Chapter 9
Warm sunlight streamed through the curtains, replacing the cold gray skies that had hung over the palace since their arrival.
For the first time in days, the morning felt peaceful.
The golden rays crept across the polished floor before climbing onto the enormous king-sized bed, where two figures still slept beneath the light blanket.
Kyrth was the first to stir.
His eyelashes fluttered as consciousness slowly returned.
For several quiet seconds, he simply lay there, listening.
Birds sang somewhere beyond the open window.
The palace gardens had already awakened, and the distant laughter of servants preparing for the day’s departure drifted faintly through the morning air.
Everything felt… unusually calm.
Then Kyrth realized something.
He couldn’t move.
A pleasant warmth rested against his side.
Looking down, he discovered exactly why.
At some point during the night, Saeroyx had rolled closer without realizing it.
One arm was loosely draped around Kyrth’s waist, while his head rested comfortably against Kyrth’s shoulder, his long orange hair scattered across the pillow.
His breathing was slow and even.
Completely asleep.
Kyrth closed his eyes for a brief moment.
“…Again.”
Very carefully, he tried to slide away.
The moment he moved-
Saeroyx unconsciously tightened his hold.
“…”
Kyrth froze.
“You’re making this unnecessarily difficult,” he muttered under his breath.
His quiet complaint earned nothing more than a sleepy murmur.
Saeroyx shifted slightly, burying his face a little deeper against Kyrth’s shoulder as though chasing warmth.
Kyrth stared at the ceiling.
“Unbelievable.”
For someone who claimed to forget half the world…
His sleeping habits were remarkably persistent.
After another failed attempt to escape, Kyrth let out a quiet sigh.
“I suppose this is my punishment.”
Almost as though he had heard him, Saeroyx spoke in a voice thick with sleep.
“…You’re warm.”
Kyrth’s eyes widened slightly.
“So you’re awake.”
“No…”
A pause.
“I think I’m dreaming.”
“You always talk this much in dreams?”
“Mmm…”
Another pause.
“The handsome man hasn’t run away yet.”
Kyrth couldn’t help the faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
“You really don’t stop flirting.”
“I have to.”
Saeroyx answered without opening his eyes.
“What if I forget later?”
The words were spoken so innocently that Kyrth’s expression softened.
“…Hopeless.”
“I’ve been called worse.”
“You’ve probably forgotten.”
“I probably have.”
A quiet laugh escaped Kyrth before he gently lifted Saeroyx’s arm from around his waist.
This time, Saeroyx allowed it.
He blinked sleepily as the sunlight reached his face.
“Morning already?”
“It’s Day Four.”
“The twelve teams leave after breakfast.”
Saeroyx stretched leisurely, the blanket slipping from one shoulder before he pulled it back into place with little concern.
“So today’s the day.”
Kyrth nodded as he stood and walked toward the window.
Below, the palace courtyard was already alive with movement.
Carriages waited in neat rows.
Horses were being saddled.
Supplies were loaded onto wagons while knights and attendants hurried between the assembled investigation teams.
Each group had chosen a different path.
Some would remain within the capital.
Others would travel to distant noble territories.
And twelve pairs…
Including Kyrth and Saeroyx…
Would venture toward the Western Forest in search of the forgotten royal mausoleum.
As the morning sun rose higher above the palace, neither of them realized that by the time it set…
Not all of those who entered the forest would return unchanged.
The journey to the Western Forest took less than two hours.
Twenty-four investigators, divided into twelve pairs, departed the palace together aboard sleek anti-gravity transports provided by the royal family. Their silver-black frames hovered silently above the stone highway, propelled by glowing crystal cores embedded beneath their chassis.
The royal capital gradually faded behind them.
At first, the scenery was peaceful.
Golden fields stretched toward the horizon as automated harvesters moved steadily through endless crops. Small towns shimmered beneath protective energy domes, while aerial drones drifted overhead, tending orchards and monitoring the roads below.
The atmosphere remained surprisingly cheerful.
Some teams discussed theories about the former Princess.
Others debated whether the abandoned royal mausoleum even existed.
A few laughed, insisting that the old groundskeeper’s tale was nothing more than an old superstition.
Only Kyrth remained quiet.
His gaze stayed fixed on the distant line of black trees.
The closer they drew…
The less welcoming the landscape became.
The farms disappeared.
The highway narrowed into cracked stone.
Communication beacons became increasingly scarce until none remained.
Even the navigation systems aboard the transports began flickering.
“Signal interference?” one investigator muttered.
Another checked the display.
“No…”
“It’s like the forest isn’t allowing a connection.”
The bright morning sky remained clear above them.
