Chapter 10
Morning arrived without birdsong.
Kyrth slowly opened his eyes to the faint glow filtering through the dense canopy above. The campfire had burned down to glowing embers during the night, leaving only thin wisps of smoke curling into the cold morning air.
The forest was unnaturally quiet.
Not a single chirp.
Not a single rustle.
It was as though every living thing had vanished with the coming dawn.
One by one, the investigators awoke from their uneasy sleep.
Some stretched their stiff muscles while others checked the temporary barricade surrounding the camp.
Nothing appeared disturbed.
Yet an uneasy feeling lingered in everyone’s heart.
“Did anyone sleep well?” one investigator asked with a tired laugh.
Several heads shook.
“I kept feeling like someone was standing outside the camp.”
“I heard whispers.”
“I thought I saw eyes in the trees.”
“No one was there,” another replied, though he sounded unconvinced.
Soon, breakfast was prepared over the rekindled fire.
The smell of warm food brought a little life back into the exhausted group.
For a brief moment, they almost forgot where they were.
Saeroyx casually sat beside Kyrth, accepting a bowl of hot soup.
“You look terrible,” he said.
Kyrth gave him a flat look.
“I’ll take that as your way of saying good morning.”
“It is.”
“You should work on it.”
“I think it’s charming.”
Kyrth shook his head with a faint smile.
“Only you would think that.”
Around them, a few investigators exchanged amused glances.
“It started again,” someone whispered.
“They’ve only known each other for four days.”
“Feels much longer.”
After breakfast, the camp was dismantled.
The fire was extinguished.
Weapons were checked.
Bags were secured.
Within minutes, the twelve pairs resumed their journey deeper into the Western Forest.
The morning mist clung to the ground like pale ghosts drifting between the ancient roots.
Towering trees blocked almost every ray of sunlight, leaving the forest trapped in perpetual twilight.
They had walked for nearly an hour when one of the investigators suddenly stopped.
“…Did you hear that?”
Everyone froze.
A faint humming echoed somewhere ahead.
Soft.
Almost gentle.
Like countless tiny wings beating in perfect rhythm.
The sound grew louder.
Another investigator looked upward.
Tiny black specks floated between the branches.
At first, they looked no larger than grains of pepper.
“There are insects,” someone muttered.
“That’s all.”
Relieved laughter spread through the group.
Then the black specks multiplied.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Tens of thousands.
The humming deepened into a vibration that could be felt through the ground itself.
The sky above the canopy darkened.
Not because of clouds…
But because an endless swarm was descending through the trees.
Each insect was barely the size of a fingernail.
Their bodies were obsidian black, their wings almost transparent, and their crimson eyes gleamed like tiny drops of blood.
One landed on the sleeve of an investigator.
He brushed it away carelessly.
The insect bit before falling.
“…Ow.”
The man frowned, staring at the tiny red mark on his wrist.
Within seconds…
The skin around the bite turned dark purple.
The pain spread rapidly up his arm.
He stumbled back, clutching his wrist.
“It burns!”
The healer rushed forward.
“It’s venom!”
At that exact moment…
The humming stopped.
For one terrifying heartbeat…
The entire swarm hovered silently above the expedition.
Then…
As if responding to an unseen command…
Millions of tiny crimson eyes turned toward the investigators at the same time.
Panic spread through the expedition.
“Defensive formation!”
“Protect the healers!”
“Don’t let them surround us!”
The once orderly group instantly broke into action.
Several investigators raised shimmering energy barriers, translucent walls forming around the teams as the first wave of insects crashed against them like a living tide.
Tick… Tick… Tick…
Thousands of tiny bodies struck the barriers at once.
The sound alone was enough to send chills through the forest.
“They’re eating through it!”
One investigator stared in horror as faint cracks began spreading across the protective shield.
Another quickly reached into his pack and threw several dark green pellets onto the ground.
The pellets burst apart with a sharp hiss, releasing an acrid, foul-smelling smoke.
The insects immediately recoiled, avoiding the thick cloud.
“It works!”
“Use the repellent!”
All around the battlefield, similar smoke bombs were ignited, creating pockets where the swarms hesitated to enter.
