The group slowly began to leave the dense jungle behind them.
The towering trees and tangled vines that had surrounded them for days finally started to thin out, and the heavy, humid air of the forest slowly faded as open land appeared ahead.
For the first time in a while, they could breathe a little easier.
Johann stretched his arms dramatically as they stepped onto the grassy field outside the jungle.
,,Johann: Finally… we're out of that filthy jungle."
He wiped sweat from his forehead and looked back at the massive wall of green behind them with visible disgust.
,,Heinrich: So… what now?"
Noah slowed his steps, thinking carefully. The battle against the Jungle Titan had exhausted all of them, and pushing forward without rest would be dangerous.
He turned toward the others.
,,Noah: I think before we continue our journey… we should rest for a bit. We all need time to recover."
No one argued.
Not after everything they had just gone through.
The group stopped near a quiet field not far from the jungle's edge. The tall grass swayed gently in the wind while the evening sun slowly began descending toward the horizon.
Compared to the suffocating jungle, the place almost felt peaceful.
They began preparing a small meal with the supplies they still had left.
Noah walked over to Anna, who was sitting down carefully while holding her injured arm.
,,Noah: And you… how are you feeling?"
Anna slowly moved her arm. The wound still looked painful, but it had improved.
,,Anna: It's better now. It still hurts… but not as much."
Noah nodded slightly, relieved.
,,Noah: That's good."
He then turned toward the massive stone figure sitting nearby.
,,Noah: And what about you, Barry?"
Barry looked down at the cracks running across his stone body. The fight with the Jungle Titan had clearly left its mark.
Slowly, the young Titan Golem raised his enormous hand and gave a sideways thumbs-up.
Somewhere between good… and bad.
Noah chuckled quietly.
,,Noah: I guess that means you'll survive."
What the group didn't notice were two small figures hiding in the distant grass.
Two Hell Beetles.
Their dark shells reflected faint light as they silently watched the group from afar.
Carefully.
Patiently.
Noah finished his food and stood up.
,,Noah: Alright, is everyone ready?"
Heinrich looked up.
,,Heinrich: Yeah…? Why?"
Noah reached into his bag and pulled out the mysterious book they had been following during their journey.
He flipped through a few pages before pointing to a location on the map.
,,Noah: According to the book, there's a valley not far from here. It should have enough supplies for us to rest properly and gather food."
Heinrich tilted his head.
,,Heinrich: And how far exactly is "not far"?"
Noah hesitated.
,,Noah: Uh… about eight kilometers."
Johann froze.
Then his eyes widened.
,,Johann: WHAT?!"
His voice echoed across the field.
,,Johann: Eight kilometers?! Are you serious?! What kind of insane plan is that?!"
Noah raised his hands defensively.
,,Noah: I know it sounds like a lot, but if we keep moving we should reach it by tomorrow around noon."
Johann groaned loudly.
,,Johann: This better be worth it…"
Karoschi, who had been quietly listening the whole time, crossed his arms calmly.
,,Karoschi: Then we shouldn't waste time."
With that, the group gathered their belongings and began walking again.
Hours passed.
The sun slowly sank lower and lower, painting the sky with deep orange and red colors.
Johann kicked a small stone as he walked.
,,Johann: I don't know about this."
Noah glanced at him.
,,Noah: About what?"
Johann sighed.
,,Johann: What if we run into something big again? What exactly is the plan then?"
Noah shrugged slightly.
,,Noah: We kill it."
Johann stared at him in disbelief.
,,Johann: You're joking."
,,Noah: I mean… we did kill the Jungle Titan."
Johann scoffed.
,,Johann: We? Sorry, but Barry did most of the work. Without him we'd all be dead."
Barry simply continued walking silently behind them.
Night eventually fell.
The group stopped and built their small stick tents again.
A small fire crackled between them as darkness slowly swallowed the land.
Heinrich sat near the flames, staring into the fire thoughtfully.
,,Heinrich: Do you guys really think we can kill Karag?"
The question lingered heavily in the air.
Johann answered immediately.
,,Johann: I don't."
Noah looked up at him.
His voice was calm but determined.
,,Noah: Of course we can. As long as we stay together."
Nearby, Barry slowly lowered himself onto the ground, the massive Titan finally allowing himself to rest.
Noah then turned toward Karoschi.
,,Noah: Karoschi… do you know if Karag has any allies?"
Karoschi shook his head slowly.
,,Karoschi: Not that I know of. And I haven't heard anything about him in 145 years."
Noah looked down at the ground.
His mind drifted back to the nightmare from the previous night.
Karag's voice.
His laughter.
"You will lose everything."
Was it just a nightmare?
Or something worse?
Anna quietly walked over and sat beside him.
,,Anna: Are you okay?"
Noah blinked and forced a small smile.
,,Noah: Yeah. Why?"
Anna studied his face carefully.
,,Anna: You look troubled."
She tilted her head slightly.
,,Anna: Did something happen?"
,,Noah: No… everything's fine. I think I just ate something bad earlier."
Anna didn't look convinced.
,,Anna: You've looked like this before. For days."
She paused.
,,Anna: And that night when we fought Karoschi… why were you lying on the other side of the lake?"
Noah laughed nervously.
,,Noah: Like I said… probably bad food."
Anna looked at him suspiciously.
For a moment it seemed like she wanted to say something more.
But eventually she sighed.
,,Anna: Okay… if you say so."
One by one, the group lay down to sleep.
The fire slowly burned lower.
The night grew silent.
But far away in the darkness…
The Hell Beetles were still watching.
And somewhere in the distance…
A soft humming sound slowly began to grow closer.