“Reynold? Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Coralia’s fear of the darkness is slowly seeping into my own fear of the unknown. Every now and then, I’d hear a twig snap or soft grumbles, but I’m still alive, no monsters having to attack me…yet. The Forest seems to thin out the deeper I go, which allows me to have a good sense of direction. If I go into a thicker territory, it simply means I’m heading towards our city.

As much I’d enjoy heading back into the safety of my house, I’ve nothing to hope for there. Besides, I want to keep Coralia’s energy alive. I don’t want to deflate by going back to where she clearly detests. It’s not that I’m having sympathy for her, having her around allows me to feel more…whatever the explanation might be.

“Yes. Away from the city and into the world” She beams at my response, thinking no one else can see. I wait for the unusual feeling to surface, but there’s still nothing. Maybe…my wound has something to do with it.

After what seems like hours of walking and a few short breaks for foraging for a quick snack, we eventually reach a metal wall. Rust, cracks and vines populate its surface as far as it stretches into the Forest. I wonder what this sculpture is doing in the middle of the Forest. Who in the world would build such a thing? Clearly this wall didn’t do its job- Oh wait.

“I remember this place.” I didn’t realize I said it out loud until I feel Coralia tense up beside me. Ah right, she can’t see anything. Of course, my sudden comment will scare her. I put the heart on the ground, brushing off some loose vines to confirm my suspicions. As expected, I manage to uncover an elaborate letter ‘E’ engraved into the wall. Well, most of it. I move along the wall, bringing the heart along with me as I continue uncovering more and more of this symbol. I release a soft gasp, devoid of emotion. This isn’t just a part of a destroyed city, this is the wall that protected the city.

“What is it?” Coralia is pretty much hugging my arm at this point, scared beyond belief from having to wait patiently for anything I say in the darkness and danger of the dreadful Forest.

“I might have found another defense system” It’s old, sure, but if I can figure out a way to power it back up, we might have ourselves a shelter for the night… or day. It’s hard to tell the time without seeing the sky or constantly having natural daylight being blocked.

After a long while, a fresh wave of optimism is breathed into her, restoring her to her usual cheery self. She relaxes slightly, but as the saying goes, ‘all good things must come to an end’. I just wished it didn’t end so soon.

Without realizing it, I accidentally brought the heart a little too close to the wall, which caused it to release arcs of electricity into the wall, breathing life into the defenses. Problem is, the arcs isn’t the softest of things. I drop the heart from shock as the sound of the electricity slams into my ears.

If I were to be optimistic, it seems to be giving off some light, judging from the awestruck stare from Coralia as she covers her ears with her arms.

If I were to be pessimistic, the creatures would also be able to see and hear the chaos the heart is causing.

To make matters worse, the heart sends stray arcs of lightning into the trees around us, burning them, creating a forest fire in, well, the Forest. I hear screams from every corner, some much louder than the others. I look behind me to see the wall fully electrified but with an obvious lack of defense. Seems like the rust did more damage than I thought.

“Reynold…what are we gonna do?” She must have been thinking the same thing as I was when she looked at the wall with me. Fear is palpable and we’re essentially sitting ducks. Pushed into the corner with nowhere else to run, we have no choice but to accept death. Coralia is shaking with terror, as we hear trees being toppled over from the large creatures rushing over to us.

We’re free food, and there’s a full beacon and bell to tell them that.

I pull out my orb, a feeble last resort to save our lives. Coralia is too shaken up to do anything. Clearly, she hasn’t experienced quite this much fear all at once. A feeling all to familiar with me. I grasp the orb tightly before reeling back, ready to throw it at anything. The footsteps get louder and louder, our death getting closer and closer. I’ve never been so vigilant, or filled with fear for that matter, in my entire life!

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“W-we’re…going to get through this” I say through shaking lips. From the corners of my eye, I finally see Coralia calm down very slightly, just enough for her to start breathing again. She stands behind me, and closes her eyes, waiting for me to save her from this nightmare. Oh, how I wish ­I was actually brave enough to do such a heroic feat.

The footsteps get louder, with my fears continuously rising, but together with an a more subtle feeling. Out of all times, this feeling just happened to come right before my death. This feeling annoys me when I’m alive and well, when I’m injured and broken, and will still annoy me when I’m dead and buried.

