- A month after Execution Day -

‘Welcome to Lunic Forest’

Alongside the rugged pathway lies a worn old road sign still clinging half-heartedly to a withered tilted post. Its lettering, although faded, points deeper into the woods trying desperately to help lead out of it. And through the holes in the canopy, and past the blinding rays, one could see flocks of birds soaring through the skies above. Letting out squawks and chirps to any wanderer venturing below.

But from out of the stillness of the forest, a shout rattles the leaves.

"Ruuun!!" A woman bursts from the bushes! Followed suit by a pair of young men holding a fresh kill.

An earth-shattering roar erupts through the trees before finally crashing upon the three hunters! Their hearts jumping to the explosion causing them to press their heels harder into the dirt! Achieving impossible levels of human speed while frantically running around like headless chickens.

"Gosh darn’t Mark!! How many times do we gotta tell ya to keep ya’r voice down when we're huntin’!!" the girl screams as tears roll off her face.

"Ahhhh!! I'm sorry sis!! I promise I ain’t gonna ever happen again!!" the youngest of the three, Mark, apologizes in panicked squeals as the boom within the trees grows louder!

"Save your breath and keep running!!! It's gaining on us!!" a shout escapes the eldest brother as he struggles to keep hold of the rabbit in his arms.

The animals surrounding them make way, hiding into whatever nook they could squeeze themselves into. Trying their hardest to avoid the approaching threat. For all in these woods knew to fear its guardian.

For this forest’s guardian, in particular, was a Sigma Tiger, said to be the biggest and most ruthless out of their species. Known for killing adult grizzly bears for sport and slaughtering entire villages' worth of people to satisfy their hunger; these beasts were born to dominate the food chain.

Banking on the chance that the tiger might just be territorial, the three siblings attempted a mad dash to escape the trees.

And with death close behind, the three dodge and weave through the maze of obstacles with expert precision. The tiger’s cold breath running down their neck causing their hearts to pump into overdrive. Giving them the adrenaline needed to make it out!

And as it would seem, their God is still watching over them after all.

"We're out!!" exclaims the woman as they finally reach the open field. The tears streaming down her cheeks grow warm as she jumps with joy. They’d made it.

"Ahhhhh!!" a scream escapes Mark.

The sister’s euphoria quickly dissipates as she turns to the outcry.

Her little brother falls, the tiger standing over him with saliva dripping onto his clothes. He’s solidified under its gaze as he stares into the unending abyss of its jaws.

"MARK!!!" His sister breaks into a sprint to reach him! Yet the eldest brother catches her before turning them in the opposite direction.

"He’s a goner!! There's nothing we can do for him!!" His stern voice conflicts with his actions and the grief dwelling within his own tears.

There was no time to think, no time for a plan. He just needed to get at least one of them out. His brother would sadly have to be a diversion as he was already within its clutches. No matter the amount of pleading his heart could give would change the outcome.

The cold reality he wanted to turn away from was that there was simply no way they could stand a chance again that kind of a monster. Even if to just get his brother out.

And even with the choice already made, he can’t help but feel the guilt his sister must be enduring.

Would they have been able to save Mark?

If the two jumped in there?

Before his body can begin to hesitate, he pushes onward despite his sister's protest. All he can wish for now was that his siblings could one day forgive him.

Unable to turn away, the sister utters her brother’s name as her body gives up on her. Losing the will to keep on struggling due to her shattered heart.

With Mark’s eyes glued to the jagged fate of death… his heart halts…

His mind freezes as his body accepts its fate, forcing his eyes closed…

His body tenses and braces for impact, already twitching wildly by the anticipation of just how painful his death will truly be.

Unconsciously holding his breath, he awaits for the angels to guide him through the path of darkness, ultimately sending him to his final resting place.

…

And yet, no matter how much he waited, to his surprise nothing occurs. Not the spilling of his blood nor the angels' arrival; he just sits in utter darkness. Waiting for fate to take its course, or so he told himself.

Though before he can begin to question the circumstances as the seconds go by, a faint light appears off in the distance. A calmingly gentle warmth that welcomes him to put his mind at ease. Rather than suffering the bone-crushing grip that is death, his body is rewarded with tranquility and peace of mind, truly worthy enough to be called enlightenment.

A new man, the alluring glow makes his body gravitate towards it. His heart dances to the soothing voice of the light, melting away all his fears and rational thoughts with a sense of nostalgia behind the tone. But as he got closer, he couldn’t help but realize the traces of sadness within the voice.

“MARK!!”

Within a single moment, Mark snaps back to reality.

His body recoils as his sister wraps her arms around him. Soaking his shoulder as she lets free another wave of joyous tears. He stares at her for a moment as he’d never seen her like this before. Even his brother, a person he aspired to be, tries to hide his crinkled face as he shifts himself away.

Was this a miracle? Is he still dreaming?

