Erus was cautious and agile as he leaped through the trees. He was heading toward the thicker fog. The excitement of fighting higher beasts showed on his face. It was as if the life-threatening challenge in the Abyss had not been enough to scare him.
As he neared his destination, the fog became denser. Normal eyes would have gone astray in such a place. This was no playground for the weak. The atmosphere became colder, biting deep under the skin. It made him even more driven to enter the lair of the mythical beasts.
But he had a problem. He had no idea how to pass the fog of illusions. Uruja had warned him that it was decisive.
"This kind of test should have been in the trial," he muttered.
While perched on a tree, he observed the surroundings. He watched the way the fog flowed and checked for any lurking beasts. Compared to this, the fog in the Abyss was thin. He wondered if he would see a mythical version of those ugly mermaids. When he saw nothing, he made a perfect landing on the mossy ground.
Suddenly, his back itched despite the cold.
Is this a mark or a curse? He complained in his mind while trying to scratch it. How long would he deal with this heirloom mark? They still had no idea why it was halved or why the other part was on Cana.
Was she somehow related to their bloodline?
Erus followed the straightforward path. His crimson eyes could see clearly in the dark, so the fog did not matter. He walked on mossy grassland where the ground felt unstable. Some parts were hard while others were soft. The area within his range was clear of beasts or insects, showing only exotic plants. But he did not lower his guard. This place was still unknown to him.
"Will you stop picking on that lazy eater?"
He heard a voice. It was tiny.
"But it snatched my basket!"
Two tiny voices were bickering, but he could not pinpoint them.
"Hey! Give it back or I am gonna stomp all over your little garden."
Erus was curious about what kind of creatures were talking. Were they part of the test?
He heard the cracking of twigs until his eyes landed on a moving green vine slithering like a snake. It became thicker and thicker, pulsing with life. Next, he saw a tiny winged creature emitting a red light. It had been flying just a moment ago until a thunderous growl shook the air. The tiny creature vanished, replaced by a giant forest golem.
"YOU GIVE MY BASKET BACK!" The golem growled at the vine. It revealed itself to be a massive, flesh-eating flower. It was big enough to swallow an entire house.
Erus did not flinch. He preferred to watch the incoming chaos. He understood now what the decisive forest really meant. These beasts were proof of what Uruja had told him. They were mythical. They were every mortal's dream to have as a familiar, yet here he was, watching them freely without one. It was odd that he could see them when he did not even have the capability to form a contract.
The golem's strides were long and the ground vibrated under its weight. It pulled back a fist to launch an attack. The flesh-eating flower moved with the strike of a snake. It had sharp vines lashing back and forth with lethal grace. Erus was curious if those could actually damage the sturdy golem. Its body was not just rock but a solid kind of matte black cold iron. It was the sturdiest and rarest metal found in the mortal realm.
While Erus watched, he almost lost his footing when the ground moved. He quickly leaped onto the nearest tree. Looking back, he saw that the spot where he had been standing was actually a part of a vine. The flesh-eating flower stopped and hissed at the place where it sensed his presence. Erus felt a chill as dozens of eyes opened on the flower's body. Even the golem was alerted by the reaction.
"There is an intruder!" A tiny voice said.
The flower hissed at the golem as if it were speaking.
"A MORTAL?" The golem said.
Erus was annoyed. The game had not even started and they had caught him. These monsters lived up to their level. He had forgotten to hide his presence. He had been too excited that such a place existed.
"Why has a mortal entered this place? Didn't the guardians say this sanctuary was well-hidden?"
Erus wanted to laugh. What did they mean by well-hidden if they just tucked it inside the fog?
"Did a mortal pass through the gate?"
"There is a mortal in the sanctuary!"
"Where is the mortal?"
He heard more voices from different species.
"That mortal is seeking his last breath!"
"Who dares disturb my slumber? A mere mortal?"
Everything on the ground started moving. His eyes went wide as he realized he had been walking on the beasts themselves. They had different forms, but their colors showed they were not normal creatures. Erus was baffled at how these beasts were casually cuddling despite their differences. What was more intriguing was that they were sleeping on a wide pool of water. It seemed this place was all water.
Looking back at the golem, it had its own ground to step on as if the earth followed its every move.
"Find the mortal and bring him to the king!" A bird with rainbow-colored feathers shouted. It was the size of an eagle, but Erus was sure that was not its real form. What it said caught his attention.
These beasts had a king, and that piqued his interest. He wanted to know how powerful it was. He wondered if he could duel with it.
"Will you get off my nose? I don't like your smell."
Erus was startled when the tree he was perched on spoke like an old man. It offended him.
