Forest Shadow

"I can't see what I want to see,

I can't hear what I want to hear,

And I can't touch what I want to touch.

…or it was just a dream."

On that never-ending night, the girl just stood waiting for the light. The light came to pick her up. Bring her back to an only temporary night.

"Where's Rynn?" Faye woke up, and those were the first words she said this morning.

After she wear her black robe, she descended the stairs, into a room that was usually always busy in the morning, but no one was there. There was no sign of life in the kitchen, or in the magic workshop, where the door is still closed.

"This isn't a dream," she thought. Because, if this a dream, she wouldn't worry about her friends. If this is a dream, she chooses to stand waiting for the light. Waiting for her mother, who had left her for a long time. Waiting to be given a hug that she had forgotten how to feel.

Her mind was still not fully conscious, but she was reminded of the previous moment. Memories of the night, before she laid her body on the bed. A knight in black armor said he wanted to look for food in the city, a man in a blue suit said he wanted to observe the flowers in this forest, and a chatty girl shouted that she would do her job well. The sound was so loud it sent Rue flying into the woods.

"She should have done her job by now," she thought.

The girl opened the front door, the expanse of dense trees surrounding her house greeted her. The canopy of trees slowly opened, letting the light in to lead the girl into the depths of the forest.

Owl Forest. That's what the townspeople call this mysterious forest. The name is not beautiful and instead accentuates the horror. However, the girl does not care about it, as long as they don't disturb this forest.

A few steps after she left her house, an uncomfortable feeling immediately swept over her body, especially her chest. She immediately knew that something was wrong waiting for her. The direction is from the forest entrance. Feeling worried like a mother, the girl rushed to the source of her restlessness.

***

Smoke rose from the fire that burned the flesh of a Forest Wolf. Unlike beef or venison, the meat of a carnivore has a completely different taste and texture. Those who killed the wolf realized this.

The man with the wound on his left eye had the name, Demon Slayer. And the brother with the wound on the right cheek is named Dragon Slayer. They were both bounty hunters who were famous in the land of the flower meadow, Aruindale. Everyone pays them to kill, guard or threaten someone. Blood and death have become a natural thing in their work.

"Why does it take so long to cook!? I'm hungry!" whined another man in a fancy suit. His blonde hair looked slick and shiny because he always smeared it with hair oil since they entered the forest.

"Can't you be silent!? If you weren't the merchant who paid us, my sword will land on your neck," snapped the Demon Slayer, who was busy cleaning his blade which was stained with wolf blood.

Dragon Slayer is in charge of keeping an eye on the surroundings if another wolf or other beast arrives. "Mr. Rowley, you remember the deal, right? The pay is double after finding the treasure," he shouted.

Hearing about money, Rowley immediately got up full of emotions. "I didn't say double!"

"This forest is Forbidden Area. We are not only facing wolves but also the royal army, you know!"

"Don't forget that cases of missing persons and memory loss also occur in this forest. This task you have given is very risky," added Demon Slayer. "We don't want your payment to be incomparable to the risk."

"I understand!" said the merchant sulkily in front of almost cooked meat.

Instantly, the atmosphere turned gloomy, breaking up a riot between the bounty hunter brothers and the merchant. The air became as thin as a hair for the two brothers. Demon Slayer and Dragon Slayer instantly drew their swords and surrounded Rowley.

Only this time, they feel a bone-chilling sensation. An aura that made them uneasy, like being in the dark. Fear is the normal reaction at this time. Fear because don't know anything.

They also looked around. Wait for something to appear from behind the shadow of the forest that was impenetrable by sunlight.

A long, hand-like shadow shot through the ground, tying Rowley's legs tightly and pulling him. Rowley's hands tried to reach for anything nearby, then he managed to cling to a rock buried deep in the ground. "Help me! Pull me fast, you fools!" he shouted as the shadow tried to pull him away.

The two brothers just kept silent, staring at Rowley, who was increasingly unable to hold his body. Then the shadow tugged at him with such force that it ripped Rowley's fingernails off and left a trail of blood all over the ground. The merchant ended up being swallowed up in endless darkness.

Meanwhile, Dragon Slayer and Demon Slayer could only gulp and watch the horror unfolding before their eyes. They mounted their stances and pointed their swords in front. This time it wasn't a shadow. A blue-eyed girl walked up to them from behind the trees wearing a black robe with two long feathers on its hood that resembled an owl's head.

As the light revealed the hidden girl's face, the bodies of the two fighters stiffened unmovingly. Demon Slayer forced himself to lunge forward and thrust his sword at the girl. The same number of shadowy hands appeared from the girl's shadow, then warded off the attack and threw Demon Slayer's body into the tree.

While Dragon Slayer prepares his arrows, Demon Slayer gets up again and launches repeated, futile slashes. The girl managed to dodge everything with ease. Once again, the shadow hand blew away Demon Slayer. The girl was surprised when right in front of her an arrow appeared.

Suddenly, the girl disappeared, and the arrow stuck in a tree. Dragon Slayer's eyes widened when he saw his brother lying on the ground, but he didn't see the girl.

Before Dragon Slayer could react, a hand gripped his head. Black energy shot out of that hand and sipped into the Dragon Slayer's body, into his soul. Instantly his body could not be moved, as if not wanting to obey his orders. Dragon Slayer only sees the girl's expression which was cold as ice, but also deep as darkness itself. The mission to find a treasure ended.

A few days later, city guards on patrol found the two brothers unconscious in a meadow. When they asked, why they were in this place, they didn't remember a single thing that happened.

However, their criminal records were recorded in the archives, and they ended up in prison. When the head guard asked if there was more, his men said firmly, "That's all, sir. We didn't find anything else."