[Chapter 196] Halt!

I shiver slightly as I feel a tingling feeling in my head, so I quickly try to distract myself by thinking about other things. 'Okay so seeing scents was something that some people in my old world could do, I think it was called...synesthesia. It was a rare phenomenon that caused two different senses to somewhat combine and it was very useful to have if you planned on being an investigator. There are many different forms of it but one of the most useful was the combination of color and smell so you could see scents.'

I suddenly feel a wave of dizziness come over me and I stammer slightly, causing a yelp of shock to echo from the girls. The guards notice this and ideas begin to pop in their head, but one keeps looping in their head, 'Does he weaken when he creates something?'

Suddenly, a ray of hope appears in their minds as they feel they have a grasp on one of this mysterious foe's weaknesses. Having seen none so far, they bury this thought deep within their minds, locking it inside.

I fall onto the ground as I hear a panicked, "Sorry! I should of warned you!"

I shake my head as I slowly stand up, 'It's fine Sky, don't worry about it. Now let's see if it worked.'

I raise my head as my eyes go wide, surrounding me is all sorts of colors. Purple, black, orange, red, I see colored trails of mist softly floating before my eyes. But a large amount of red blocks my vision as I quickly realize the issue.

'Too many people were killed here, I need to leave this area.' I turn towards the group of shocked women as I point into the woods, "We need to leave this area, follow me."

The group don't utter a word as they follow behind, Soca still gently rubbing the dress as Lana jealously watches. We enter some brush as the red mist fades away, instead replaced by trails of different colors. I patiently wait for the group to enter the forest as I see Lana's mist color, a pale green color. I hold out my hand as I abruptly stop them, the brush they had pushed aside moments ago refilling the open space to block the opening's view.

"Don't move, give me a few moments as I try to find your tracks." I tell them as I leap into a tree above us, not giving them a moment to speak. I gaze across the forest floor as I leap from branch to branch, each one bending underneath my weight. I scan the entire forest floor as I continue to remind myself that scent's stay for 2-3 days, and since it didn't rain that makes it easier.

After about 10 minutes, I find the trail. A weak, pale green pathway weaving between ferns and bushes. I hop down and look around, quickly memorizing my surroundings.

I run back to where I left the group and see them casually standing around, Lana bugging Soca about the dress and the two guards leaning on trees, Amelia still wincing from her injuries.

As I enter the small little patch of greenery, everyone looks at me hopefully...except Amelia.

"I found the path, follow me."

I turn around and begin walking into the forest, each step taking me closer to the path. I hear the rustling of leaves and talking as the girls follow. After a few minutes, we enter the path and I turn right since the left leads to the opening.

I silently follow the path as I hear the chatter behind me. I listen in to their conversation as I focus on following the right path, a plethora of colors crossing the pale green path.

"So how are you going to deal with your mother? I don't think she will be very understanding." Lana asks.

"Princess Soca will probably be treated better because of the ambush attempt and since we have a...guest who's name we have yet to find out." Emily butts in, adding her own input.

"I hope so or else my life will be even worse than it is...what do you think his name is?" Soca asks as the hopelessness in her voice turns into curiosity.

"Let's ask!" Suggests Lana cheerfully as she tries to catch up to my side. I inwardly sigh as I let her, although I am tempted to just ignore her.

She smiles as she perkily walks up to my right, quickly fixing herself at my pace before asking, "So listen, we may not know eachother that well, but my name is Princess Lana of the Lodorn Kingdom and I would like to know your name."

I slightly turn my head before turning it back to the trail, "Divine Beast Kurayami."

'She wants to add her title, I have several so why not add one of mine?'

She has a smile on her face as she responds, "It's a pleasure to meet you Divine Beast Kurayami!"

"Indeed." I answer flatly, ending the conversation as I begin to focus on the trail more. The meats is slowly becoming weaker and intermingled with others so I have to focus on distinguishing it.

Lana slowly falls back as she gazes at the surprised faces of the other 3. A smirk forms as she cockily says, "All you had to do was ask kindly."

Never would they of thought that he would of answered if asked, he seemed very dominant in his place of power from their view. But their surprise turns into confusion swiftly.

"He said he's a Divine Beast. What is a Divine Beast?"

I smile underneath my mask, 'You will find out when the real war begins. So only be patient.'

I suddenly hear a rustling of trees as a voice yells out, "Halt! State your identity!"

I am caught off guard by the sudden voice, 'Seriously! I need this stealth skill they have!' I inwardly complain as I look at the group of girls, "I'm assuming they are your soldiers."