They continued on their journey. Eventually, a full day had passed since their encounter with Nar-Wynn.

At some point, the surroundings had changed.

A mist-like vapor covered the land. It held with it a faint blue tinge, a color that resembled the vibrant hue of Earth’s neon street signs. The mist heavily obscured their vision, almost to the point where it was impossible to see past a distance of more than ten feet.

Ellis gingerly sniffed the air. To his mild surprise, the mist was both tasteless and odorless. In fact, he was under the distinct impression that the atmosphere around him was somewhat dry and stale, almost as if he was standing in the middle of an old warehouse.

“What’s going on?” He asked with incredulity. He raised his hand up to the wind and watched as the mist flowed past his fingers like the gentle current of a peaceful river. Ellis reflexively blinked. It may have just been him, but there was a certain sense of life to this blue haze.

“We’re finally here,” Grisella muttered to herself as she abruptly stopped walking. Her expression hardened as a dark light colored her eyes.

“Here? Where? Is this the other side of the river?”

“No, it’s not, but it is where our guide finally gets to shine.” The solitary witch responded with a somewhat nervous voice. This was the part of their journey that she was most afraid of. If Hal wanted to mess with them, then now was the chance.

After a few seconds of hesitation, Grisella pulled out a long string of rope from her spatial pouch.

“That is?” Ellis tilted his head.

“Hold still.” Without pause, she walked over to him and proceeded to tie the rope around his waist. Due to the close proximity of their bodies, Ellis unconsciously tensed. She smelled faintly of lavender and sweat. It wasn’t a bad smell. In fact, it excited him.

“You know… I could have done that myself.” He spoke in a low whisper as he unconsciously glanced down.

Grisella’s cheeks slightly reddened. “I, I don’t trust you. Who knows, you might accidentally mess something up…”

Although it sounded like an excuse, she was partly telling the truth. This was an important process and it needed to be done with utmost care.

“I see…” Ellis did not know what to say.

“…”

After what felt like forever, Grisella finally finished.

“There.” With one last pull, she firmly secured the rope around his waist.

Afterward, she then tied the rope around her own waist.

As Ellis watched, he couldn’t help but ask, “You still haven’t told me what all this is for.”

“It’s to make sure we don’t get separated.” Even while talking, Grisella did not stop moving. She carefully tied the rope around Ena and the rest of the wolves. They had the rope tied around their necks in a fashion similar to a dog leash. Judging by their reaction, it did not seem very comfortable.

Finally, Grisella helped tie the leash around Hal-Wrynn’s waist. At first, the boy protested. He wanted to do it himself, but naturally, Grisella would not let such a thing happen. After all, she did not fully trust him. If he were to untie the rope and run off on his own, that would essentially send the rest of them to their inevitable doom.

“Fine, whatever, do what you want.” In the face of the Grisella’s incessance, Hal-Wrynn eventually conceded. “It’s at least better than watching the two of you flirt around like that.” As if to emphasize his point, the young boy let out a gag.

Grisella’s cheeks reddened. Still, she ignored his biting remarks and quickly finished tying the rope. To further ensure their safety, she casted a spell. It was a discrete spell that would prevent the rope around Hal-Wrynn’s waist from loosening. At the same time, it also strengthened the rope itself, making it a bit more resistant to getting cut.

It might have been a bit excessive, but then again, caution was something one could not get enough of especially in the face of possible death.

The sequence of the rope was as follows: Hal-Wynn at the front, followed by Ellis, Grisella, Ena, Wight, and everyone else. Much to no-one’s surprise, Plush served as the group’s anchor.

“So, will you finally explain why we’re all like this?” Ellis couldn’t help but ask.

“We have just entered the mist border,” Grisella explained, all the while a grave expression masked her face.

“The mist border?”

She nodded her head. “The mists of Ilpin forest are special. They distort the mind and cloud a person's judgment. The sights that you see and the sounds that you hear may not even be real. You cannot trust yourself. Those that wander in here can never hope to get out. They remain trapped, up until the very moment they starve or dehydrate to death.” She paused for a moment. “That is, unless you have a guide.”

Hal also spoke up. He confirmed Grisella’s words. “Only those from my tribe can cross the mist border. The rope is to prevent you from accidentally wandering off.”

“Look,” Grisella further motioned to the world around her.

Ellis reflexively looked. After a while, he let out a frown. He did not know what it was he was supposed to be looking for. There was nothing here. Nothing but dead leaves and towering trees.

“There are no monsters here, right?” She continued. “The mist even affects the creatures of this forest. It is like the boy says. Only his tribe can safely pass through the mist.”

