CHAPTER 37: THE SPIRAL PATH TO NOWHERE (+18)

The haunted forest stretched on, with it the silent weight hanging in the air like a sticky membrane.

Eren walked with half-closed eyes, analyzing everything—the scent of the air, the texture of the earth, the intervals between the trunks. There was no clear sign of Barovik. No change in vegetation. No watchtower. No recognizable ruins. The sky remained with that malformed yellowish-gray that never opened into full light.

[Time elapsed since departure from Watch Hill: 21h 08min]

[Pre-calculated routes to Barovik: estimated duration – 18h (cautious mode)]

[Status: Active detour | Secondary path | Possible loop? Inconclusive]

Eren’s mind operated as always: cold, logical, focused. But even so... something was wrong.

If we’ve been on the move for over twenty hours and haven’t seen a single sign of civilization, either this path is truly a very long alternative route... or there’s some magical interference in the way.

He frowned.

The route they took was suggested by Hark—the Green Stalker who had helped them before—and that gave it some credibility. But it was possible that the forest itself was altering distances. Or worse: restricting access to the city with some subtle barrier.

"Kaela," he said in a neutral tone. "Are you sensing anything new?"

"No," she replied dryly.

Morwynn sighed theatrically.

"Very instinctive. Impressive."

Eren raised his hand, impatient.

"Focus."

Kaela sniffed the air, her golden eyes alert to variations.

"The smell hasn’t changed in hours. Same mosses, same rotten sap, same leaves."

Morwynn walked lightly among the trees. Observing more than sniffing. Her eyes analyzed patterns in the roots, in the fungi, in the marks on the ground.

"We’re walking in a curve. Spiral. The terrain seems flat, but we’re moving with a lateral deviation. Constant right."

Eren showed no surprise, but that confirmed his suspicion.

"Route altered. Probably magic. Passage sealed or protected."

Kaela cracked her neck.

"So you followed this route thinking it would lead us straight to the city?"

"It was the recommended one," Eren replied, looking at Morwynn.

Morwynn let out a low, morbid chuckle.

"Maybe it’s a scent problem finding the nearest route."

Kaela spun on her heels.

"Are you talking about me, by any chance?"

"If the shoe fits..."

Eren sighed. It was starting.

Kaela stepped forward, her posture already slightly crouched, shoulders tense. Her tail snapped back and forth with irritation.

"You love playing the smart one, huh? But so far, besides sewing and hiding, what have you done that has actually saved someone?"

Morwynn didn’t back down. Instead, she spoke with a theatrical and articulate voice:

"I stopped us from taking three spears in the back. Coordinated Nyssa in training. Prevented the trap on the hill from exploding when you decided to rush in without thinking."

"I follow my instincts," Kaela growled.

"And I use my brain," the spider retorted. "That’s why I should lead this group when strategy fails."

Kaela stepped forward again.

"You lead?" She laughed, sarcastic. "You only know how to manipulate. If it weren’t for Eren, you’d be hanging from a branch, begging for mercy."

Morwynn didn’t smile this time.

She simply said:

"And you need to remember that strength without direction is just noise."

Eren, silent until then, finally spoke—his voice low, cutting:

"Quiet."

Silence. Instantaneous. Heavy.

Eren stopped in the middle of the trail. He looked from one to the other with that gaze that seemed to cut through any intention without lifting a finger.

"We’re in a territory where time is distorted, direction is illusory, and the city we need to reach might be hidden under three layers of magic." His voice was firm, direct. "So don’t fight."

Kaela crossed her arms, still huffing.

Morwynn turned her face, moving away towards a tree and climbing to a low branch.

Nyssa, silent until then, slid beside Eren.

"A-Are we lost?"

"No," he said, focusing on the mental map. "Just diverted."

He took a deep breath. The data matched. They were walking in a curve. But there was a magical flow in the roots, as if the ground was forcing that curvature.

Eren knelt, touched the ground with the palm of his hand, and murmured a tracking spell.

[Tracking Activated – Underground Magical Current Detected]

"So that’s it. We’re being deliberately guided away from Barovik."

He stood up, turning to the group.

"We’re going to change the route. Cut through the dense forest. Straight east."

Kaela raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?"

"No. But it’s better than continuing in circles."

Morwynn was still up in the tree.

"I can map from above. If there’s anything ahead, I’ll see it."

"Do it," Eren said.

Nyssa, shy, offered the Liquid Shield to cover Eren while he traced the new route. A small gesture, but significant.

Kaela and Morwynn ignored each other for a while—but the tension was still in the air.

Eren knew that in groups forged by emotional bonds, conflict was inevitable.

But if the two started vying for leadership while surrounded by forces distorting even space...

Well, he would have to intervene with more than words next time.

[Group: Emotional Stability – Unstable]

[Collective Affinity: 86%]

[Hierarchy Conflict Detected]

[System Suggestion: Establish roles or prepare for dynamic rupture in battle]

Eren looked at the horizon covered by twisted branches.

The group advanced among twisted branches, roots that seemed to want to move, and a strange silence that muffled even their own footsteps.

The tension between Kaela and Morwynn, although contained after Eren’s intervention, lingered like an underground current—invisible, but ready to break the surface.

Eren noticed.

He felt every subtle variation in glances, pauses in movements, the way Kaela shortened the distance when Morwynn talked too much, and how the spider changed her tone whenever Kaela took the initiative.

They couldn’t go on like this. He needed functionality—and as much as he had control of the group, it was clear that the two wouldn’t easily accept submission from one another.

Then, he decided.

