After Zoe planned the trip with Eva to the Faevenor Eldoria Forest, she felt a mix of excitement and anxiety.

Dawn had not yet broken, and she had already checked her gear meticulously. Zoe not only checked the equipment but also ensured that all logistics, medications, and other survival tools were ready.

Feeling everything was in order, Zoe hurried to Eva’s house, crossing the small garden in front of her home. The distance was only four meters, but that morning felt longer due to the anxiety that had settled over her. When she arrived, Eva was already waiting outside with a large bag that was almost bigger than her body.

Seeing the bag, Zoe could hardly contain her laughter. With the intention of teasing her, Zoe began to jog towards Eva, shouting, "EVA WHERE ARE YOU, WHY IS YOUR BAG LEFT BEHIND?" She raised her hand to her forehead as if searching for someone.

However, Eva's response was far from what Zoe expected. Without a word, Eva launched her fist quickly, and Zoe felt a sharp pain in her solar plexus. Zoe let out a “Ugh” that she could only utter after feeling the punch.

“It’s still morning, so don’t make people bad-mood,” Eva replied curtly, folding her arms across her chest.

Zoe winced in pain, her body hunched over to hold the hurt. “Damn it, you crazy kid, ouch, it really hurts,” she complained while groaning.

Zoe looked at Eva with a pained expression. “You’re the one who’s early, you know how heavy it is, and instead of helping, you’re mocking. Is everything packed and ready?” Eva glared at her.

“Yeah, I’ve got everything. Just watch out when you hit,” Zoe took a deep breath while rubbing her chest, still feeling the effects of the punch.

Eva continued her interrogation. “Are you sure everything’s packed? Make sure nothing is left behind. Did you bring food?”

“Yes, noodles, eggs, and some non-perishable food,” Zoe replied quickly, feeling a bit relieved as all preparations had been made.

“Change of clothes?” Eva kept asking.

“Yaaaaa, brought 3 complete sets.”

“Tent equipment?”

“The tent is with you,” Zoe answered with a mischievous smile, seeing Eva's increasingly annoyed expression.

“Crazy, you’re so lucky, now it’ll be cramped for me,” Eva’s face turned red with irritation.

Zoe raised both hands, feeling cornered but trying to keep the mood light. “Okay, okay, I’ve got the mattress and everything,” Zoe answered with a resigned tone.

“Cooking utensils?” Eva was still not satisfied. Zoe felt a bit pressured by all Eva's questions but tried to stay calm.

“Got those too. And your stuff, is it ready?” Zoe retaliated.

“I’ve prepared everything since last night, nothing should be left behind. Did you bring our notebook from yesterday?” Eva raised an eyebrow, looking at Zoe with a haughty stare.

“Oh yeah, almost forgot,” Zoe was startled and immediately patted her pockets. Panic started to creep in as she realized she nearly forgot the most important item.

“See, this is how it always is. If I hadn’t reminded you, what would we do there without the notebook,” Eva shook her head, looking annoyed. Zoe felt guilty and quickly went back to her house to get the missing notebook.

When Zoe returned, Eva was waiting on the porch with a sulky face clearly showing her dissatisfaction. “Alright, Va, how many hours is the trip there?” Zoe asked more seriously.

“The forest is in Lumora city, maybe 6 hours by train. We should arrive at the station by around 5 so it won’t be too late,” Eva answered while checking her watch.

“Wow, 6 hours, that’s quite far,” Zoe responded glumly.

“Okay, nothing else left?” Eva checked one more time, her eyes looking at Zoe with hope.

“Food’s packed, clothes, cooking equipment, tent gear, what else, oh I think that’s it,” Zoe replied while thinking hard. She felt a bit tense but tried to stay confident.

“Alright then, let’s leave now before we’re late. It’s already 4,” Eva patted Zoe’s shoulder with a sense of urgency. Zoe felt the push to move quickly and leave the house.

Ending the debate, they quickly headed to the station to catch the train to Lumora City. For the first few hours, Zoe and Eva were still full of energy, joking, snacking, and enjoying the scenery outside the train. However, as time went on, exhaustion began to set in. Zoe felt her body growing heavy, and she eventually fell asleep with her head resting against Eva’s, a small comfort in the midst of the long journey.

When they arrived in Lumora City, Zoe felt mixed emotions. Although it was called a city, Lumora resembled a vast countryside. Situated at the foot of a mountain, the city surrounded the forest as its center, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Upon arrival, they asked a driver for help to take them to the edge of the Faevenor Forest if the driver was headed that way. Zoe felt a bit anxious but hoped for the best.

The forest edge was in sight, and they had only a narrow path to walk. Not far from the settlement, they encountered an old woman still strong enough to carry a lot of firewood on her head.

“Hey, where are you two going?” the old woman asked in a hoarse but firm voice. Zoe felt uneasy with the seriousness in her tone.

“Oh hello, Grandma, I’m Zoe and this is my friend Eva. We’re planning to go into the forest,” Zoe replied cheerfully, though there was an uncomfortable feeling in her heart.

“There’s nothing there. It’s better if you turn back now,” the old woman warned seriously. Zoe felt a bit tense but tried to remain polite.

