A Gorgeous White

Chapter 327: An Eerie Forest

The cool wind seemed to cut across his cheeks. It harshly passed with a whoosh, rubbing on the softness of his skin. Silvery-white strands went astray from the tight bind of the braids on the youth's scalp. The loosened hair slipped out from the black cloth that wrapped around Moulin's face. It covered half of his face, from the bridge of his nose to the base of his chin.

From afar, he stood on a cliff, and the vast lands of Meian presented themselves beneath his gaze. The rivers he had once remembered had dried; although they lived without the presence of the sun for years, they appeared cracked and dry. Vast luscious green forests that had stretched for miles and miles away now looked dull and lifeless. The trees were like towering black needles protruding from the earth.

And its magnificent mountains... now looked as if everything sinister was residing within it.

What was once a prosperous and vibrant land was now reduced to something dead and colorless.

Moulin's figure stood several inches away from the cliff's edge. His eyes strained at the view, and sorrow burrowed deep in his chest. This was what was left of Meian during those eight years?

Moulin clenched his fists. He had heard that Meian had suffered severely from the wrath of Kron as the elves had formulated something close to a cure for the dreadful disease that plagued the lands of Corhan. Although the races did their best to protect the elves of Thundralln, against the power and rage of Malefics, they were unable to defend and withstand its endless attacks. And so Thundralln was a lost kingdom, and Meian had become the breeding ground for Malefics.

It was once a breathtaking land...

Moulin closed his eyes and sighed. What a loss it was...

"Moulin..."

A voice gently called behind the youth.

Moulin's pupils peeked within his lashes as he slightly turned his head to his shoulder.

"It's time to move..." Jagra called. He worried watched his friend's back, feeling the cloud of despair flutter around him. He pulled the edge of his clothed mask on the bridge of his nose higher.

Moulin nodded. He took one last look at the scenes before turning his heels and headed towards the rest of the group. Moulin adjusted his mask, tightening it around his face.

It's been three days since they've entered through the Meian borders. Most of them were new to the terrain since only the pathfinders were so familiar with it. It wasn't a myth that Meian was now the most dangerous land any traveler should enter. Almost anyone who enters it wouldn't return. Meian was crawling with thousands of Malibreeds and demons. It was fitting that everyone feared.

"The Terrains are shifting faster than I thought." Emlen anxiously gazed at his map while frustratingly tapping on the hilt of his sword. He looked past the men around him and stared at the giant bare trees that towered over them like massive pillars reaching the heavens. The ground beneath them was cold and moist, and a foggy mist surrounded the whole area.

He turned to the taller man who walking ahead of him with an unknown expression. Emlen shook his head. "Let's keep moving until we reach the end of this forest. If my calculations are correct, we will find a waterfall once we get out of this forest."

"Hopefully..." With a sneeze, Tyve muttered while rubbing his arms. "This place is giving me the chills."

Troid narrowed his eyes at his twin to shut him up. He shook his head helplessly before exchanging glances at Tessley, who was calmly walking beside him while surveying the area.

Lord Hercullio patted the giant wolf's head. "Lead the way..."

With a huff, Keir obediently advanced while he kept his nose near the ground to sense my presence ahead of them.

Meanwhile, Moulin caught up with the group, and he found Colahn and Malyana walking alongside each other. He went over them with silent steps.

"How are you doing?" Moulin asked softly as he turned to Colahn.

"Surprisingly calm..." Colahn confessed. "For now..."

"These trees are taller than I thought. I never knew that my first visit here would feel so... eerie." Malyana commented as Harow slipped out from her loose sleeves.

"If you've seen them before, they were... magnificent." Moulin raised his eyes, sighting the naked branches that looked as if they could cut through flesh.

The group moved silently. They struggled to keep their steps quiet, but even if they did, there were always little noises. For Moulin, every tree seemed similar to the last one he saw. It felt as if they were going through an endless loop, and even the faint sound of their footsteps felt loud in his ears. As he began observing the men with him, he realized they were also feeling confused and anxious.

The lull within the forest was unbearable. For some reason, they couldn't help but feel as if something was silently watching them. Amused by their disturbed state and waiting for the opportunity to strike.

Hadrian had ordered them to be wary of every little thing around them, and so they kept their hands on their weapons cautiously. They weren't on normal grounds anymore. They needed to be vigilant.

An hour later, Moulin could feel the faint lightness of the fog. He could feel the slight movement of the wind that was never there. Perhaps, they were close.

Suddenly, a snap sounded, echoing throughout the surroundings. Everyone was alarmed. Weapons were drawn swiftly, blades gleamed, and numerous eyes scanned the area. Archers raised their eyes and aimed their arrows at the trees above, waiting for any sudden movement amongst the branches.

Moulin warily narrowed his eyes as he tightened his grasp around the grip of his bow. He breathes in through the mask, feeling the violent pound of his heart.

However, a few moments passed, and they didn't notice anything apart from rocks, the lifting fog, and the still trees around them.

"Let's keep moving," Hadrian commanded after a few seconds.

