Staring blankly at the dancing flames, Raymond let out a quiet sigh.
"Ugh... I guess I'll just get some rest."
There was little point in forcing himself to
stay awake. They had searched the forest from morning until sunset without finding a single clue. Whatever was happening, they wouldn't solve it by exhausting themselves.
He rose from his seat, dusted the dirt from his clothes, and gave Rowan a small nod before making his way to the tent.
The night continued to deepen.
The campfire crackled softly, its amber glow illuminating only a small patch of the clearing while the rest of the forest was swallowed by darkness.
Beyond the circle of light, towering trees stood like silent sentinels, their shadows stretching endlessly beneath the moonlight.
High above, the moon hung in the sky like a flawless diamond set against a vast canvas of black. Countless stars surrounded it, twinkling gently as a cool breeze rustled the leaves overhead.
The forest seemed peaceful.
Almost too peaceful.
Inside the tent, Raymond closed his eyes.
The fatigue from an entire day of marching and searching quickly caught up to him.
Within minutes, his breathing became slow and steady as sleep claimed him.
Outside, Rowan remained on watch, his sharp eyes constantly sweeping the darkness beyond the campfire.
******
"AAAAGGHHH!"
A guttural scream echoed through the forest, tearing apart the night's silence like shattering glass.
Raymond's eyes snapped open. Every trace of drowsiness vanished in an instant.
Almost instinctively, his hand reached out as a faint flash of light flickered.
The silver sword from his space ring materialized in his grasp as though it had always been there. Beside him, Lyra also jolted awake.
For a brief moment, confusion clouded her hazel eyes. Then the scream echoed once more in her memory.
The sleep disappeared immediately.
She grabbed her bow and quiver without wasting another second. The two exchanged a quick glance before pushing open the tent flap and stepping outside.
The cool night air greeted them.
The campfire had burned lower, its remaining flames casting long shadows across the clearing.
Not far away, Rowan was already moving toward them, his sword drawn and his expression unusually grim.
"What was that?" Raymond asked immediately.
Rowan shook his head.
"I don't know."
His gaze remained fixed toward the eastern part of the forest. "But it came from there."
He slowly raised his sword and pointed into the darkness beyond the trees.
Then, after a brief pause, he spoke again.
"And... it sounded human."
The three fell silent. No one needed to say what they were all thinking. A human scream at this hour inside a monster-infested forest meant only one thing.
And it wasn't a good one.
Lyra's expression gradually hardened.
"Another adventurer?"
"Maybe," Rowan answered.
"We're checking it out."
Without another word, the trio rushed toward the east, disappearing beneath the moonlit canopy.
They moved quickly through the forest, their footsteps barely making a sound as they leaped over roots and pushed past low-hanging branches. The scream had echoed from somewhere nearby, and none of them wanted to arrive too late.
After several minutes of running, the dense trees gradually began to thin. The sound of flowing water reached their ears.
A river.
The three slowed their pace instinctively as they approached the edge of the forest.
Before them stretched a wide river, its crystal-clear water reflecting the silver light of the moon.
The current flowed steadily over smooth rocks, creating a gentle murmur that contrasted sharply with the tension hanging in the air.
The clearing beside the river should have been peaceful.
Instead…it looked like a battlefield.
Several trees had been snapped in half.
Fresh claw marks gouged deep into the earth.
Patches of grass had been flattened as though something had been dragged across the ground.
Raymond's eyes swept across the area.
Then they stopped.
Blood.
Fresh blood stained the riverbank, its crimson color standing out beneath the pale moonlight. Tracing the trail of the blood. He finally found the silhouette.
Just then, a groan was also heard.
Their gazes immediately shifted toward the source of the sound. Near the riverbank, partially concealed by a large boulder, a figure came into view.
A man.
He was slumped against a rock, his body barely remaining upright.
His clothes had been torn to shreds, revealing numerous deep wounds across his chest and arms. Blood continuously dripped from those injuries, staining both the stone behind him and the flowing river beside him.
One of his arms hung limply at his side, bent at an unnatural angle. His breathing was ragged. Each breath sounded heavier than the last.
His face was pale from blood loss, yet his eyes remained open, staring blankly toward the moonlit sky.
"Someone's alive!" Lyra exclaimed as she instinctively stepped forward.
"Wait," Rowan called out.
But she was already gone. In a blur, Lyra dashed across the clearing, closing the distance in seconds. She dropped to one knee beside the injured man and immediately reached into her space ring.
A small glass vial appeared in her hand.
A healing potion.
"H-Hang on," she said quickly, uncorking the bottle. "You'll be fine."
Just as she tilted it toward his mouth. A trembling, blood-soaked hand shot up.
It weakly grasped her wrist.
Lyra froze.
The man's entire arm was shaking violently, as though even lifting it had taken the last of his strength.
She immediately looked into his face.
His eyes were bloodshot. His cheeks were bruised and swollen. Fresh blood trickled from the corner of his mouth with every labored breath.
"R..."
His lips trembled.
"R-r..."
No proper words came out. Only broken gasps escaped his throat. His breathing became more frantic as he desperately tried to force the words out.
"R... ru..."
Blood suddenly spilled from his mouth.
"Cough...!"
His body convulsed violently. Raymond and Rowan had reached them by then.
Raymond crouched beside the man, his expression growing solemn as he examined the wounds.
Something was wrong.
The injuries alone shouldn't have prevented him from speaking. It was as if...
His throat had been damaged.
The man's trembling fingers suddenly tightened around Lyra's wrist. With the last bit of strength he could muster. He forced the words out.
"R... ru-"
Before he could even finish the world around them whitened.
Boooommm.