“We’re actually looking for a temple inside the forest. Do you know anything about it?” Zoe asked curiously, hoping to get useful information.

“There’s nothing in there. If you value your lives, you better go back before you get eaten by wild animals,” the old woman replied firmly, her face growing more serious. Zoe felt the tension increase.

“Zoe, enough, let me handle this,” Eva said, pulling Zoe’s arm, trying to calm her down.

“Hello Grandma, my friend is hard to persuade. We just want to spend the night at the forest edge. Thanks for the warning,” Eva said politely. Zoe felt a bit relieved seeing Eva handling the situation.

Without a word, the old woman merely glanced at them and left without providing the important information Zoe hoped for.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

After the old woman left, Eva quickly threw a punch to Zoe’s head. “When talking to old people, don’t be stubborn, it’ll only cause trouble,” from Zoe’s view, her lip was now stretched about five centimeters with her cheek puffed up.

“I was just asking,” Zoe retorted with an annoyed tone.

“But are you really sure we’ll be safe if we go in there?” Eva asked anxiously, adding to Zoe’s worry.

“Of course, trust me,” Zoe tried to provide confidence to Eva, even though she herself felt a bit of doubt.

“And what about the wild animals?” Eva still looked worried.

“I’m sure there are no wild animals. See, the old woman was carrying firewood,” Zoe explained confidently. She tried to reassure Eva with simple logic.

“Ha, what does that have to do with wild animals?” Eva replied, seemingly not understanding Zoe’s point.

“Ah, you don’t get it, it means wild animals are almost non-existent, because the old woman was able to gather firewood and return safely,” Zoe explained, feeling quite clever.

“Hmmm, that’s true, but Zoe,” Eva still looked doubtful, with a soft voice.

“Alright, I’ll deal with any animals that dare to bother us. Don’t worry,” Zoe said while patting her chest with a slightly joking tone, trying to ease Eva’s worry.

“Okay then,” Eva finally gave in, though Zoe caught a hint of doubt on her face.

They both continued their journey deeper into the forest. Although it was still daylight and the sun should have been shining brightly, it felt cool in the forest. Tall trees shielded them from the sunlight, while the bushes on either side added to the beauty of the journey. Despite some bushes blocking the path and forcing Zoe to clear them with the knife she brought, her goal now was to find a river to end the day’s journey.

The fact that the forest was so beautiful made each step feel like walking through a living painting of nature. But unfortunately, the beauty of the forest was limited to that. As Zoe ventured deeper into the forest, and as the evening approached, the forest began to show its eerie side.

Although it was not quite night yet, Zoe saw that the surroundings were already completely dark, with fog obscuring his vision to only six meters ahead.

Zoe’s body, carrying a large carrier bag, was almost unable to bear the weight any longer. The same was true for Eva. Zoe had offered several times to carry Eva’s bag, but she refused, as if she knew Zoe was also exhausted.

After a long and tiring journey, Zoe finally found a stream. Confident that at the end of the stream’s flow was the river where they planned to rest, Zoe pushed on.

Despite the limited visibility and difficult terrain, Zoe continued to push himself, occasionally stopping because Eva appeared unable to hold her exhaustion any longer. Zoe would resume walking once Eva had rested enough.

Zoe felt he couldn’t rest too long, fearing what might happen if night fell before they reached their destination. With the last of his energy, Zoe followed the small stream until he finally saw a large river with its wide banks.

They felt relieved to finally find a river suitable for their overnight stay. Zoe let Eva rest while he hurriedly set up the tent for both of them.

“Va, let’s use just one tent, hehe,” Zoe joked to Eva, who was still sitting on a rock.

“Enough, Zoe, I don’t have the energy to deal with your nonsense. Hurry up and finish everything!” Eva replied, still looking weak.

“Come on, cheer up, cheer up,” Zoe continued to tease Eva, ignoring her obvious exhaustion.

Eva only looked down in silence. Zoe knew this was not the time for jokes. He just felt the need to lighten the mood so that their fatigue wouldn’t feel as heavy.

The tent was finally set up. Eva went into her tent without saying anything, and Zoe quickly packed his things and went into his own tent.

Night had fallen, and the fog had completely covered their view. The cold was unbearable for Zoe, so he decided to start a campfire in the middle of their tent, with some twigs and dry leaves around. It seemed Eva understood what Zoe was doing and immediately prepared food to cook as well.

They worked together, even though there was no dominant command from anyone. Eva was still responsive in preparing everything they needed.

“What food did you bring, Zoe?” Eva asked amidst the activity.

“Check the bag, there should be noodles, it looks good,” Zoe replied with a hopeful expression.

“Yeah, I’ll make the noodles. I also brought sausages, do you want some? Oh, Zoe, by the way, where did you put the pan?” Eva asked, searching for something in Zoe’s bag.

“It should be in the bag with the stove,” Zoe explained, as if he knew exactly where the item Eva was looking for was.

“There’s only the stove and a spoon. Where’s the gas for the stove? Don’t tell me…” Eva seemed to be holding back her frustration.

