Aron, on the other hand, came to consciousness with leaves in his mouth and the smell of damp earth in his nose.
He coughed, rolling onto his side as branches snapped beneath his weight. Something soft crumpled under him, a bush, thick and spring, and it took the worst of the impact. His heart hammered anyway, loud enough that for a moment he thought it would draw unwanted attention.
Aron: "…Ugh."
He pushed himself up, checking his arms, his legs. No pain. No blood. Just a few scratches.
Aron: "Oh man," he muttered, staring up through the canopy. The trees were so tightly packed together that the sky looked like it had been stitched shut with leaves. "What was that?"
The last thing he remembered was the sand. The pull, then being thrown.
Aron: "This place is pretty dense," he said under his breath, brushing dirt from his clothes. "Guess I got flung real far huh?"
His hand tightened unconsciously at his side, "… Hope the others are alright."
That thought lingered longer than the rest.
The first few hours passed quickly and quietly.
Aron moved through the forest with cautious steps, pushing past thick undergrowth, roots twisting across the ground like veins. The air was humid, heavy with life. Birds watched him from the branches, and insects hummed somewhere unseen.
Nothing followed him.
Nothing attacked him.
It felt weird to him, but he was glad he was safe at the very least.
By the time the light began to fade, he found water.
A large pond opened up between the trees, its surface smooth and dark, reflecting the sky like glass. Beside it stood a willow tree, its branches dipping towards the water, leaves dancing softly with the wind.
Aron stopped.
Aron: "Okay," he said quietly. "This is… nice."
Too nice, maybe. But he needed a temporary base. Somewhere defensible. Somewhere stable and far from interaction.
He placed his palm against the ground and felt the vibrations of the earth below.
"Rise."
The soil trembled.
Stone rose slowly from beneath the surface. Pillars first, then walls, rough and sturdy. He worked carefully, shaping like a craftsman. A small stone shelter then took shape, nothing fancy. Just enough to block the wind and house him for the night.
He then gathered sticks, dried leaves, and weeds. Built a fire pit and worked for a little, rubbing sticks together attempting to form fire.
Aron: "Man… a fire core would've been real useful here." He chuckled to himself.
After many failed attempts, he managed to make it burn. He quickly placed the flaming material under the leaves, weeds and other sticks and watched as the fire quickly grew.
When night finally fell, Aron sat by the fire, staring into it, exhaustion creeping up on him all at once.
Aron: "Guess this'll do," he muttered.
He lay down inside the stone shelter and sleep took him fast.
Hours later, a sound snapped him awake.
Aron sat up instantly, his heart pounding. His hand was already on the stone floor, spreading his essenz through the earth, attempting to locate where the sound came from.
Once he'd located the sound, he stepped out slowly, barefoot against cold earth, he held his breath as he walked towards the spot.
That's when he saw her.
A girl lay collapsed near the pond, body twisted unnaturally, clothes torn and soaked with blood. Her breathing was shallow and uneven. One arm weakly reaching towards Aron.
"H-help.. m-me…"
Aron froze for a moment, then he ran.
Aron: "Hey—hey!" he dropped to his knees beside her, hands hovering, afraid he would cause her pain. "Are you alright?! Can you hear me?! What happened?!"
Her eyes fluttered, unfocused.
"P-please…"
Aron: "I've got you," he said immediately. "You're okay. You're safe now. I promise."
He lifted her carefully, cradling her as if she might shatter instantly with the slightest bit of force. He carried her back to his shelter, laying her down by the entrance.
He stoked the fire, then ran and grabbed water from the pond, and lifted her head with his hand, supporting it while she drank.
She coughed, sputtered, then whispered, "…Thank you."
Aron let out a deep breath.
Aron: "It's okay," he said with softly while looking at her with his kind eyes, "Just… rest. I'll take care of the fire."
He stood, turning his back to her.
The pain came without warning.
Something slammed into his back, sharp, burning, deep.
Aron: "—AGH!"
Aron cried out, stumbling forward as blood spilled, he spun around, his vision blurring slightly.
The girl stood behind him, vines supporting her body in place of her bones.
Her hands were steady now.
Weapons gleamed in the firelight.
Aron: "Why—?" his voice broke. "WHY DID YOU DO THIS?!"
Her lips trembled. "I'm sorry," she said, tears streaming down her face. "I… I have to live."
The ground erupted.
"Vine Core: Weeping Bind."
Vines burst from the soil, writhing toward him like living chains.
Aron slammed his hand down.
A stone wall shot up between them just in time, vines crashing against it with wet, heavy impacts.
Aron: "You don't have to do this!" he shouted, gripping the knife buried in his back, teeth clenched as he pulled it free. "We can help each other! I swear I'm not lying!"
"I'm sorry…" she sobbed. "I can't trust you."
"…Damn it," Aron whispered.
He grabbed a rock from the ground, Essenz flaring as he shaped it into a crude knife.
The wall shattered as he burst through—
Vines lashed towards him again, however he cut through them, stone blade scraping.
"Vine Core: Vine Slap."
A massive mass of compacted vines formed midair and struck him like a hammer.
Aron was thrown aside, crashing hard into the dirt.
He groaned as he forced himself up.
Aron: "Don't do this!" he shouted, voice cracking. "Stop! We can—"
The girl screamed and attacked again.
No hesitation. No listening.
Aron ran forward, cutting through the vines.
She stepped forward blindly. Fear in her eyes—
Aron's arm moved out of instinct.
It was fast.
The blade slashed and she stopped.
Her hands flew to her neck, blood spilled through her fingers.
Her eyes met his, wide, terrified, filled with tears.
Aron: "…No," he whispered. "No—no, no—"
She collapsed, with her dying breath, she muttered a few faint words.
"I-I'm sorry m-mom…"
Silence followed.
Aron: "I'm… I'm sorry," he said, voice hollow as he fell to his knees beside her. "I didn't—I didn't mean to—"
Her body lay motionless.
Aron carried her beneath the willow tree.
He dug a grave with shaking hands.
When it was done, he stood there in silence, staring at the mound of earth.
"Forgive me," he said one last time.
The forest did not respond.
Aron turned and disappeared, just as dawn broke.