His body remains lifeless, forgetting to even breathe as he stares at what was supposed to be his death. The cries of his siblings still sounded distant despite how close they truly were.

Mark hesitates on his words, however, finally asks a simple, "what happened?"

His sister, still weeping, tries to contain her emotions to form some words.

“Th’ tiger…! It… It ran away…! It ran away Mark!!” She buries her face into Mark’s chest, causing a sense of warmth to flow back into his heart.

Shedding tears of his own, he hugs her back.

Even if it were only for a second, during that near to death encounter, the one thing he missed more than anything in the world was the warm embrace of his siblings…

He tightens his lock as if to say ‘I missed you too’ before holding their hug for as long as he could. Thanking God subconsciously for allowing him to live another day.

As their heart-felt reunion comes to an eventual close, his sister ends the hug and greets her brother’s bittersweet smile. “Welcome back bro… I’m glad you’re unharmed…”

Her words bring a sense of relief over his soul, serving to reassure his mind that he had indeed not moved on to the afterlife.

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But as the wave of comfort vanishes, the thorns of doubt surround his heart, a new sense of worry begins to plague him. A question festering in the back of his mind grows far to strong to resist.

“Thank you sis… But how did I survive…?”

His question lingers in the air, unable to be answered by both siblings which only furthers Mark’s concern.

Remorse grows from within his heart, but this question needed to be brought to light. No matter how you look at it, whether it’s pessimism or denial, moments ago, he should have died…

The beast was mere seconds away from ending his life, there was no reason for it to spare him. This was a Sigma Tiger after all, cold-blooded killers with unquenchable hunger and aggression.

Did it feel pity towards him? No, that can’t be it, they’re known for eating their own young if given the chance, these monsters don’t know the meaning of sympathy.

Did it just give up? No, they’re notorious to chase down prey to the ends of the world. Once they set their sights on their prey, they’re as good as dead.

Throughout his years as a hunter, only one plausible explanation comes to mind, and that’s when a predator abandons their prey when they sense an even bigger predator nearby.

But that still doesn’t explain it, as Sigma Tigers are supposed to be the top, they are the apex predators of these lands. And to top that, this one was supposed to be the Forest Guardian…

So then, if it wasn’t an animal that scared it off, could it have been perhaps nature itself?

An in-coming natural disaster... that’s the only sensible reason that pops to into his mind. Being the Forest Guardian means you’re connected with the forest itself, both in body and soul: Like an extension to one’s own vessel, they experience what the forest experiences, they see what the forest sees; an attack on the forest would be an attack to them. And as such, they are able to sense when a natural disaster is about to occur, even if it's miles away.

Taking a single glance at his sister, it would appear she arrived at the same conclusion. Kneeling completely still in anticipation for the inevitable. They unconsciously solidify, forgetting to even breathe while they stay wary of their surroundings.

Seconds fly by, and nature has yet to take its course. The hold they have around each other only strengthens for what felt like an eternity. Nothing so much as a gentle breeze came to greet them, no sound arose from the forest; furthering the degradation of their nerves.

Ironically, the painful silence to pollute their minds with endless strings of unanswerable questions. Driving them away from reality leaving only their grasp on each other to be their tether back.

What’s lurking in the forest…? What caused the beast to flee…? What is out there…?

But it didn’t take too long for them to snap back, for they felt their brother’s tremble…

Their eyes slowly gravitate towards him, with a wretched sensation burning inside their guts as they hesitate to reach his eyes. The butterflies of nervousness began to thrash within, causing their stomachs to turn. An anxiousness they couldn’t escape from gradually worsens as their eyes get closer to his.

And before they had no strength left to give, they manage to lift their heads up to meet their brother’s.

Which they would soon begin to regret…

Their eyes constrict as their jugulars shut tight only letting a short gasp free. Trickles of cold sweat run down their chins, clawing at the roaring in their hearts.

With all color washed from his face, their brother appeared like a corpse frozen; staring off in the distance with intense fixation. The soul from out of his eyes has been noticeably stripped away, leaving behind only echoes of what he’s been moments before. And his face had been contorted to the extreme, pulling and stretching the skin into a horrific spectacle.

In all their years, they’d never seen their brother portray such an expression; flabbergasting them by the almost alien sight.

Traumatized by what he saw…

Shivering, his hand lifts to point back into the woods…

Waving against the wind like a cradling ship, a vague premonition begins to creep along their shoulders. Almost reluctant to do so, the siblings gaze their eyes follow the direction the brother seemingly involuntarily points to…

In the skies…

Hundreds of crows loom within the skies like vultures. Their screeches echoing throughout the forest like sirens, flying and thrashing violently as if in response to something under the canopy…

Their hearts pound in their chests as the whisper in the wind spells only devastation lurking beyond them…

A cold sweat rolls down the nape of their necks as they stare at the scene before them. Their knees buckle under, and their limbs become unresponsive outside of their quivering and twitching muscles. They wanted to break free, to escape, to run, but something held them, rooted them to the earth.