The group began to move once again. This time, they were more vigilant with their surroundings.

Moulin sighed as he eyed their surroundings.

Strange... He couldn't help but feel as if something was watching him. Was he just imagining it?

"..."

A few minutes later, as Moulin doubted his mind, Snow suddenly peeked out from the covers of Moulin's satchel with a side growl. Moulin paused once he noticed the sounds the little creature was making. For all the time Snow had acted mysteriously around him, Moulin hadn't withdrawn his trust in the little fox. Snow's senses were entirely accurate.

And so, Moulin deliberately slowed down his steps without anyone knowing. When he was finally at the end of the group, he continued his normal walking pace. The young Aphrodite was oblivious of the faint crease between Hadrian's brows. The man instinctively looked back.

Moulin turned his head behind him and saw nothing. Once again, rocks and the deathly air within his surroundings...

Moulin turned away. It was all quiet during the last five minutes until he thought there wasn't anything to be wary about...

However, this time, he heard a sound.

It was like many pebbles crashing against each other, creating a sound between something pleasant and irritating. It seems the sound was louder since a few maeruthans in the back with him turned around at the same time Moulin did.

"..."

Once again, rocks and the deathly stillness of-

Moulin stopped and narrowed his eyes. He took a few steps forward. Noticing the abnormality of the few maeruthans and Moulin, the other turned around with confused expressions. Ghana and Jagra exchanged glances before heading towards Moulin when they saw their friend moving away from the team. Hadrian also paused along with his lover's elder brother.

Growl...

Keir suddenly turned around. His teeth were bared as he, too, faced the area behind the group.

The silver-eyed aphrodite abruptly stopped once he realized he was getting too close to the rocks. The one in front of him was almost as big as him. And when he stretched his neck, he saw that several smaller rocks were hiding behind the bigger one.

Moulin frozen. These weren't rocks...

Moulin swiftly drew back and aimed an arrow at the rock before him.

"Moulin?" Jagra called, confused.

Clenching his teeth, Moulin snapped. "We're being followed."

Whoosh!

The arrow was released from its restraints and flew towards the giant rock.

Before the arrowhead could hit the rock, the stone's surface cracked, and a red slimy appendage bursts out, meeting the end of the arrow.

As the metal pierced through the soft tissue, black blood splattered on the ground, and a piercing shriek sounded. It was high-pitched and loud, making Moulin wince.

"Malibreeds!" One of the men warned.

Alarm spreads within the team, and they quickly drew their weapon defensively. At the same time, the rocks hiding behind the adult rock malibreed all moved. The surfaces of their shells cracked, and each of them had six armored insect-like legs emerging from beneath their bodies.

They scittered away, spreading and dispersing from their tight arrangement. The ends of their limbs were sharply pointed. And tube-like tongues shot out from the cracks between their shells. If one would look closely gaping mouth was peeking between the cracks. It drooled black fluids, craving for soft flesh to grind within their starving stomach.

Moulin took an arrow and fired it at the shrieking rock malibreed before him. It was bigger than the others but slower.

Filled with rage, the rock malibreed charged towards him despite its severed tongue. Moulin kept firing, but the solid cracks seemed to close whenever the arrowheads came close to the gaps.

'Seriously?' Moulin complained.

As the other malibreeds began to swarm the rest of the group, Moulin began to retreat as the creature in front of him persistently charged at him.

Suddenly, Moulin heard a whoosh from behind him, and he followed his instincts to move his body away, allowing a long double-edged sword to pierce the stubborn malibreed right between the gaps.

Black liquid sputtered out of the malibreed, and it fell limped on the ground.

Moulin raised his brows and turned. His silver eyes settled on one man. "Thank you?"

Hadrian cocked an eyebrow while he marched towards the younger man. "Stay close to me." He whispered.

"Alright, alright..." Moulin nodded and pulled out a sword. He glanced at his reflection on the blade before he began to attack one of the malibreeds.

The rock malibreeds were small and quick. Thus, it wasn't easy to strike them between the gaps of their hard shell, their weakness. The more the fight prolonged, the more rock malibreeds swarmed around them. Some had emerged from underground, sticking out their tongues, reaching out towards their prey's legs.

Although every single person had the urge to cry out in shock, they only bit their lips throughout the fight until they bled.

"Withdraw..." Hadrian narrowed his eyes after analyzing the team's state.

"Where?!" Ghana said.

"This way!" Emlen slashed his way through the back, leading the way. "Keir!"

The dark wolf stopped and hurriedly led the way through the swarm.

The others immediately picked up the order and ran in the direction Keir was heading while avoiding the malibreeds that began jumping towards them.

Moulin squinted his eyes and quickly followed the others. He is breathes turned heavy as he put away his sword and armed himself with his bow once more. Defending the team from ahead, he and other archers began firing shots towards the malibreeds that leaped towards them.

The fog was slowly lifting; Moulin noticed the farther they ran. The malibreeds were still chasing them like a grey wave of insects.

As his breath quickened, Moulin caught sight of a cliff at the end of the forest.