Fanaza's horse rode quietly behind Percival's. There was great silence as the search party rode into the forest; the only sound that could be heard was the rustling of dried leaves and snapping of twigs beneath their horses' hooves.
Fear gripped Fanaza when they finally approached the same woods she was attacked the other day.
The memories were still new, and she felt a cold run down her spine. She shivered a little, but Percival's voice boomed out loud.
"Was this the place you and Sage were attacked?" He asked.
Fanaza didn't hear; her thoughts were far gone, thinking if the creatures would come out of the thick bushes to attack.
Percival scoffed and got down from his horse.
The knights followed. The sound of them dismounting their horses brought Fanaza back to reality.
She also jumped down but landed badly and almost twisted her ankle. While trying to get a balance, she accidentally pushed Percival, and he almost fell.
He was pissed.
"Were you born to be chaotic?" He snapped.
"I am so sorry," Fanaza apologized with a bow. When she saw Percival walk away, she smiled to herself.
She wished he had fallen flat on the ground when she had pushed him. The way he behaved irritated her, and she often called him proud and arrogant in her thoughts.
Percival walked forward, gripping the sheath of his sword tightly. The knights trailed behind, and Fanaza was at the back.
She was stunned by how they didn't care about her but only the crown prince. She hissed under her breath and ran towards Percival, standing by his side.
He didn't say a word.
Stefan spotted something unusual: a bloodied leaf and a broken bracelet hanging firmly on it. He stared at it and picked it up; it looked familiar.
"My liege," he called out, and everyone halted.
He walked towards Percival and showed him the bracelet.
Percival recognized it.
"It's Sage's." Percival raised an eyebrow.
"The leaf is wet with blood; it seems he must have been here," Stefan said.
Fanaza's heart skipped a beat. Was that his blood? She was scared, and fear gripped her like cold.
"I suggest we split up; we can cover more ground." Stefan suggested.
"I don't think it's advisable; those creatures could be everywhere. We can't fight them if we are divided," Percival said.
"We need everyone together," he concluded.
"If it's truly Prince Sage's blood, he wouldn't have gone far with that wound." Stefan said.
They walked forward, and suddenly, they came upon a clearing in the forest, and what they saw made their blood run cold. Scattered across the clearing were the dead bodies of people; their clothes were decorated with dirt and leaves.
Their eyes were frozen in a permanent stare, their mouths were wide open in a silent scream.
One of the knights whispered, his voice trembling. "What could have done this?"
Another knight's expression was grim. "I don't know, but I've heard stories of...of things that roam these woods. Things that defy explanation."
"It's the Wendigos; they did this, and Sage is still out there," Fananza said, holding her chest while she struggled to breathe. She felt disgusted and almost nauseous.
The sight of the dead body disorganized her stomach; she coughed, and all attention was on her. She wanted to vomit, so she ran away from them and vomited, screaming out loud.
Percival scoffed. "She's just a hindrance."
"Seriously, my liege." Stefan frowned and ran towards Fanaza.
"My lady, are you okay?" He asked; the only response he got was the sound of Fanaza retching out her intestines.
Stefan ran back to Percival.
"My liege, I think your future wife is about to pour out her whole intestine. I am worried," he said.
Percival hissed and strode towards her.
He covered his nose.
"What did you eat?" He fanned the air.
Fanaza finally had a grip, and she stopped with the puke.
" Wa-- wa—?"
"I can't hear you; speak louder and don't be a mouse." Percival rolled his eyes. Fanaza wanted to punch and kick him so hard in those balls.
Stefan ran back with a jar of water. He gave it to her.
"Thank you." She said and gulped down its contents.
"I think she needs to rest," Stefan suggested.
"I thought you said you wouldn't be a hindrance?" Percival said and shot her an annoying glance.
"Let's go, I'm fine now." She poured a little water on her palm and wiped her face.
"You need to rest, my lady; you look tired considering the fact that you're just recovering," Stefan said with worry etched on his handsome face.
"No, I am fine." Fananza forced a smile.
"But my lady," Stefan tried to persuade her to rest.
"You heard her, didn't you? She is fine." Percival spoke out loud and walked away.
"I'm fine," she replied to Stefan with a forced smile.
They continued with their search.