"Let’s settle this with a hunt," he said out of nowhere, stopping in front of an old broken trunk in the middle of the path. The tone was neutral. Almost bored.

The two stopped. Nyssa, a bit behind, looked at him with curiosity.

"What do you mean...?" asked Kaela, growling slightly.

"You both want to lead. Then prove you can guide. Choose targets in the forest. Go on a hunt. Whoever returns with the best result... takes tactical leadership for today."

Morwynn raised an eyebrow.

"A merit-based competition?"

"A competition of utility," Eren corrected.

Kaela was already flashing a grin.

"Great. I needed to beat something anyway."

Morwynn didn’t smile. But she nodded.

"And if both bring back different targets? How do we compare?"

"Efficiency, risk, combat value, and time."

The two exchanged glances.

"Starting now," said Eren. "Return within an hour."

They both vanished almost simultaneously.

Kaela ran through the forest with the grace of a hunting animal — fur bristling, muscles tense, scent leading the way. It wasn’t subtlety. It was brute force. She broke through bushes, climbed trunks, growled at the wind, sniffed the air. She didn’t hide her presence. She announced her arrival.

Morwynn, on the other hand, slipped between the shadows. Her long legs barely touched the ground. There was no noise. Only movement. She didn’t chase — she anticipated. She stopped to listen, saw tracks, read the marks on lichens, crushed fungi, the silences between the noises. Her hunt was a game of patience and precision.

Eren remained with Nyssa, in silence. Time passed slowly. Ten minutes. Twenty. Thirty-five. He stood with arms crossed, eyes fixed on some point among the twisted branches of the forest, where the shadows never stopped moving. He seemed calm — but Nyssa knew him well enough to perceive otherwise.

She slid closer, sitting beside him with her translucent and delicate body, vibrating with subtle warmth. Her eyes, large and moist, watched him silently, as if asking permission to speak without words.

"Master..." she whispered. "You seem... trapped inside."

Eren didn’t respond immediately. He took a deep breath. His mind was in a thousand places — strategy, hunt, leadership competition, the never-ending path. There was no room for caresses or distractions.

But Nyssa persisted.

She knelt in front of him, her hands slowly sliding over his legs. It wasn’t aggressive. It was dedicated. Warm. Almost reverent. He lowered his eyes.

"I don’t see the need for this now," he said in his usual cold tone.

Nyssa’s eyes flickered for a moment. Her expression dimmed slightly, like a blade of water losing its shine. But she didn’t retreat. Her head positioned dangerously between Eren’s legs.

"I just... want to help you. Can I?" she whispered.

There was a moment of silence. Then Eren relaxed his shoulders a bit, with an almost imperceptible nod.

Nyssa leaned in slowly, as if offering devotion, not just desire. Her head movements were careful, almost ceremonial. The warmth of her mouth met his skin with liquid, slippery, and comforting delicacy. It was as if each of her touches said: "You are not alone."

Eren let out a soft sigh, almost a contained moan, as he allowed himself to be carried away. The tension in his muscles gradually dissolved. He said nothing — he never did — but Nyssa knew how to read every nuance. And at that moment, without words, the two connected in an intimate, silent, real way.

When it was finally over and Eren relaxed more, Nyssa settled back beside him, her head on his shoulder, satisfied and calm.

The forest remained silent. Time continued. But between them, there was peace.

Kaela returned first.

She was dragging the semi-destroyed body of a stone creature with a magical core — a rustic, wild golem, with broken runes on its forehead. She was panting, covered in dirt and blood, but with eyes shining with pride.

"It was even fun," she growled, tossing the corpse near Eren. "High level. Hell of a resistance. I had to break it with my claws."

Eren analyzed the data.

[Monster: Unbound Forest Golem]

[Time to defeat: 29min]

[Damage received: 58%]

[Combat efficiency: 71%]

"Good result," he said.

"Great result," she corrected, raising her chin.

Five minutes later, Morwynn arrived. She carried only a web sack in her hands. She placed it gently on the ground. A still-living creature was writhing inside — eyes wide, mouth open in a silent scream.

Eren approached.

"Mutated spectral deer. Swift. Illusory. It bit itself in fright," she said.

[Monster: Night Vehral]

[Capture time: 21min]

[Damage received: 0%]

[Combat efficiency: 94%]

Kaela frowned.

"Seriously? A deer?"

Morwynn glanced sideways.

"A deer that disappears the moment you take a wrong step. One that changes form to look like a tree. Capturing it without killing requires more than strength."

Eren analyzed the data side by side.

"Both succeeded. But on different fronts. One with brute force. The other with precision and control."

The two fell silent.

Kaela crossed her arms.

"So?"

"Tie," he replied. "Each leads in what the other does not master. So for now... rotating leadership. One takes charge in direct combat. The other in tactical decisions and planning."

They both protested at the same time.

"No," said Kaela.

"I disagree," said Morwynn.

Eren faced the two.

Silence.

Nyssa, with her liquid eyes, watched the scene intently. She didn’t understand much about leadership — but she understood bonds. And there, it was much less about tactics and much more about validation.

Eren knew. That’s why he nipped it in the bud.

"You are part of a whole. Not parts that need to prove themselves all the time. If you can’t understand that, you’ll end up compromising the group. And if that happens... I’ll cut the bond. With both of you."

The threat fell like a blade of ice.

Kaela clenched her fists. Morwynn looked away.

But neither of them retorted.

Eren stepped back, returning to the trail, and said over her shoulder:

"Now walk. The city won’t reveal itself."

The group moved forward — with less conversation, more tension, but also... more structure.

Maybe the draw was painful, but for Eren... it was the best possible scenario.