Yet the forest ahead seemed wrapped in its own twilight.
Its colossal trees rose like ancient pillars, their branches weaving together so densely that sunlight struggled to penetrate the canopy.
A kilometer before the entrance, every transport suddenly emitted the same warning tone.
-AUTONOMOUS NAVIGATION LOST.
-MAGNETIC FIELD INSTABILITY DETECTED.
One by one, the vehicles descended to the ground.
Their engines shut down automatically.
No amount of restarting brought them back to life.
Silence.
An investigator frowned.
“They’re completely dead.”
“Power cells are still full.”
“So why won’t they move?”
No one had an answer.
Kyrth stepped out and looked toward the forest.
“It doesn’t want technology.”
Saeroyx quietly studied the endless wall of ancient trees.
For reasons he couldn’t explain…
The place felt strangely familiar.
Not welcoming.
Not hostile.
Simply…
Waiting.
The group gathered their equipment and continued on foot.
The moment they crossed beneath the towering canopy…
The warmth of the morning vanished.
Cold, damp air settled around them.
The sounds of the outside world disappeared completely.
No drones.
No distant engines.
No birds.
Only silence.
The deeper they walked, the stranger the forest became.
Towering vines pulsed with faint blue light beneath the bark.
Crystal-winged insects drifted through the shadows without making a sound.
A pale, wolf-like creature with six luminous eyes watched them from behind a cluster of roots before disappearing without leaving so much as a footprint.
Far above, something enormous shifted among the branches.
The movement lasted only a second.
Yet dozens of leaves spiraled gently to the forest floor.
Hours passed.
No path appeared.
Every direction looked identical.
Then came the first whisper.
Soft.
Almost inaudible.
Someone stopped walking.
“…Did anyone say something?”
No one answered.
The whisper returned.
This time from deeper within the forest.
Then another.
Then several more.
None of the voices formed words.
They simply lingered at the edge of hearing, as though the forest itself was trying to remember how to speak.
One investigator instinctively reached for his weapon.
Another glanced behind them.
The entrance…
…was gone.
A heavy silence settled over the expedition.
The disappearance of the entrance shattered whatever confidence remained.
Some investigators instinctively moved closer together, their eyes darting between the towering trees.
“So the rumors were true…”
One of them whispered.
“We can’t even find the way back.”
Another tried to laugh, though the sound lacked conviction.
“It’s only because the forest is so dense.”
No one answered him.
Even he didn’t seem to believe his own words.
The expedition pressed onward.
With every passing minute, the forest became more oppressive.
The air felt heavier.
Every breath demanded a little more effort.
Sweat formed on brows despite the cool temperature beneath the canopy.
Kyrth frowned.
Something wasn’t right.
His legs felt strangely heavy, as though invisible hands were pulling him toward the earth.
Around him, he noticed the others slowing as well.
One investigator leaned against a tree to catch his breath.
Another wiped perspiration from his forehead.
“I don’t understand…”
“We’ve barely been walking.”
“Why am I this exhausted?”
“It’s like something is draining my strength.”
The complaints gradually spread through the group.
Every few minutes someone asked to stop.
Someone else stumbled over roots they would normally have avoided.
Even the conversations became shorter.
No one had the energy to argue anymore.
Kyrth silently clenched his fist.
He could feel it too.
Not pain.
Not illness.
Simply…
An overwhelming fatigue.
As though the forest was slowly consuming their vitality.
Then he looked ahead.
Saeroyx.
Unlike everyone else, he walked at an unhurried pace.
His breathing remained perfectly steady.
His posture never faltered.
Whenever thick vines blocked the path, he simply pushed them aside.
When thorn-covered branches stretched across the trail, he broke them effortlessly, clearing a passage for everyone behind him.
He never once complained.
Never once slowed down.
Almost as if the forest’s invisible burden had no effect on him at all.
Kyrth quickened his pace until he reached his side.
“You aren’t tired?”
Saeroyx looked at him in confusion.
“Tired?”
“Everyone else is struggling.”
Saeroyx glanced behind them.
Only then did he notice the exhausted expressions covering nearly every face.
“I thought they were just walking slowly.”
Kyrth stared at him.
“You really don’t feel anything?”
Saeroyx shook his head.
“No.”
“If anything…”
He looked deeper into the forest.
“…walking here feels strangely comfortable.”
Those words sent a chill through Kyrth.
Comfortable?
There was nothing comfortable about this place.
The deeper they ventured, the stronger the suffocating pressure became.
Yet Saeroyx continued leading the way as though he instinctively knew where to step.
Every branch he moved aside revealed a clearer path.
Every obstacle seemed to part just enough for the others to pass.
