Colonel Jack opened his eyes widely. He opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly his expression went blank. A couple of seconds passed, and he frowned.
"Why are you grabbing my arm?"
Telos gritted his teeth.
Then, drawing a confused expression on his face, he released his grip and wondered:
"I… don't know…"
He remained silent, staring at nothingness momentarily, before turning his attention towards Lisa, trembling in the darkness.
"But… I think we should change our plans. Gather everyone here."
Jack hesitated for a second, then he commanded everyone to come to him.
'I can't say the plan directly; the Lieutenants would simply make them forget it. I also shouldn't show any awareness of it…'
There were many questions Telos didn't know how to answer. Why were the Lieutenants killing them one by one? Were the Lieutenants just puppets? If not, why wait until they reached the forest? Why would they help with the battle outside the walls? Or was it also orchestrated by them?
Telos knew nothing, but one thing was certain: not everyone was going to survive...
The Anchors headed towards him, although with hesitant steps, fearing that they might be the next test dummies. However, four Anchors did not seem affected by this; the three who had been sent into darkness and Elora.
Even among those four, the expressions were different; while those three seemed to regain hope of survival, Elora seemed indifferent.
Once everyone was reunited, Jack glanced at Telos, waiting for him to say his plan.
Telos counted mentally, there were still nine. They did not seem to have lost another companion, although Telos didn't seem to care either.
He sighed.
"I have discovered how we can save ourselves."
His words generated various reactions among the remaining Anchors: curiosity, joy, suspicion, but above all, hope.
Telos waited a couple of seconds in silence, thinking about his next words, then he continued:
"However, it is very dangerous… To get there, we must enter the forest, where dozens of creatures are lurking. Right now, this place is safe, the safest place. So I do not think we should take a risk…"
Silence fell after his words, the hopeful expressions withered, replaced by hatred. But before anyone could complain, Telos spoke again, his voice filled with regret:
"That is why… I'm going to take the risk for you and enter the forest. I'm the only one who has not contributed anything, so I'd like to do something, or at least try."
Their expressions were still filled with hatred, but if they wanted to kill him before, now they only wanted to insult him. After all, he was going to die anyway… right?
Colonel Jack, on the other hand, his face showed clear concern.
"You do not have to take any risks for us, we'll come up with a better plan."
Telos was petrified.
'I'm the last one who would risk himself for someone.'
Telos sighed, trying to look as concerned as possible.
"But if anyone does not take the risk, we'll have to live our entire lives here. I do not wish that on great people like you…"
Colonel Jack frowned, but he remained silent. Some others had already walked away in anger, cursing Telos for his stupid plan.
Now, only three of them remained: Colonel Jack, Lisa, and Elora.
Telos expected that the colonel would remain with him, probably to try to convince him that what he is going to do is not the best thing. But the other two were…
'Surprising…'
However, no one talked or asked. Telos turned around, walking towards the forest. Behind him, he could hear the footsteps of those three.
He stopped.
"Are you going to follow me? Even knowing that this place is the safest and that nothing could attack you here."
He tried to make sure everyone heard his words. The eight of them…
No one gave an immediate response, however, the Colonel finally spoke:
"In case it goes wrong, someone should at least come back with information, otherwise, it would be useless."
The young man resumed his walk.
"You can run?"
Jack frowned.
"Yes… I guess."
"As soon as we enter the forest, run as fast as possible and try to remain together. Also, grab your weapons tightly, we'll be using them a lot."
No one asked. The three of them approached Telos, grabbing their weapons: a greatsword, a long dagger, and a silver tachi.
They all stopped in front of the first tree. The darkness inside seemed to whisper in their ears, constantly wanting to swallow them up. The air was hot and thick, making every breath heavy. But the worst was the constant feeling of being watched.
After a couple of seconds, Telos took a step forward.
The ground beneath him was damp, causing his foot to almost be swallowed by it. A strange and ominous chill ran along the sole of his foot, but he quickly shook it off and took another step, the another, and another. He was running at full speed; he barely had started, and his breathing was already labored.
This was going to be a long night.
Under the numerous footsteps, the viscous sound beneath them sent drops of mud flying into the surroundings. The four of them ran at full speed and were now lined up, Telos being the second-to-last of them.
Colonel Jack and Lisa were in charge of protecting the front in case something attacked them. Elora was in charge of the rearguard. Telos had to take care of whatever passed their defense.
At the moment, they had not received any attacks; however, as soon as they entered, the forest bustled at their presence.
The branches of the dead trees began to dance violently, loose dry leaves falling to the ground. Some of the trees were shaken so hard that they broke. Screeches belonging to dozens, if not hundreds, of creatures flooded their minds, causing them to hear hallucinations.
Whispers, calls, footsteps in front of them, or even on top of them.
It was only a matter of time before the first attack came.
Telos started to lose speed; he was sweating profusely, and he was breathing desperately through his mouth. He has already been pushed a couple of times by Elora to keep him going.
'Am I that physically bad?'
The young man cursed in his mind.
Then, the first attack struck the center of Colonel Jack's greatsword, knocking him slightly out of balance. After that first attack, another followed, then a dozen… The battle between life and death had begun.
***
'I am Julius. Since I was a kid, I dreamed about being someone important, someone who people would remember through history. When I see how great some people were in the past, or how important some are now, I… envy them. Why can't we be like them?'
The young man was sitting on a log, watching the flames dancing in front of him, and his blonde hair was being illuminated by its light. The smell of burning wood sank into his lungs, and the smoke made his green eyes crystalline… was it the smoke?
"What are you thinking about, Julius?"
The worried voice of a young man of his age sat on his left side. The heat of the flames quickly warmed his wounded skin. His black hair danced slowly under the strangely warm breeze.
"Nothing…"
Julius thought about it and talked again:
"I was thinking about why we are not important."
The young man on his side chuckled.
"What do you mean? We are not strong, nor do we have immense talent, nor are we exceptional in any aspect…"
His voice slowly faded away.
"That is what I mean… Why don't we have talent, but others do? Why can others live happily off themselves while we can not? Why must we die and be born without leaving a mark on us?"
His eyes became more glassy.
"I don't want to die… Who will remember me if I do it? No one would... I haven't done anything important to it. Would you, Chris?"
There was no response. His left side felt empty and cool, as if someone's presence was missing, but he could not tell why he felt that.
'Who is Chris? I've become so sentimental that I needed someone…'
The first tear ran down his face. Almost instantly, he wiped it out with his fingers and gathered his courage. He stood up.
"I will survive."
He turned around, only to find himself alone in the middle of the forest, surrounded by the ominous presence of the creatures. A cold sensation attacked his heart, but he did not know why. He wasn't alone from the beginning?
The warmth surrounding his body slowly withered, as the chill of the night invaded his. His vision was lost, swept away by absolute darkness. His chest... felt warm, as if a weight had been lifted, a liquid, viscous sensation descending through his heart.
Silence reigned once more in the forest.
The camp had been completely taken.