The forest was dark.
Moonlight struggled to penetrate the thick canopy overhead, leaving the ground buried beneath shadows. Twisted branches stretched between the trees, and somewhere in the distance, an animal called out before everything fell unnaturally silent.
Aric stumbled over a root and nearly fell flat on his face.
"Careful," Eryx said. "I’d hate to watch you die after surviving your own ridiculous lightning spell."
"How thoughtful of you."
"I try."
Aric straightened, reaching for a nearby tree to steady himself. The moment his left hand brushed the bark, pain shot from his wrist to his shoulder. He sucked in a sharp breath and pulled the arm against his chest, cradling it with his right hand.
Eryx’s teasing expression faded. "Can you move it?"
"Not without regretting it."
"Let me see."
Aric hesitated, then carefully shifted his arm away from his body. Even the small movement made his jaw tighten. His forearm had begun to swell, and he could barely move his fingers without a fresh pulse of pain.
Eryx examined it without touching it. "We need to get somewhere safe."
"Yeah, this forest is creepy."
"I thought you liked it."
Eryx slipped an arm around Aric’s body and took some of his weight. Aric started to protest, but another uneven step sent pain through his shoulder, and he decided to save his breath.
They continued through the forest, searching for a way out.
Neither of them knew exactly where they had landed. The last thing Aric remembered clearly was the enormous magic circle spreading across the sky above the road. He had cast the lightning spell himself, pouring what remained of his mana into an attack powerful enough to strike their pursuers.
The woman and the bald man had been standing directly beneath it.
Then Eryx had tackled him off the cliff.
For a few terrifying moments, Aric had watched the road disappear above them while the lightning descended. He remembered the blinding flash, the thunderous impact, and the violent rush of air as they fell through the trees. Branches had snapped beneath their weight, slowing their fall but doing little to soften the landing.
After that came pain, darkness, and the distant sound of Eryx shouting his name.
The spell had been Aric’s decision. The fall had been Eryx’s desperate attempt to save him from the attack, and neither of them had escaped the consequences.
Aric had woken on the forest floor with Eryx crouched beside him, demanding to know if he was alive. His answer had been an attempt to sit up, followed by a cry of pain that made the other boy stop asking questions.
Now every step reminded him how badly the fall had hurt him. He kept his left arm pressed against his chest, trying to prevent it from moving, while his legs grew heavier with every passing minute.
Eventually, they reached a patch of ground beneath a broad tree. Aric’s knees trembled, and he leaned harder against Eryx.
"Sit down," Eryx said.
"I’m fine."
"You can barely stand."
"I can stand well enough to argue with you."
"That isn’t the achievement you think it is."
Aric lowered himself against the tree. Eryx crouched in front of him, watching as he tried to find a position that didn’t make his arm throb.
"Can you use your magic to heal it?" Eryx asked.
Aric closed his eyes and reached inward. His mana core was still there, but the power he had drawn upon during the fight had dwindled to a faint ember. He tried to gather what remained and guide it toward his arm.
The energy flickered, then slipped away before it could do anything useful.
He tried again. Nothing.
"I’m out of mana," he admitted.
Eryx glanced toward the dark trees. "So we’re lost, you’re injured, and you can’t use magic."
"When you put it like that, our situation sounds unpleasant."
"It is unpleasant. We need to find shelter before it gets worse."
Aric pushed himself upright. Pain flashed through his arm, and he caught his breath between clenched teeth. Eryx immediately reached to steady him.
"I can walk," Aric said in a quiet tone.
They set off again, moving slowly between the trees. Eryx kept a firm hold on Aric, guiding him around exposed roots and patches of loose earth. The forest offered no clear path, and the farther they went, the more alike the trees seemed. There were no distant lights, no sound, no path and no indication of which direction might lead them back to civilization.
After a while, Aric noticed a familiar shape ahead.
"Wait."
Eryx stopped. "What is it?"
"That tree. I think we’ve passed it before."
The trunk was split down the middle, its bark marked by a deep, jagged scar.
"Think, or know?" Eryx asked.
"I’m fairly certain."
"That’s not reassuring."
"Make a mark on it."
Eryx gave him a questioning look, but picked up a sharp stone and carved an X into the bark. They chose another direction and continued walking, pushing through a stretch of tangled undergrowth before reaching a narrow gap between two trees.
Ten minutes later, they found the split trunk again.
The X stood clearly on the bark.