"Oh, you have a bad nose. I have been standing here for minutes and you only noticed me now?" Erus countered.
Because of the argument, everyone found him. He jumped off the tree and landed perfectly on the back of a big tortoise.
"Pardon me, but I had nowhere else to land," he said. The tortoise just peeked its head out but said nothing.
The beasts stopped and stared at the intruder. They could not believe their eyes.
"He seems familiar?" An otter said, tilting its head.
"Isn't he that kid?"
"Oh, yeah! Indeed, he is that troublemaker. He is bigger now," a human-sized praying mantis confirmed.
Erus was confused. Aside from the fact that he could understand everyone, they did not seem hostile. They even spoke as if they knew him.
Was this not his first time here? He had no memory of it. Had they mistaken him for someone else?
"Excuse me. I am right here," he spoke. To his surprise, they all swam away from him like he had an infectious disease. What was going on? Did they fear him?
The answer was no. There was no fear in their eyes. They looked more annoyed and troubled by his presence.
"Hey! I do not understand. Do you somehow know me? This is my first time here."
Erus was curious why they were avoiding him. He had not done anything yet. Were they thinking he was here to find a familiar and sign a forced contract?
He looked at the tortoise he was stepping on. It was the only beast that did not move, but it hid its head inside its shell. It clearly did not want to answer.
"Why are you here? What do you need this time?" The rainbow-colored bird asked. It stayed meters away from him.
"This time? When did I ever come here?"
Had Uruja brought him here before and he had no memory of it?
A fairy flew to him and examined him like he was a new sprout. It checked his mask, hair, clothes, and hands. It was looking for something in particular.
"He is fine," the fairy said. "And he is not lying."
Confusion was written in the eyes of every beast. Then, each of them tried to check on Erus while he did not budge. Suddenly, he was surrounded.
"Did he hit his head or something?" a black swan asked.
"You better pray he didn't," the snake countered.
"You look totally fine, but why do you have no memory of us?" It was a big gray wolf floating above the water. "Did something happen to you? Did that mortal king harm you?"
Erus furrowed his brows. How did these beasts know about the king he was dealing with? He needed to squeeze Uruja for information.
"Maybe it was his punishment for entering her chamber," a big snake said, curling above a stone.
A little golden monkey laughed.
"Prince, you better behave this time. No more magic experiments like the last time. Who knows whose chamber you would be entering next."
"Are you trying to deceive me?" Erus asked seriously. He thought they were messing with him.
"What is with all the commotion here?" A thunderous growl echoed and sent waves across the pool.
The beasts immediately recognized their king and gave way.
Erus found the newcomer and locked eyes with it. It was a massive, pure white tiger with fur emitting lightning. Its paws left ice prints as it walked. Its eyes were intense. It could freeze anyone it stared at.
"Oh, the pervert kid is back. You've grown some muscle now."
How the hell did I even become a pervert?
Erus's right eye twitched. He had always been aloof with women and there was no way he was into beasts. Why did he feel like battering this creature instead of running away? Every beast here seemed to know a past he could not remember.
"And what brought you back here?"
Instead of answering, Erus threw him a deadly glare. The white tiger just laughed mockingly.
"Still the same rough attitude. No wonder the phoenix has not shown itself," the white tiger said. Erus did not understand, so he disregarded it.
"My King, it appears the kid has forgotten his past. He does not seem to remember us," the rainbow-colored bird said.
The white tiger stopped and looked at Erus intently. He moved closer with urgency but showed no signs of attacking. He sniffed Erus like a curious cat.
"You smell of the Abyss and death. What happened?" The white tiger's face showed fear and panic. "I can smell her in you, too."
Erus chose not to answer.
The white tiger scoffed. "Seriously. Did you mess up again?"
He sighed heavily. "I am here to hunt mythical beasts, not to chitchat about my life. I think I have the wrong place. I am leaving." He was about to leap to the trees, but the tiger stopped him with its claws. He almost slipped into the water.
"How hardheaded. Your new witch mark has not yet settled in your body and now you want to stir up trouble again. That would seriously complicate your situation right now."
This got his attention.
"And what do you know about the witch's mark?" Erus asked.
"The half-mark you have feeds on your energy. The more you use its power, the more you will be drained. You better find its other half and claim it before both marks vanish."
"Ha?" Erus became confused. "How would I retrieve the other half if it chose another mortal to mark?"
"Oh, that mortal must be powerful enough to handle the white magic of witches. That white mark is the balance of power. The lack of it will make the black mark consume your sanity, so you better find that person and connect as one."
"Connect as one? How exactly is that?" Erus asked.
"That depends on you."
And that was the most annoying answer he had ever heard.