Have you ever been into a space where there's no air coming in or out? Sounds seem to be muffled and almost nonexistent. You feel like entering a vacuum space, where the only thing that you can hear is your fast-paced heartbeat.
That's what Ezra feels by now. The Dark Forest suffocates him inside and out. The black glimpse is dashing so fast for his eyes—even by the little corner of it, he fails to catch.
"Stay put," Renyu reminds the convoy. Within his estimation, Young and Gun probably already arrive at the same spot that they left their aqua gears just now. If anything happens, there's a backup team; even if it's a two-man team.
"Watch out!" Sora yells as a dark figure dashes towards them. She slashes it with a machete in her hand. The circle formed by them is breaking apart. Everyone scatters all over the spot.
"Ezra, behind you!" Renyu screams. The little Omega ducks his head when his father-in-law slashes his knife in the air his head. He scoots away from there in fear.
A silence falls in the space once again. Only the wind whooshing around. The convoy is firm on the ground, at the very spot where they stand.
Tul grasps his chest. He feels uneasy. A faint, familiar scent abuses his nose now. He looks around, trying his best to track it. He turns to his right, and that's when he sees a still body lying inside a thick bush.
"Cirrus!"
He is fast but those dark creatures are even faster than him. They stand in front of Tul, blocking his way to Cirrus. The Omega steps back a bit. Any sudden movements might intrigue them, and it's bad for the mission.
The convoy gathers again in the middle. This time, they had been surrounded by those dark creatures. In the midst of the darkness, Sora can see their features; red eyes, fangs, and they look... black. Like a shadow but not really.
"Cir is over there. He's alive but weak..." Tul whispers.
"What should we do?" Ezra asks.
"Someone has to go and grab Cir," says Sora. "Let Tul have his man."
"What about us?" asks Ezra again. The newbie when it comes to direct combat feels the shaking ground under his feet.
"Let's just... fight..." Sora grabs the machete in her hand.
"I'll light up the torch..." Renyu calmly grabs his lighter.
"Tul. Wait for a signal. Rush to Cirrus, grabs him, and chants the protection spell. Must hurry. No hiccups," says Sora. The Omega nods. They all wait for five minutes. And...
"Now!"
With a green light from Renyu, Sora slashes the dark creature with her machete. Tul sprints towards the bush where he sees Cirrus, grabs the body, and starts chanting. Gradually, the couple disappears into the darkness, hiding behind an invisible shield that formed after the spell.
Renyu lights up his torch, waving vigorously towards the dark creatures. They are a base of darkness, so lights are obviously their enemy. As for Ezra, he did what he could. Do his best to ensure he doesn't get hurt. He slashes them with one eye closed, still afraid but slowly getting into his pace.
"More incoming!" Sora yells from her spot. It looks like an unending saga of dark creatures. They swarm the convoy like a battalion of ants. Ezra slowly loses his pace and confidence to fight. He is wailing in misery.
"Run! We need to leave!" Renyu grabs his son-in-law's hand and drags him away, followed by Sora from behind. They run across the darkness, deep into the forest with no specific direction.
Once they arrive at another open space, the dark creatures stop chasing them. The three stumble on the ground, breathless but safe. At least for now.
"Why do they stop chasing us?" Ezra asks between his heavy gasps.
"I don't know. Perhaps, there's a bit of lights in here..." Sora answers. She wanders around the spot when suddenly she shrieks and falls onto the ground.
"Sora!" Ezra and Renyu run towards her, but she holds up her hand, asking them to back off.
"What's wrong?" Ezra urges Sora to talk.
"I can feel Nara. But, not in a good way..." Sora frowns. She stands up slowly, touching her gland nervously.
"Is he here?" Renyu asks. Sora nods faintly.
As they try to crack the signal that Sora receives from her tight bond with her twin brother, a hasty sound is coming from in front of them. Sora looks up, standing between the area and the two members of the convoy.
"Nara..."
A huge figure walks out of the bush. When it's mentioned as huge, it's not a normal huge. The size of the creature is almost as big as a Bigfoot.
Sora bites her lower lip, still can't believe that the Bloodsucker has manipulated its victim into fighting each other. No one can recognize Nara the best rather than Sora herself. Thus, whoever says this is not him, the person obviously had no clue about it.
"We should help—"
"No. Sora will hate that. Nara is her twin. And only she can fight him. We never hit Nara even though he loves playing pranks on us. Only Sora can do that. No one else but her," Renyu stops Ezra.
Sora stares deep inside the Bigfoot's eyes. Her brother is still in there, but barely conscious. His sweet corn scent is faint, a signal that he is still alive but barely.
"Damn you, Bloodsucker... You got my father, now it's my brother! What kind of misery do you want to put me in?" Sora curses under her breath. She closes her eyes, gripping her fist tight before chanting something in a soft murmur.
The ground is shaking a bit. Both Renyu and Ezra hold onto each other in fear. Trees are dancing wildly, with leaves flying all around Sora. The wild veins dashing towards her, climbing her body as she levitates on the ground. They take the shape of a shield all over her body, buffing her frame so she can match the size of the Bigfoot Nara.
"Sorry Nong Chai... this time, I need to hit you for real. Bare with me," says Sora, before she slaps Golum Nara with her brand new wooden hand.