Seray
The cold, damp air hit my face, and I could even feel my ears growing warm. The dampness was due to the gentle rain from earlier this morning. The raindrops fell from the cloudy sky as if they were snow. Perhaps that was why it was cold enough for smoke to come out when I breathed.
I was excited after a great deal of practical group training coordinated by Ryo. We were going to take a walk through the forest and explore a little, with the goal of hunting some animals using magic. A sort of training that Ryo thought would be good for us.
The break of dawn did not help much in warming the temperature of the surroundings. We were going to start early so that we could have more fun in the afternoon.
I had already gotten up and brushed my teeth as soon as I got out of bed. I sleep in the same room as my mother, so I got up and left without making any noise.
The Zy brothers got up at the same time as me. We got ready quickly and went to the meeting point to wait for Damian's girlfriend. Once we were together, we went straight to the entrance of the forest. We would pass through the barrier without activating it in order to enter the forest.
When I passed through the barrier while it was inactive, I did not feel anything unusual in particular, unlike when I passed through it the first time and experienced a little vertigo and dizziness. I managed to disguise it well since I was already accustomed to that kind of feeling. Perhaps it was because we were not teleported by the barrier's magic this time; that is quite suggestive.
As soon as we passed the barrier, Ryo turned toward us.
—Let's stay close to one another so we don't get lost.—he said confidently. Just a small warning.—It will be as usual. I'll lead the girls in the middle and Damian will be in the rear. We'll use our awakening techniques as much as we can, but only enough not to completely drain the mana from our cores. Your bodies need to get used to receiving mana and spending mana.
The other two and I remained silent, simply listening. We did not want to miss anything. If he was going to give us any important information, this was the time to listen. How we would maintain formation, how to use mana with the least possible expenditure, and other things of that sort.
—We'll follow a path that I already know and have traveled alone before.—Ryo mentioned, turning forward. He was very brief.
His power began to become visible because of the aura rising from his feet to his head around his body. At the same moment that this aura could be seen around him, it was transformed into an invisible layer of magical protection beneath Ryo's skin. His mana disappeared along with his presence. Even though he was standing in front of me, it was difficult to tell whether it was an illusion. Until he actually appeared behind me and poked my shoulder. Startled, I turned around and saw him. Face to face, perhaps only a few centimeters apart. I could feel his breath against my face. He suddenly turned red, and I felt my ears growing warmer.
Ryo moved a little farther away from us. Looking back, I could see a mixture of emotions on Damian and Helen. Surprise, curiosity, and excitement. Helen looked at me with the same look she always had when Ryo was closer to me. I don't blame her; I know exactly what it was about. But I don't care.
After only a few steps, he began walking, and soon started running. I followed him, leaving the other two behind.
—HEY!—Damian shouted when he realized that we were already far away.
We were maintaining the initial formation, but that did not mean we all had to stay together. On the contrary, it seemed as though we were in pairs. Ryo in front, then me. Helen behind me, with Damian following her. It looked more like there were two pairs, with Ryo and me as one pair and the other two as the other pair. I could not tell whether this was intentional on the part of the couple or simply something they did unconsciously.
Either way, it seemed that Ryo had not noticed.
While we were running, Ryo suddenly climbed up a tree and began jumping from branch to branch. Naturally, we followed him with some difficulty. He explained to us how he did it because of how much trouble we were having.
He uses mana on the soles of his feet. More specifically, he concentrates some of his mana in the soles, with a little density so that he does not slip. He says that, for him, it is like connecting with nature, like walking on the ground.
In any case, we kept jumping from branch to branch, with certain objectives as goals so that we could determine how advanced we were in our training and know what our next training session would be.
Our first goal was to catch some insects. But we had to do it normally, without being detected by them. According to Ryo, every living being in this world can sense presence and mana. After achieving this first goal, we would move on to the next level, which was animals. The following stage would be weaker mana beasts. They were details, according to Ryo, that saved our lives. With more experience, we would be able to survive more brutal things.
The day passed, and in the meantime the air became more humid and the rain continued to fall lightly and gently, just as it had at the beginning of the day. The only difference was that night had already fallen.
We were turning back, returning to our home and finishing today's training.
—Hey, don't you guys think that's strange?—Ryo said, pointing toward a medium-sized mana beast.
—What exactly do you mean…?—I asked, somewhat curious, looking at the beast with a tusk in its mouth.
—I think my brother is right.—Damian stated clearly.—That type of mana beast, even though it is completely aggressive toward humans, is a herbivore.
—How do you know that?—his girlfriend asked.
—A long time studying with Ryo.—Damian crossed his arms and closed his eyes thoughtfully.
—He's right.—Ryo said coldly.—We're not going home now. For the moment, we'll investigate.
—No, we'll inform Neses and Hajba.—His brother refused.
—There won't be enough time, and if it's only a few lower-level beasts, we can handle them.—Ryo said seriously, watching every movement the beast made. I had never seen him like this before.
—No.—Helen stepped in.—I also think we should go home and tell the adults.
—Then let's do this.—Ryo turned toward them and said:—I know you're worried, so how about we follow it, and if it's too dangerous, we'll go back and alert the adults? If it's nothing, we'll deal with it. What do you think?
Daiman considered it for a while.
—Okay. We'll do that, but we'll come back immediately if anything happens.
We followed the medium-sized beast for quite some time until we reached a clearing in the middle of the forest. We slowly approached using awakening-level magic, keeping ourselves invisible and imperceptible. We moved behind some bushes and stayed there, watching for a while.
—Hmm…—Ryo muttered.—I don't know this place. It's a very well-hidden location.
He closed his eyes and remained silent. I could feel a little energy leaking from him. I don't know what he was trying to do, but if it worked, it could give us the answer we needed to decide what to do.
—My efficiency in using mana still isn't as good as I thought it was.—Ryo said as he opened his eyes.—I tried to use a spell that was a little more advanced than my level, but I had to do it, otherwise I wouldn't have discovered what is inside that cave.
—And so, what's in there? Will we have to act?—Damian asked Ryo, stressed and impatient.
—We'll have to act, but for the sake of a few details, I'll send an energy signal to Neses.—Ryo said with a certain caution in his voice.
Ryo raised his hands into the air, concentrating all his energy into the palms of his hands, and released a bolt of energy in the direction of the village. He became somewhat exhausted, but recovered within a few minutes.
—Look at what the forest has brought me.—A frightening, deep voice spoke, sounding as though its throat were inflamed, so harsh was the voice.—Four extraordinary and unusual children… I think you will be very welcome additions to my research.
We quickly looked behind us in shock. A man covered in a robe and wearing a hood stood there, preventing us from seeing his face. However, it did not cover his face enough to hide his macabre and bizarre ear-to-ear smile.
The first to fall was Ryo, trying to protect me when the villain came toward me, extending his hand to grab me. Ryo stepped in front of me and attacked him. He received an extremely powerful blow to the head. It happened so quickly that I could not see what had hit him.
Ryo lay unconscious on the ground, bleeding, and bleeding heavily from the head. I tried to run toward him, but suddenly the hooded man appeared in front of me and punched me in the stomach. My heart raced and I was left breathless. I extended my arm, trying to reach Ryo. My mouth filled with bile, which I immediately spat onto the ground. Tears filled my eyes and ran down my face, along my cheek.
—Don't worry, little girl. I won't let your little boyfriend die. Just like you, he will be a very valuable addition to my research. Kekekekekekeke….
My vision became blurry until I passed out…