A fire burns in the middle of the room, casting flickering shadows on the ancient writings and drawings depicting hunters, farmers, and warriors. The night has settled in, and silence envelops the group. Kenji leans against the wall, with Bel beside him. Denber lies near the fire, unable to sleep, recalling the events that transpired. Fenny roasts meat but lacks appetite, while Grey pokes at the fire, hugging his legs.
The room is filled with the popping sounds of burning wood. Fenny whispers, "I can't believe we lost Hender just like that." Grey stops playing with the fire and glances at Fenny. Hender, eyes closed, responded, "
He raised a knife to his friend and faced the consequences." Fenny and Grey stare at him, and Denber, eyes open, looks at the ceiling. "Before we got to this point," Denber continues, "Hender kept asking me what being worthy meant. He was frustrated that Kenji overpowered him." He touches his wounded neck.
Bel, listening, glances at Kenji with worry. She leans in and says, "It's not your fault." Kenji, staring at the ground, whispers, "I'm so sorry."
Bel, harshly, "For what? If what you said was true, then everything that has happened is not your fault. It was the central's fault."
Fenny, staring at Kenji and Bel, sighs, "I wonder what my family looks like." Grey continues to poke at the fire. "Do they have the same red hair as me?" Fenny envisions himself as the kid he saw on the street holding his parents' hands, smiling. "Man. That would be nice," he smiles.
Denber, deep in thought, suddenly sits up. "I'm escaping," he whispered.
Everyone is confused. "We all are," Fenny laughs.
"I mean, not just from this forest but also from the king." Everyone glances at each other, shocked. "After going out from this forest, I'm gonna hide and escape the king."
Bel's eyes widen. "Denber, that's suicide. The king has eyes everywhere."
Denber stands firm. "I'd rather die fighting for something than die waiting for nothing or be used for something like that. And that's my motto." Denber stands proudly.
Fenny laughs, breaking the dark atmosphere. "Since when did you get a motto?" he jokes.
"Since now," Hender replies simply.
Bel, finding her voice, nods. "Denber's right. We can't keep running in circles. We need a plan."
Grey, still hugging his legs and playing with the fire, sighs.
Kenji looks at each of them. "But where do we start?"
Hender thinks deeply before answering, "We start by finding answers. Those priests hold the key to our past. We need to find them and uncover the truth."
The fire crackles, casting shadows on their faces. Fenny finally speaks up, his features hardening with resolve. "Then let's do it. Let's escape from the king. We used to be free like birds. But everything became dark when that king kidnapped us."
"Yeah," Bel shouts. "They are kidnappers. If it weren't for them, Kenji and I would have been married right now." She rejoices but notices everyone staring at her. "I'm just joking, guys." She laughs awkwardly.
Hender laughs. "Well, at least you're energetic," he replies.
A renewed sense of purpose fills the room. They are no longer just survivors; they are warriors, ready to reclaim their destiny.
Shouts and cheers fill the cave while rats and crows roam outside the sealed door. But everything has an end.
The cave is dark and lit only by the sun's rays through the cracks. Charcoal and ashes are on the ground. Everyone is scattered, sleeping. Grey and Fenny sleep beside the extinguished fire. Denber sleeps in the corner. Kenji leans against the wall while Bel leans on his shoulder.
A branch emerges from the gap between the stones, crawling like a tentacle. It slowly forms into a humanoid shape. Sunlight casts a shadow on the wall, revealing a creature taking form. The creature walks toward Kenji, its tentacle-like branches crawling toward the others. Facing Kenji, the creature bends down and puts its wooden, sharp-clawed hands on Kenji's face, touching it gently. Kenji starts to sweat and frown in his sleep as he begins to dream.
"Kenji! Kenji! Wake up." Kenji opens his eyes and finds himself sitting on a soft bed. He glances around and notices he is in a room. The walls are wooden, painted white, with posters of game characters taped around. A computer sits on the desk, books on the shelves beside it. Sunlight fills the room, making it bright. This place seems familiar. It's his room. "I'm... Back?..." he whispers.
"What do you mean you're back? Wake up already. Gosh, you're dreaming again!" a familiar voice whines beside him.
