Chapter 9: Obsidian Forest
Lucas screamed:
"Attention! It’s time to head out now..." He went on to reiterate his warnings as well as when to return — around 715 hours remaining on the Task, then finished by saying, "Good luck, and may we all return healthy and bearing good news!"
Axel had to hand it to Lucas... for every screw he had loose, the man made up for it with his ability to confidently command. Or perhaps he could only confidently command because of his loose screws...
Either way, confidence and competence were not the same. Only time would tell if he possessed both.
Axel’s group was directed east — or what the Summoned had agreed to call east, since Earth’s methods of direction no longer applied.
"Let’s go!..."
Axel shouted out, trying to sound cheerful, but the second he turned around and faced the Obsidian Forest, his expression turned bleak. He stopped for a moment and stared at the monumental black trees in front of him.
Not even the leaves were spared from the haunting hue, swaying up and down as if the forest itself were breathing.
There was even a gigantic cobweb on the bough of a tree.
’I wish I could just teleport back home... I’m not cut out for this.’
He was an orphan city boy who belonged in the metro and convenience stores, not stuck in some forest of death!
With a quiet sigh, Axel took his first step toward what he felt would be his doom. To his surprise, not a single member of his group hesitated in following him.
"As we walk, look for a stick to defend yourself with. Lucas said to run, but we don’t know what might happen. Better to be safe... With that in mind, l-let’s begin our mission!"
Axel tried to sound cheery, but his nerves were turning him into a wreck as they passed the treeline and entered the forest.
However, it wasn’t even five paces in that Axel and the rest stopped and were filled with a sense of wonder that momentarily outweighed their fear.
Claire muttered under her breath:
"It’s beautiful..."
"Y-yeah," Ryon said while bending down and grasping a pink petal from a nearby plant.
Conner rasped to himself:
"Astilbes, Asian bleeding-heart, Hostas..."
Axel didn’t know exactly what Connor was mumbling about, but he had an idea. In front of them was an ever-expanding expanse of the black trees, but harshly juxtaposed to them were beautiful flowers that lined miniature knolls that stretched for as far as they could see.
"They thrive in dark environments and off decomposition."
’Ah, I see...’
Eventually, The march started again.
Not even five more paces, a dull thud sounded. Axel immediately jumped away and searched for the nearest branch to use as a weapon, only to spot Claire on her hands and knees, clutching her head.
"Ouch!"
Ryon hurriedly knelt and helped her up. But it wasn’t long before she took another step and nearly fell again.
’Oh no...’
As much as her clumsy act was disparaging, the group’s weirdness was also helping him calm down. Just a little.
After that slight holdup, they restarted their march into the forest. For a time, they remained silent, speaking only when they pointed out an oddity. They also occasionally made markers using a pocket knife Ryon had so that they could find their way back.
Even though Axel was at the vanguard of the group, he did his best to observe those behind him in an attempt to learn more about them.
Zayn was still staring at his tattoo as if he didn’t even know how it got there.
’I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t even know he’d been kidnapped and randomly screams when he realizes.’
Ryon kept running his hands through his short brown hair every time the wind moved it an inch, all while staring at Claire the entire time.
’Survival seems secondary to girls for him.’
Claire was nearly tripping over every exposed tree root or uneven clump of dirt.
Mikhail looked at everything around him with insane curiosity.
Leora was scrutinizing every single one of them as if they might be her enemy.
Huang Gao was so silent that Axel almost forgot he was with them a few times.
And Conner... he was a weird one. He observed everything with utmost care, but seemed easily distracted by anything that moved. All it took was a single butterfly, and it seemed like every thought in his head would disappear.
’Well, actually, who wouldn’t be sidetracked by the butterflies here? They’re huge!’
They all had their quirks, but as long as they were cooperative, Axel wasn’t going to complain.
Their long silence finally broke when Conner tapped Axel on the shoulder from behind, before he sped up so they were walking side by side. Conner spoke:
"Hey, Axel."
"Yeah? What’s up?"
"I’ve been curious since earlier... but that necklace you’re wearing, what does it mean?"
"Oh?"
Axel felt at his neck and found what he was talking about — he had been too busy with everything going on and his injury to even realize he was wearing it.
"This?"
Axel tugged at it before asking the same question himself:
"Well, it’s... what is it?"
Conner shrugged before rubbing his mustache and replying:
"You’re wearing it. You really don’t know why you’re wearing a ’t’ with a malnourished man strapped to it around your neck?"
"No..."
Axel inspected it some more, but for some reason, he couldn’t remember putting it on, nor what it meant or why.
"Maybe I thought it was cool?"
’But I have hyperthymesia, so how? Is this somehow linked to my past life? Why could I not remember its meaning?’
Ryon joined in on their conversation and said:
"Sorry, but it doesn’t look all that cool. A little creepy if you ask me."
Claire and Mikhail appeared next to him, peeking around Axel’s shoulder at the necklace as well.
"Stop."
Zayn spoke quietly but with authority, spooking the group.
Curiously, the group stopped looking at Axel’s necklace and looked back at Zayn, who held a finger to his lips and pointed off to their right.
Far off in the distance was an unnatural array of black logs with tips shaved into spikes that formed a wall of sorts.
Was that the castle?
’No way, it looks way too small.’
Goblin village?
’Maybe...’