I managed to cross the bridge just before it disappeared into the high tide.
Nobody mentioned the atmosphere of the forest. But I’m sure they’ve noticed. I can feel it, and Sharin probably knew the moment she stepped foot in here.
“Whew, but where is the village?”
“There are only trees and I can’t see anything~?”
Piyo, who had been flying, returned. It seems it wasn’t going to be that easy after all. I might not reach the village today.
“Hey, Jagged Rock, are you alive?”
I shake him gently. No reaction, I guess it was no use. But I did everything I could; I definitely didn’t abandon him.
“Hey, hey, I found a stream over there, let’s go that way.”
“Well done, alright, let’s get ourselves together there.”
Piyo found a stream, so we decided to camp there for today. However, it’s hardly what you’d call a stream. It’s barely flowing water.
Streams like this can look beautiful but be quite the opposite in reality. The slow current means it could be contaminated with bacteria downstream. Still, I can probably wash my hands.
I put down Jagged Rock, which I had been carrying on my back, and dipped my hands in the water. Small fish scattered instantly. How did he find this from the sky? Maybe I’ll be able to find the village by morning. Looking up at the sky, sunlight filtered through the trees.
It’s still bright. Should I ask Piyo again? Maybe if I check carefully, I can find it.
Jagged Rock was furrowing his brow, looking in pain. He might be a bit better since Cecilia used Recovery Magic on him, but he’s still bleeding. When I touched his forehead, he had a fever.
I wet a towel and wrapped it around his neck. If he gets better, will he be able to return to his companions? I dipped my hands in the stream again. A vast starry sky spread out above. The rippling water surface was like a planetarium.
“Hmm, what is it? The starry sky?”
I couldn’t help but make a sound. A tension, as if my heart was being squeezed, ran through me. Sharin, everyone—
“What?!”
Turning around, the beautiful starry sky I saw on the water’s surface filled my vision. I don’t understand what’s happening. A starry sky right in front of me? But I could see sunlight just a moment ago. Moreover, what is a starry sky inside a forest?
I ask myself more questions and become even more confused.
“Huh? Eh?”
Everyone is gone. They were right next to me just a moment ago. I gently reached out to touch a star. The twinkling light didn’t reach me like real stars. The night sky, floating softly, felt like clouds.
It’s better to describe them as black clouds drifting while twinkling. Could this be an enemy attack? Or am I hallucinating?
I drew my dagger and readied my shield. I should think of this as a type of smoke bomb. They scattered it around me.
“Hellooo, Arisugawa…”
“Sharin.”
The companion’s voice from afar was drowned out by a crackling thunderclap.
“Is that it?!”
A flash of lightning, momentarily visible to my side. Lightning attribute magic?
A rustling sound came from behind me, kicking up sand. An attack from behind?! Turning around, a black shadow was looking at me.
“Guh…”
“Huh, Jagged Rock!”
Jagged Rock was lying on the ground. What happened? Did he block the enemy’s attack? I rushed to wake him and found more red wounds on his chest.
“Who are you?”
I laid Jagged Rock down and approached the black shadow. It was covered in black clouds, making its form indistinct.
“A Siren, huh.”
A deep male voice. With that, the shadow disappeared into the starry sky. What was that just now? Was that thunderclap a trap to distract me? For now, I need to call everyone.
“O—”
“Be quiet.”
Just as I was about to speak, Jagged Rock stopped me.
“Are you okay? Do you know who that was?”
“Run, run… I’ll be killed.”
Jagged Rock muttered this while barely being able to breathe. Even though the shadow man had disappeared, the clouds remained. That means he hasn’t given up on me. I immediately picked up Jagged Rock and ran. I’ll rejoin everyone later.
I saw lightning in the distance. Or was it close? For some reason, I’m having trouble judging distances in this space. It’s like I can’t feel depth. No matter how much I run, I don’t feel like I’m moving forward.
Suddenly, the stars disappeared, and a black shadow loomed.
“Ugh…!!”
A sharp blade grazed my chest, causing pain on my cheek. That was a close call. He’s aiming for me while flying. Yet it’s daytime, and I’m wandering in a night forest. My opponent can see even in this situation.
What a thing to have properties like a Dark Harpy. Could the enemy this time be one? Veronica used something similar before. It was smaller in scale, but she created black clouds and blasted enemies with electricity.
If this is the same technique, my whole body trembled, and I felt myself growing cold.
