The lodge felt wrong without Jemina.
Too quiet.
Too still.
Even the Ghastlies seemed affected.
Normally, the small creatures caused constant trouble, biting furniture, stealing food, screaming at absolutely nothing, but now they lingered silently near the bridges and walkways as though waiting for someone to return.
Rosaline stood near the railing with both hands clasped tightly together.
Below, the Null Forest stretched endlessly beneath the mist.
Empty.
No sign of Jemina.
Three days.
It had already been three days.
"…This is my fault."
Her voice came out small.
Quiet.
Lucas glanced toward her from where he sat sharpening one of his knives.
"No," he said immediately.
Rosaline lowered her head.
"If I hadn't been there—"
"The mantis would've attacked anyway."
"But she only got involved because of me."
Lucas exhaled softly before lowering the knife onto his lap.
"I haven't known Jemina for very long," he muttered, "but one thing I do understand about her is that she wouldn't want someone blaming themselves for whatever happens to her."
Rosaline blinked slightly.
Nearby, Raisa stood silently near the edge of the platform.
Watching the forest.
She had barely spoken since Jemina disappeared.
Which was somehow far more terrifying than yelling.
One of Lucas's mercenaries leaned nervously toward the other.
"…Is she okay?"
"No."
"…Should we run?"
"The wolves would find us."
"…Right."
Below the lodge, the mudwolves continued patrolling.
Relentlessly.
The same routes.
The same signals.
The same protective patterns they had maintained since Jemina vanished.
Not once had they abandoned their positions.
Not once had the Ghastlies stopped guarding the upper platforms.
Raisa had noticed immediately.
That was why she knew.
Jemina was still alive.
Because her familiars were still carrying out her orders.
Even now.
Raisa folded her arms tighter.
"…She's alive," she said suddenly.
Everyone looked toward her.
Rosaline's eyes widened.
"You really think so?"
"The mudwolves are still obeying her last commands."
As though that alone explained everything.
To Raisa,
it did.
Lucas stood slowly.
"…Then I'll go find her."
Rosaline immediately turned toward him.
"I'm going too."
"No."
The answer came instantly.
Rosaline blinked.
"Why?"
"Because it's dangerous."
"Please let me go with you."
Lucas frowned.
"The forest almost killed all of us last time."
Raisa finally spoke again.
"You'll slow them down."
Rosaline flinched slightly at the bluntness.
Raisa sighed.
"…You don't have any combat skills."
"I can learn."
"No one yet has truly learned the rules of survival in this forest," Raisa said flatly. "That's why it was avoided for so long. Even a skilled mercenary's survival isn't guaranteed here."
Silence settled briefly.
Rosaline looked worriedly toward Lucas.
Lucas awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.
"…I'll bring her back," he muttered.
Rosaline looked like she was about to cry.
Lucas immediately looked uncomfortable.
He reached over and placed a hand awkwardly on top of her head in an attempt to comfort her,
except his hand was far too forceful.
Rosaline's silky blonde hair became completely disheveled instantly.
"…I mean," he added roughly, "someone has to go."
One of his mercenaries stood up.
"We're coming too."
The second mercenary sighed heavily before standing as well.
"…I knew you were going to say that."
Lucas frowned.
"I told both of you to return to the guild."
"And let you wander into the Null Forest alone?"
"That sounds boring," the other added.
Lucas already looked exhausted.
Raisa looked toward them.
"I should go myself," she admitted, "but if I leave, this place falls apart."
The lodge.
The defenses.
The villagers.
Everything Jemina had built here.
Raisa looked back toward the forest.
"…Someone has to make sure there's still a home when she comes back."
Rosaline's eyes softened.
Lucas adjusted the sword at his side.
"…Then we'll go."
The moment he stepped toward the bridge,
something white emerged silently from the trees below.
Massive paws.
Silver-white fur.
Sharp jade green eyes.
The white wolf.
Rosaline gasped softly.
The wolf walked directly past everyone.
Then stopped beside Lucas.
Silence.
Lucas stared down at it cautiously.
"…Uh."
The wolf stared back.
"…Does this mean something?" he asked carefully.
"Yes," Raisa answered flatly.
"What does it mean?"
"It means you need to keep up with the white wolf if you want any chance of finding Jemina."