Others attacked directly.
Columns of fire surged into the air, reducing thousands of insects to ash before more immediately filled the empty space.
Blades of ice erupted from the ground, freezing entire clusters that shattered into glittering fragments.
Bolts of lightning flashed between the trees.
Explosions echoed through the forest.
Yet the swarm never seemed to grow smaller.
For every insect that fell…
Hundreds more replaced it.
And beneath the chaos, something worse was moving.
The insects were not simply attacking.
They were probing.
Testing the barriers.
Crawling over the dead with unnatural patience.
Their clicking chorus rose and fell like a language no one understood.
Then the first barrier gave way.
A sharp crack split the air as the shield around one rear team collapsed under the pressure.
The swarm poured through instantly.
A healer barely had time to scream before the insects covered his face, his throat, his hands-his body jerking once before he fell silent beneath the black mass.
Another investigator tried to drag him free.
He was too slow.
The swarm tore into him as well, and his cry was cut off in a wet, choking gasp.
Kyrth stepped forward.
His twin blades flashed like silver streaks.
Every swing carved through dense clouds of insects, scattering black bodies across the forest floor.
His movements were calm.
Precise.
Not a single strike was wasted.
He constantly shifted his position, intercepting swarms before they reached the injured investigators.
Even so…
The insects kept coming.
From every direction.
Above.
Below.
Behind.
It was impossible to predict their movements.
An investigator cried out as his barrier finally shattered.
The swarm rushed toward him.
Before anyone could react-
CRACK!
A massive branch split from the towering tree above.
It crashed directly through the swarm, crushing thousands beneath its weight.
The investigator stared in disbelief.
For one brief second, he was alive.
Then another branch, blackened and splintered as if struck by invisible force, snapped loose from higher up and drove down through his chest.
His eyes widened.
He collapsed without a sound.
Another scream rang out.
A second team had been surrounded.
The insects poured toward them in a black wave.
One of the investigators raised his sword and managed to cut down several dozen before the swarm swallowed his arm, then his shoulder, then his head in a writhing mass that dragged him to the ground.
His partner tried to pull him back.
The insects surged over both of them.
Only one hand remained visible for a moment, twitching weakly in the smoke before it disappeared.
Without warning, thick vines hanging from nearby trees lashed outward, sweeping through the air like giant whips.
The swarm scattered violently.
The trapped investigators stumbled free.
“What just happened?”
No one answered.
Every few moments, another impossible thing occurred.
A dead tree toppled at exactly the right moment, blocking a charging swarm.
Heavy branches snapped from impossible heights, crushing insects before they reached the wounded.
Dense vines twisted together, forming temporary walls that forced the swarm to change direction.
But the forest did not feel like an ally.
It felt awake.
Watching.
Listening.
As if something ancient had opened its eyes beneath the canopy and decided, without explanation, who would live and who would not.
At the center of it all…
Saeroyx continued walking.
His expression never changed.
His breathing remained steady.
He moved through the battlefield as though the chaos around him barely existed.
Whenever someone was in danger…
The forest itself seemed to respond.
He caught a frightened investigator by the shoulder and pulled him out of the swarm just as another branch thundered down behind them.
“Keep moving,” Saeroyx said calmly.
The investigator could only stare.
“You… how did you know-“
Saeroyx had already turned away.
Another cry echoed from the left.
He was there before anyone else.
Then the right.
Again, he arrived first.
Wherever the swarm threatened to overwhelm someone…
Saeroyx appeared.
And wherever Saeroyx appeared…
The forest itself seemed to fight beside him.
Yet even that was not enough to save everyone.
A young scout, separated from the main group, stumbled into a patch of shadow between two roots.
The insects dropped on him from above in a sudden, silent cascade.
He never even had time to scream.
By the time Kyrth reached him, only his torn cloak remained, twitching beneath the moving black tide.
Another investigator, already wounded and too slow to retreat, was dragged down near the edge of the clearing.
His barrier flickered once, then vanished.
The swarm covered him in seconds.
When the insects finally scattered, nothing recognizable was left.
Kyrth cut down another wave before finally pausing.
