13 Danger in the forest (4)
They examine the place.
In front, is a tunnel that is pitch black, nothing can be seen.
Behind, is an empty space, that has no ground.
You miss a step and that is it, another fun falling experience to god-knows-where this time.
"Let's go."
As they step in front, the tunnel lights up of the firesticks on the walls, as if on command.
They watch their surroundings conscientiously and take each step with caution.
"Follow behind my steps." Ruthless looks up at Malbeno, her face all serious.
They cannot sense anything, which means that whatever that is hiding is way stronger than them, or that there is nothing at all, which both of them doubt so.
But Ruthless feels something calling to her, attracting her, her blood is boiling, like...magnets attracting each other.
Ruthless specialises in formations too, she will try to avoid the death doors.
She wants to survive.
Live.
In formations, there are the life door and death doors, you have to find out the life door to break or avoid the formation to activate. For now, she can only observe and calculate the life door, if they step on the death door, the formation can be activated and who knows what can be waiting for them?
Ruthless passes the kitten to Malbeno, she cannot have any distraction.
She and Malbeno work together, Malbeno observing and pointing wherever that is unusual while she will be calculating. Malbeno had learnt a bit about formations, but not too much.
"Creak"
Ruthless steps on something.
They stiffen their body, eyes, and senses wide alert sweeping around, in search of anything suspicious.
"Wshh" "Wshh" "Wshh"
Waves of arrows are coming at them in every direction.
The tips of the arrows glinted purple.
Poison.
Malbeno yanks Ruthless quickly and pushes a wall on his right, and both sink into it.
Malbeno has found that that that wall is not solid but he did not expect that it is another door, a life door.
This means that wherever they were going to step on just now unless they found this wall, they will definitely die under the arrows and the poison.
They look at their surroundings.
"This is an illusion."
Ruthless picks up a petal from the floor and sniffs.
"Indeed."
Malbeno frowns and observes the place.
They are in an illusion of a sakura forest.
Pink petals fall from their mother's arms.
"Dark Prince, if I am not wrong, this is an illusion in illusion. Soon, we will fall into another illusion, whoever wakes up first will have to wait for another. Agreed?"
The windless forest, strong fragrance, petals falling, all trees looking the same. She will need to take the best interest for her and survive.
"Agreed."
Just as he says, they fell into a slumber and both collapse on the ground.
The petals still falling...and falling.
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"Ruthless Lasombra."
A melodious voice rings beside her ears.
"Who?" Ruthless jerks around, her eyes wide in alarm, her hands reaching for her Silk, but the kitten, and Malbeno, nowhere to be seen.
A woman appears, translucent she is, as her face flickers and finally condense to a vague solid human state.
She has similar violet eyes but with silver hair, the corner of her left eye, is a birthmark, a red flower, hell flower.
She is naked, her body features are still flickering but on her back, between her shoulder blades, has another birthmark, blood butterfly, that prints on her pale skin, so lively, and seems to be trying to fly away.
"Blood Butterfly's strongest bloodline heir." The woman opens her lips, her voice, alluring, and sleepy.
"I am the founder of Southern Lasombra, and the last royalty during my time."
"I have waited for you long, but luckily, you have not failed me."
Yeah, real luck, woman.
----------------------
Malbeno gets up from the hard soil.
A sea of red.
Red flowers.
Malbeno rolls his eyes, seriously, flowers? Again?
But these look different, like hell flower, but is it?
"You, the intruder."
Malbeno looks up at the elderly who pops up from among the flowers, jabbing his fat finger at him.
"The old man has guarded this place for thousands and thousands of years, ever since the Great Slaughter."
"The old man has never seen another man, other than me."
"But intruders only have 2 roads to walk."
The old man sneers, pointing up 2 fingers.
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"Come and receive my powers,"
"come and undergo my torment."
"Come and Blood Butterfly shall rise to glory!"
She stretches her frail arm, long finger points at Ruthless's forehead.
Ruthless drops down on the floor in a sharp gasp, squeezing her head.
