The Forest of Lost Faces

Caden watched from the carriage as the caravan approached closer to the foggy forest up ahead. He had been practicing his mana exercise the whole way. His 'Mana Caden' had grown far more detailed once he finally got the hang of his first spell. If it did wonders for his mana control, he wondered what it would do for Serana's already monstrous control. The boy shivered as he thought about it.

They had been traveling further south through the storm to reach to here, and he finally got to see a glimpse of the spooky forest. Tall oaks as far as the eye could see— which wasn't that far truthfully. Due to the ever present fog, the forest was perpetually blinded for any who wish to see further than a few meters in front of them. Caden had heard about many who had gotten lost, and eaten by the creatures inside. Or so the tales say. 'I guess we'll put those tales to the test, then.' He thought as the caravan got closer before stopping near the path leading into the forest to set up camp for the night.

It had already gotten late, so they decided they'd stay out here for now and make a go at it in the morning where at least some light will help them find their way further in through the fog. Though it was more likely just wishful thinking, as Caden got off the carriage and walked close to the forest's edge and looked inside. He couldn't see anything besides a few bushes, and tree stalks a few meters ahead as advertised. Only darkness. Only fog. The place was eerily silent as well, with only the soft rustling of the wind blowing through the leaves and bushes making any difference.

"I guess even most animals avoid this place since they can't see either." Caden found himself mumbling aloud.

"Or something else scared them away." Said a familiar voice behind him.

Caden turned to see Jon had stepped up beside him, staring out into the unsettling fog as well. "Lucian said he saw the shapeshifter in here once, but scared it away." Caden told him and turned back to watch the forest again.

"I wouldn't be surprised. I heard shapeshifters usually only go after stragglers, and weaker prey. A Wizard is the one kind of prey they wouldn't want to mess with. In that case, you should be safe then." Jon spoke reassuringly, patting Caden on the shoulder as the boy nodded gratefully. "Come on, let's head back to camp."

"Right."

As the two were about to head back, they saw Lucian start walking over to them. "Caden! You stay in camp, I'm going to go scout the camp's periphery inside the forest near here. Do not follow. Understood?" Lucian told him sternly, to which Caden nodded. "Good."

With that, Lucian stepped into the fog and vanished soon after, his soft steps fading from Caden's ears after a little while as he turned to head back to camp with Jon. Wondering if Lucian would actually find anything in there.

...

Lucian stepped further into the forest as he kept his senses alert. He gripped his staff tightly and walked forward, stretching his mana sense further than a mile in every direction as he began to walk around the perimeter of the forest closest to the camp. He hadn't seen anything, which is quite a common experience in this forest to begin with, but he hadn't seen any movements, or any traces of mana that he could spot. He walked along the side of the dirt path that lead further in, sometimes winding around a large boulder or hill, sometimes on the side of a cliff, and stepped further in until he reached the limits of where he'd scout for the night.

Looking around, the Wizard didn't see anything. He remembered that last time he entered these woods, he was actually much further in when something happened. So he didn't think there'd be a problem where he was now. Whether or not the shapeshifter was around, he was resolved to make sure it didn't stick around. Last time he scared it away, but this time, if it showed itself, he wanted to finish the job and make sure it didn't steal the face of any other poor sod who travels through here in the future.

Rustle.

He heard a soft rustling in the foliage behind him, quickly turning and lighting up his staff's gem with a spell, causing the fog in the immediate vicinity to recede back and reveal the area in greater detail. He scanned his eyes around but found nothing. Even his mana sense didn't spot anything. 'Surely the shapeshifter, If I'm not just hearing things, would be caught by my mana sense, right?' He frowned, deep in thought. After a few more minutes of searching with nothing to show for it, Lucian reluctantly decided it was nothing. He began to turn back and head to the camp, satisfied with his progress.

'At the very least, we'll make some initial progress through without anything going wrong.' He concluded, his tall frame vanishing back into the fog as he stepped in.

Little did he know, dark red eyes remained fixed on his back the whole way, before vanishing into the fog.

...

A dark shadow silently weaved through the undergrowth as it prowled the forest. It knew these woods intimately, stepping through as if it were a lover softly caressing it's mate's skin. It had become one with this place...being granted a huge gift the last time there was a strong trespasser. It hated trespassers. The only justice it could grant the forest was with their blood, their corpses becoming nutrients for the deep and ancient roots below...for the soul of the woods. And...if it did good by the forest, it could eat as well! It loved the look of fear on the faces of it's prey. It was...satisfying. All so...very, very satisfying... it couldn't stop itself. It had to have them. It must!

