Without really trying to understand this strange setting, Zerath took a first step forward.
— Uh… you two…
Hinata's voice immediately stopped them.
Zerath and Kert turned toward her.
Hinata's face had lost all expression. Slowly, she raised her finger behind them.
Toward where the door had been just a few seconds earlier.
But there was nothing there anymore.
Only thick branches, roots, and intertwined leaves, as if no entrance had ever existed here.
Kert and Zerath's eyes widened.
— Is this… is this a joke?!
Kert rushed toward the spot and violently pushed aside the foliage, desperately searching for any trace of the door.
Nothing.
Not the slightest opening.
Just an endless forest.
Kert slowly stepped back, his gaze tense.
— How are we supposed to get out of here now…?
Was this a trap…?
This time, his voice had lost its usual light tone.
Yet Zerath and Hinata remained relatively calm.
Zerath crossed his arms and thought for a few seconds.
— Maybe there are riddles to solve to get out of here…
Kert abruptly turned toward him.
— Oh yeah? Because nobody ever told us about riddles!
And then… and what if we never see everything Mo-Zus gave us again…
And if the time we were given runs out before we find a way out, I—
— I think Zerath is right.
Hinata had interrupted him in a calm voice.
She looked at the trees around them before continuing:
— It wouldn't make any sense for us to be able to enter here through a door without there being another way out.
There has to be something… clues, trials… or riddles.
Kert clicked his tongue, nervous.
— Tsk… I really hope you're right…
Because right now, thousands of ideas are going through my head… and riddles are among the least bad ones.
The problem is, we don't even have the slightest clue…
Zerath then turned toward him and shrugged.
— And if it's not about riddles… then let's just try to find an exit, right?
For nearly two hours, Kert, Zerath, and Hinata had been walking through the forest in the hope of finding a way out… or at least a sign of life.
But nothing.
Always the same trees.
The same strange silence.
And that oppressive feeling that the forest stretched infinitely.
Finally, Kert suddenly stopped and placed a hand on his stomach.
— Guys… I think I'm starting to get hungry…
Zerath stopped as well and looked at him in confusion.
— You're hungry?
How is that possible? You're a transcendent.
But the moment he finished his sentence, a violent shiver ran through his body.
His breath briefly caught.
Then, almost instantly, large drops of sweat began to run down his face.
Hinata immediately turned her head toward him.
— Uh… are you okay?
Zerath placed a hand against his forehead and slightly shook his head.
— I…
I need to sit down for a moment…
He almost collapsed at the foot of a tree before sitting heavily on the damp ground.
Breathing slowly, he stared at his hands with a troubled look.
— What is… happening to me…?
Kert then approached him with a slight mocking smile.
— What's wrong?
A transcendent feeling tired now?
Zerath immediately looked up at him.
— Shut up…
— Oh? Does it hit your ego that much?
— Keep going and I swear I—
Kert let out a slight laugh while Zerath responded sharply, the two gradually beginning to bicker despite the surrounding tension.
Hinata, for her part, watched them in silence.
Unlike them, she felt neither fatigue… nor hunger since the beginning of their walk.
Not the slightest change.
That detail bothered her.
She slowly raised her eyes toward the depths of the forest.
What could this place possibly be hiding…?
And above all… why did this forest seem to affect Zerath and Kert, but not her?
After a few seconds of reflection, she finally turned her head toward them.
— Guys…
Her calm voice was enough to interrupt their argument.
— We should start thinking about setting up a camp.
She looked at the sky through the thick branches.
The sun was already beginning to slowly descend.
— Judging by the sun's position… it must be almost three o'clock.
We should at least find a place to sleep before nightfall.
For several dozen minutes, the three began setting up a small camp in the middle of the forest.
Kert gathered long branches while Zerath cleared the ground slightly of damp leaves.
Hinata, on her side, collected large thick leaves to create a basic shelter against the cold of the night.
Despite their efforts, a strange heaviness continued to weigh on the atmosphere.
Even the silence felt abnormal.
After finishing the improvised shelter, Hinata briefly looked at the two boys before speaking.
— You should stay here.
I'm going to try to find something to eat.
Kert immediately raised his head.
— Huh? Alone?
— I won't go far.
Without waiting any longer, Hinata walked away between the trees and gradually disappeared into the forest.
Time seemed terribly long after her departure.
Kert and Zerath stayed near the camp, occasionally exchanging nervous glances while watching their surroundings.
Finally, after some time, the sound of footsteps echoed through the foliage.
Hinata reappeared.
In her arms were several red and purple fruits with a strange appearance.
Kert immediately frowned.
— Wait…
Are you sure those things aren't dangerous?
Hinata calmly placed the fruits near the camp.
— No.
