Chapter 4

Making his way through the forest Jade changes his destination, now to where Kayden acquires the fruit he gave him. 

"Can you really show me the way?"

The one leading the front is Kayden the Black Cat. 

"You can understand me, right?"

still being skeptical Jade asked again, and to his surprise, Kayden turned its head and nodded to him.

"You know, I never expected to find a guide in this forest, especially not one as mysterious as you."

Trying to have a conversation with Kayden he tries to talk more but the only response he receives is silence.

It can understand me but he can't talk, right? Is it unable or does not want to? because now I wouldn't be surprised if it can talk too.

"Can I trust you?"

Along the way, he still tried to engage in conversation but he only nodded to some questions.

"Alright, I'll trust you buddy!" Trusting in the silent guidance of his companion, Jade pressed on.

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***

As Jade and Kayden continue their journey through the Forbidden Forest, they pause for a moment to catch their breath but it's mostly Jade who needs rest.

"Are you not tired at all?"

he asked while panting

"Are we still far from our destination?" 

Feeling exhausted from hours of walking he demanded a few minutes of rest.

As he was resting, snapping twigs beneath his boots, he heard strange rustling noises. At first, he dismissed them as the sounds of the forest, but the rustling grew louder and closer.

"What's that loud rustling sound? it's like a hoard of animals making their way!" his voice contains a sense of panic.

"Hey!, can't you hear that?"

without much choice, he asked his companion the black cat he named Kayden but the one his asking for vanished.

"Hey!!!!!! Don't leave me behind!!!!!!"

he shouted 

Suddenly, a group of monsters emerged from the thick foliage. It's a monster that looks like a wolf but doubles the size of what he is familiar with.

"Am I going to die now!?"

Heart pounding, Jade stumbled backward, his mind racing for a plan of escape. 

"Just how many are they?!"

he once read from a book that wolves always Travel with a pack that usually numbers from 12 to 30. 

The wolves eyes glowed with an otherworldly light, and their jagged teeth glinted. They moved with an unsettling grace.

"I need to run! I need to survive"

Before the monsters surround him he decides to run.

Desperation fueled his actions as he dashed through the forest, branches whipping against his face.

The monsters pursued him relentlessly, their eerie howls echoing through the trees.

Not surprisingly, even with the help of adrenaline, there's no way he can outrun a pack of wolves, so not long enough he finds himself surrounded.

"What should I do!?"

"Is there any way to escape?" 

Heart pounding, Jade instinctively searched desperately for an escape route. But wherever he turned, more wolves seemed to materialize from the depths of the forest, encircling him with silent menace.

"Don't! ..... Don't come close!"

With trembling hands, he reached for a fallen branch nearby which could be used as a weapon but he knew deep down it would be futile against the fierce predators closing in.

"Is this it?!" Is my adventure end here?" 

Fear surged through Jade's veins, but he knew he couldn't beat or outrun the wolves in his weakened or even in his peak condition.

While Jade is in his frightened state.

The leader of the pack, a massive grayish-black wolf with a scarred muzzle, stepped forward, teeth bared in a menacing snarl. Its gaze locked onto the Jade, assessing him with predatory intensity.

"Is it being wary of me!?" 

Still being afraid and tense, Jade summoned his courage, standing tall in the face of impending doom. He met the gaze of the leader wolf betting on the chance that it would also be intimidated, which is close to impossible. 

"Dammmn 'it" 

Without him knowing, his eyes with the natural color of black are now shining with a golden hue. 

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****

At the same time, In a dimly lit cave, obscured by the heavy drapes of darkness, a large figure lay motionless. The cave was cloaked in an eerie silence, broken only by the occasional sound of water droplets.

The figure's eyelids fluttered open and a sudden surge of energy flooded throughout the cave. 

"So you've finally arrived" a faint murmur escaping its lips as it drifted on the cusp of consciousness.