Like witnessing a murder… this was a bad omen… an on-coming disaster…

The sister shifts for only a moment, grabbing at her chest trying to reclaim the breath that had been stolen. Mark could only watch as his own lungs clamp up on what little air was left. And yet, all they could do was stare, like mice caught in a trap, they could no longer move.

…Why…?

…Why is this happening…?

Only one question lingers in the mind of the three, and only one answer stands before them…

With thunderous cries, the crow zero in on something below. Enveloping the sky with frantic movement, their frenzy warps into a tornado of sorts as they funnel into a downward spiral.

With the need for answers overpowering their nerves, the sibling’s eyes begin to descend towards the root of the cause. And as if being assaulted, an overwhelming pain strikes their vision with their hearts coming to a complete halt!

Their pupils instantly constrict, focusing in on what may lay beyond. However, this only causes their throats to swell as nausea erupts within their guts! They try to avert their trembling eyes, but even as their tears burst down their cheeks, they couldn’t do it. No matter how much they wanted, they couldn’t look away!

Then from within the horde of crows, directly within its center, lies a single figure… a single person caught amidst the vortex of black…

The frantic crows sway around him, causing the tips of his black, rugged cloak to flap against the air currents.

Veiled in utter darkness, the figure steadily treds across uneven terrain, revealing his muddied boots through the cloak within every step of his uninterrupted, narrow path.

Each time his foot buries itself against the mire, the more of what looks to be two sharp objects protrude through the hood, devouring the light from the sun with its bottomless shade of black while impaling the cloth even further.

Despite finding out that the creature in question was ultimately just a man, it still did little to calm their nerves.

Like a breaking dam, the blood that was once trapped floods their veins with a scorching heat. Turning their bodies red and lighting them in an invisible flame. Sweat erupts down from every pore, slipping down their faces as they watch.

And with one final constriction, their bodies revolt as the urge to vomit finally takes over.

A shaky breath escapes Mark, however, before he can gasp for another, his brother cover’s his mouth. In that moment, he could see the reflection in his brother’s eyes. And the tremble in his pupils told him all he needed to know.

He wanted to run, he wanted to escape, he wanted to vomit again. His eyes couldn’t move from the forest. From the man moving between the trees.

Something about the way he looked, something about the way he moved, something about him just being there. It was unnatural.

With fists at his sides, his feet seemed to glide over the roots and shrubbery. Making not one misstep as if knowing the forest in detail. He was swift, yet seemed to be on a normal leisure stroll.

The feeling still gripped them, the thought of the man turning his sights on them.

It yanked at their veins, clenching their skin to their bones. Lighting a fire to run, but being rooted by the fact they knew they wouldn’t make it very far. Just the presence told them all they needed to know.

Death had them if they ever-so-slightly moved.

And still, Mark had to grab at his chest, trying desperately to stop the overbearing beat writhing his chest. The heat that had already risen to his head made it pound with every step the figure made. He wanted to scream, but knew if he did, it would be his last.

He could feel his insides churning, constricting under the pressure. And with another heave his body tried to expel whatever remained within, however, nothing was left to give. Only air and dust as his throat had long since gone dry. Only then did he catch them.

The burning yellow orbs which floated within the sea of black under the man’s hood. They simply just floated over the three as he peered over his surroundings. Seemingly eyeing the presence of the three but not acknowledging them as anything more but scenery.

And yet, with just a single glance brought the eldest brother down and Mark had to watch his sister wither before him. He wanted to reach out, but the pain welling within him crushed his ability to move. His body collapsed without his command, as he held his chest trying desperately to calm the violent thumping within it.

Then as his veins shot flames through his body, a breath entered him.

Something changed, something had stopped the feeling. He stares at the ground motionless for a moment, thinking he’d just finally gone numb. Hoping that was the case, he waited for the feeling to resurface. However, nothing came.

He finally lifts his gaze to his sister. She was still trying to regain what breath she could, but her face was no longer contorted as it had been. Then he turns to his brother as he was already picking himself up; even if a grimace still sat over his face.

They turned to the woods searching for the figure. But like a ghost, he was gone as quickly as he’d arrived. Or so it had seemed to the three.

“Is… it over?” the sister’s question breaks the silence.

“I… don’t know… but I don’t want us here to find out,” the eldest brother answers before reaching out helping to lift Mark.

“Let’s uh… let’s promise to not choose these woods next time…”

“Sounds good to me,” Mark answers quickly trying to lighten the mood.

“Then we’re in agreement,” the eldest brother lets a sigh free before giving another glance back to the woods.

Whoever, whatever was there, it thankfully was seemingly long gone now. But the feeling left behind lingered within. What would have happened if they’d caught his attention?

The eldest brother shook his head before turning back to the others. “Let’s get back.”

The other’s nod before turning their backs on the forest. Wanting nothing more than to leave it behind. And with one last peer over his shoulder, the eldest brother follows suit.