The smoke brought hope. A presence. A sign. Someone else was trapped somewhere in that damned forest.
Kenzo remained silent for a moment, eyes fixed on the thin column of smoke still rising in the distance. Then he sighed.
– « Either way, I'm really starting to get thirsty… I'll have to climb down and find a water source. I still have enough to eat, but that'll just make me even thirstier… The real question is how to get down without being noticed. »
Because he knew it: the wooden creatures had most certainly risen again, wandering through the forest like silent predators. Before anything else, he decided to take a look toward the place from which the tremors of the night had come.
Leaning over, he saw something very strange. On several trunks, hanging like organic banners, there were spiderweb cocoons.
– « So there really are spiders… » he said, far from pleased by the discovery.
But what caught his attention most was the group of wooden creatures currently devouring the corpse of a giant spider. The spider had to be at least three meters long. Its back, a pale ghostly white, contrasted with its unbelievably thick shell.
Kenzo observed for a long time, fascinated despite himself by the dead creature. Could his spear even pierce such a shell? He seriously doubted it. Even the abdomen looked impenetrable, and yet the wooden creatures had brought it down.
A shiver ran through him.
– « This is my chance to leave this trunk without being noticed… but first I need to figure out where I can shelter from the fog. »
He turned his head toward the smoke. If he wanted to go there one day, he first needed to make sure he had a safe place for the night. So he began searching for another great tree, as massive as the one he was currently on.
And he spotted one.
If his current trunk stood opposite the Gargantuan Tree, then the smoke came from the southeast. The other great tree stood to the east, around forty kilometers away by his estimate.
– « If I head toward that tree for tonight, and find a water source on the way, it'll be easier to reach the smoke tomorrow. »
It was a good strategy—perhaps even the best one. The forest was sinister and dark, but it was still alive, green, nourished. Despite the total lack of rain since his arrival, the trees seemed strangely healthy. That mystery unsettled him.
He took his spear, moved to the side opposite the gathering of wooden creatures, and studied the ground below.
– « It was a lot easier to climb up than to climb down… » he thought, swallowing.
He chose the safest tactic he could think of. He drove his spear into the trunk, using it as an additional anchor point, and began his descent. It would take time, but it was the only solution. He had nothing to strap such a heavy, cumbersome weapon to his back, and even if it was technically possible, trying to do so would risk throwing off his balance.
The wind rose.
– « This damned wind… »
The descent was long, far longer than the climb. It took twice as much time: every step had to be precise, every hold carefully controlled. One wrong move, and the fall would have killed him.
When he finally touched the ground, he felt an immense wave of relief. But there was no time to linger. He immediately began running toward the next tree.
As he ran, he searched the forest for the smallest detail, looking for signs of a water source the way Sir Dora had taught him.
– « Where I was chained, there was more moss and the roots stuck out… That's a sign they need rainwater. »
The trees were adapting in order to survive. That meant Kenzo had a better chance of finding water here than where he had arrived the first time.
And yet, despite the gray clouds of the last two days, not a single drop of rain had fallen.
So what was feeding these surface trees?
While running, Kenzo stayed alert. Now that he knew creatures truly inhabited this forest, he had to be extremely careful. He still did not know how to perfectly avoid dangerous zones, but he noticed something.
Instinctively, he seemed to know where to go… and where not to go. As if his body naturally avoided risky areas.
Was that one of [Serpent]'s abilities?
– « I don't think so… the description doesn't mention anything like that. »
After a long time running, he stopped dead.
Something in the vegetation had changed. The greenery was denser, more alive. A clear sign.
He listened carefully.
And then he heard it.
A soft sound, almost hidden: the faint trickle of water.
Only a few meters away, he finally spotted a water source.
He approached cautiously, scanned the surroundings to make sure nothing seemed suspicious… then bent down and drank. He drank in great gulps, almost with relief, as though the water had the power to drive away fear, if only for a moment.
As he drank, he thought:
– « Honestly… for now, this is easy. »
The thought did not last even a second. It vanished immediately. His heart tightened. An icy tension spread through his chest.
He turned around slowly.
And he saw it.
A Void Creature. Made of black wood, with a yellow flower on its head. Its eyes were deep black, but at the center of its pupils shone a disturbing violet glimmer, almost toxic.
The creature radiated rage. It seemed larger, sturdier than the ones he had seen from the trunk. Its whole body breathed violence, as though it were on the verge of exploding at any moment.
Kenzo understood instantly.
His first true confrontation here was going to be with a…
– « A Deviant… »