Red and the Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns were Suppressed when they devoured a golden apple. She imagined it’d the be the same here, but not exactly since the circumstances were different.

It was unclear what the golden apples were for. She only knew that one had sprouted from her body.

They ventured deeper into the woods in search of the Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns. There were no plans on how to deal with the Corrupted as of yet, nor did Red think they needed one.

All that mattered was that Red had to kill it.

But the problem was that nothing in the Forest alluded to its existence.

Like looking for a hay in a needlestack. Is that how the saying goes? I can see around fifty meters ahead. Anymore and I’ll have to rely on intuition or my peripheries. Mr. Huntsman has good senses.

Sticking to the shadows and away from noisy shrubbery was the only way they could move undetected. They spent an hour navigating through the marshland. Everything looked the same. If Red didn’t know any better, then she would have thought that they were moving in circles.

Thankfully, that didn’t seem to be the case. The wet marsh shifted to dry, rugged land. They reached a stretch of forest that lacked grass and vegetation. Dead trees were sparsely spread out as massive, 10-meter canopies hung overhead.

The branches along the canopies were devoid of leaves. They were interlocked with one another like arteries. Black liquid dripped from above. Droplets echoed throughout the forest as they honed their senses. Their only way to block line of sight now was to hide behind the thick trees.

Depending on their perspective, the expanse was blocked by a wall of foreboding trees.

“Nothing so far… Red… I’m not slowing you down, am I?” He croaked.

“Not at all Mister. I think you should keep your voice down though. Don’t waste your energy~ We don’t have drinking water here.” Red answered.

His throat was parched. They hadn’t eaten or drank for what was well over a day for now, aside from Red who feasted on the innards of the Envious Brambles and Bitter Thorns. This new terrain saw the occasional encounter with their enemies, but nowhere near as many as the forests before the marshlands behind them.

It mesmerized the Huntsman. He didn’t believe Snow when she confidently claimed that Red was immune to the poison. But to his surprise, Red are the brambles without a care in the world.

“If I mix my blood with it, then will it neutralize the poison?” Red offered the man to drink her blood, hoping that it would help cure his illness.

“I’m not a vampire. Though I wouldn’t mind being an Honored One.” He laughed.

They sat around at the base of a tree to rest after another fruitless several hours of wandering. Red pointed at her shoulder, beaming with an enthusiastic smile that did not match the situation they were in.

It caused him to laugh.

She was like a beacon of hope. No matter the despair, Red never wore a frown or complained. Nor did she ever show fear in her eyes. More than anything, she was always there to help him and Snow navigate through the forest, all with an innocent smile.

It was a kind of smile that could only belong to a child.

A child who did not know how cruel the world was.

It reminded him of Snow.

Although, Snow wasn’t always like this. He fondly remembered the first time they met. That look of concern Snow showed for him was once of utter contempt. The girl was as dehydrated as he was. Their stomachs collectively churned as they watched Red chow down on a Bitter Thorn.

She avoided the parts that were human.

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“Snow…” The Huntsman began. “Why don’t you… eat as well?”

“I can’t eat while you’re like this. Besides… I’m not hungry.” Snow refused, even though her stomach growled, clearly stating otherwise.

“Replenish your energy. This old man should be holding you back. Look at Red. She’s happily eating. You’re missing out. But I don’t blame you. That taste must want to make you die.”

“Ish nawt bawd. Bewter bwan winswect nweat. (It’s not bad. Better than insect meat).” Red replied with a mouthful.

“… Tch.” Snow clicked her tongue, showing a hidden side to her usual delightful attitude. Healers were supposed to be incapable of showing such emotions. Even when they were faced with a crisis, it was impossible for a Healer to reveal their annoyance or hatred.

Yet Snow showed signs of agitation as she shifted beside Red.

“… I’ll get back as much energy as I can. So that I can save you.” Snow plunged her hands into the guts of the Bitter Thorn, pulling out dark branches amongst the entrails.

She then lifted it up and started feasting on the brambles. The poison did not affect her, just like Red. But she had to periodically pause and vomit out blackened blood. She flipped through the pages of her diary until she found a specific entry.