Lucas looked deeply concerned.
Meanwhile...
Far above the forest,
Jemina was screaming.
"THAT IS NOT FOOD!"
The giant red bird ignored her completely.
It dove violently toward something moving below the trees.
Jemina clung desperately to its feathers as wind tore through her hair.
"WE TALKED ABOUT THIS!"
The bird screeched proudly.
Then immediately crashed through several branches.
Jemina bounced violently against its back.
"I'M GOING TO DIE BEFORE I REACH HOME!"
The chick seemed deeply unconcerned.
After one entire week of chaotic travel, random detours, near-death experiences, and emotional suffering,
the familiar platforms of the lodge finally appeared through the trees.
Jemina burst into tears instantly.
"HOME!"
The bird shrieked triumphantly.
Then,
it spotted movement below.
Its enormous golden eyes locked directly onto Raisa.
"…Oh no."
The bird folded its wings.
And dove.
"RAISA RUN!!!"
Below, everyone looked upward.
Rosaline screamed first, flipping the basket of various greens she was holding.
The nearby lamias screamed second.
Raisa looked up just in time to see an enormous red blur hurtling directly toward her face.
"…What."
The bird slammed into the platform.
Wood cracked violently.
Ghastlies exploded in every direction like startled popcorn.
Mudwolves burst from underground instantly.
The giant bird immediately snapped toward Raisa.
Hungry.
Jemina screamed.
"RAISA! RUN! THAT THING THINKS YOU'RE BREAKFAST!"
"I BEG YOUR PARDON?!" Raisa roared.
The bird lunged.
Raisa dodged sideways just as its beak smashed through part of the railing.
Jemina slid badly off its back,
then landed face-first onto the platform.
"…Home," she wheezed weakly.
"JEMINA!"
Rosaline tackled her instantly.
Jemina made a startled noise as Rosaline clung tightly to her.
"You're alive!"
"Mostly!"
The bird screeched again.
One of the mudwolves bit its tail.
The bird panicked.
Now everything was screaming again.
"WHY IS IT LIKE THIS?!" Raisa yelled while narrowly avoiding another peck.
"IT'S A RUNAWAY! A PROBLEMATIC CHILD!"
"THAT EXPLAINS NOTHING!"
The bird suddenly spotted Raisa's tail.
Its eyes widened.
"Oh no."
It lunged again.
"WHY DOES IT KEEP TARGETING ME?!"
"YOU LOOK… PLUMP?!"
"I WILL KILL YOU!"
Eventually, after several collapsed railings, two traumatized Ghastlies, and one partially destroyed bridge,
the bird finally settled down after Jemina shoved an entire smoked fish into its beak.
It swallowed proudly.
Then sat directly on top of the lodge roof.
The structure groaned dangerously.
Everyone stared upward silently.
"…That seems unsafe," Ayine said carefully.
"Yes," Raisa answered immediately.
Jemina laughed weakly.
Then paused.
"…Wait."
Her eyes slowly moved around the platform.
"…Where's Lucas?"
Rosaline froze slightly.
And suddenly,
the mood shifted again.
"…He left to find me?"
Jemina sat wrapped in blankets while Rosaline quietly explained everything.
The white wolf.
The search party.
Lucas leaving three days earlier.
Jemina slowly lowered her cup.
"…Oh no."
Raisa rubbed her forehead tiredly.
"I told them not to go far."
"They went into the deeper forest?"
"Yes."
"…For me?"
Rosaline nodded softly.
Jemina immediately stood.
"I'm going after them."
"You just returned half-dead."
"And now they're half-dead somewhere else."
"You need to rest. You look dreadful."
"Raisa." Jemina grabbed her shoulders dramatically. "Love and friendship are at stake."
"This is not a romance novel."
"I am seeing this childhood lovers' story through. I will suffer thirty-two days feeling like there is food stuck in my teeth if I don't."
Raisa looked exhausted beyond mortal comprehension.
Jemina's reasoning was too ridiculous to even argue against properly.
"…Fine."
The elder mudwolf emerged silently from the earth beside them.
Its nose twitched once.
Then it began moving deeper into the forest.
Tracking.
They eventually reached an unfamiliar part of the forest.
Strange trees stretched endlessly around them, each one bearing brightly colored fruit shaped vaguely like apples.