As they searched the area, they found strange symbols carved into the tree, and an eerie, unnatural silence hung in the air. It was as if the very forest itself was watching them.
Suddenly, one of the knights pointed to a nearby tree. "Look!" he whispered.
Carved into the trunk was a single word: Wendigo.
"Wendigo" Percival was stunned.
"Who taught those bastards how to write?" he whispered in disgust.
"It seems we are in their territory," Stefan whispered as he saw the hideous and unhuman footprints on the muddy sand.
The search party followed it quietly. They descended into a dark and mysterious valley; a sense of foreboding settled over the party gathered, forming a canopy of twisted branches that blocked out most of the sunlight.
They were on alert and ready to face any danger ahead; the place seemed unusually quiet with the sound of the raven loud and eerie. They knew they had entered into something unnatural.
They all drew out their swords, but guess what? Fanaza only pulled out a hairpin.
"Prince Sage," Stefan called out, but his voice echoed throughout the valley.
"Prince Sage," his voice echoed louder after him.
"Stefan, we need to be as quiet as possible; it may draw the attention of the creatures," Percival hissed after his words.
They walked deeper and passed through the fog that almost blocked and blinded their vision.
Suddenly, the wendigos emerged from the trees, their eyes glowing and bright like a diamond. The search party charged forward, their swords flashing in the dim light. But the wendigos were relentless; their bodies were unaffected by the swords.
It was a huge battle between the creatures and the knights; some knights were gravely injured, and some had lost their lives. So sad.
Fanaza hid behind a tree in the fog after Stefan pushed her aside.
She could only watch but could not help.
This made her feel so useless; the only thing she was good at was fashion design, and now that people were in danger, she couldn't help or even come up with a good idea.
She hid there peacefully and quietly, hoping it would be over soon.
Percival began slashing any creatures that came towards him; one attacked him from behind, and he was able to cut him into equal halves.
The search party formed a phalanx, a back-to-back formation, but the creatures kept coming nonstop; they felt tired and weak. The creatures weren't giving up; they wanted to win the battle. Who wants to be a loser? no one; that also applies to the supernatural, not just humans.
The party was outnumbered and the wendigos were wild and scary; they had no chance of defending themselves. All hope seemed lost until someone arrived.
His presence changed the whole atmosphere, and everyone could feel it. Fanaza saw him and immediately recognized him. She was happy to see the cloaked man again.
Rwaine joined the fight, his cloak swinging behind him left and right.
They all caught sight of him and were surprised; all they could whisper was,
Who was he?.Where did he come from?
Rwaine charged forward, his fists flying with a speed that seemed almost supernatural. The battle raged on, the search party fighting for their lives against the wendigos, their dark strength and determination.
But with the cloaked figure's help, they slowly began to gain ground.
A wendigo ran towards Fanaza at her hiding place. As she saw it, she fell to the ground whimpering like a little kid. The wendigo shrieked and wanted to devour the delicious meat in front of it.
She closed her eyes, preparing herself against the pain she would feel as the creature was about to tear her into pieces.
But all she felt was a wet substance on her face and lips; it was blood.
She opened her eyes and saw Rwaine. His eyes shined so bright that even the sword he was holding onto couldn't stop reflecting it. She stared into those beautiful golden eyes.
"You came?" She whispered.
"Yes, I did," he replied firmly.
"Behind you!" she screamed as a wendigo ran towards him. He didn't waste time; he cut it in half with a swift move.
"I'll be right back; wait here," he said.
Fanaza nodded with joy; she was happy to see him again, as her mind couldn't stop thinking about Rwaine. Her deep curiosity still lingered around.
She stared and stared at the tall, broad-shouldered, cloaked man until he was out of sight fighting the creatures.
As the last wendigo fell, the party stood panting, their chests heaving with exhaustion.
As Rwaine approached Fanaza, he felt someone place a sword on his neck.
"Who are you?" Percival demanded, his voice firm.
Fanaza quickly stepped in.
"He means no harm; he is a friend."
"Then why is he dressed up like a sorcerer?" Percival hissed, looking confused.
"He means no harm; he wants to help," Fanaza assured.
"Then take off your cloak." Percival demanded with authority.
Rwaine chuckled softly.
"He doesn't have to." Fanaza kept on stepping into it.