“Entry 709… those who are immune to the poison… are called ‘Sweet’ in the eyes of the Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns. Ah. There’s a name here now. It was called the Bramble of Envy.”

“Sweet?” Red asked, wondering what she was talking about. “How do you know that?”

“… My diary can tell me. It’s my sacred keepsake. But using it…”

Snow’s eyes flickered to a shade of red again.

Then, she ravenously scooped out chunks of the Bitter Thorn and stuffed her mouth full. After minutes of constant, obsessive eating, she calmed down and slumped forwards. Her hair dipped into the dark pool within the cavity of the Bitter Thorn as she looked at her own reflection in disgust.

* * *

Red was shocked. She never expected Snow to act like this. The calm, almost motherly woman who let her sleep under the same roof held a sinister secret.

“Using my diary twists me. Red. I’m telling you this because I want to trust you. You’re my only hope to save Mr. Huntsman.”

“Aren’t you more afraid of what’ll happen to you?” Red tilted her head.

“Of course I’m afraid.” Snow whimpered. “I’m terrified. You and I are weird. I can’t put it in any other way. We’re immune to this poison. But we’re still so helpless. I’ve given my diary all I can, but it won’t show me anything new.”

The pool of blackened blood that poured from her mouth was absorbed by the diary. They moved like living tendrils. Words glowed on the blank page of the diary before suddenly disappearing as though to prove Snow’s point.

“This diary is supposed to be our ticket out of here. Last time I was in a mess like this… I just had to follow its words. If we really can’t leave, and if we have to fight this Corrupted.”

She hissed.

Like Red, Snow wasn’t a stranger to the Corrupted. She finally knew the reason why Snow seemed to be comfortable in this place. If it weren’t for her fear of losing Mr. Huntsman, then she wondered how Snow would fair.

Thinking back, didn’t Snow also venture into the wolf-infested cave? Snow explained that there was a safe passage that led straight to the surface.

But who in their right mind would descend into a cave? No less alone and as a Healer who did not have the capacity to fight back?

Slowly, the two were figuring out that they were not as they seemed. But even so, Red kept her curiosity in check. The fact that Snow was willing to reveal the function of her diary was good enough for her.

Snow didn’t explain what her diary could do any further, only that it: “Isn’t showing me what to do next.”

“Isn’t that like the voice in my head?” Red said. “It shows me what I should do. Kind of in a way. Hey Agate! Are you only able to show me Observations?”

Red knocked on her head, thinking it would wake up the voice up there. Her antics caused a depressed Snow to gradually form a smile. As silly as it was, she couldn’t help but find her hilarious.

“It’d be nice, hm? For someone to help us. Does that voice in your head show you messages?”

Then, a prompt appeared before Red’s eyes.

< Unknown >

“Unknown… Unknown. It’s always unknown with you, isn’t it?”

Red bared her fangs as an insurmountable rage bellowed from the bottom of her heart. Snow was depressed and Mr. Huntsman was on the verge of losing his life.

And the only thing Agate could show her was unknown.

“Hey!” Red suddenly jumped up and punched the air, startling both Snow and the Huntsman.

“E-Eh!?”

“Red…?”

“AGATE! I’VE HAD IT WITH YOU! ENOUGH IS ENOUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!”

Red’s voice echoed throughout the forest. Her hatred was infinite, and there was no stopping her now.

“Red – We’re going to be found – Oh no…! They’re already here…”

Indeed. Red’s voice caused a swarm of Envious Brambles to appear, as well as a wall of Bitter Thorns. But Red couldn’t care less. If anything, the sight of those miserable monsters only further fanned the flames in her heart.

She retrieved her blade which was glowing red-hot.

“Unknown this, unknown that – Why don’t I just go look for the answer on my own!?”

Red’s personally took a drastic turn. One second, she was no different from a girl who knew nothing about the world to a bloodthirsty maniac. Perhaps this was the real her. Whatever the case was, her emotions took control over her.

“And you… Get the hell out of MY WAAAAAAAAAAAY!”

She threw herself into the fray.

ATT : 550 (+35)