Kei and Shima sat relaxing beside the creek.
They were burning the fish they had caught earlier.
While waiting for the fish to cook, Kei and Shima shared their stories. They stayed there until late afternoon, accompanied by the warm embers of the fire.
Finally, Kei decided it was time to leave when the sky started to turn darker.
Shima used the river water to put out the fire.
After that, they headed back into the woods.
Their goal was to find the white cloth tied to the trees.
However, as they were approaching one of the trees with the white cloth, they noticed several half-cat tigers wandering around the area.
Both of them immediately hid behind the bushes.
Shima covered her mouth while Kei, who was beside her, suddenly panicked.
He remembered something...
These creatures could sense his magical aura.
They lowered themselves to the ground when one of the half-cat tigers approached and started sniffing around the bushes.
Suddenly...
The sound of a dog barking came from behind them.
Kei and Shima were startled while hiding.
The half-cat tiger lowered its head and seemed to obey the dog's command.
Then, they began moving south.
The dog behind them slowly approached the bushes.
It sniffed their scent for a few moments before leaving as well.
Kei and Shima looked at each other before smelling their own clothes.
There was a strange smell...
Like a dead animal.
Their faces immediately changed as they tried not to vomit.
Suddenly, Kei had a dangerous idea.
He wanted to know where these creatures lived.
"Shima, you should return to the city first."
"I'll go home by myself later. There is a place I need to confirm."
Kei told Shima to go home first.
But when Shima heard him telling her to leave alone, she immediately shook her head.
"I don't want to."
"I want to stay with you no matter what happens."
"I don't want to go home without you beside me."
Shima stood firmly in front of Kei, refusing to move.
Kei complained about his friend's stubborn behavior.
"It's up to you."
"But I don't want to waste any more time."
"If something happens to you..."
"Don't blame me later."
Kei tried to threaten her.
However, Shima only stuck out her tongue and followed behind him.
Kei and Shima secretly followed the half-cat tiger creatures and the dogs guarding the area.
The smell of the dead animal seemed to hide their magical aura from the creatures.
The sky slowly became darker.
They were surrounded by fireflies flying around the trees, creating a beautiful scene like natural street lights.
Shima, who loved beautiful scenery, took out her phone and turned it to silent mode.
She secretly took pictures and pointed the camera toward Kei.
Kei smiled slightly before shaking his head at her.
His eyes, however, remained focused on the movements of the creatures.
They slowly approached the bushes near the area.
Kei looked around carefully.
There were no death wolves there.
Were they currently in the city?
Without thinking further, Kei held Shima's hand and continued following the creatures.
They were now close to the creatures' palace.
The castle was enormous...
And its dark atmosphere made Shima afraid to move forward.
Suddenly, a shadow-like smoke appeared.
A death wolf guard brought two small children into the castle.
More death wolves stood outside, guarding the entrance.
Shima quietly took pictures of the creatures while trying not to make any sound.
When Kei noticed what she was doing, he immediately covered her phone and placed it inside his pants pocket.
Shima frowned softly.
Did she feel like they had been noticed?
When Shima looked to her left, she saw a dog standing not far away from them.
The dog stared at her for a few seconds before turning back toward the palace.
Shima released a sigh of relief.
She felt unsafe staying there for too long.
The sound of dogs barking and the roaring of the half-cat tigers suddenly filled the area.
Kei and Shima were startled.
Several black shadows appeared, and soon after...
Many death wolves emerged from the darkness.
To their shock, they saw a death wolf that was three times larger than the one they had seen before.
Kei and Shima quickly hid behind the bushes near the back of the palace.
They were terrified.
After the barking and roaring sounds continued for a while, Shima finally whispered.
"Kei..."
"I want to go home."
Her body trembled from fear.
"Be quiet."
"Later, they will hear us."
Kei whispered back, slightly raising his voice.
Although he tried to remain calm...
He was also terrified.
The horrifying sounds of the dogs and half-cat tigers made the hair on his arms stand.
"I-I'm scared..."
Shima tightly held Kei's shoulder.
He could feel her trembling hand.
"Shh..."
"I told you to be quiet."
Kei remained stiff.
He needed to know who was controlling all these creatures.
Suddenly...
A ringtone echoed.
Kei's phone.
Mother is calling?!
At this time?!
Kei quickly rejected the call.
He looked ahead.
The barking and roaring suddenly stopped.
The creatures' eyes turned toward them.
Then...
They heard something breathing heavily behind them.
Slowly...
Kei and Shima turned around.
A huge black shadow stood behind them.
Its sharp teeth were visible, and its terrifying eyes stared directly at them.
Without hesitation, Kei grabbed Shima's hand and pulled her out of the bushes.
"Shima! Run!"
They immediately ran as fast as they could.
"I want to go home!!!"
Shima screamed while running.
They didn't dare look back.
The enormous death wolf chased after them.
It struck the trees blocking its way, destroying everything in its path.
While running, Kei glanced at Shima beside him.
His heart sank.
He was disappointed in himself for bringing Shima into danger once again.
Suddenly...
A siren sounded from far away.
The death wolf stopped chasing them.
It only watched Kei and Shima disappear into the distance.
The creature let out a terrifying roar before returning to the castle.
The sound of the wolf's roar made Kei and Shima's hearts race.
They finally stopped behind a tree marked with a cross.
Kei looked back.
The death wolf was no longer chasing them.
Beside him, Shima was breathing heavily.
So was Kei.
After resting for a while, Shima pointed toward the cross mark on the tree.
"There is a cross here."
"Maybe this place is dangerous for humans like us."
She guessed.
Kei nodded.
Her assumption made sense.
They started moving east, heading back toward their city.
"Shima..."
"I'm sorry."
Kei finally spoke after they spent the entire journey in silence.
Shima looked at Kei's pale expression before smiling softly.
"You know..."
"Freddy and I broke up."
Kei frowned after hearing her words.
"What are you talking about, Shima?"
"I mean it."
"After you disappeared for three days, I realized how much I missed you."
"That's why I ended things with Freddy."
"Besides..."
"Freddy already has someone else."
She spoke honestly.
Kei sighed softly.
He didn't know what had happened between Shima and Freddy.
But one thing was certain...
He needed to return home.
He needed to ask his parents about the mark on the back of his neck.
His family must know something about it.
"Is this the road to the east, Shima?"
Kei looked at her from behind.
Shima nodded confidently.
"Are you really sure?"
Kei opened his phone.
The battery had already died.
He placed it back into his pocket.
The book was still in his hand.
He had almost forgotten about it.
"We'll arrive in twenty-five meters."
Kei frowned at her words.
"Wait..."
"You aren't lying to me, right?"
"The east is still far away."
Kei sounded worried.
Shima only smiled.
"Well..."
"We're not going directly east on foot, Kei."
Kei's forehead furrowed.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you know how to drive a car?"
"Since when?"
"And how did you bring a car here for three days?"
There were many questions in Kei's mind.
Shima only smiled without answering.
She wanted him to see it himself.
A few minutes later, they finally came out of the woods.
Kei stopped in shock.
A familiar car was parked in front of them.
Freddy's car?!
Beside him, Shima only smiled.
Freddy stepped out of the car and immediately hugged Kei tightly.
Kei froze.
He couldn't understand the situation happening in front of him.
This man was truly stranger than Shima.