He glances at the voice and sees Bel. "Fine. We'll leave you if you don't wake up." Bel pouts, shouting. She is wearing a toga uniform.
"Where are we going?" Kenji asks, confused.
"It's the day of our graduation. Your mom sent me to wake you up," Bel replies. "Come on, it's a big day," she shouts.
His head begins to ache and spin. "Aughh!" He clutches his face in pain.
Bel sits beside Kenji, worried. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Kenji reassured her. "It's just that I had a bad dream," he adds.
"A dream? Again?" Bel is now confused. "What is it this time?" she questions.
Kenji starts to recall. "I remember running in a dark forest." Bel slowly puts her hands on Kenji's face as they sit on the bed. "I'm running and saw a girl crying on a tombstone." Kenji continues, grabbing Bel's hands.
"And..." Bel asks.
The room starts to crumble, turning into tree trunks. "I remember the girl being snatched by a boy. No! A Summon and one of them staring at me," Kenji adds.
"Go on..." Bel whispers. Her mouth splits, revealing bloody wooden sharp teeth. Leaves fly around him.
"I remember..." Hender's face, getting crazy, flashes in his vision. He glances at Bel, but he sees a mouth wide open, about to swallow his head whole. Out of instinct, he grabs his dagger and slices the creature's neck, making it fall and roll to the ground. The creature's head tries to scream but is unable due to its head not being connected to its body. Its body wiggles around, struggling to maintain balance before falling to the ground. Kenji stands up, making Bel fall and waking her up. Kenji sees the others murmuring in their dreams. Bel sits up, yawning.
"Good morning, Kenji. How was our wedding party last night?" she asks, half asleep. Kenji stares at her in confusion as she looks around, realizing she was dreaming. "Wait, it's a dream!!" she screams, fully awake.
"Mom, please stop. You're embarrassing me," Fenny whispers. "Freedom," Denber murmurs while sleeping. Grey sleeps silently, seemingly unaffected. Bel bites her nails in frustration. "I refuse to believe that's just a dream."
Kenji glances around the cave, now covered with veins everywhere. He gets alerted when the branches form into a humanoid being again. Sharp teeth, wide mouth, veins as long hairs, and a body resembling a woman's. It's a dryad.
Kenji kicks Fenny in the stomach to wake him up. Fenny frowns as he sits up, staring at Kenji, half asleep. "Dad? Is that you?" Fenny hugs Kenji's foot. Kenji struggles away, freeing himself from Fenny.
"I'm not your dad, you idiot. Wake up!!" Kenji shouts, waking Fenny up.
"Oh, wait. Right. I'm just dreaming," Fenny laughs awkwardly, then makes a sad face. Kenji looks at him with pity. Now he knows how much Fenny wants a family. Kenji bends his knees, offering Fenny a hand.
"Don't worry. We are your family now," Kenji smiles at Fenny. Fenny stares at him like he's some kind of weirdo, then laughs hard.
"What was that? It was so cringe." Kenji is annoyed, regretting feeling pity. Fenny accepts Kenji's hand and stands up, a smile replacing his sad face. Kenji sighs, glad to see Fenny's face light up again.
Bel also wakes Denber and Grey. Grey sits quietly, not speaking, while Denber looks around and sees the veins in the room. In the center, a woman-like creature is forming. "Are we in that phase already?" Denber sighs. "Well, that explains my dream," he murmurs. The creature, now completely formed, is sliced down by Kenji before it can move. The creature falls, joining the others on the ground.
"You know them?" Kenji turns to Denber.
"Yeah, they are Dryads. Known for deceiving people. I've read it in a book," Denber explains.
Grey cracks his neck to warm up, enlarging his body. "What a unique ability," Bel whispers. Fenny stretches as Grey moves the rock that seals the door.
After completely moving the rock aside, a sharp claw crawled to the entrance. A tall dryad blocked their way, emitting a high-pitched sound that hurt everyone's ears. Covering their ears, they felt like their eardrums would burst. Fenny ran towards the dryad, jumping and kicking it in the face, causing it to step backward until it fell off the cliff. The group stepped outside the light leaving the dark cave behind. They saw some trees were moving.
Fenny stepped to the edge and confidently shouted, "New day, new challenges. Bring it on!"