[ GREAT FOREST OF DRWGIL ]
"Ugh…" Aero groaned as he slowly pushed himself up from the forest floor. His head felt heavy, and his vision swam for a moment. "What happened…? Where am I?"
"Hey, wake up already. I don't want to waste any more time on you."
The voice was blunt and impatient.
Aero looked up and found himself surrounded by four unfamiliar people.
One of them... a young man with sharp eyes and a cold expression.... Spoke,
"Stand up. We don't have all day."
Aero quickly got to his feet.
"Where are we?" he asked
A blond-haired boy with hazel eyes stepped forward. He wore simple nomadic clothing and carried himself with a calm confidence.
"Hmm! Judging by the surrounding vegetation and those El-Reu trees," he said while pointing toward the enormous trees towering over the forest canopy, "I'd say we're somewhere in the southern region of the Great Forest of Drwgil." "And fortunately for us, this is one of the least deadly sections of the forest."
"Enough with the idle chatter." The cold-eyed young man who had woken Aero up interrupted immediately. "We need to move before we become prey for the Nightmare Creatures."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and began walking.
The blond-haired boy chuckled awkwardly before extending a hand toward Aero.
"Don't mind him. I'm Luex."
Aero took his hand.
"I'm Aero."
"Nice to meet you, Aero." Luex smiled warmly. "Let's do our best to pass this test together."
Then he glanced ahead.
"Come on. We'd better pick up the pace or we'll fall behind the other teams."
As they began walking through the dense forest, Aero leaned closer to Luex.
"So... who's that guy?"
Luex blinked. "Which guy?"
"The one who woke me up and keeps scolding everyone."
"Ah, you're talking about Zero."
Aero immediately frowned, "Huh? Why are you making stuff up? I never mentioned anyone named Zero."
Luex stared at him for a moment.
"But... weren't you just asking about the guy who woke you up?"
"Yes!"
"And his name is Zero."
Aero paused, "...Oh."
Luex nodded, "Zero."
"Hmm..." Aero rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"That's actually a pretty cool name."
The group continued deeper into the forest.
The towering El-Reu trees stretched endlessly overhead, their colossal branches blotting out much of the sunlight. Strange cries echoed from distant parts of the wilderness while the rustling leaves created an uneasy atmosphere.
Nearly thirty minutes passed without incident.
Then—
Luex suddenly stopped, his expression instantly became serious, he raised a hand.
A silent signal, everyone froze.
Without saying a word, Luex slowly crouched and moved behind a fallen tree trunk. The others immediately followed.
Aero's curiosity got the better of him.
He carefully peeked over the log.
The moment he saw what lay ahead, his body stiffened.
A short distance away stood several grotesque creatures.
They were feasting.
Feasting on the corpse of an Alpi.
The massive herbivore's body lay torn apart, rivers of blood staining the forest floor.
[Narrator]
Alpi — gigantic peaceful herbivores often called the Gentle Giants of Drwgil.
Resembling elephants in appearance, they can grow to nearly five times the size of an ordinary elephant. Despite their immense strength, they are known for their calm and majestic nature.
The creatures surrounding the corpse looked like something pulled straight from a nightmare. Their bodies were unnaturally thin and elongated. Their limbs bent at impossible angles. Their pale skin stretched tightly over visible bones while dozens of black eyes covered their faces. Some crawled on all fours. Others hung upside down from tree branches while feeding. The sound of flesh tearing echoed through the forest.
[Crunch]
[Snap]
[Rip]
Aero immediately felt his stomach churn.
Luex lowered his voice to barely above a whisper.
"Stay completely still." His usual cheerful demeanor was gone, "Whatever happens, don't make any loud noises."
His eyes remained fixed on the creatures.
"Those are Anathemati."
Aero swallowed nervously, "Anathemati?"
Luex nodded, "Yes, and they are one of the most intelligent creatures in the world and they mostly hunt anything that breathes."
His voice grew even quieter, "They don't rely on sight."
Aero felt a chill run down his spine.
"Then how do they find prey?"
Luex's expression darkened, "They hear it."
A long silence followed, The distant sounds of flesh being torn apart continued.
[Ka-ching]
Then one of the Anathemati suddenly stopped eating.
"What fuck are you doing!!!?" Said Zero
As one of the guy consumed in fear pulls out his sword out of pure instinct..
Its head slowly rotated. One hundred and eighty degrees. Directly toward their hiding place
"Oh shit this doesn't looks good" Luex Said
Aero felt every hair on his body stand up.
The creature sniffed the air.
Once.
Twice.
Then a horrible grin stretched across its face.
Luex's eyes widened.
For the first time since meeting him, Aero saw genuine fear in his expression.
And then Luex whispered the words nobody wanted to hear.
"...Run...."