Rook and Milo moved deeper into the forest, following a narrow path that gradually disappeared beneath the overgrown vegetation. Neither of them spoke much as they walked. Rook kept his attention focused on their surroundings, occasionally glancing between the trees and checking the ground for anything unusual, while Milo remained close behind him.
The farther they went, the quieter the forest became. The voices and footsteps of the other awakened had completely disappeared, leaving only the rustling of leaves and the occasional unfamiliar sound echoing somewhere in the distance.
After several minutes, Rook slowed down and raised a hand, causing Milo to stop immediately.
"What is it?" Milo whispered.
"Nothing. I was just checking our surroundings."
Milo stared at him for a moment before sighing. "You could’ve just said that."
Rook ignored the complaint and continued walking. Something about the area felt different from the forest near the entrance. There were fewer birds, fewer insects, and almost no movement among the trees.
It could have been nothing, but after Cain’s warning, Rook wasn’t willing to dismiss anything unusual. They continued searching while avoiding open areas whenever possible, but after nearly twenty minutes, they still hadn’t found a single golden stone.
"We’re going to be here all day at this rate," Milo muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"We’ve barely searched a fraction of the forest."
"That’s not exactly encouraging."
Rook glanced at him. "You expected the stones to be lying in the middle of the road?"
"No, but I also didn’t expect them to be this difficult to find."
"That’s the point of the evaluation."
Milo sighed but continued following him. Not long afterward, the trees ahead began to thin, revealing a large clearing. Rook immediately stopped when he saw what was waiting beyond them.
An entire village stood in the middle of the clearing, though calling it a village was generous. Most of the wooden houses had collapsed, weeds covered the narrow paths between them, and several structures were little more than piles of broken timber.
Milo stared at the ruined settlement before speaking quietly. "I’ve heard about this."
Rook looked at him. "You recognize it?"
"Not exactly. One of the instructors mentioned that Ashline uses illusions inside the forest to make the evaluation more complicated. Some of the areas aren’t real, even though they look completely natural."
Rook studied the village again. "So you think this is an illusion?"
"Probably. And if that’s true, there’s a good chance there’s a golden stone somewhere inside." Milo pointed toward the ruined buildings. "They wouldn’t create something like this for no reason."
Rook considered his words before nodding. "You’re probably right. But if they deliberately created this place for the evaluation, there’s probably something else here too."
Milo’s expression became uneasy. "A demon?"
"Most likely."
Neither of them entered immediately. Rook stood at the edge of the clearing and carefully observed the ruined village. His increased Perception allowed him to notice details he might have missed before, including faint marks on the ground and several broken branches near the outer buildings. Nothing moved, but the absence of movement didn’t make him feel any safer.
"Let’s search carefully," Rook said. "Don’t touch anything unless you have to."
They entered the village and began searching through the ruins. Rook checked the interiors of several collapsed houses while Milo searched around the remaining structures. They looked beneath broken tables, behind fallen walls, inside empty storage rooms, and beneath piles of debris, but nothing resembled a golden stone.
After several minutes, Milo returned to him and shook his head. "Nothing."
"Same here."
They continued searching, but the result remained unchanged. Rook eventually crouched beside a collapsed building and examined the ground beneath the rubble. There was nothing there except dirt and fragments of wood. He was beginning to wonder whether Milo’s theory had been wrong when the boy suddenly stopped moving.
"Rook."
Rook turned toward him.
"What?"
Milo pointed toward one of the buildings. "There."
Rook followed his gaze and immediately noticed a faint golden glow beneath the remains of a collapsed wall. Something small was partially buried beneath the rubble, its surface reflecting the little sunlight that managed to pass through the trees.
"The stone," Milo whispered.
Rook nodded, but he didn’t move toward it.
His eyes had already noticed something else.
The golden stone wasn’t alone.
Curled around it was a massive creature that neither of them had noticed during their search. It possessed a vaguely humanoid body, but the resemblance ended there. Its thick reddish skin was covered in rough ridges, while two large tusks protruded from its lower jaw. Long, jagged claws rested against the ground, and its back was protected by a metallic layer of natural armor that extended across its shoulders and spine. A thick tail curled around its body, partially covering the golden stone.
The Demon Beast was asleep.
Its enormous chest rose and fell slowly as deep breaths escaped through its nostrils. Every few seconds, one of its claws twitched slightly, but otherwise it remained completely still.
Milo slowly moved closer to Rook, his face tense.
"It’s guarding the stone."
"I noticed."
"How did we not see it earlier?"
"Because it was lying completely still."
Milo swallowed before looking back at the creature. "What do we do?"
Rook studied the Demon Beast carefully. The golden stone was only a few meters away, but the creature’s body was wrapped around it, leaving almost no safe path toward the objective. If they wanted the stone, they would have to get close enough to take it without waking the beast.
Rook glanced at Milo.
"How good are you at moving quietly?"
Milo hesitated.
"Not very."
Rook closed his eyes for a moment before sighing inwardly.
’Of course.’
He looked back at the sleeping Demon Beast. Their first golden stone was right in front of them, but getting it would require more than simply walking over and picking it up. If Cain was testing their stealth, perception, observation, and unpredictability, then perhaps this was exactly the kind of situation he had intended them to face.
Rook lowered his voice.
"Then we’re going to have to learn quickly."
Rook took a slow breath and stepped forward. He carefully placed each foot on the ground, avoiding the broken branches and loose pieces of wood scattered around the ruined village.
He kept his movements slow and controlled, resisting the urge to glance repeatedly at the sleeping creature. If he kept watching it too closely, he might become distracted by the slightest movement.
Milo remained several meters behind him, barely breathing as he watched.
Rook eventually reached the edge of the rubble. The golden stone was within arm’s reach now. He crouched slowly and extended his hand, keeping his fingers away from the creature’s body.
His heart began beating harder as his fingertips moved closer to the stone, but he forced himself to remain calm. The Demon Beast continued sleeping, completely unaware of what was happening.
His fingers finally wrapped around the golden stone.
Rook carefully pulled it free.
Nothing happened.
He stared at the stone in his hand for a moment before a grin began forming on his face. That had been easier than expected. All those warnings about stealth and observation, and his first stone had practically been handed to him.
Then the Demon Beast’s right eye opened.
Rook’s grin disappeared.
The crimson eye immediately locked onto him.
For a brief moment, neither of them moved.
’Dammit.’