"I remember I wasn't speaking to you, so do me a favor and shut that hole of yours." He screamed back at her, and she kept quiet like a child being scolded by her mother.
"I can see you really lack some training when it comes to women." Rwaine said
Percival brought the sword closer to his neck.
"Take it off," he demanded louder, and his knights brought out their swords and pointed them at Rwiane.
"What are you doing? He means to harm you." Fanaza screamed out.
"How am I supposed to believe that?" Percival stood his ground.
"What is wrong with you?" He saved your life just now, not just yours but everyone here, and you still don't believe that." Fanaza hissed out in frustration.
"I won't repeat myself; take it off," Percival said with his enraged eyes.
The atmosphere was getting more intense, but then they heard a loud, familiar scream from afar.
It sounded like Sage.
"Sage," Percival said and withdrew his sword, forgetting about what he was doing earlier.
They all ran except Rwaine, who stood still.
They ran towards the dark bridge, but then an unknown force threw them back. It was like they hit a shield preventing them from crossing over to the bridge.
They all screamed in pain as they landed on the ground.
"What was that?" Percival groaned.
The impact was strong, and they all coughed and groaned in pain.
Percival got up carefully touching the invisible wall; it was like a boundary keeping them from crossing over the bridge. It had the color of an aurora, and it would make a whirring sound whenever someone tried to get in.
"It's a boundary; we can't get in it." A knight said.
They heard Sage's scream from in there.
"That's sage," Fanaza said. "What do we do?" She trembled.
"Can we break it?" A knight asked.
Stefan walked towards the boundary and saw a red dust on the floor very close to the boundary.
"Termite gas." Stefan picked it up and sniffed it.
"What's that?" Fanaza asked.
"We are dealing with the supernatural and some magic here." According to legends, it's a form of a barrier that keeps humans away. It was used by the ancient sorcerers during their war with the humans. "Stefan dusted his hands.
"Are you saying we can't cross over to the bridge?" Percival asked.
"Probably, I'm not so sure; this thing is as old as hell. I had no idea they still existed after so many past centuries. There must be a powerful sorcerer fueling those creatures. I heard no human had ever crossed this particular boundary." Stefan sai
"My brother is in there, Stefan." Percival picked up his sword and tried to tear it apart, but the sword bounced back and hit a tree. It couldn't penetrate.
He punched it, but nothing happened.
He screamed out in frustration, and they could all still hear Sage's scream.
"But if no human can get in, how did Sage get in?" "That's his voice," Fananza said, and everyone was confused.
"I have no idea, unless he isn't human," Stefan muttered, and Percival shot him a deadly glare.
"I am sorry, my liege." He bowed; he, too, was also confused.
Fanaza turned to Rwiane.
"What do we do?"
"I don't know, Fanaza; no human can cross it." He whispered.
They all moved close to the boundary and tried to break it together with swords, stones, and shields, but nothing worked.
They screamed out in frustration.
They even carried a tree log, hoping it would help.
"Push." Nothing happened; it bounced back at them.
"That was a horrible idea," Rwaine said casually.
They were all exhausted and slumped on the ground.
Stefan noticed something: everyone had a reflection in the boundary except one person. Rwaine.
"Why don't you have a reflection?" Stefan spoke directly to Rwaine, and all eyes were on the cloaked man.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Rewaine replied sharply, his voice firm.
"I want you to try going in," Percival said.
"He clearly said no human can cross through a termite gas. What do you take me for, a wendigo?" Rwaine hissed.
Percival pointed his sword at him.
"Cross it," Percival commanded.
"I do not listen to your stupid commands, so put that sword down." Rwaine challenged.
Rwaine's eyes scanned through the area looking for Fananza; he saw her nod in response—that was all he needed.
He agreed immediately and felt peace. Seeing Fanaza's nod, he wanted to help and give it a try.
He walked towards the boundary, placed his hand on it.
Surprisingly, his hands passed through it.
They were all shocked and could only watch how Rwaine was able to cross it without any problem.
"How did he do that?" Percival asked, staring at Fananza.
"I am not sure if he's human," Stefan said, looking scared.
Fanaza ran close to the boundary.
"Rwaine, Rwaine, can you hear me?" "Rwaine," she called out.
"Fanaza," he replied softly.
She sighed in relief.
"Find Sage, find Sage," she said.