A miracle. That was the only thing inside Zuria's head at this moment. How could he not think like that after witnessing the scene in front of him?
The purple sludge now the size of a small ping -pong ball still continues to shrink away as if being devoured by an unknown force. Zuria didn't dare go near, afraid he will become like that too.
Not to mention his broken body were not in the condition to move around.
Every ounce of his body was in pain. Even that small act of moving his jaws felt as though he was being punched by a bodybuilder.
Right now, all he wants is nothing but the comfort of a soft bed to lie down and rest his weary body to death. But he know that staying still in this place was a form of suicide.
Although he wants to analyse and make sense of what had just happened. He was not in the mood nor have the time to think about it. So he forced his body to move, not to the deep part of the forest, he's not stupid enough to just charge straight into that hell.
Who know what kind of creatures awaited him there?
He was trying to move and circle back into the outer layer of the forest, while trying to avoid coming to the place where he once entered.
Zuria continued to walk with trembling legs in silence. But his mind was far from the quiet march. His mind was busy making plans and where he should go from now on.
All the depressing thoughts never came at this time. He was too sacred, too stimulated, and too tired to be wallowing in misery.
The Abyssal Forest was located in the Western part of the Gwanbelt Empire. And if he's not wrong, he was walking to the north right now and if he continue to like this it will take two month of travel to reach A nearby settlement.
There's a small village near the Abyssal Forest in the northern part entrance of the forest.
Thinking like that he continued to walk before he stopped. He made a frown and gritted his teeth as if he realised something.
No, i can't go there! If I think of going there, they must be thinking the same!
He knew who "they" were: the people who had pursued him, the rebel army and their assassin, the people who would assume he was dead, and who would be waiting to ensure it if he wasn't. They would definitely check the nearest, most logical escape route. A frown deepened the lines of dirt and dried blood on his face.
His gaze flicked up, piercing the gloom of the dense canopy above. The thought of walking for two months and what awaited him was nothing but a bunch of killers, sent a fresh spike of panic through his chest, overwhelming the constant throb of pain. He didn't have the right preparation, or time, maybe he could fight them but they will definitely come after him endlessly.
He needed a better idea, a riskier one.
"They'll expect me to run toward the light," he muttered, his voice a dry, gravelly rasp that hurt his throat. "To the settlement, to the safety of the Empire's roads."
Although he was anxious and worried, Zuria still continues to walk north. Still muttering in slow raged breath.
"If i didn't stop at the village and keep moving, i will reach the end of the continent in three months from here. The sea..."
"Gwanbelt has 24 nations and many villages spread far and wide in this continent. All under the Empire's rule..."
"If i choose to go... Where should i go? A place that can take on the Empire..."
He stopped muttering while pondering his destination as he keep walking. His injuries were much more heavier than before he entered this forest.
Curse those bastard! Curse those fucking Demonic Beast!
No. I can't get anger cloud my mind! Let's think again, the leader of the Rebel was Duke Saphoron. He was the Emperor youngest brother, and that makes him this body's father younger brother too. My uncle.
The previous Emperor of Gwanbelt has three children. Alfred Inverio D Gwanbelt, The Emperor. Fredrin Inverio V Epemerald, The Southern Duke, this body's father. And lastly Claude Inverio V Saphoron, The Eastern Duke.
A thought, sharp and cold as a shard of ice, pierced the fog of his exhaustion.
The sea is too far. Too exposed. Even if he made it, the Imperial Navy ruled those waters. The thought of two months of travel, broken and hunted, was a death sentence masquerading as a plan. They wouldn't just check the village, they'd secure the whole northern coast.
Assuming I'm still alive they will continue to search until they see my dead body. That bastard uncle was a paranoid person, he will not rest easy until there's no more enemies and any loose end.
Just as he was thinking while trying to distract from his pain, a sound that wasn't the forest's usual rustle broke through his stupor. It was a rhythmic, crunching footstep. Heavy. Too heavy for a deer, too measured for a predatory beast, and too light for another gigantic beast.
Someone was close. A human!
He took a combat stance as he called that Fireball again, it was now hovering above his right hand.
"Well well well! What do we have here!"
The voice was heavy and deep as he said that with a playful tone. Seemingly amused as he looked at Zuria.
From the direction of the deep Abyssal Forest came a man. He was wearing a menacing armour.
The man's armour was a stark, menacing black all over, appearing less like forged metal and more like cooled volcanic rock. Its surface was not polished, it was dull and pitted, as if it had absorbed every scrap of light and sound from the world. Along the edges of the breastplate and gauntlets, the metal was jagged and splintered, giving it a tooth-like appearance.
The helmet offered no discernible features, no eye-slits, no vent holes, just a smooth, featureless dome of shadow that made it impossible to guess where he was looking.
Despite the intimidating appearance, Zuria was more focused on the man's helmet. Thinking that with no holes for eyes, how was he able to see in that?
The armoured man thenstopped just at the treeline, a dark silhouette against the shadowed wood. Standing still as he stood there like a ghost while looking menacing in that black armour.
No one spoke for a few seconds before the armoured man break the awkward silence with a cough. "Cough... Kid, i don't know if you're brave or stupid, but coming here is the dumbest thing you must've done in your entire live."
He stopped while looking at Zuria from the top of his head down to his legs, with a slow and scrutinizing mocking gaze. At least that's what he seemed to be doing...
"Nonetheless, i have to congratulate you for surviving this long in here. That's no small feat, you can be proud for that at least."
The armored man lets out a soft, dry chuckle that scrapes across the silence of the forest.
"I've spent a year in this hellish place, boy," the man says, his voice losing its playful tone and becoming a cold, hard stone. "And I know a rat when I smell one. You reek of the city, of noble blood, and of cheap panic. Now, the congratulations are over. I have two questions, and you only get one chance to answer them correctly."
Zuria felt the air suddenly felt heavy making his breathing hard and laboured. A sense of something heavy like a boulder pressed down on him made Zuria panic a little bit causing the Fireball on his hand to vanish.
"First" The armoured man raised his right hand index finger. "What's going on right now in the Empire?" He asked waiting for Zuria's answer.
Although nervous, Zuria still answered the man's question.
"Duke Saphoron Rebelled, he succeeded in killing his two brothers and their entire families..."
"What?!" The black armoured man shouted as if in disbelief.
The man's shout was still a shock, a sudden, explosive sound that cut through the forest's gloom.
"Saphoron!" the man rasped, his deep voice thick with genuine alarm. "He... he succeeded? Both the Emperor and the Duke of the South?"
Zuria, relieved that the suffocating pressure was gone. This man was clearly an enemy of the new regime, which meant a temporary, unstable potential ally.
"The capital fell two weeks ago," Zuria confirmed, his throat tight. "I was with the Southern Duke's family. We were ambushed during the retreat. Saphoron's forces are hunting down any survivors."
The armored man lowered his head, the featureless dome of his helmet seeming to focus on the ground. A heavy sigh rattled inside the black armor.
"What a foolish man... Whatever, what already happened has happened. Now for my second question. What do you want to do now boy?"
Zuria swallowed, the dry air scratching his throat. The pressure was gone, but the immense danger this man represented remained. He pondered for a while in silence before finally made up his mind.
"I want to go far away from the Empire. I don't want to have anything to do with it anymore." He said with a strong conviction.
Honestly, Zuria was feeling really stressed and just want to go somewhere to relax. All that Throne and being a ruler felt so exhausting and troublesome.