"yes...yes..." a barely audible whisper echoed through the surrounding trees, it's inhuman voice speaking in a language unheard for hundreds of years, begging, yearning! The dark shadow got excited, speeding up through the trees as it followed the path it was told to go by the wind rustled leaves. It had never seen such excitement from the forest before. It knew it must be famished...starving for rich blood. Something must be near that has what is needed. It was the forest's will, it would get what the forest needed. It would shed the chosen blood on every tree in the forest if it had to.

"don't worry...my sweet"...

...

Caden sat around the campfire with the guards. The rain had passed through finally, giving them some time to dry off around the fire's warmth and eat a good meal. Ajax was telling tales of his heroic deeds in the past with a huge flask of ale in his hand, while Jon spoke up to correct some of his embellishments when Ajax talked of stories he was actually involved in. Caden just smiled, taking in the jolly atmosphere as he bit at his food.

"And then!"—Ajax said, throwing his wooden flask to the ground in fervor— "I crushed the foul beast's skull in with these hands!" He yelled in triumph, flexing his muscles to prove his point with his chin raised and proud of his tale.

Jon scoffed. "Yeah right! I remember the big man here almost wetting himself as the Werewolf nearly bit his head off! If it weren't for my timely spear thrust, he probably would've had a much uglier face here today."

"Impossible! How could he get any uglier!" One of the guards said with a laugh as everyone as began to jeer at Ajax. The big man, for his credit, laughed alongside them before walking over and dunking the man's face into his bowl of soup, eliciting another round of laughter.

Caden was caught up in the atmosphere when he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning his head to look up as he saw Lucian standing there. "Lucian! Did you find anything in the forest?"

The Wizard shook his head, gesturing for the boy to follow him. Caden set his bowl down and stood up, grabbing his staff and making his way towards their tent following Lucian. "I didn't see anything...but that doesn't mean there's nothing in there. I have a feeling something may happen when we head in there tomorrow. Call it a hunch." Lucian said with a worried glint in his eyes. Caden nodded in thought.

"Well, you should be able to scare off anything that'll attack, or kill anything. You're a Wizard!"

"Even Wizards aren't omnipotent, and we can't be everywhere at once either. Whatever is in there is smart, and cautious. That makes it dangerous. Keep your staff with you at all times, and don't hesitate to use that ward spell if you feel something off." Lucian looked into his eyes sternly as he spoke.

"Don't worry, I'm eager to test out the spell on something real anyway!"

"Well don't be. Idiot." Lucian scowled and slapped the back of his head before stepping into the tent. Caden stood there shocked for a moment, then chuckled and followed him in.

"By the way, I want to learn an offensive spell now! I already have my bubble, now I just need something to hit my enemies with! Something like a fireball, or a lightning bolt!" Caden began to quickly list off a couple of flashy and cliché spells before Lucian held up a hand to halt the boy's mouth.

"Slow down. I've already decided what you'd learn. It's something you can use even without a staff, although I'd never advise it when you have one." He told him and began searching in his bag. Caden held his breath, watching Lucian's hand as if it were about to reach for treasure. His hand came out holding a tome and tossed it to Caden.

"Arcane Missile?" Caden asked, looking back up to Lucian.

"Indeed. Just like fireball, it's a spell that scales in size and power depending on how much mana you use. Not only is it simple, you won't risk burning everything down when you use it. It works well in all environments, including underwater, is great at range, and your bubble won't block it when you're inside it."

"You mean, if I had cast fireball from inside my bubble, it would've been blocked? But didn't you do that with that with fireball and that light barrier spell against the bandits back then?" Caden asked in confusion.

Lucian shook his head. "If you used fireball from inside your bubble, unless the tip of your staff is poking outside of it somehow, you would explode instead of your enemies. And what I used was a completely different type of barrier spell. It's much more complex, and out of your scope for now."

"Study the tome for now. When you've memorized it, we'll practice just like we did with the Lesser Arcane Ward spell. It's an even simpler spell than your bubble, so it shouldn't take as long to learn. I suppose if you're lucky, you could even have it by the time we make it to the mines. If not, then shortly after." Lucian told him and began to lay down to relax. "And get some sleep soon, you'll want to stay alert in the forest tomorrow."

"Alright. I'll just study it for a bit then." The boy said as he sat down on his side of the tent. Softly humming the basic light wave as his finger lit up faintly to give him some light to study the tome. 'After I learn this I'll be able to hold my own in a fight. My bubble for defense, and Arcane missiles to strike back. I'll be able to shoot dozens of these if I make them small like an arrow, or one huge missile that packs a solid punch to take out bigger enemies.' He thought with a grin. If there is a fight in the mines in the near future, he wanted to be able to do more than save his own skin.

'I can't wait.'