It was subtle.
Almost impossible to notice.
But after nearly an hour…
Several investigators exchanged uneasy glances.
One quietly whispered,
“…Is the forest…”
“…making a path for him?”
Saeroyx nodded. “Everyone looks exhausted. If we keep moving like this, we’ll only make things worse.”
He raised his voice so the others could hear.
“Find a flat place nearby. We’ll stop there for now.”
The investigators, too tired to argue, followed his lead.
After searching for a short while, they found a relatively open stretch of ground beneath the trees. It was flatter than the surrounding area and free of most roots and stones.
“Here,” one of them said weakly.
Saeroyx stepped forward and began clearing away the thick vines and tangled brush with quick, efficient movements. Others joined in, cutting back the overgrowth and pulling aside fallen branches until the area was wide enough to rest in.
A few investigators gathered broken limbs and sharpened sticks, setting them into the ground to form a temporary fence around the camp. It was crude, but it gave everyone a small sense of security in the oppressive forest.
Once the space was prepared, they began arranging their supplies and settling down.
Someone started a fire.
The flames crackled softly, pushing back the damp chill that clung to the air beneath the canopy.
Soon after, food was brought out and placed near the fire to warm.
One by one, the exhausted investigators sat down around the camp and began eating.
The tension that had followed them through the forest eased slightly as they finally took a moment to rest
The warmth of the fire gradually softened the tension that had followed them since entering the forest.
For the first time that day, quiet conversations returned to the camp.
Some investigators compared the strange creatures they had seen among the trees.
Others sharpened their weapons or quietly discussed the route they would take at dawn.
Kyrth, however, sat a little away from the others, studying the rough map he had sketched during the day’s journey. Every landmark looked identical, making the map almost useless.
A familiar shadow settled beside him.
Without lifting his eyes from the parchment, Kyrth sighed.
“I was wondering how long you’d last before coming over.”
Saeroyx smiled.
“So you were waiting for me.”
“I was hoping you’d find someone else to annoy.”
“I did.”
“And?”
“They all ignored me.”
Kyrth let out a quiet chuckle.
“I can’t imagine why.”
Saeroyx leaned back against the fallen log behind them.
“I can.”
“And yet you keep doing it.”
“Of course.”
He turned his head, watching Kyrth’s face illuminated by the dancing firelight.
“It’s much more entertaining when it’s you.”
Kyrth finally looked up.
“You enjoy testing my patience.”
“I enjoy watching you pretend not to smile.”
“I don’t smile.”
“No?”
Saeroyx leaned in just enough for Kyrth to notice.
“Then what was that a second ago?”
“It was nothing.”
“It looked suspiciously like a smile.”
“It wasn’t.”
“It definitely was.”
Kyrth folded the map and nudged Saeroyx lightly with his shoulder.
“You’re impossible.”
“And yet you still choose to sit beside me.”
“I was here first.”
“A technicality.”
Around the campfire, a few investigators exchanged amused glances.
One of them quietly whispered,
“They’re at it again.”
Another hid a grin behind his cup.
“They’ve been talking like this since we left the palace.”
“I’d almost forgotten we came here to investigate a mystery.”
The group laughed softly.
Kyrth heard them and closed his eyes for a moment.
“I wish they’d stop watching us.”
Saeroyx looked around at the others before lowering his voice.
“They’re just jealous.”
“Of what?”
“I get the best seat.”
Before Kyrth could ask what he meant, Saeroyx casually rested his shoulder against Kyrth’s.
Their sleeves brushed together.
It was such a small movement that no one could call it improper.
Yet neither of them moved away.
Kyrth looked at him from the corner of his eye.
“…Comfortable?”
“Very.”
“You know there are plenty of empty logs.”
“There are.”
“So why this one?”
Saeroyx’s smile softened.
“Because you’re warmer.”
For a brief moment, Kyrth forgot how to respond.
The silence between them wasn’t awkward.
It was… strangely peaceful.
The crackling fire filled the space where words weren’t needed.
Neither noticed that the camp around them had grown quieter.
Far beyond the reach of the firelight…
Something moved.
High among the ancient branches.
A pair of pale golden eyes slowly opened.
Then another.
And another.
Invisible shapes watched the camp from the darkness without making a single sound.
Deeper still, where the oldest trees twisted around forgotten ruins, an enormous stone gate stood hidden beneath roots and moss.
Ancient seals covered its surface.
Without warning…
One of the seals trembled.
A fine crack spread across it.
A faint pulse echoed through the forest.
Not loud enough for human ears.
But every unseen creature hidden among the trees suddenly turned toward the same direction.
Toward the camp.
Toward Saeroyx.