"White Jade Defence Movement 1... "
"Dream Beasts Illusions, Mental Power..."
"Holy Sakura Archery Movement 1..."
Knowledge pours into Ruthless's minds like a waterfall, neverending.
Each movement will torment her mind as she must have the strongest mentality to take the knowledge and wisdom as hers.
History forms a book in her sea of mind.
White Jade Tribe, Lord of Jades.
Dream Beasts Tribe, Lord of Illusions.
Holy Sakura Tribe, Lord of Archery and Flowers.
They are the most loyal tribes to Blood Butterfly.
These tribes have sworn the Blood Oath to the Blood Butterfly and theirs, --our blood is connected.
So the heir--I of Blood Butterfly can sense them.
And they will definitely help.
They can only help.
------------
"One, die."
"The other, receive my test."
"I will not die."
Malbeno's sapphire eyes narrow and with bloodlust.
The old man poofs and disappears immediately.
The red flowers turn into beasts, more than a thousand of ferocious beasts, leap onto Malbeno.
He takes out his dagger and starts killing.
------------------
Ruthless bites hard on her lips, her lips are already swollen and bleeding.
Her experiences have taught her, never make a sound, be silent, be quiet, calm is all you need.
Ruthless tries to push the pain down in her mind.
The sudden wisdom is attacking her brain and her intern.
Her organs, her blood, her mind, her brain.
Like thousands of ants with most painful bites chewing her.
Everywhere.
Agony.
Pain.
"Urgh." Ruthless finally let out a groan. But bit down harder and her nails digging deeper into the ground.
Leaving marks on the concrete.
------------------------------
The slaughtering is still going on.
The man weaves in and around the beasts, coming out with slashes and tears on his flesh, red droplets dripping like a pipe leaking.
However, some beasts are attacking their brethren.
Slowly, more and more beasts are attacking each other and the man finally gets to rest.
Malbeno sits against a tree, taking out bottles of pills, gulps the pills down without hesitation and closes his eyes to start recovery.
"Interesting," the old man mutters, scratching his long silvery beard as he glides toward Malbeno.
Malbeno continues to meditate, his injuries are already closing up.
The battle between the beasts are ending, a lion kills another lion, and they both die.
Pulling the war to an end.
Malbeno was taming them with his mental power, while he was killing.
He made the beasts that he tamed to kill the others.
"Young man, your mentality is very strong, you have passed my test and may receive this," The old man takes out a sword.
The sword is red.
Its aura is of bloodthirsty and hell-like.
It longs for blood.
And its name is Bloodlust.
---------------------
"My dear child."
The woman appears again after Ruthless feels peace in her body.
The torment has ended, she survived.
I have lived again. How wonderful it is, to breathe.
"You are my first descendent to bear this without dying or begging me to lessen the pain. I am very proud, Ruthless."
"Listen, Ruthless Lasombra, yes you shall be powerful, but fear the poison of love. Fear the drug of trust. Remember, my child, I have been here since my death and it is time to go. Remember..."
The woman disappears.
"Remember..."
"Remember..."
Her words seem to loiter in the empty room.
"So she is Beng Gong's ancestor... We will see... But I must find a way out first."
Ruthless walks around the empty room.
And found a carved blood butterfly on a wood.
Ruthless slices open her fingertip, blood drips on to the butterfly, filling up.
A blinding light shines, and no one is in the room.
"You are very late, Princess Ruthless."
Malbeno, with crossed legs on the floor, stands up slowly, patting his sleeves.
"My bad, Dark Prince." Ruthless beams, glad that she earned a lot.
"This illusion should break soon, now that we are both awake."
Ruthless speaks and just realised how hungry and thirsty she is.
As she spoke, they return to the tunnel.
The kitten already in the tunnel, arrows all over on the floor.
They walk upwards for around an hour and reach the campsite, they did not face any danger on the way. But have to bear with the thirst and hunger.
The tunnel leads right to the open space in front of the Crooked Forest.
They reach safety, or maybe not.
They grin at each other.
And fate will bring them further than this.
Little did they know...
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