Trouble 8-part 2(Mutou Hikaru)

Hikaru's eyes bulged out.

The surroundings are changing, and there is a sudden drop in temperature.

Shiver raked down his spine, and goosebumps erupted all over his skin. The forest became as silent as the graveyard. Even the singing of birds and cicadas seemed to swallow by the chilling tranquility of the Dark Forest.

The wind breezed and carried a hint of dangerous and deadly feeling inside it. The eerie tension slowly became stagnant.

The area was enveloped in darkness, and red spots flickered one by one in every corner of the Dark Forest. The day turned to a night, and the sunlight which couldn't penetrate the forest's lush nature was shying away behind the countless gloomy clouds.

They both felt alerted at the unexpected emergence of the red spots. It resembled a pair of bloodshot predator eyes and shone brightly in the dark, eyeing them with malicious intent. Thin mist scattered and covered the place with whiteness as far as eyes could see.

Hikaru gulped down his saliva.

His sight is bleak and blurry. He cannot see beyond the thick mist. However, he could outline the silhouette of several humans that seemed to crawl out of the ground, and guttural noise rang across the forest.

From a distance, he heard rustling sounds. There are the sounds of footsteps drawing closer toward them amidst the countless dead leaves.

Screet.

Screet.

Screet.

The sound slowly approached them and gradually closed the gaps between them. They got even closer than he anticipated.

And, more foggy smoke resurfaced from within the earth. However, this fog is mixed with scarlet particles causing the place to be shrouded in crimson-like mist.

And right now, Hikaru is awkwardly standing in the middle of the crimson-like mist that sporadically dispersed in the air.

It would be a lie if he said he is unaffected by such sight.

Hikaru unconsciously tightened his arm around Ren's smaller stature. As if afraid that Ren might vanish from his embrace and he will be left alone in this place, and probably losing his mind while attempting to find a way out.

Hikaru's legs wobbled. Cold sweats drenched his back. He felt suffocated, and the uneasiness in his heart intensified.

Ren glanced at him. He saw Hikaru's trembling fingers but decided to say nothing.

Anyone who saw this kind of scene would certainly feel shocked. No, shock is an understatement. Anyone would feel terrified. Actually, Hikaru's reaction is a bit mild. He could stay composed despite the stimulating sight in front of him. He had a strong will alongside a strong body. Hmm, he had the quality to be a good bodyguard. Maybe, he could drag Hikaru with him if this kind of thing happens again in the future. Two is better than one, and at least someone could watch his back for him, and he will feel at ease.

Thus, for his better plan in the future, he shouldn't let this boy lose his rationality. No one could see it, but a layer of gold sheen surrounded them since the beginning. It had been diligently protected their wellness the moment they stepped into this forest.

Ren reached out his hand and poked Hikaru's cheek. The flesh was cold, and the boy trembled slightly as the warm sensation collided with his freezing skin.

Ren's finger is warm, and he seems to radiate a soft sheen of light. He pressed his palm onto Hikaru's icy cheek and transferred his spiritual energy to the boy's. The pale skin finally had enough color of blood.

Hikaru looked down, clearly in a dumbfounded state.

"What are you doing?" He asked. He felt the change in his body. The coldness was dispelled by the sudden warmness, and he knew Ren got his hand on it.

Ren blinked his eyes. He chuckled.

Their distance is much closer now and gives out an ambiguous feeling.

Their warm breaths intermingled. Hikaru could even smelt fresh citrus fragrance from Ren's body. He wondered whether this smell was the smell of shampoo or something else. If this is his body's natural scent, he could only say that Ren's scent is very pleasing.

And, due to their closeness, Hikaru could see the reflection of himself within the limpid eyes. The lush and thick eyelashes languidly fluttered like the fluttering of butterfly wings. Those silver orbs are shimmering with tenderness.

Hikaru had seen Ren's smile before, yet, his smile right now spread warmth and was more genuine.

"I thought you were too terrified that you turned silly." Ren blurted out his response.

Hikaru is speechless. Ren tried to reassure him. Right? He wanted to calm his nerve. Isn't it? Hikaru started to doubt his eyes. Where is the tenderness? He must be seeing the wrong thing! And is this really the right time to crack a joke? Their lives are in danger. This is an awful time to start a fight!

Ren patted Hikaru's arm that circled around his waist, signaling him to let go. He needed to move freely. If he stuck in his embrace, how could he protect the both of them?

Hikaru unashamedly had stuck his body to Ren like a sticky paste. Their position is weird. If someone saw them like this, they might have thought they were making out secretly.

Hikaru reluctantly released him. He took a single step backward.

"Sorry."

Ren dismissed his word and focused his attention on the thing in front of him.