Eryx stopped dead. Aric stared at the mark, then at the trees around them. They had changed direction twice. He was certain of it.
"We’re walking in circles," Eryx said.
"I can see that."
"Any explanation?"
Aric studied the surrounding forest. Fatigue made it difficult to think clearly, but the path they had taken should not have brought them back to the same tree. The terrain might have been confusing, yet something about the repetition felt wrong.
"I don’t know," he said at last.
Eryx looked unsettled, though he tried to hide it. "Then we have no choice but to keep moving."
A faint rustle came from the trees.
Both boys fell silent.
"Did you hear that?" Eryx whispered.
Aric nodded.
For a moment, nothing moved. Then he noticed a shape standing between two trunks a short distance away. At first, he mistook it for a narrow tree, its outline blending into the shadows.
Then it shifted its body.
The figure was far too tall and thin to be human. Its head nearly brushed the low branches overhead, while its narrow arms hung almost to its knees. Ragged strips of black material clung to its body, swaying slightly despite the still air. Its skin was pale, especially the long fingers resting at its sides, each joint seeming to bend at an uncomfortable angle.
Most of its face was hidden behind a curtain of dark strands. Two faint points of light glimmered where its eyes should have been. Beneath them, a thin line curved across the lower part of its face, barely visible until the moonlight shifted.
The creature did not approach. It simply watched them.
The shadows around it seemed deeper than those beneath the other trees. Moonlight touched the branches behind it, but the space around its body remained unnaturally dark, as if the light weakened before reaching it.
A chill crept down Aric’s spine.
He reached for his mana instinctively. The weak ember inside his core barely responded. He had spent nearly everything on the lightning spell, and what little remained was useless against whatever stood before them.
Eryx moved in front of him.
"Stay behind me."
Aric glanced at the other boy. Eryx had no weapon, and his stance could not hide the tension in his shoulders. Still, he planted himself between Aric and the figure.
"You don’t have to do that," Aric murmured.
"Yes, I do. You can barely stand."
Before Aric could answer, the creature tilted its head, continuing until its neck bent at an angle that made Aric’s stomach tighten. One long arm rose. Its pale fingers unfolded one after another, each movement deliberate, almost curious.
The points of light in its face brightened.
Then the thin line beneath them widened.
It was a smile, or something close enough to one.
Aric’s breath caught. He tried to gather mana again, but his core gave him almost nothing. He could not cast another spell. He could barely keep himself upright.
The creature leaned forward.
And vanished.
There was no sound of footsteps, no rustle of leaves, and no rush of air. One moment it stood between the trees. The next, the space was empty.
Aric stared at the place where it had been.
Eryx remained motionless for several seconds, his eyes fixed on the darkness. Then he caught Aric by his good arm.
"We’re leaving. Now."
They hurried through the trees as quickly as Aric’s injured body allowed. Eryx supported most of his weight, steering him around roots and low branches. Neither of them spoke. Every rustle made Aric look over his shoulder, and each time he saw only trees and shadows.
He could not shake the feeling that the creature had not truly left. It might be watching them from somewhere beyond the moonlight, waiting for them to stop.
The forest gradually began to thin. The ground grew less tangled, and a faint orange glow appeared between two enormous trunks.
Aric slowed. "There."
Beyond the trees lay a clearing. Small buildings stood close together, their windows glowing with warm light. Lanterns hung outside wooden doors, and thin trails of smoke rose from chimneys. Somewhere in the settlement, a dog barked, followed by the murmur of distant voices.
A village.
Relief loosened the tightness in Aric’s chest. They had finally found people, shelter, and perhaps someone who could help with his arm.
Eryx let out a long breath. "What’s a village doing here in the forest?."
"Right now?" Aric muttered through gritted teeth, leaning heavily against his shoulder. "I don’t care"
They approached the village cautiously. Narrow lanes wound between wooden houses, and fences divided small yards. A few villagers moved beneath the lanterns, carrying baskets or speaking near their doorways. Nothing about the settlement seemed unusual.
That should have been reassuring but It wasn’t.
Aric paused at the edge of the clearing and glanced back toward the forest. The darkness between the trees remained still. No pale eyes watched them, and no impossibly tall silhouette stood beneath the branches.
Yet the unease followed him.
Eryx nudged him forward. "Come on."
Aric stepped beneath the first lantern, keeping his injured arm close to his chest.
For the moment, they had escaped the forest. He only hoped that whatever they had encountered would stay among the trees.