Chapter 29: Shadows Between the Trees

The four of them stood quietly before the dark forest.

The enormous trees rose high into the sky.

Barely any light reached the ground through the dense branches.

The wind rustled softly through the leaves.

Kaien trembled slightly.

His hands had tightened without him even noticing.

Yun Yun noticed immediately.

She slowly reached for his hand.

But her own hand was trembling as well.

Kaien looked at her.

Yun Yun simply gave him a faint smile.

A small, genuine smile.

As if she were telling him without words:

“We'll make it.”

Rowan watched the two of them for a moment.

Then he noticed something else.

Even Lyra was trembling.

She was trying to appear calm...

but her fingers were gripping her diary far too tightly.

Rowan let out a quiet sigh.

Then he extended his hand toward her.

“Miss...”

Lyra looked up in confusion.

Rowan gave her a faint grin.

“I think I'm a little scared.”

He lightly waved his hand.

“Would you hold my hand?”

Lyra stared at him for several seconds.

Then she turned her head away slightly.

“...If you insist.”

Slowly, she took his hand.

And although she kept looking away...

a small smile appeared on her face.

Together, they entered the forest.

The darkness swallowed almost all of the remaining light.

All around them, they could hear branches snapping, bushes rustling, distant bird calls, and the occasional sound of an animal somewhere deeper among the trees.

Every now and then, a single beam of sunlight broke through the dense canopy above.

Most of the forest, however, remained dark.

Unnaturally dark.

Even the air seemed heavier.

Kaien instinctively stayed close to Yun Yun.

Lyra still held Rowan's hand lightly.

They continued deeper into the forest for several minutes without speaking.

Until...

CRACK.

Something large moved between the trees.

All three children flinched.

A massive bear slowly emerged from the bushes.

Its breath steamed faintly in the cold air.

Its claws dug into the ground as it stared at them.

Rowan suddenly burst into laughter.

“And here I was thinking those rumors about demons were true.”

He calmly drew his sword.

“Looks like someone simply mistook a bear for a demon.”

The bear let out a tremendous roar.

Then it charged.

WHOOSH.

Rowan moved in one smooth motion.

His sword cut through the air.

SLASH.

The bear's head fell to the ground.

The enormous body collapsed heavily into the undergrowth.

For a moment, the three children simply stared at Rowan.

Speechless.

Relieved.

Confused.

And thoroughly impressed.

Rowan turned toward them with a grin.

Then he suddenly put on an exaggeratedly shocked expression.

“Wait a second...”

He pointed toward the fallen bear.

“Did you seriously think something like that would be a problem for a Gold-ranked adventurer?”

Kaien blinked.

Yun Yun began laughing in relief.

Lyra, meanwhile...

was already frantically writing in her book.

She also quickly sketched the scene of Rowan defeating the bear with a single strike.

Rowan noticed immediately.

A broad grin appeared on his face.

“Finally, you're writing something cool in there.”

Lyra didn't even look up.

“I still decide what's cool.”

They continued deeper into the forest.

Surprisingly, everything remained peaceful at first.

They spotted deer between the trees.

Small rabbits hiding among the grass.

Birds perched on the branches above them.

The forest was filled with the quiet sounds of wildlife.

For a moment, it almost felt peaceful.

But Rowan's expression changed.

His smile disappeared.

He slowly turned his head.

He could feel it.

A demonic aura.

Weak...

but unmistakable.

And it was getting closer.

Rowan drew his sword.

“Stay alert.”

His voice had become completely serious.

“Something's coming.”

The children froze.

They immediately moved behind him.

Several bushes shifted at once.

CRACK.

CRACK.

CRACK.

Several black creatures suddenly burst from between the trees.

Demon wolves.

Their bodies were unnaturally thin.

Their eyes glowed yellow.

Dark strands seemed to move beneath their fur.

Rowan's eyes widened slightly.

“Damn...”

His grip tightened around his sword.

“Shadowrunners...”

More creatures emerged from between the trees.

An entire pack.

Lyra immediately tried to write something down.

But her hand was shaking so badly that her pen produced nothing but illegible scribbles.

Yun Yun glanced toward her.

“Lyra...”

Only now did she realize that Lyra was too frightened to write properly.

Kaien, however...

stood completely motionless.

His gaze was empty.

The demon wolves.

Just like back then.

His body refused to respond.

Rowan stepped in front of the children.

“Don't forget.”

He raised his shield.

“Stay together and stay alert!”

Only Yun Yun managed to answer.

“U-Understood!”

Her voice trembled.

But she still raised her fists and prepared herself to fight.

Yun Yun noticed that neither Kaien nor Lyra had moved an inch.

She immediately reached for the dagger strapped to Kaien's thigh.

Her hands were trembling as she stepped in front of them.

She was small.

Frightened.

But ready to fight.

The pack attacked.

WHOOSH.

The first Shadowrunner sprang straight at Rowan.

CLANG.

Rowan raised his shield and blocked the attack.

At the same time, he swung his sword upward.

SLASH.

The wolf was cut apart in midair.

Two more creatures leaped through the gap behind it.

Rowan stepped back.

He turned.

Then struck.

One wolf immediately lost its front leg.

The other tried to attack from the side.

Rowan drove his shield into its head.

CRACK.

The creature was sent crashing into a tree.

Rowan moved with remarkable calm.

Every strike was controlled.

Efficient.

Deadly.

But the pack showed no sign of stopping.

More shadows moved between the trees.

Another wolf lunged from behind.

Rowan noticed it at the last moment.

WHOOSH.

He swung backward and severed the creature's head.

Black blood splattered across the ground.

Rowan breathed heavily.

“Damn...”

Even for him, there were too many.

One of the Shadowrunners suddenly slipped through his defense.

Straight toward the children.

Rowan's eyes widened.

“WATCH OUT!”

Kaien and Lyra still didn't move.

The wolf raced toward them.

Yun Yun clenched her teeth.

Then she sprinted forward.

She feinted a direct attack.

The wolf immediately lunged toward her.

Yun Yun darted to the side.

At the same time, she grabbed several small branches from the ground.

WHOOSH.

She threw them directly toward the wolf's eyes.

The Shadowrunner recoiled in confusion.

But Yun Yun was already prepared.

She ducked beneath its next attack and drove the dagger upward, straight into the creature's mouth.

SCHMATZ.

The wolf let out a piercing howl and stumbled backward.

By now, Rowan had already killed more than half of the pack.

Yun Yun, however, was still fighting the wounded Shadowrunner alone.

The creature snarled furiously.

Then it lunged forward at full speed.

Yun Yun tried to dodge.

This time, she was too slow.

WUMM.

The creature struck her directly.

Yun Yun was sent crashing into a tree.

Rowan's eyes widened.

“YUN YUN!”

Another wolf immediately attacked him, forcing him to defend himself.

Kaien remained motionless.

Until he saw the blood.

It slowly ran down Yun Yun's forehead.

And suddenly, he remembered.

“I want to become stronger...”

“...so I never have to lose someone I love again.”

His eyes widened.

Kaien immediately reached for his sword.

Almost instinctively, he sprinted forward.

WHOOSH.

He struck the Shadowrunner from behind.

The wolf immediately leaped backward.

Kaien used the opening.

He quickly grabbed Yun Yun's hand and pulled her back toward Lyra.

Yun Yun breathed heavily.

Kaien stepped in front of both girls.

His hands were still trembling.

But this time, he moved anyway.

Yun Yun looked at him.

Then gave a small nod.

Together, they stood in front of the trembling Lyra.

The two exchanged a brief glance.

Then, almost simultaneously, they spoke.

“We'll get through this together.”