“What makes the squirrels so special?”

Grisella momentarily frowned. “To be honest, I don’t really know. My current theory is that the squirrels are related to Ilpin’s original inhabitants.”

“That’s not a theory.” Hal-Wynn suddenly chimed in. He paused for a second. “At least, according to the village. The entire tribe is descendant to the Goddess’s greatest warrior.”

“It’s a complicated history, huh?” Ellis noted.

In response, the young boy merely shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t like the Goddess very much, so I don’t really believe in it.”

“You don’t like the Goddess?”

Unfortunately, Hal-Wrynn did not respond any further. He kept his gaze fixed ahead of him. It was almost as if he was looking at something far away, but to Ellis’s eyes, the boy was merely staring at a wall of vibrant blue.

Eventually, Ellis shifted his attention back to Grisella. “… A forbidden region’s true inhabitants… is it that sort of thing?”

“Yeah, those connected to Ilpin’s long lost holy ground.” The solitary witch nodded her head. “The mist acts as a sort of dividing line between the interior of the forest and the exterior. In this case, they’re like the walls to a well-guarded citadel. Hopefully, all the good stuff is kept locked away in the castle.

At her words, Ellis couldn’t help but imagine the ruins of an ancient city. The image of a staggering tree whose branches licked the clouds also popped into his head.

She paused for a moment. “The funny thing is, the whole death by mist is a thing that only happens to those wanting to enter the inner region. For those exiting, the mist becomes no more than a slight visual obstruction. In a sense, the mist works on intent, but not quite. If it was purely by intent, then those who entered, but later regretted their decision would have easily found a way back. But they don’t. All they do is die.”

“That definitely doesn’t sound very natural to me.” The existence of near-indestructible trees as tall as skyscrapers was already something that Ellis had trouble wrapping his head around. The last thing he needed was a very picky, very deadly collection of water vapor.

“The mist, from what I can understand, is a powerful spell or formation set up by the former god of the region.” Grisella explained, “The spell has lasted for so long and has weathered through so many years, that it has essentially morphed with the very nature around it. Only the descendants of God can hope to navigate through it.”

“I see…” Ellis ruminated over her words. He could now sympathize with Grisella’s earlier concerns. This was not something that he could just brute force his way through. He breathed out a sigh, compared to fighting an army of monsters, this mist thing really was a pain in the ass. At least with the monsters, he had something tangible to hit.

Still, he had to wonder, was the mist really as scary as Grisella made it out to be?

Even now, standing out here with all the mist swirling around him, truth be told, he did not really feel all that different. Aside from slightly obscuring his vision, nothing else really seemed to have changed. If he so wanted to, he could probably just walk straight out of here with no issue.

Then again, this could just also be how the mist was supposed to work. It messed with a person’s thoughts and senses. Even their very judgment would be altered. The fact that nothing ‘seemed’ to have changed was proof enough that something indeed had changed.

On the other other hand, maybe the mist just doesn’t work on him.

Come to think of it, I do have a former God’s blood running through my veins. Maybe that helps with stuff like this?

The more Ellis thought about it, the more confusing the topic seemed to get. In the end, he exasperatedly shook his head. He pushed the issue to the back of his mind and focused in on the current situation.

He looked over to the rest of the group.

Ena was currently struggling against her bonds. She was the one who most disliked the idea of being restrained. Wight showed a similar reaction, although not as exaggerated. In comparison, Grisella looked quite comfortable with that rope around her waist. He chalked it up to years of experience.

It’s… probably affecting me, right?

With his own worries bottled up deep within his heart, the group continued along on their journey.

Hal-Wrynn took the lead and guided everyone through the mist.

As they walked further, the mist gradually thickened. It got to the point where he could not even see his own body. Even the sounds around him seemed to disappear. It felt like the rope in his hands was the only thing that kept him tethered to this mortal world.

He was somewhat affected by the eerie atmosphere.

At some point, a clammy hand abruptly grabbed his shoulders. Ellis momentarily tensed up. He almost screamed in fright. He turned around, only to see a certain someone’s pale face staring back at him.

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“Y-you… don’t do that. You scared me half to death.” Ellis breathed out a sigh of relief. It was only Grisella.

“Sorry…” She mumbled out, although inwardly, she had a hard time believing that anything could actually scare someone as busted as him. “I just… I got scared, I guess.”

“Haven’t you already done this before?” he asked. “I mean, traveled through the mist.”

“I have, but…” she hesitated for a moment. “Our guide is just a kid. I can’t help but get a little anxious. Also, he’s currently plotting something. It’s only natural to worry.”

