CHAPTER 26: CHAPTER 25: DO NOT RAISE YOUR HEAD

Oliver did not give the masked man a single chance to breathe.

The entire way, he walked beside him, waving his hands at times.

Other times he leaned forward as if trying to look at his face from below.

"Why did you stop using those glowing things,"

"Are there more monsters like that thing,"

"How does the weapon in your hand work, is it magic or something else,"

Oliver’s voice was like a fly hovering around his ear.

And with every new question, the masked man tightened his fist.

He was holding back a deep urge to punch him in the face just to shut him up.

His fingers kept clenching and relaxing, and the muscles in his jaw moved with every word he heard.

In the back, the sage walked beside Maron.

He occasionally held his stomach while staring at the ground.

Meanwhile Maron wiped the remaining drops of water from his hair and shook his head.

Maron said while looking at the dense trees,

"I did not think the forest had this many monsters."

The sage replied without looking at him,

"Nothing surprises me after seeing those annoying little creatures turn into beasts."

Maron looked at him in disbelief.

"You are not talking like a sage at all. Honestly you sound like an arrogant ignorant boy."

"And what did I say? Did I not tell the truth,"

"The truth? A sage is supposed to be the one who values the Autumn Spirits the most."

The sage stopped walking and turned toward Maron.

"Do you want me to value the monsters that killed Eleanor,"

From behind, the same man who questioned the masked stranger inside the tavern earlier spoke up.

He was still angry about the punch the sage gave him.

"You are the village sage. What are you saying,"

The sage turned halfway toward him.

"What? Did I say something wrong? The damned spirits turned into monsters and slaughtered the entire village."

"You must respect the spirits. They protected the village for years."

The sage laughed.

"Yes, protected it for years then killed everyone. Perfect job."

"You do not even know what you are talking about. How did you become a sage,"

"No, I know exactly what I am saying. Those spirits turned into monsters and destroyed the village, and they are the reason everyone you loved is dead."

The man lunged toward him, ready to hit him, but Maron grabbed his arm firmly.

"Stop, Allen."

Allen shouted as he struggled,

"Let go of me. He is insulting the spirits."

"Calm down. This is not the time for petty conflicts."

Allen raised his head toward him.

"You call insulting the spirits petty,"

Maron looked straight into his eyes. His tone did not soften, but it grew colder.

"I did not say it was petty. I said we have priorities. We have not left the forest yet."

Before things escalated, the masked man stopped and turned only his head toward them.

Just one look from him was enough to make Allen freeze in place.

Allen backed away immediately. The masked man turned back and continued walking without another word.

The sage glanced at Allen with a small smile.

The group continued moving again.

Oliver walked glued to the masked man, while Lemur walked on the other side.

Oliver did not stop talking.

"Are there more creatures like the troll,"

"What does the outside world look like, are there forests, are there cities,"

"Can I see another golden shot, just one,"

Every question pushed the masked man closer to his limit.

As for Lemur, he walked steadily, his eyes fixed on the masked man.

He said nothing, but his calm gaze was testing the masked man’s patience.

And the strange thing was that this silent stare bothered the masked man just as much as Oliver’s questions.

...

The masked man stopped, and everyone behind him stopped as well.

Right in front of them was a forest unlike anything they had passed so far.

Tall trees with dark black leaves, and black mist curling between them.

The masked man turned toward the group, stood before them, then raised his hand.

"We are entering an area beyond the safe zones we passed through so far. Once we step inside, do not lift your heads. Do not look back no matter what you see or hear until I tell you. Is that clear,"

Everyone was confused. None of them understood what he meant.

The sage was the one who spoke.

"Safe zone? That whole forest filled with monsters was the safe zone?"

The masked man did not answer him. He ignored him completely.

"As I said. Do not raise your head. Do not look back. Or you will die and that will be your end."

Some swallowed nervously, others exchanged uneasy glances.

Oliver asked,

"Why? What happens if I raise my head,"

The masked man faced forward again.

"As I said you will die, and in a very horrible way. It is better if you do not know more. Trust me this is for your own good."

This time no one asked anything.

Not even Oliver.

They walked behind him, their heads lowered toward the ground.

...

As soon as they entered the black trees, the atmosphere shifted.

The black mist rose around them, coiling around their legs and flowing over the ground.

Soft voices echoed around them.

Sounds like crows cawing, but deeper and lonelier.

At first everyone walked very quietly.

No one raised their head.

No one even considered ignoring the masked man’s warning.

But the mist kept rising, and as it did, the sound changed. It was no longer cawing.

It became more like human whispers.

The sage, staring at the ground, froze when he heard a familiar voice.

A woman’s voice he knew very well.

"Daniel..."

It was Eleanor’s voice.

"Daniel, I am here."

He almost raised his head toward her, but the masked man shouted,

"Those voices are not real. Do not lift your heads."

The sage flinched as if jolted awake.

He was not the only one. Almost everyone was hearing different voices.

A crying woman, a mother calling her son, a man shouting his friend’s name. Voices of the dead or something like the dead.

Oliver was the only one who did not hear a voice he recognized.

But only one of them could not endure it.

The old man who always walked in the back, who barely spoke since the start of the journey.

He heard the voice of his late wife.

"My dear, I am here."

He stopped for a moment as his hands and legs trembled.

But he kept walking... one step... two... then the voice came again, closer this time.

"Did you take care of our daughter like I asked you?"

It was a sentence only she ever said.

Almost her final words before she died.

He lifted his head slightly without realizing it.

His eyes caught a corner of her dress.

The same dress she wore every year during the village festival. He raised his head more.

And he saw her as he remembered. Her calm face. Her smile. Her tied hair. Standing near their old home in the field.

His tears fell immediately.

"You are here?"

He reached out and touched her shoulder. She moved closer.

And the moment he embraced her, the beautiful image twisted and her body tore apart before his eyes.

Her features melted, her skin turned into a mass of shifting darkness, and a faceless void replaced her smile.

The field vanished into darkness. Everything returned to the black forest.

And the last thing he did was scream.

A scream that made everyone tremble without lifting their heads.

A scream that was cut off halfway, as if something swallowed it.