"Nix that's enough!"

"Both of you! Come with me to the headquarters. There's is something I wanted to discuss."

Nix was shocked, he didn't expect the captain would arrive at the facility on such short notice.

"Captain, I haven't expected you to come this early after going into a mission."

"Don't speak to me now Nix just talk to me in the headquarters."

"Yes, sire..."

The captain glanced over Astraea and squinted his eyes.

"Hmmm, interesting."

"Here at Lost Oasis Runner Headquarters only the finest people could be runners. And I hope this young lady would perform well under my management."

"Wait? I'm passed already?", Astraea said.

"Yes, and judging on how you fought Nix I can see that you had potential."

"Congrats Astraea", Nix said.

"I don't know if I'm happy or not.. I just wanted to control my powers.", Astraea said.

"Astraea, this isn't about controlling your powers, it's about how you maintain it.", Nix said.

"The captain already left us. Come, the captain might be announcing something. I can already tell the news is going to be dire."

The captain was walking left and right on the stage waiting for everyone to arrive. As the registered runners finally make it he sits down on his chair.

"Alright, I believe that everybody is in the facility. Yes?"

"First of all, I'll introduce myself my name is Captain Halyon. I will be your captain from now on."

"I believe that we have a newly registered runner yesterday. Good... We need more people"

"We had a little bit of a crisis earlier. I scoured and scouted a certain forest in japan and I believe that Lord Garm is producing a different breed of mutations."

"I want the new runner to prove herself that she belongs to the facility. Nix I wanted you to come with her because you are the best suited for this mission.", Capt. Halyon said.

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"Yes sir!"

"Good.. Is there anyone opposed to this?"

Everyone went silent.

"Good.. Good luck to both of you. There is a high chance that the new recruit could perish. I pray to the Goddess Ashinopa that you'll be safe."

"Men, that concludes our discussion. You are dismissed."

"Oh man, you're bothersome, don't you? A mission already for a new runner that only registered today."

"We can do it together Nix right?", Astraea said.

"Of course, I never doubted you. Just stick to the plan and we're good."

After a while, a black long-haired woman approached them. She thoroughly scans over her documents before she handed them over.

"Hello, I'm the Runner Headquarters Operation Instructor Gelvas. Both of you need to infiltrate the said forest. This forest is known as Suicide Forest in Aokigahara, Lord Garm and his underlings experimented on the bodies that have been recently found dead."

"I want both of you to report the strange explosion on the site. And report any unusual behavior that occurred within the premise. That's all runners. Good luck both of you."

"Another scout mission eh... This is going to be easy.", Nix said.

"Next stop to Aokigahara station.." (an automated voice)

Both of them stepped out of the train. They took the bus and suddenly the driver questioned them.

"Hey, both of you. Why are you going to the forest late at night? It's illegal to drive you to the forest especially this late at night."

He proceeded to point to the sign of the bus for suicide attempts. And persuade them to call the hotlines.

Nix grins and hold Astraea's hands.

"Oh mister you got the wrong idea, we're having a honeymoon tonight and planning to camp for the night.

"I see.. I'm sorry that I doubted you folks, lately terrible things happened in the forest."

"You guys should really stay out but I can't force you guys not to."

The old driver sits behind the wheels and starts the engine.

Astraea pushed Nix's hands aside and stare at him.

"Not in a million years..."

"What? I had to.. no hard feelings.."

Moments later Nix and Astraea made it to the infamous Japanese forest.

Astraea felt shivers across her spine as they walk across the roads of the forest.

"Hey, Nix can we just scout the forest during the day? I'm getting a bad feeling about this whole area.", Astraea said.

"We need to finish this mission as soon as possible Astraea and the explosion only occurs during midnight."

"But isn't that strange that the news didn't mention any explosions in this area Nix?"

"The police are the part of this remember, they would never leak such incidence in the first place."

"I know but the people near this area might hear the explosion.", Astraea said.

"Yes, I can see that the government around conceals such activity, and even if it does appear in public. This forest is far from the city, away from the public. No one could possibly hear it."

"Wait! Nix something is up. I can feel it.. Look at that!"

"Where?"

"Up above the tree"

Nix focused his flashlight on where Astraea pointed but Nix couldn't see anything.

"Astraea are you sure that you seen something.."

"Yes.. I'm sure of it. Mists back when I used to go to this certain hospital in my country. They look similar.. That's the first time I saw them."

"You're creeping me out, dude..."

Then suddenly someone shouted in the distance. A howl, both of them cannot distinguish whether it's a man or an animal.

Both of them gasped, they were visibly shocked and scared yet they ventured into the forest without hesitation.

They slowly crept in towards the noise and an owl cuckooed above them.

They were both startled and Nix quickly attacked above the tree and an owl fell down.

"Just an owl... This is a huge mistake. This forest giving me the creeps." Nix said.

"Just move forward will make it somehow...", Astraea reassured Nix.

"Yes.."

Then suddenly both of them smelled something strange, something rotten almost decomposing.

They ventured deeper into the woods and followed the foul stench. They suddenly realized the bodies that filled in the area. The stench is so foul that Astraea vomited, and Nix almost gagged and covered his mouth and nostrils.

Venturing up north blood trails lead them into a strange noise almost like a pulsating sound.

"I can hear a heartbeat.. Astraea guard yourself enemies are nearby.", Nix whispers.

They followed the blood trails and they found a pool of blood that is so big it almost look like a lake.

The stench is so foul that both of them vomited as soon they came near the pool of blood.

Then suddenly Nix hears a faint voice, a young boy. Nix scanned the area and his flashlight pointed out the tiny island where the pool is made out of.

"H-Help me.."

To Nix's surprise, he took a glimpse of a carcass made of an amalgamation of hundreds of human bodies combined. Shaped like a ball structure with a pulsating heartbeat.

"Astraea we need to get out of here, fast!"

"Right fucking NOW!"