Khael Forest

The remaining enemies saw this. Stunned, they could not believe what had happened. They were stuck looking at their beheaded leader. After a few moments of silence in absorbing the situation, others screamed and ran away. While a young man with a death glare in his eyes pushed himself toward Liam holding a knife to stab him, but he did not reach him. Instead, the young man was struck by Hansel's arrow. The boy whimpered in pain as he slowly lost consciousness.

They defeated the attackers. The carriage stopped, Alfred did a good job protecting their goods, and Hansel supported Liam. With that, Liam teleported near the carriage and glanced at the lifeless men at the back.

'That happened fast. I can already control my movements. I can get the hang of these skills and magic if I practice.' Liam thought.

Liam immediately hopped in the carriage. That was a gruesome death, and he was the killer. But If he did not kill those men, they'll be the lifeless ones.

He swallowed what happened like it was some bitter alcohol. He looked at the two, Alfred focused on holding the rein, and Hansel was already sleeping.

"You guys are used to that?" He asked while cleaning his dagger with a cloth.

"Aren't the same to you?" Alfred throws the question.

"That was my first time." Alfred could not help but look at Liam while he continued to safeguard their travel with this reply.

"Your moves were outstanding," Alfred replied. He paused for a few seconds before continuing, "You seemed to be an expert at assassination mate. You can kill all those thieves by yourself."

"Thieves?" Liam looked at him seriously with a knitted eyebrow.

"On the other hand, those people are easy to kill." Hansel joined the conversation, eyes closed but with a severe tone.

Liam has something in mind but does not want to say it.

"They are bezspecigs." Hansel continued.

Bezspecigs – These are people who were not blessed by Time. They don't have magic. Most of them become thieves and assassins, and few are labor workers.

"Those magic arrows they used to shoot us were weaker because they only used Pil," Alfred added.

Pil – an artifact invented by an unknown wizard. It has a limited count of magic arrows. Once drained, it can be recharged using the blood of Iryum. There is only a total number of twenty Pil in the world. This artifact is illegal.

Iryum – A giant bird with a large amount of vesma. It has four shining pink wings. Yellow body and a blue line to its neck reaching its back. A glowing light that seems to be a crystal is engrained on its neck. With its physical appearance, it is thought to be one of the noblest birds in the world. It isn't very nice when it spots another member of its clan because it's self-centered. Therefore, they are rare.

Liam did not ask any more questions, guessing from this topic. It only means the ones he killed were powerless.

"You're clueless about this, huh?" Alfred asked as he chuckled.

Liam ignored him and closed his eyes for a moment. He doesn't want to be bothered anymore. Weird scenarios run through his mind; it's draining to think about.

Liam opened his eyes and decided to remove the pauldron from his body. He placed it in between him and Alfred.

'This armor is just making me more suffocated. It does not suit me at all.' He thought as he carefully removed the breastplate, fauld, gauntlet, greave, and poleyn. He then tossed it inside the carriage and accidentally hit Hansel's head. Liam was also shocked by what he did. Hansel got up from his peaceful sleep with blood dripping from his head.

Hansel looked like it was customary to him. He touched his forehead and saw the blood from his hands. His eyes widened. However, in an instant, he goes back to sleep.

"s-sorry," Liam apologizes with a shaky voice. He did not mean to hit him.

"Don't worry mate; my brother doesn't care." Alfred insisted.

They hadn't even left the Southland when a group of girls popped out of the forest.

When they saw this, they were surrounded by girls riding on broomsticks, creepy creatures, and even big birds. One girl flew above the carriage and sniffed the roof of it. The other girls cast magic. So, when Liam tried to teleport to attack them, he only tripped down the carriage.

"We have visitors!" The girl shouted hysterically. It was as if these words were a blessing to them. All the girls proudly laugh their hearts out.

The girl above the carriage cast and blew fire magic above. It was a signal! To capture Liam and the twins.

Liam and Alfred were dumbstruck because, in an instant, the fire magic became chains that bound them against their will. Liam resisted the binding spell, but his body was burned. He regretted removing his armor.

Hansel, still sleeping inside the carriage, was also in fire chains.

"I have honestly forgotten about the Khael Forest." Alfred sighed in disappointment.

