Chapter 1: Lost

The fog was so thick that the sunlight couldn't penetrate. I could feel the cold of the fog in every breath and through each layer of clothing, damp with moisture.

Since I entered this forest, I had been unable to find my way. To be honest, that scared me more than the thought of finding the monster hiding here. But it was my job, so there was no other way.

Hours passed and I saw nothing but fog and trees. Suddenly, a growl echoed. The moment I knew where the sound was coming from, its claws were about to cut me in half. Just barely. My sword was fast enough to strike back. But I was still thrown back.

It stared at me. A bear, or so it seemed. Its body was massive, overwhelming. Heavy breath exhaled black fog and drool dripping through its sharp teeth. Its red eyes glared at me as if it were devouring my body.

In a flash, it lunged at me. With the weight of its claws, I couldn't fight back and approach as usual. I had to keep my distance. But in front of me was a storm sweeping away everything in its path. There was no room to move. I tried to hold on to wait for an opportunity to escape it. Finally, I was cornered against a tree. With no way back, I put all my strength into one last blow. One of its hands was knocked away and I immediately slipped through the gap before it was crushed by the other hand. The tree fell down creating a large cloud of dust mixed with the fog? I quickly hid myself. The thing that made me lose my way was now incredibly useful.

To destroy an abomination, its core must be destroyed. But with its huge body, it was hard to tell. Perhaps a stab through the chest would be effective. So I needed a higher position, on a tree. It wasn't too hard to find a suitable spot. Now I am the hunter observing the prey. Lurking and waiting for it to come into my sights. But it takes a little trickery or it will lose track of me. I threw a dart soaked in my own blood to the ground. The bear roared and ran over, just as expected.

I lunged down with my sword clenched in my hand, plunging it through its chest. The bear roared, in pain and frenzy. It thrashed violently, enough to throw me away. I also wanted to cling to its back. I quickly jumped back and drew my sword. The monster writhed again and then fell silent. Its body dissolved into a black ooze of filth. That's usually how it goes, but not this time.

A roar echoed. A black fog surrounded the bear's body. I could see its flesh detach into strings and wrap around the bones like a puppet.

In front of me was no longer a whirlwind but a wild beast, hungry and thirsty, hiding in the fog. Its eyes seemed to want to devour its prey, but its body was still patiently waiting for an opportunity. It walked around me, slowly as if invisible. A shiver ran through my body that made me unable to blink. My breath seemed to be sucked out of me by it, making me suffocate.

Is this how it feels to be hunted? I whispered to myself.

A sudden gust of wind blew...

In the blink of an eye, it jumped on me. Still able to react, I jumped back. The ground was crushed immediately. Then it swung its sharp claws like just now. But their weight had increased many times over. Sparks flew each time they clashed with the blade. It stopped as I was pushed back. I turned and swung my sword in an arc. The monster retaliated with both hands. The blade and claws clashed again, sparking and echoing. I lowered myself and swung at its body. The monster retreated. I jumped up and lunged, slashing from shoulder to chest. Then I quickly approached from behind, delivering the finishing blow as before.

This time the monster fell, perhaps dissolving into the earth as a black ooze. To prevent it from mixing with the flow, I plunged a branch I had been carrying into the ooze. It sank into the ground and sucked them in. A white flower bloomed.

The task was complete. Now I needed to find a way out of here. Perhaps I needed to find a high place to get a good look at this forest. But with this dense fog, I couldn't see far. So I wandered around again. Fortunately, after more than an hour of walking, I met my savior.

The chaotic sounds of a battle caught my attention. In the distance, through the thick fog, glowing tails were "dancing" with three fox-like figures. I quickly approached and saw a fox girl being surrounded by foxes. Like the bear before, they were all abominations. What was going on? But first, I should help that girl, right?

In terms of size, the foxes were not much bigger than her, but they used their numbers to overwhelm her. Usually, abominations would not act in packs unless there was someone commanding them. So it was the hunters' job to act alone. The fox girl was struggling a bit, but not enough to require my intervention. Maybe she wasn't at her full strength yet.

Normally, foxes are already agile, but in front of me was a fox girl and these monster foxes, so the fight was quite interesting. The foxes surrounded the girl... and she rushed in to break up*.

