Having got out of the city, Ray, without looking back, went into the forest. Now it was night - the best time for hunting. It was this occupation that allowed the guy to forget.

After some thought, Rei turned into a snake - hunting in this form brought him the greatest pleasure. A silent but swift and swift body, a venom so dangerous that even he himself sometimes shuddered as he watched a bitten beast die in a matter of seconds.

But the moment of the bite was the most pleasant. Every time his fangs sank into prey… That brief moment was truly unique. Perhaps Ray liked it because of the feeling of power. Power over life and death...

And now, ten minutes had not passed, and he already noticed a small bright point in the distance. A small lump of warmth that was destined to fade away this night ...

After absorbing the soul of a freshly killed animal, Rei immediately broke it, enjoying the waves of heat spreading through his body. This flow of energy calmed his mind a little.

In the form of a forest, he felt the winter air with his whole body, which gradually cooled his ardor. Leaning against a tree trunk, he turned his head towards the city.

“Maybe we should stay and kill everyone who comes out of there?”

"Though it will take a long time, but I will be able to avenge them for it."

Considering the thought, the boy smiled bitterly.

"Revenge..."

“I am the murderer who took the lives of seven of their brothers. Why should I take revenge on them?"

Angry at himself, Rei slammed his fist on the tree. He put so much force into the swing that a blood stain remained at the site of the blow, from his broken fist.

I didn't want to be like this! - the cry that broke the silence of the night forest was more like the howl of a beast.

- Why!? Why!? ... - with every word the guy struck, leaving more and more bloody marks on the tree trunk.

Spilling out all his hatred, Rey only stopped when he could no longer move his fingers. At that moment, the face of a young girl appeared before him, whom he had deprived of both brothers.

“Now she will be sad again. Hate me…”

Glancing at his shattered hands, the boy thought:

“May I stay in this forest? Why would someone like me live among anything other than beasts?”

Rei continued to stand, watching the drops of blood that rolled down his arms, giving off warmth in his body, gradually freezing due to lack of movement. At some point, the first rays of the sun broke through the crowns of the trees, forcing the guy to turn his head.

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

The image of Thea appeared before him again. The girl told another story while he lay on the bed, unable to move independently.

“Far to the southeast is our capital. I was still very young there, but even now I remember how beautiful this city was. But most of all I remember the palace of the king. Majestic, built around a huge tree, it looked like a mountain protecting us all.

How are the rulers chosen? Ray asked another question.

“My brother told me that earlier he was the strongest of the children of the forest, but for many generations the one who has been able to earn the respect of all the people with his wisdom has ruled.

The tone of the girl was as if she was telling a fairy tale to a child, but Ray did not care, he listened to her carefully, trying not to miss anything important.

- Only the royal coat of arms remained unchanged for all the time - the six-winged solar tildas. Although there are very few left now, I heard that several of them live in the palace all year round.

Realizing that Thea was talking about things he didn’t need, the guy asked the following question:

What part of the forest are we in?

Putting her finger on her chin, she thought hard.

Probably in the east. If you pass the capital, then in a few days the forest will end. But to get out of the forest through the south, you need to go much longer.

What about west and north?

“Well, there are very few water sources in the west, mostly underground, so our people have never lived in those places. I heard about it from my brother, so I don't know how far the forest extends in that direction.

While listening to her, Rei remembered the small wooden house and clenched his fist, trying not to show anger on his face.

“As for the north,” the girl continued, “if our part of the forest is even more or less habitable, then there are too many insanely dangerous creatures and even plants for us to exist there.

When he finished remembering, Rei sighed and broke one of the souls inside him. The energy from her slightly returned the sensitivity to his wounded hands, while the guy himself, meanwhile, turned his head to the left of the rising sun.

"North, huh?"

After breaking a few more souls, he brought his hands and frozen body to a capable state - still Rey was naked, and the night forest in the middle of winter was not the most pleasant place. Immediately after, he took out the Arvus armor from the Inventory. Looking around her again, the guy noticed several blood stains on her left from the previous owner. Taking some of the snow in his hand, he squeezed it and wiped away the caked blood that had left the smooth surface of the armor rather easily.

Slowly putting on the armor, Rei made sure that he fits perfectly on it, not a single gram of hampering movements. The weight of the armor was heavier than the standard armor, but Rey barely felt it.

Picking up two gray daggers, he looked at them as well. The surface felt like polished marble, but did not reflect light, but although the weapon looked so unprepossessing, it was stronger and sharper than an atanitic one. Throwing up both daggers, Rei easily caught them by the hilts and sent them to the scabbard hanging from his belt - the balance was also excellent.

Following this, he took out a bow, but after a little thought, he hid it back. It was too long and interfered a lot, and since now the guy did not have to hide from someone, it would be faster to get it straight from the Inventory. The same was true for arrows. Having untied one of the bundles, he could now simply take arrows from there.

Checking everything again, Rey glanced up at the sun still rising to his right and walked forward. The guy was not moving too fast, because he had nowhere to hurry. He was not limited in time, and the journey in any case promised to be very long. But it's even good, Ray needed time to think.