His eyes found Saeroyx in the middle of the chaos.
He wasn’t simply protecting himself.
He was protecting everyone.
And somehow…
Nothing seemed capable of stopping him.
But the forest had begun to change.
The wind had gone still.
The insects were no longer moving randomly.
They were circling.
Waiting.
As if something deeper in the woods had given them a command.
One of the team leaders lowered his weapon for the briefest moment.
“…Is he controlling the forest?”
No one answered.
Because, for the first time since entering the Western Forest…
They all found themselves asking the very same question.
The circling swarm suddenly surged forward once more.
A deafening hum shook the forest.
“They’re coming again!”
“We can’t hold them!”
Another barrier shattered.
The investigators no longer tried to eliminate the insects.
There were simply too many.
“Retreat!”
“Run!”
The command spread through the forest.
The remaining investigators abandoned their defensive formation and sprinted through the dense undergrowth.
Branches whipped across their faces.
Roots reached from the earth like grasping hands.
Behind them, the black swarm flowed between the trees like a living river.
Anyone who slowed even for a moment risked being swallowed.
“Don’t stop!”
“Keep moving!”
Kyrth remained near the rear, cutting down insects that came too close while urging the slower investigators forward.
Saeroyx stayed close beside him, occasionally shoving people away from danger as heavy branches crashed down behind them, buying precious seconds.
No one questioned the strange coincidences anymore.
They simply ran.
Minutes felt like hours.
Then-
“There!”
One investigator pointed ahead.
Beyond the towering trees, the landscape abruptly changed.
Ancient rock formations rose from the forest floor, forming towering cliffs riddled with countless deep cracks and narrow openings.
“Caves!”
“Inside!”
Without hesitation, everyone rushed toward the rocky formation.
The first investigators squeezed through the largest crevice, barely wide enough for a person carrying equipment.
One after another, the others forced themselves inside.
“Hurry!”
“They’re almost here!”
The last few investigators stumbled through just as the swarm reached the entrance.
Thousands of insects slammed against the stone.
The deafening hum echoed through the narrow passage.
“They’re trying to get in!”
“They’ll fit through the cracks!”
“Seal them!”
Everyone immediately threw down their packs.
Large travel bags, bedrolls, spare clothing, broken branches, loose stones-anything they could find was shoved into the narrow gaps where the insects attempted to crawl through.
Several investigators reinforced the barricades with barriers while others ignited repellents, filling the crevices with thick, bitter-smelling smoke.
Gradually…
The humming outside began to fade.
Then…
Silence.
No one moved.
Several minutes passed before anyone dared to breathe normally.
An exhausted investigator slowly slid down the cave wall until he was sitting on the ground.
“…We’re alive.”
Another laughed weakly.
“I thought that was the end.”
Around the cavern, people collapsed wherever they stood.
Some treated bites.
Others silently bandaged deep cuts received during the escape.
The healer checked each survivor one by one.
Only after everyone had caught their breath did one of the team leaders speak.
“…Count everyone.”
The cavern immediately fell silent.
Names began echoing through the chamber.
“Team One?”
“Both here.”
“Team Three?”
“Present.”
“Team Five?”
“…Only one.”
The investigator lowered his head.
“My partner…”
“He didn’t make it.”
Silence answered him.
Another voice followed.
“Team Seven?”
“…One survivor.”
“Team Nine?”
No answer.
Someone called again.
Still nothing.
One by one, the truth emerged.
Some pairs stood together, exhausted but unharmed.
Some had lost one companion.
And several…
Did not answer at all.
The cave grew unbearably quiet.
When the final tally was finished, only thirteen investigators remained alive.
The Western Forest had claimed its first victims.
And they had barely taken their first steps into its depths.
(Thank you so much for wanting to help and for supporting my novel.
I really appreciate everyone who reads and comments. However, I’d like to keep the plot, world-building, and character development as my own creative process. I want this story to reflect my imagination, even if I make mistakes and improve along the way.
Feedback on pacing, grammar, readability, or confusing scenes is always welcome, but I’d prefer not to receive suggestions that change the story, characters, or future plot.
Thank you for understanding and for continuing this journey with me!)