It jumped back but was hit. It screamed and continued to back away. The other two rushed in but were immediately blocked by the tails. The fox girl approached again to finish them off. In a blink of an eye, her hand had pierced its chest, crushing the "heart" and then finishing off the other two. They were not afraid and still rushed at her madly. She used her tail to deliver a head-on blow. Then easily finished them off with her claws.

Before the last heart was crushed, a black shadow lunged at her from behind from a blind spot. It had been waiting for this opening when she was distracted for a moment. This was also the perfect time for me to appear. I took down the enemy, saved the girl, and became a hero. What a perfect script.

With incredible speed, I lunged in to finish off the prey before it touched the girl. I stood with my back to her in a very cool pose. Hehe. Maybe she'll be surprised. But I'm the one who should be surprised.

"Are you bored watching the play and want to be a hero again? Do you think I don't know I'm being stalked?"

She knew? Me and the fox? The hero saves the beauty plan is down the drain.

"Ha ha ha." I leaned against my hip and laughed. "Hero? This little thing can't be called a hero. You have a sense of humor."

"Look who's talking." Her voice was full of sarcasm.

"Alright. No more rambling. I have a few questions for you?"

"Why? Did you get lost from the theater troupe and want to find your way out?"

Then the girl turned her back and walked away, regardless of whether I answered or not. I could only follow her, not knowing if she was going to the edge of the forest or deeper.

"Yes. Oh no. It's true I'm lost but... never mind. I'm Kotaro, a hunter. Can you please help me out of here? This fog is so disorienting."

"Do you really need my help? If there's a way in, there must be a way out. Right, Kotaro?"

"I thought so too, but I've been walking for a long time and I can't find a way out. If you live here, you must know where it is, right?"

"Of course I know. But I can't be your guide anymore. Unlike you, I have a lot of other things to do."

"If you're done, can you help me then?"

"Haha. By then this fog will be gone."

"Gone?"

"Don't you see that this forest is unusual?"

"Unusual? You mean the number of abominations?"

"Yes. Because this forest is dying."

"Dying? The trees are still green. Oh no. Not the trees. Don't tell me..."

"That's right. An evil god came here and defiled the flow."

Evil gods. I had dreams about them. They were battles that seemed endless with the evil gods. If the flow creates life, then they are the embodiment of destruction. Even their breath brings death. And that war will burn the forests to ashes, the rivers to wastelands. On that battlefield, the air is so thick that even the trees wither. I don't know if it was a dream or some distant memory, as they have been repeating for years. Perhaps this is a good opportunity to clear that up.

"If that's the case, then I think I can be helpful."

"Oh," the girl replied.

"But I still don't know your name."

"Name? Oh. I'm Miwa."

We walked through the trails, as the fog had thinned. The trees here were bare but still alive. As if someone had stopped time for them.

The work she had mentioned was still to hunt down the remaining Abominations. The rest. Almost all the creatures here.

Finally we stopped before a torii gate and behind it was a thousand steps that stretched into infinity.

"We're about to meet the one who created the fog," Miwa said.

"What? It's not natural?"

The fog, or rather the barrier, almost covered the entire forest. Its range, as far as I can guess, extends for tens of miles. Even for an evil god*, this is extraordinary. But if she is an evil god, then that's not a big deal. Even so, the gap between them and hunters like me is still too big. Especially the ability to use the "flow". It's hard to understand how I could get here.

"But it's just a barrier. She can use the energy from the forest so it doesn't cost much energy. But to imprison that evil god, Ann hasn't been able to move for all that time."

"Imprison? Isn't that easier then?"

"Do you think an evil god is that easy to deal with? Even just approaching him, we've been "polluted" terribly. Unlike Abominations, the core of an evil god is not easy to touch."

"Even with her power?"

"Ann is just a guardian, how can she compare to him?"

"So you guys are trying to deal with the Abominations that were born when that "evil god" came here while Ann is imprisoning him?"

"That must be it," Miwa replied.

"But what then? Will Miwa create another fog around him?"

"Maybe. But to find out more, ask Ann. I just follow her instructions."

"I see."

After reaching the top of the steps, I saw a few people who had arrived before us. They all wore masks that covered the upper part of their faces. An owl, a wolf, and a cat. And the girl was sitting under the eaves with two deer horns. Somehow she was able to put the hood of her cloak over her horns.

"You can go," the girl said.

