"Hello?"
Noah noticed the hand waving and looked at Hazel confused. He moved a bit before he realized what happened.
Was that real?
"What happened?"
Noah spoke confusedly at everyone else who was also confused. Everywhere at the entrance had paused and seemed to be waiting for Noah.
"What are you talking about? You stood there for a minute and then activated the spell. We walked forward to continue the mission, but you just stopped"
Hazel said while having her hand on her head and she shook it. After she signed and turned around and started walking.
"Quickly, let's finish this mission so we can go back to the association, I got work to do."
Hazel said while each step echoed with the sound of dirt being walked on beneath her.
Noah saw the dirt path and saw the resemblance of the place he went before he had come back to this place. He felt as if she would call him crazy if he had told her about what he saw so he kept silent and pretended he was just shocked by the feeling of the area.
The group were chatting as they walked while the area continued to expand with each step.
"You noticed the change of pressure, right? Remember that feeling, that is when you will know you are in an anomalous forest."
Noah nodded to the provided information. For some reason she was acting as a mentor for Noah which left Noah conflicted a bit.
She reminds me of my mentor back home. I miss my home.
[Is there a need to let me know that?]
Is she safe?
[No clue.]
Tsk useless again.
While they walked the sound was quieter and Eunwoo noticed it. Quickly he surveyed the area with his magic.
"Something is off to prepare for an attack, the area around us isn't right and I checked the surroundings, there should be no sounds coming around us at this moment."
When Hazel heard that she pulled out a sword. It had a shiny iron edge and a stone grip with leather wrapped around it. Something else was also on the ricasso, it was written in Chinese but too far for Noah to try reading it.
Noticing how everything was on guard for an attack his magic had charged up from before in the darkness 15 minutes ago.
[Seems like the spell is ready, get ready to cast it on the Skinwalker.]
Currently the sounds were still there but the fact there is sound was wrong. While everyone had grabbed their weapons and formed into the formation that they prepared beforehand Noah was in the back with the spell ready to finish off the Skinwalker.
The pause and tension were long but there was nothing coming out to attack them. Everyone was silent and listened to the sound of animals in the distance that was illusionary.
After 5 minutes of staying still and prepared everything went silent suddenly, not slowly as if the sound from the surrounding had slowly passed but all went silent from one to the next as if it just flipped a switch.
So, everyone had once more stood there with no movements and sweat coming from the anxious feeling they held.
[It noticed us, it will attack soon. Don't die poor human.]
Silence once more and they waited for more minutes. Nothing, nothing happened. After what felt like eternity nothing happened. The trees swayed with the mana wind in the air and the air was fresh with silence all around them.
"I believe the creature left. Prepare to walk more, but do not put your weapons away."
Hazel turned around to look at the group following her and signaled to move once more.
So, they began to walk again. The feeling of unease is still in the air but the group is more relaxed after Hazel signaling movement.
Before long the group is chatting once more, what else is that Eunwoo is still using his magic to survey the surrounding area as a precaution.
Although everyone was on edge still the air was no longer tense and Hazel is casually talking to Victor at that moment.
"How is it so far?"
Noah heard from beside him and was startled a bit. He looked quickly and saw Adrian, he had brown hair, almost black hair, and it was rather long for a guy. Adrian made eye contact with Noah but that was a short moment because Noah looked away from his eyes.
There is something wrong with those eyes, they feel cold.
Noah thought to himself and remembered what they looked like then shivered a bit.
Pitch black eyes, it felt like it was staring right through me. For some reason it looked as though it can't reflect any light and an endless void.
"Just different from what I imagined."
Noah replied to him and then he nodded to the response as if he understood what he meant.
"Must be weird huh. At least for the first time but you'll get used to it as you go on more missions with us."
"More missions?"
Adrian nodded to Noah's question and walked toward Eunwoo who was behind everyone at this moment.
This means this group will be my group I will be volunteering with for the year.
Noah felt as though it would be rather hard having a good time with the church.
This is bothersome.
"Stop."
Hazel said and held her sword tightly. Noah looked around to once again see a familiar scene but rather than dark it looks rather beautiful. It had numerous flowers all around full of vibrant colors, the wind blew and the trees were now behind him. The bright blue light from around them made it all the better.
What was off from this scene was the singular black flower ahead of them off the path. Hazel, also noticing this, slowly walked closer and nothing happened.
"How odd."
Still looking at it there can be a sound from behind, walking sound coming in close. Everyone hearing this started to run on the path toward where Hazel was.
Fuck not again.
Noah thought to himself and started sprinting as fast as possible. Then he once again heard a voice from his right ear.
"Don't go."
When Noah heard this Hazel realized the commotion and took a step on the path forward past where the black flower was.
Black flowers started to bloom where she stepped and she could not move. Slowly the flowers grew past the flower, and the road became covered in flowers. Everyone there noticed the change, so they changed from going toward the black flowers to running toward Hazel to help.
While that happened the area of her feet that had touched the ground began to grow flowers, black flowers. Although creepy the flowers were rather beautiful too, they were black star gladiolus flowers.
The flower wrapped around the leg and rapidly expanded proximal to the main body. Hazel, watching this unable to move her front leg, tried to pull herself backwards. Before Victor could hold Hazel coughed up blood. Rather than red blood it was mucky black. The flowers started to pull Hazel into the field of flowers from its roots.
Unable to do anything she was pulled forward and her other food landed in the field. Scared, she looked back toward Victor who was about to reach out and tried moving her arms which were now covered in flowers. The veins on her body were now showing with black undertones. So, all she could do was stand there looking terrified towards Victor.
She coughed once more and the black liquid from inside her flowed out and she fell forward toward the flowers. Her eyes closed and a small thump could be heard. Everyone from the other side of the field was staring terrified from what they witnessed just standing there. Knowing full well they were stuck and most likely will die.