Jemina picked one immediately.
Then frowned.
"…Why is this harder than stone?"
The entire area looked like something pulled from a children's storybook.
Which somehow made the creature that emerged from the trees even worse.
It descended silently from the branches above.
Twenty feet long.
Its body resembled a massive serpent wrapped around several trunks at once,
but its head,
its head looked exactly like an owl's.
Feathered.
Round-faced.
With enormous golden eyes that blinked slowly toward them.
Its neck rotated almost completely upside down.
Jemina stared upward.
"…Can you explain how this happened?"
Raisa looked genuinely offended by the creature's existence.
"My ancestors must've been very adventurous with their partners—MY ASS. We are not related!"
The creature opened its beak.
It hooted.
Then hissed immediately afterward.
Jemina blinked.
"…Are you sure? It sounded confused about its own species, too."
The owl-snake lunged.
Raisa shoved Jemina aside instantly as massive jaws slammed into the ground where they had stood moments earlier.
"MOVE!"
"I JUST LAGGED A LITTLE! ABSENCE OF CAFFEINE!"
The creature struck again.
Fast.
Far too fast.
Raisa's eyes flashed.
Petrification spread briefly across the owl-snake's feathers,
then shattered instantly.
"…It resisted?" Raisa hissed.
The owl-snake immediately turned toward her.
"YOU THINK?!" Jemina shouted sarcastically.
"JEMINA!"
"I KNOW!"
Raisa darted sideways as the snake lunged again.
Acting as bait.
Jemina inhaled sharply.
Then reached for the connection.
The instinct.
The thread between minds.
Faster now.
Much faster than before.
She could feel it.
The owl-snake hesitated mid-motion.
Its enormous eyes blinked once.
Then twice.
Jemina's eyes widened slightly.
"…I'm getting better at this."
Then—
CRASH!!!
A giant red blur dropped from the sky.
The bird chick.
"YOU!" Jemina yelled.
The bird proudly grabbed the owl-snake in its talons.
The snake screamed.
The bird screamed louder.
Then both vanished into the trees.
Silence.
Raisa stared upward blankly.
"…Did your bird just steal my fight?"
"I don't think it understands the rules of combat."
"You better teach that bird that me and that owl-snake are not related."
Jemina sighed heavily.
"If only it could be enthusiastic about helping us find Lucas…"
Three days later,
They returned home exhausted.
No sign of Lucas.
No sign of the other two mercenaries.
Even the white wolf's scent vanished near the northern cliffs.
Jemina slumped dramatically against the railing.
"…I have failed everyone."
Rosaline looked ready to cry again.
Then suddenly,
SCREEEEEECH!!!
Everyone looked upward.
The giant bird descended proudly from the clouds.
"…Oh no," Raisa whispered.
Something fell from the sky.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH—!"
THUD.
Lucas slammed directly onto the upper platform in a pile of feathers and leaves.
Lucas slowly lifted his head.
"…I hate birds."
Jemina gasped.
"LUCAS!"
Before anyone could react further,
another body dropped from above.
"CAPTAIN SAVE M—"
THUD.
Then another.
"WHY ARE WE STILL ALI—"
THUD.
The entire lodge stared silently at the three broken mercenaries sprawled across the platform.
The bird screeched proudly.
As though expecting praise.
"…It retrieved them," Rosaline whispered.
Lucas slowly pointed upward.
"It kidnapped us."
"That too," Jemina admitted.
The bird suddenly flew away again.
Everyone sighed in relief.
Then...
minutes later,
it returned.
Holding something else.
Someone else.
A woman.
Long white hair cascaded down her back like moonlight.
She looked almost unreal against the crimson talons carrying her.
Beautiful.
Dangerously beautiful.
And very noticeably lacking clothing.
The moment Lucas looked upward,
Rosaline immediately slapped both hands over his eyes.
"DON'T LOOK!"
"…WHAT?!"
The woman landed lightly onto the platform after the bird released her.
Completely calm.
Completely composed.
As though being kidnapped by a giant bird was merely a minor inconvenience.
The bird chirped proudly beside her.
The woman sighed softly.
Then looked directly at Jemina.
Her jade green eyes narrowed slightly.
"…So you're finally back."
Silence.
Jemina blinked.
"…Should I know you?"