'What a comedy. I can't even free myself from these chains! Why are these events piling up when I arrive in this world?" Liam thought.

Being powerless, they were dragged inside the forest. Hansel is confused; Alfred cannot control his emotion if he's happy because entering the Khael forest means you are brave, but this might be the last of his day. Liam became listless, still trying to get this situation inside his head.

Khael Forest

The three guys were then transported to what seemed like a medieval castle. They couldn't see the whole way when they entered the forest because the fire chains completely overwhelmed their entire body, blocking every skin and sight to see—but leaving them a little space to breathe. Its sole purpose was to block their view.

When they realized they were inside a room, there were no windows or doors.

Hansel looked like he was about to be more depressed, but when he glanced at Alfred, who was quietly thinking. His facial reaction changed from a scaredy-cat to a brave young man.

The three quietly observed the whole space, thinking about how they got in and how will they escape from this direful situation.

"The witches smell Hansel's blood; that's why we're here," Alfred elaborated calmly.

"Don't tell me they'll eat us?" Liam asked with a surprisingly arrogant tone.

"I'm not sure. This is my first time here. According to rumors, no person could leave once they enter the Khael forest." Alfred continued.

'Wow! How come this guy is more relaxed than I am?' Liam thought.

'Since it's because of Hansel's blood, most likely it's my fault why we're here. If I hadn't removed the armor or carefully placed it inside the carriage, I wouldn't have accidentally scratched Hansel's forehead. Still, it already happened. We must find a way out here; thinking about my mistake will only slow me down.'

With these thoughts of Liam, he tried to remove the fire chains.

"Can you try replacing the vesma of the fire chains using yours? I think It'll work." Alfred suggested whispering to Liam.

"Or try to change the element of the fire chain," Hansel added.

"Can't you guys do it?" Liam snorted.

"Listen, mate; we aren't as powerful as you." Alfred pouted angrily.

Hansel just blinked his eyes, looking depressed.

'Did I just get myself useless subordinates during this moment?' Liam thought as he tried to use his powers.

'how do you even get your vesma to flow through these chains? I can't feel the same feeling I felt when I killed the man last time.' Liam focused more.

"This is difficult. I'm seriously not in the mood. I can't feel the power I used when I moved last time."

"Seriouslyyy, there's no such thing as 'mood,' mate. We don't know what will happen if we let this chance slip." Alfred exclaimed.

"I'll try to use my magic too," Alfred added. Hansel copied his brother.

Using their magic, they felt exhausted, and it seemed like they were stuck in the room for days.

Their bodies are burned, and their clothes are tattered. Using magic was painful. They want to stop, yet they can't. The fear of them being eaten or tortured by witches was the last thing they wanted. That'll be a nightmare they can never erase from their minds.

Suddenly, Words were visibly written on the walls, flooring, and ceiling. The words were written in light magic. The whole room was filled with enormous vesma.

The room, made of rocks, was dismantled orderly, and another witch appeared in front of the three.

'sensing from her vesma, she must be the queen of witches.' Alfred thought.

The woman in front of them raised her eyebrows. She was indicating the fire chains to disperse from their bodies slowly.

The three were severely burned, and their skins were red and bleeding. A few parts of their body became numb, they were sweating, and their lips were pale.

"Bring me the boy." The woman ordered the witches from the back. The girl urged Hansel to stand up and guided him to walk forward and approach the woman.

The witch looks like she is in her mid-twenties; the words "beautiful, proud, and powerful" describe her appearance—a dominant queen.

Hansel's body stiffened. The woman's vesma was comparable to when he first met Liam. Yet before he could say a word, the woman bit his neck. Hansel screamed in pain. Everyone was silent. The witches at the back looked satisfied with what was happening. On the other hand, Liam and Alfred started to freak out when they witnessed such scenes.

'I did not know witches are vampires!' This Idea came from Liam.

After the woman drank a few of Hansel's blood, her skin glowed, and she looked younger. Hansel felt dizzy and fell to his knees.

The woman laughed maniacally. She looked at the three with scornful eyes. "Locked them up! Rare blood is a rare catch." She ordered the other witches, and they all followed.