Approaching Eva and searching with her, they really couldn’t find the item. “Hehe, looks like I left it behind,” Zoe admitted, realizing his mistake.

“Oh my God, you’re so stupid. What’s the stove for then? You didn’t bring the gas or the pan. Just put the stove on top of your fire,” Eva scolded Zoe.

“Wow, my stove is lit, hahaha,” Zoe continued to tease Eva.

“Ugh, you’re so stupid, seriously. What about your noodles, are you going to burn them?” Eva kept scolding Zoe.

“Hehe, sorry, I thought I packed it. Well, just grill the sausages, luckily I brought corn. We can use the noodles as a snack later,” Zoe tried to calm Eva down and offer a solution.

“Good thing, your teeth are lucky,” Eva replied curtly.

They eventually cooked their food by grilling and made do with what they had. After they felt full, Zoe decided to sleep and end their journey for the day. They went into their respective tents and prepared to rest.

Before Zoe could fall into a deep sleep, he heard footsteps, breathing, and some grunts. Zoe realized this.

He quickly jumped out of bed into a sitting position, trying to figure out if what he heard was just a result of exhaustion or if something was actually approaching. Zoe was also worried about Eva, who might not be aware of the situation and could be in a deep sleep. Zoe intended to shout to warn Eva but restrained himself and tried to peek through the tent, although he couldn’t see clearly.

Eva’s voice was heard whispering, trying to call Zoe from behind her tent, “Zoe, Zoe. Wake up, Zoe.” Her voice was faint and almost inaudible.

Cellular devices were useless in this forest; even though they both had them, there was no signal, and the network was in edge mode.

“Shhh, be quiet,” Zoe replied, slightly restraining his voice.

It was clear that something was outside. Zoe realized this, the heavy breathing and grunts were very clear, but he didn’t know for sure what kind of animal was outside. Zoe could only guess if it was a tiger, lion, or something similar. Several times the animal approached and pressed its body against Zoe’s tent. Zoe felt terrified and continued to worry about Eva.

Trying to slightly open the tent zipper, Zoe saw the face of a tiger behind the tent door. Their eyes locked. Without warning, the tiger tried to enter Zoe’s tent.

“WooAaAAaaa, damn it,” Zoe screamed in shock, jumping back.

“What’s happening, Zoe? Is there a dog?” Eva screamed, her voice showing fear.

“It’s not a dog, but what’s it called… ah, I forgot,” Zoe struggled to keep the tent door closed.

“What’s wrong, Zoe? Don’t scare me,” Eva continued to scream.

“It’s a… tiger dog,” Zoe continued to panic and tried to hold the door.

“What, dog or tiger?” Eva’s response increased Zoe’s panic.

“There’s a tiger. You’re the dog. Stay inside and be quiet,” Zoe shouted angrily, warning Eva.

The tiger continued to try to enter, occasionally running around the tent, trying to find a way in.

“Zoe, I’m scared,” Eva cried, her voice sounding almost in tears.

“Shut up, I told you to be quiet. The tiger is here. Keep yelling, and it’ll come to you,” Zoe raised his voice higher than Eva’s, intending to keep the tiger from moving to Eva’s tent.

The sound of ripping combined with claws breaking into the left side of Zoe’s tent was heard. Zoe tried to find something to use to repel the tiger but, in his panic, ended up throwing anything he could grasp.

The tiger seemed increasingly determined to get inside the tent, with its full claws now clearly visible. Zoe could no longer think straight. He kept throwing anything he could, regardless of whether it was food or a bag.

The tension and fear Zoe felt were so overwhelming that he couldn’t think clearly and nearly fainted. In a panic and self-defense, he tried to kick and hit one of the tiger’s legs that had managed to enter the tent. The situation became chaotic, his breath caught, and his body trembled violently.

“DDUOOOOOORRRR”

Suddenly, amidst the chaos and panic, a very loud gunshot was heard—deafening Zoe’s ears. The gunshot was so close and echoed throughout the forest, causing the tiger that was attacking Zoe to retreat quickly. Zoe was startled and felt his body become rigid, unable to move at all. The tiger ran into the darkness, disappearing into the thick fog that obscured the view.

“Eva, are you okay?” Zoe whispered worriedly, trying to check on his friend.

“Yes… yes, I’m fine,” Eva replied with a trembling voice, sounding almost in tears from fear.

Zoe tried to calm himself and think about who might have saved them. However, the view from inside the ripped tent was limited—only darkness and fog enveloped the forest. There was no sign of who had shot the tiger.

Zoe peeked through the ripped hole in the tent, hoping to see who had helped them, but there was nothing outside. No figures, no footsteps, only an eerie silence. Zoe’s heart raced faster. “Who saved us?” he thought with a mixture of curiosity and fear.

Outside, there was only the quiet forest that had returned to dominance, as if nothing had happened a moment ago. However, Zoe felt that they were not alone. There was something odd, as if there were eyes watching him from within the darkness.

He only knew one thing—they had been saved by someone, or something, whose identity and origin were unknown. But one thing was certain, Zoe felt they were not alone in this forest.

That night became even quieter than before. Zoe and Eva could only hope that whatever had saved them would not turn into a threat in the future.