounter in North." He said with doubt.
"Don't tell me we... But we have just started, this place looks normal." Rin expresses his worries.
Yeah, Limbo cut her in mid-talk, "something has passed through here. Not too long ago."
Gaja stepped forward and put his hands on the ground. "This pattern... I've seen it before."
"Where?" Rin asked while raising eyebrows.
Gaja's hands trembled slightly. "Back then... Before I disappeared."
Limbo and Rin exchanged glances, but Rin was looking worried. But before they could ask something, the system flickered,
[ Warning: emotional fluctuations subject Gaja. ]
[ Recommend maintaining a stable mana link with the party ]
"Hey, guys."
"Yes." They were both in sync. "We're here now what happened?"
"Whatever it is, Limbo said in serious mode, we will face it together."
They smiled, "yeah... Together."
They begin matching forward.
Hours passed. The forest grow denser, roots were twisted like a vines under the soil. The wind was carrying faint whispers, it was not a simple voice, but something was close...
Rin was looking here and there, she was checking closely and trying to connect with plants and trees , but suddenly for a moment she thought she saw a faint light, glowing between the trees, but it blink just only once and then vanished somewhere.
By noon,
they stopped near the spot.
In front of them was an old stone marker, that stone marker was half-buried in the ground and half about. Rin was curious....
"Hey, guys, come here and take a look," Rin said. "How strange patterns have been carved on this stone? It's also glowing and emitting a faint blue light at same time."
"What's this?" Rin asked while brushing the moss aside.
The system responded automatically.
[ Relic Detected: Boundary pillar (unknown era)]
[Purpose: Separated zone ]
[ Status: partially broken. ]
"Thanks." This is just as I expected, Limbo said in his mind.
"Hey, don't you think this is just like territorial marking?" Rin said, How did you come to this conclusion? Gaja asked.
"I just had a hunch." She continues, "Anyways, we also have border marking around the Village."
"Probably," Limbo said.
But suddenly the ground trembled as Limbo touched, but when Rin touched nothing happened, they instinctively stepped back. Gaja also removes his hand.
Phuuu. Rin exhaled slowly, "Okay... That wasn't normal."
Limbo looked at the cracked symbols. His mind had already started to decode and run possibilities. "Whatever was here... It's waking up." "I think."
"Hey, don't scare us with your wild thoughts," Rin said, she almost panicked, "we're humans, not tools, you know."
Gaja drew out his short blades. Its edge had lights up in sunlight. "Should we move forward? And find a place to tent out."
System flickered faintly,
[ Party link: stable ]
[ Route suggestion: Southwest ]
Limbo agrees. "Hey, let's move Southwest."
Gaja sheaths his blades, Rin replied, "Okay... I also had a strange feeling we should head that way."
As they stepped past the marker, the sound of faint hum started to fade slowly. But something from behind the trees had glanced at them.
A faint silver shadow shimmering with silver light.
Who might that be?
Why did Gaja want to come? Will Limbo be able to find any clues?
Let's find out...