Ellis subconsciously nodded his head. Grisella’s worries mirrored the same ones that plagued his heart.

“Besides, even back then, I was always scared. Death is a very scary thing, you know? Whether it’s me dying or watching someone close to me die, I don’t like it.” She spoke in a voice barely above a whisper. “The mist here is filled with death.”

For a moment, the solitary witch’s shoulders trembled. She stared warily out into the mist, her eyes laden with deep worry.

Ellis followed her gaze. All around, there was nothing but blue. Whether it was the rope that extended out in front of him or the rope that extended out behind her, Ellis could not see where either one led to. Right now, it felt as if Ellis and Grisella, the two of them were stuck in their own little blue world.

He hesitated for a long time before he grabbed her hand. Ellis did not say anything. He pulled Grisella forward until they were both standing side by side.

Hand-in-hand, shoulder-to-shoulder, they walked through the mist-covered world. A faint silence blanketed their surroundings while a jittery, almost nervous flutter thumped within his chest.

“T-this is fine, right?” Ellis’s words came out almost like a whisper.

“… yes.” Grisella’s words were even quieter.

He subconsciously nodded his head. Ellis felt the warmth of her hand. It was almost scalding and seemed to penetrate even the deepest parts of his body.

He discreetly looked over. In that brief span of time, the mist had grown even thicker than before. Despite their close proximity, he had trouble seeing her. There was only a vague outline of a female form.

For a moment, he felt alone and isolated. Still, the heat emanating from his palms told him otherwise. Even without his eyes, he could still feel her. And for him, that was more than enough.

Ellis awkwardly scratched his cheek. He was never really all that good with social interactions. Even now, after more than five years of isolation, this was the best he could do. It was his own misguided attempt at alleviating her fear. As for whether or not he succeeded…

Aside from his own rapidly beating heart, there really was no other indication of… well, anything.

Silence filled his ears. The group continued through the mist-covered forest.

****

An uncountable amount of time passed.

Eventually, the mist thinned. The once deafening silence that previously dominated his surroundings receded. In its place was the sound of labored breathing and crunching leaves. Little by little, the hum of the forest returned.

Ellis turned to his right. He could see the crown of Grisella’s head. Her eyes were fixated on the ground, while her body subconsciously leaned towards him.

He wanted to say something, he was compelled to say something, but in the end, he didn’t. The words simply refused to come out of his lips.

Ellis shifted his gaze. When the mist thinned, his field of view expanded. Right now, he could see the vague silhouette of their little guide. Hal-Wrynn was less than five feet away from him, but the mist had made that distance feel like an eternity.

Almost as if sensing his gaze, the young boy slightly turned his head back and spoke, “We’re almost through the mist.”

In response, Ellis numbly nodded.

Just then, Hal-Wrynn stopped in his tracks. He stared at Ellis with scrutinizing eyes. After a while, he asked, “Why are you two holding hands?”

“Huh?” It took him quite a while to realize what he was talking about. Then, he remembered. Ellis glanced down. Much to his delight, he was still holding hands with Grisella.

The solitary witch immediately reacted. She pulled her hand back and took two steps away from him. Her face flushed red, but it was difficult to tell with all the mist swirling through the air.

For a moment, Ellis felt a sense of loss. He blankly stared down at his now empty hand. There was still a lingering sensation of warmth on his palm.

He shook his head. “So, we’re almost there?” He reiterated Hal’s earlier words in an attempt to change the subject.

Hal-Wrynn remained silent for a few seconds before he nodded his head. “Just a few more minutes, then we should be on the other side of the river.”

“I see… we’re almost there, huh?” Grisella’s eyes narrowed. Right now, she felt conflicting emotions. While getting to the river was their initial goal, at the same time, the closer they got to their destination, the more apprehension she felt. The Majin base and the boy’s schemes, all these would soon come to light the moment they reached the river.

Ellis discreetly looked over at her. He could somewhat guess what sort of thoughts ran through her mind. I wonder, has she come up with a plan yet? So far, Grisella still hasn’t said anything. For the most part, Ellis was not really worried, mostly because he did not put much faith into her plan in the first place.

After a moment’s consideration, Ellis turned his gaze over to their little scheming guide. His expression right now was rather colorful. Worry, fear, guilt, frustration, all sorts of emotions twisted his face.

Ellis unconsciously pursed his lips. He hesitated for a few seconds, before he suddenly said, “Thanks for bringing us all the way here, Kid.”