I saw several animals eating them near a stream.
She paused slightly before adding:
— And even if it had been a trap, I used my detection mana to check.
They are not toxic.
Zerath seemed slightly reassured, unlike Kert who continued to look at the fruits with suspicion.
Little by little, the daylight began to disappear behind the gigantic trees.
Night was falling.
The darkness of the forest became even more oppressive now that the sun had disappeared.
Kert sighed before reaching out toward the small pile of wood.
— Well… at least I can still do this.
A faint glow appeared in the hollow of his palm.
Then the fire suddenly ignited in the center of the camp.
But at the same instant—
Kert staggered.
His breath abruptly stopped.
A monstrous fatigue suddenly fell upon him, as if his body had just drained an absurd amount of energy.
He dropped to his knees near the fire, breathing heavily.
— Gh…!
Zerath immediately turned his head toward him.
— Kert?!
The young man stared at his hands in confusion.
It was as if he had just run an entire marathon simply to light a simple fire.
— This… this makes no sense…
Silence fell again for a few seconds around the camp.
The flames crackled slowly while the shadows of the trees danced around them.
Then Zerath slowly raised his eyes.
— The door disappearing…
Kert's sudden hunger…
The fatigue…
He frowned.
— Could it be that this forest has a power capable of restricting magic… and transcendants?
Kert answered almost immediately:
— No… I don't think so…
He then pointed toward Hinata.
— She hasn't felt anything at all since we got here.
Unless this cursed forest is misandrist and only hates men!
SMACK.
Zerath immediately slammed his hand down on the top of his head.
— You really can't help yourself, can you?!
Kert simply shrugged.
— For now, it's my most credible theory.
Then he turned his head toward Hinata.
— And you, what do you think?
All this time, Hinata had remained silent.
Her gaze fixed on the flames.
After a few seconds, she finally answered:
— There is indeed some kind of restrictive power in this forest…
Something that seems to limit transcendants.
She lowered her eyes slightly.
— But I don't know why it doesn't affect me.
In reality, a thought was already crossing her mind.
She was not a true transcendent.
At least… not entirely.
It was only when she used Sakolomeh's mana that she could reach a level capable of affecting transcendants.
Which probably meant one thing:
The forest only limited true transcendants.
So Zerath… and Kert.
Hinata briefly considered releasing a small amount of Sakolomeh's mana to verify her theory.
But it was not the right moment.
Kert then crossed his arms despite his fatigue.
— A power that restricts transcendants…
But why does it have no effect on you?
Aren't you one?
Hinata gently shook her head.
— Not specifically…
Only at times.
Zerath immediately frowned.
— At times?
Hinata briefly looked at them before turning her eyes back to the flames.
— Forget it…
I'll tell you more later.
I'd like to be certain first.
Hinata suddenly stood up and turned her back to the fire.
Zerath immediately raised his head.
— Where are you going?
Hinata remained silent for a few seconds before answering:
— I'm going to verify my theory… and give you answers.
It won't take long.
She had barely finished her sentence when Zerath stood up as well.
— Are you crazy?!
His tone was far more serious than usual.
— We still know nothing about this forest, and you already want to go off on your own to do things your way?
We need to stay together for now.
He slightly clenched his fists.
— Earlier, when you went to look for fruit alone… it already made me uncomfortable.
Hinata lowered her eyes slightly toward the ground.
Maybe Zerath wasn't wrong.
This forest remained a terrifying mystery to them.
Each hour spent here seemed to reveal a new anomaly.
The most logical thing was probably to stay together.
Deep down, she simply wanted to release her mana to verify her theory without revealing the whole truth immediately.
But perhaps she should finally begin to trust Zerath and Kert.
After all…
They were her teammates.
Hinata slowly turned back toward them.
— You're probably right…
Sorry, Zerath.
She inhaled softly before continuing:
— I'll verify my theory here instead.
However… I'm afraid that by releasing my mana, an unknown creature might detect us and target us…
She paused briefly.
The fire's flames now reflected a slight चिंता in her eyes.
— And if I end up affected by this restriction too after that… then we'll all be doomed against that creature.
Zerath stared at her for a few seconds before shaking his head.
— If this story about an unknown creature is true… then you really were going to risk dying alone just to verify a stupid theory?
He stepped slightly closer to her.
— We are a team.
If something has to attack you… then it will attack all of us.
His gaze became firmer.
— So go ahead.
Test your mana here.
Even if we all end up restricted, we'll find a solution together.
Kert stood up as well and crossed his arms, eyes closed with an almost arrogant expression.
— Exactly.
So stop acting like a colonel, Hinata.
Hinata looked at both of them.
Then, slowly…
She smiled.
A light smile, but sincere.
— Very well…
Then I'll do it here.