Nonetheless, no matter how frustrating the feeling is, I grip onto it like it’s the most important thing in the world.

It’s not fear, so I’ll take it.

As though my prayers are being answered, my fear slowly dissipates as the feeling grows stronger. I feel stronger. My fear is…being nulled by this feeling. It’s been so long since I’ve not felt such absence of fear, such freedom from fear. I feel revitalized, energized and even revved up for what’s to come. I straighten my back and adjust my stance, now filled with poise and confidence. A smile finds its way onto my lips. This is by no means normal, but it sure is a welcome change.

But…why? Or even how?

I keep asking myself those questions over and over, but seeing a tree getting bulldozed over in the distance reminds me of the severity of the situation. I can’t waste my time thinking of such miniscule issues. I have to focus.

The second I see even the slightest hint of color distinct from the ‘natural’ colors of the Forest, I hurl my orb forwards. From the bystander’s eye, one would think I’m telekinetic as I thrust my arm outward, causing the orb to accelerate further. I know I’ve hit my target when I hear a pained scream. I pull my arm back, bringing back the orb to my palm. I turn around and launch it at another one on my left, but this time, stopping it right before it hits the creature. The creature, which looks like a fat and distorted horse with a human’s head, swallows the orb with no resistance, before I clench my fist. Large spikes made from a black matter impale the creature from the inside out. I once again retrieve my orb, which has no cracks or holes whatsoever, and reroute my attention to the other creatures.

I slaughter each creature with relative ease, using the simple swallow and impale tactic on them, ending their life with no regret or guilt. Alas, I may feel powerful, but the Forest has much more to offer.

“What the-” was all I can say before I dive to the side, pulling Coralia with me, as a fireball narrowly misses me. That’s not the end of it. From the distance, I can see in the darkness a small glow of light from what I assume is the raging flames tucked behind the creature’s jaws. Coralia’s eyes fly open as she hits the ground, her eyes closed during my whole fight.

“Run!” I take Coralia’s arm and starts dragging her, before stopping for a moment to grab the heart, which is now out of energy and laying dormant on the ground. The moment it touches my skin, it sears my skin.

I stomach the pain, my instincts telling me that the heart is important and is the key to understanding the crap this world is throwing at me. In any other situation, I would drop the heart and check myself for any injuries. But I have no time for that. No time to waste on anything, in fact.

My fear is returning.

~ ~ ~

We keep running along the wall, which seems to circle an area in the Forest. Every now and then, a fireball would hit the trees around us, surges of adrenaline rushing through our system as we see our life flashing before our eyes. I try desperately to find that inner feeling, but it’s long gone, consumed by infectious fear.

Fortunately, I have no qualms in being able to see. The place is being constantly lit up by that annoying creature, lighting the Forest ablaze in an attempt to roast me and Coralia alive! My stamina has been depleted from fighting the horde of monsters, and eventually I hit a wall.

Literally.

In front of me, there is trees crumpled together so tightly, it would be impossible for anyone to fit through. The only way through is around. Who knows how far this blockade stretches?

I feel like a sitting duck; nowhere to hide and no energy to run. I turn around to see the creature in full view. A jade-skinned creature which looks like it came out of a crumpled drawing of a majestic dragon. Eyes skewed, wings folded disproportionately and a body twisting and spiraling in a way that forces it to slither through the trees, legs jutting out at almost every angle throughout the body.

“Reynold…are we going to die?” I look into Coralia’s tearful eyes, clearly just as tired and afraid as I am. I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out. What can I say? To comfort is to be naïve, and to be blunt is to be hurtful. I decide to ignore Coralia and stare straight at the creature, trying my best to muster up courage, which of course I have completely no idea what to do or what to expect. Sacrifice! Sacrifice her!

The dragon crawls closer, allowing me to get the full scale of its size. My entire body pales in comparison to the size of his head. My body freezes up, my brain turns numb and my surroundings get blurred, Too much fear, too little power.

I see a bright flash of light from the blurred dragon. A fireball, the being that will take my soul.

I feel a slight pinch on my arm. Coralia, the ferryman to take me to hell.

A slight burning sensation spreads throughout my body. An invitation into hell itself, where I truly belong.

I close my eyes and, for once in my life, I feel relaxed, free from all senses and fear.