“…” Hal-Wrynn did not respond immediately. He furiously scratched at the back of his head. His face contorted, almost as if something was bothering him. Eventually, he said, “Stop calling me boy already. I have a name, you know. It’s Hal-Wrynn.”

“Hal-Wrynn…” Grisella echoed out loud, almost as if she was savoring the flavor of it on her tongue. She scrunched up her brow. “Wrynn… Wrynn… again, it sounds so familiar, but why can’t I—”

Just then, she stopped. Her eyes slightly widened in realization. “Ah, now I remember! Wrynn!” she shouted, almost a little bit too loudly. “You are Farma-Wrynn’s son, right?”

Hal jumped back in fright, seemingly surprised by her sudden enthusiasm. He hesitated for a split second, before he resolutely shook his head. “No, I’m not.”

“You’re not?”

“She’s not my mother.” He reiterated. After a moment’s pause, he added, “but she is my aunt.”

“Ah, that’s why it took me so long to recognize you.” She nodded, almost to herself. “I knew that woman did not have any children. I’ve never really talked to her before, but she’s pretty famous in her own right.”

With his interest piqued by their conversation, Ellis momentarily forgot about all the hidden subterfuge that permeated through the air. He couldn’t help but ask, “Farma-Wrynn? Who’s she?”

Grisella deliberated for a while, before she explained, “Farma-Wrynn is someone with a bad personality but with amazing strength.”

Off in the distance, Hal subconsciously nodded his head in agreement.

“She’s still relatively young, probably only in her thirties, but that doesn’t stop her from being the second strongest warrior in the entire village. This is kind of significant, considering the fact that the current head warrior is at least seventy years old.”

The squirrels had a life-span of around 140 years. Most tribesmen usually peak somewhere around their eighties or nineties. The position of head warrior was decided every ten years through an internal tournament. Usually, a head warrior retained his position for two or three rotations before they were then replaced by a younger, stronger member of the tribe. It was apparent to anyone involved that Farma-Wrynn was someone destined for greatness.

Of course, Ellis did not know any of this.

“The head warrior is seventy-years-old?” He couldn’t help but widen his eyes in shock. Despite already being familiar with an oddity like Grisella, it did not even cross his mind that squirrels might have different lifespans from the average human.

Grisella gave him a weird expression. “It’s not all that surprising. You’ve seen the Tribal-Chief, haven’t you? I think she turned sixty-one this year.”

This time, Ellis was thoroughly spooked.

That pale-faced beauty!? There’s no way she’s actually sixty-one-years-old!

Ignorant of his turbulent emotions, Grisella breathed out a soft sigh. “Up until recently, Farma-Wrynn spent most of her time outside of the village. I don’t think I’ve ever really met her before, but my ears are still privy to her fame. It’s gotten to the point where many in the village consider her to be the most obvious candidate for the next Head Warrior.”

Hal-Wrynn suddenly let out an audible snort. “There’s no way that will ever happen!”

“What do you mean?” Grisella furrowed her brow.

“The village doesn’t like my aunt. They’d much rather keep her as a guard dog than as Head warrior. For the most part, Aunt Farma doesn’t mind, but… sometimes, she gets a little antsy. Especially when her things start to go missing.” He knowingly smiled. It was as if he was in on a joke that nobody else understood.

After a few seconds of silence, he snapped out of his reverie and dismissively shook his head. The young boy shrugged his shoulders. “It’s mostly her fault. The way everyone treats her, that is. It’s just like you said, she has a bad personality.”

He breathed out an ambiguous sigh. “Aunt Farma really can’t be considered a good person. She has a short temper and she obsesses over things to an annoying extent. She’s also the type of person who tries to solve everything through brute force.” Hal-Wrynn shook his head. A faint smile twisted his lips while his eyes reflected the years of suffering that he had experienced.

“Still,” he hesitated, “she is family.”

“And your parents?” Grisella did not really recall much about Farma’s family. She did not even know she had a sibling, much less a nephew.

“Dead.” He coldly responded. “My father is dead. My mother too. She died when I was born.”

“I-I see…” Grisella stuttered out, somewhat in shock. She had not expected such a negative response. She mumbled out an awkward apology.

In retrospect, although Hal-Wrynn had revealed a rather gruesome fact, in truth, she wasn’t really all that surprised. The squirrels, in large, had a staggering death rate. It came with the territory. There was a reason why the village was so young, despite their long lifespan.

This was especially true for their warriors. Within the village, orphans were not at all rare. In fact, in some aspects, Hal was lucky. At least he had a powerful aunt to fall back on, which was more than what most orphans could say for themselves.