As soon as she finished speaking, the three of them disappeared as if melting into the fog.

"Looks like you're done now, Miwa?"

We walked back to where the three had been standing. From this distance I could clearly see her face, her chestnut hair falling down her back. The distant gaze of her light purple eyes, deep, sad, and angry.

"Yes. Thanks to this guy, I was able to do it very quickly. Right, Kotaro?"

"Oh-oh." I don't know why I felt confused when I looked into her eyes.

"I see." Then she turned to me. "Hello, Kotaro. I'm Ann, the guardian of the forest."

"H-happy to meet you."

Suddenly I felt scared. I answered but didn't look her straight in the eye. My intuition told me that if I looked at it, I would be swallowed up by it. My thoughts, my memories, and even my soul would fall into some deep place and be imprisoned forever. Maybe it was just a fleeting thought because of an unknown fear. I quickly pushed it aside to look at Ann, trying to avoid her eyes.

"You're a hunter, right? So what brought you here?"

Why? Isn't it to hunt Abominations? But my job was over after I took down that bear. That was the mission the hunters' guild gave me. I could have gone back. So am I here because of the fog? Or because of that evil god? Evil god. The thought terrified me.

The air seemed thick. I tried to exhale to avoid the stifling feeling. I realized that I was in a strange place and that the people around me were not human. Even though they were alive, I didn't know if their chests were beating or if there was a soul inhabiting that shell. I was lost from my world, lost from the familiar.

It was only a few short seconds, but it felt like hours had passed before I gave my answer.

"I accidentally got here and met Miwa. Then I heard about an evil god coming here."

"Evil god?" Ann looked at Miwa, who only replied with a naive smile*.

"Shouldn't I know?"

"No. It's just that I don't want to get you involved. Even though I know that evil gods have a lot in common with Abominations, with the ability of a hunter, I'm afraid it will be hard to stand up to them. I guess Miwa has made it clear too, right?"

"That's true, but..." But if he escapes, this whole land will be destroyed, like in that dream. "Is there no other way?"

"Of course. But do you want to try? Put your life on the line for a possible future." Ann smiled.

A possible future? The thought made me look into her eyes. They didn't move. At this point I realized that I had been seen through. Every thought was being pulled out of the deepest place, including those dreams. My lips seemed to be moving, but no words could come out.

"I understand." Ann said contentedly. "There is a spear that fell from the sky one hundred and twenty years ago. If you use it, you can kill him. But it will destroy you." Ann said in a whisper. "That's not the only way to get out of here, Kotaro."

It means waiting for it to end. Just wait, no need to swing the sword and then it will be over. No challenges and no fight with the evil god. Run away from the evil god to continue to endure the torment that those dreams bring.

"Let me show you the way."

The voice suddenly came up. I had heard it many times since I was a child. It always appeared when I was faced with choices. I had ignored it before and regretted it. Because that voice would lead to the best outcome.

"Can you tell me where it is?"

"Is that your answer?" Ann said, her voice as cold as frost. "But you should get some rest now. Miwa will take you there tomorrow." She looked at Miwa. "The rest is up to you."

"Just leave it to me." Miwa replied happily.

Then we left. After another hour of walking, we arrived.

"Ya~. Finally here." Miwa said, stretching.

It was a house built from the roots of large trees. It was only slightly larger than a normal room. Inside there was a small, slightly messy bed, a low table with jars of all kinds, and wooden shelves filled with all sorts of things that smelled of herbs.

"Is this your house?"

I asked Miwa. By now she had jumped onto the bed and curled up in her tails. The long day had left her exhausted.

"It's Ann's. Just make yourself at home." She replied in a bored tone.

"Oh, I see."

"Is that all? I think you still have a lot of questions."

"Haha. I guess I'll have to save them for tomorrow. After all, both you and I are exhausted."

"It's good that you understand that."

Miwa fell asleep.

I didn't think she would let a stranger into the house so easily. But then again, the house wasn't worth stealing. Of course, in the middle of the forest like this, there wouldn't be any thieves. But it was still privacy. I thought Miwa usually slept in an old tree stump, so she must have stayed here to watch me. And yet she slept so soundly. Was this a cultural difference? But it was also quite cute to see her like this.

I went to the corner, leaned against the wall, and took a nap. I hope I don't have any nightmares.