Chapter 271. Affected by the Mist
Human Kyla and Rabbit Kyla moved cautiously through the dense undergrowth, their eyes darting between the shadows as they searched for Brolin. Rabbit Kyla clutched her portable scanner, its soft hum providing a faint sense of reassurance as it mapped the surrounding area for potential threats.
The underground woods stretched endlessly before them, the eerie trees swaying as though alive, their vines whispering in an unending chorus. The temperature dropped the deeper they ventured, the air damp and heavy with the scent of decay. Above them, a dense canopy blocked out any light except for the faint bioluminescence of strange plants and flowers scattered throughout the forest.
"This place gives me the creeps," Rabbit Kyla muttered, her rabbit ears twitching at every unfamiliar sound.
Human Kyla remained silent but nodded in agreement, gripping her dagger tightly. The silence around them was occasionally broken by strange, rhythmic sounds—like the flapping of unseen wings or the tapping of claws against bark.
Suddenly, both of them halted. Ahead, a single white sunflower stood out amidst the darkness, its pale petals glowing faintly. But something about it felt... off.
"Why’s there a sunflower here? There’s no sun underground," Rabbit Kyla said, tilting her head in confusion.
Human Kyla narrowed her eyes. "It doesn’t feel right. Stay back."
She picked up a small stone and hurled it at the sunflower. To their shock, the flower dodged the projectile, shuddered, and then transformed. Its petals folded and elongated, its stem contorted, and within moments it resembled a humanoid figure with a floral head. Without warning, the creature sprinted away into the dense forest.
"Did that flower just turn into a human?" Rabbit Kyla asked, her voice filled with astonishment.
Human Kyla frowned. "Not exactly. That was a Narilatha flower—or at least something imitating one. It’s said to be a rare orchid shaped like a woman that blooms every twenty years. But this one... it’s not normal."
Rabbit Kyla’s ears twitched nervously. "So flowers can run now? Is that an Abyss Demon or something?"