“…” Ellis somewhat sympathized with the boy. It was an unfortunate set of circumstances, one that he could vaguely relate to. After all, Alma died when he was ‘born’ too.

Still, he felt that it was somewhat improper to compare Hal’s plight with his. They were two completely different situations with two completely different circumstances.

From the corner of his eyes, Hal-Wrynn had noticed their reaction. As a somber mood defused throughout the air, he suddenly shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t feel bad. Death is a natural occurrence for my village. The weak ones die young, while the strong ones go on to become head warrior. I’m already lucky enough to make it this far.”

He hesitated for a moment. “My father, he died like that too,” Hal-Wrynn lied. “He died in battle.”

The young boy then turned silent.

“…”

“…”

With nothing else to talk about, the group continued ahead in silence. The swirling mist around them slowly dissipated with time.

It was at this point that Grisella leaned against his ear, and whispered, “I came up with a plan. You might not like it at first, but hear me out…”

****

Two people walked up to a certain tree. Their glazing eyes drifted upwards.

“…”

“…”

A long silence filled the air. Eventually, a disdainful scoff echoed through the forest.

“I knew he would fail.” Someone said.

“To be frank, I knew he was less than reliable, but this was completely outside of our expectations.”

“To hell with your expectations! I told you this was going to happen, didn’t I? This idiot isn’t at all reliable.”

“That’s a bit…”

Naturally, the two people currently arguing were Farma-Wrynn and the assistant tribal chief, Lisbeth. After tracking the residual trail of Ellis’s party, it eventually led them all the way here, where they found a certain young man strapped quite firmly to the trunk of a tree.

As for the young man in question, well, he was actually still unconscious. Aside from the few bug bites that covered his skin, he was relatively unharmed.

Farma stomped her feet in frustration. “That damn kid! I told him to stay inside the village. I told him numerous times to stay in the village!” She grumbled, mostly to herself. “I told him that it was my job to protect him. I told him that I couldn’t go out of the village because I needed to protect him! So, what does that little punk do the very next day? He fucking runs away from the village! There was that stupid note that he left behind too! ‘If you want me to go back, then come find me.’ That stupid, stinking brat!”

Thinking about it now only made her stomach churn in anger. At the same time, she couldn’t help but wonder, could this have been her fault? The way she had worded everything, that explanation of hers, had any of that somehow contributed to this messed-up situation?

A part of her tried to deny it, but deep within her heart, she knew. She had been duped by that little brat.

Lisbeth walked over to Nar-Wynn’s comatose body and tried to get him down. After watching her struggle for a few minutes, Farma grew irritated. With a wave of her hand, the straw that once entwined him suddenly snapped.

Nar-Wynn fell to the floor with a thud. Farma-Wrynn did not bother with him any longer and turned around to continue on her journey.

Seeing her walking away like that, Lisbeth walked up to her. “Miss Wrynn, what do we do about him?”

“Just leave him here,” Farma responded. “That idiot will eventually wake up by himself.”

“But …” Lisbeth seemed conflicted by such a crude decision. She struggled to think of something to say. Eventually, she retraced her train of thought and said, “You’ve already been gone for so long, we need to go back now. The village is still defenseless without you.”

“Then bring the idiot back. Doesn’t he work with the defense force?” Farma let out a derisive snort. “I still have things to do.”

“No, even with him, it won’t be enough. You know this! If we get attacked now, the whole village, everyone will die!”

Farma stopped walking. She remained silent for a long time. Eventually, she solemnly said, “You know that I lost my big brother, right?”

“…” Lisbeth did not respond. A look of discomfort colored her face.

“The only thing I have left is a little nephew.” Farma suddenly turned around. Her eyes glinted with a strong resolve. “You know full well how important bonds are to the people of our tribe, don’t you?”

Lisbeth bit down on her bottom lip. She did not dare respond.

Seeing such a reaction, Farma was seemingly satisfied. She nodded to herself. “I will not go back until I finish what I want to finish. You can deal with the issue of protecting the village yourself.”

Without another word, Farma-Wrynn turned back around and walked even further into the forest.

Inwardly, her heart felt sour. That damn kid… Unbeknownst to anyone, Farma-Wrynn had just used the same words that he had used before. To add insult to injury, it had been the same words that he had stated to her prior to his sudden departure.

Fuck! It’s because I know exactly how important they are that it makes me so mad!

Farma-Wrynn shoved her rising anger back down into her chest before she leaped forward. Her thin silhouette quietly disappeared into the dark shadows of the forest. Trailing after that shadow was the figure of a certain exasperated assistant.