"Miasma had corrupted the forest. Luckily, it didn't spread out outside the boundary, or we're in deep trouble."

"Miasma?"

"The terrible synergy of the human's negative feelings, the death's heavy grievances, and the vicious auras of evil spirits. If ordinary humans came in contact with the miasma, they either turned crazy, became bloodthirsty maniacs that promoted killing, or died. The miasma sucked out their souls, only leaving out the empty vessel to be possessed by evil spirits."

"Then, how are we're unaffected?"

Ren smugly smiled.

"Since you're with me. You should be grateful. Or what left, in the end, was only your piles of a dry corpse."

His playful smirk somehow irked him up. Hikaru didn't know whether he wanted to cry or to laugh in this situation. So, Hikaru covered his eyes and released an exasperated sigh.

"Okay. Thank you for your protection, you benevolent sir. Your heart is as big as the vast ocean." He bowed 45 degrees and lifted his head, eyes narrowing. "Satisfied?"

"A little bit." Ren nodded his head. "However, this is not the right time to do a roleplay. We're indeed in a dangerous situation. Had I known the situation was worst than this, I should prepare better. If we're not careful enough, we might not come out of the forest unscathed."

Hikaru looked at Ren's solemn expression. The playfulness inside his eyes had disappeared, and he looked serious.

"Really?"

"I'm not lying. The miasma is too thick. The escape route is blocked, and I only brought several protection talismans. I forgot about the attacking talisman. Initially, I only wanted to check. Not to provoke the things residing in the Black Forest. Who knows that they felt threatened by our sudden intrusion and decided to eat us instead."

"Your explanation is on point." Hikaru warily sweeps his gaze at his surroundings. He could finally see the actual appearance of the wandering shadows. "Are they zombies?"

The fleshes rotten, and the skins melted like ice cream. Their faces were disfigured beyond recognition. Some of the walking corpses lose their limbs. Some even had their internal organs dangle outside. The smell? Hikaru couldn't describe it. Even the dumpster's odor is better than this. He doesn't think he could eat properly for several days if he managed to survive this catastrophe.

"About the same. Those are ghouls." Ren nodded his head.

The inaudible clattering that came out from the corpses' throats resembled a buzzing sound. Hikaru tried to discern the sound. His face turned ugly as the words descended in his ears.

The incoherent words are actually only a sentence that is repeated like a broken record.

"Hungry. Smell nice. Want to eat."

Ren snickers.

"They said your smell is nice." He glanced at Hikaru's pale yet angry face. "What an honor to receive such praise."

Hikaru groaned.

"Can you stop joking? Our lives are on the line."

"Well, yeah. But, I never intended to be a food reserve for a group of mindless ghouls."

"Then, you had a way out?"

"A desperate situation requires a desperate measure. I only had several protection charms that rendered useless as a weapon. Hence, I could only resort to a terrible plan. Burn the ghouls away alongside the forest."

"Why would you burn the forest?!" Such a dumb blunder will definitely cause disturbance and panic later on.

"Do you think I could control the blazing fire? I'm sorry to disappoint you, my friend. I am an exorcist. Not a pyrokinesis!"

Hikaru exasperatedly sighed.

"Whatever. As long as I can escape this bunch of disgusting things, I will help you clean the mess later."

"To think you had a sense of propriety..." Ren seemed to mock him. However, Hikaru ignored it.

"Oh, come on! They're here. Do your job faster!" Hikaru pushed Ren. He didn't want to argue with Ren anymore. Next time, he will not be curious. He will ignore those dangerous temptations. As the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat. So, as the scalding cat, he better remember this as set it as a reminder. Don't attempt this stupid action again!

"Okay, fine. Don't rush me out." Ren's forehead was marred with multiple blank lines. His scalp is numb. The discomfort he felt intensified.

The hungry ghouls stuck at a distance of 15 meters from them. They cannot move forward due to the presence of an invisible barrier.

The ghouls angrily slammed and rammed their bodies onto the invisible barrier. They even pressed their disgusting faces on the hard surface and foolishly tried to gnaw it.

"Hungry..."

"Want...to eat..."

"...arggh#$%..."

Ren's nose scrunched in disgust. He felt that his body was defiled by those things. Layers of goosebumps violently awoke across his skin. Ren's barrier is connected to his soul. He evoked them by channeling out his spiritual power and realizing the imaginary wall inside his mind into reality. This is the faster way to generate a barrier, yet riskier than using a talisman.

Right now, he felt extremely uncomfortable. Those ghouls smeared some suspicious liquid, snort(?), blood, and their dripping salivas all across his barrier!

These creatures are clearly molesting him.

This is sexual harassment! You guys deserved to be incinerated to ash!