Back to square one

"Where are you going?" Simeon asked Kaz, who after a few minutes of waiting in the cave, suddenly stood up and started to walk outside.

"Staying in here is not working. I think waiting outside is better. I want to know when she comes back. That is if she comes back." Kaz muttered the last part bitterly, frowning, not happy with the fact that Luviel just let her go and wasn't trying to find her.

He had initially stopped walking to answer the question. But as soon as he did, he resumed his journey toward the exit.

"Stop being extra, Kaz. We can hear and know when she returns. If not for our weak nature right now, we can even pinpoint her location from here." Simeon uttered again, almost rolling his eyes.

"I don't only want to hear her. I want to see her when she returns." Kaz paused his steps after saying this, turned to Simeon with great annoyance plastered on his face, and whisper-yelled, "If you two don't care, I do." The second he finished saying that, he turned back toward the exit and stepped out into the open.

Simeon let out a sigh. He glanced at Luviel's sleeping place, knowing that although he wasn't saying anything, he was well aware of everything going on and could hear even the slightest sounds.

Running his fingers through his brown hair, he pushed himself up from the floor and headed outside to meet Kaz.

***

It's already been like an hour but Miranda had still not found a way out of the forest. Her worry heightened, regret set in and she beat herself up internally for not listening when that voice was trying to stop her from reading those words written in the book.

She already suspected it was witchcraft. Why the hell did she not listen? Now see the mess she had gotten herself into. How is she supposed to get out?

She had drastically slowed her steps, having gotten far away from that monster, but the forest seemed like a never-ending one.

A few more minutes of walking, and her feet came to a halt when she sighted something — a semi-circular structure built with stones.

She didn't get a close look at the one she was running away from, and she couldn't see an entrance to this one, which probably was on the other side.

But the fact that it was built with stone triggered a warning bell in her head. This time, without a moment's hesitation, she took a step back, being careful not to make too much sound with her feet. If this wasn't the place she was running away from, then who knew what monster was buried there, waiting for her to arrive so it could feed on her?

The moment she turned around to walk away, her heart caught in her throat as she came face to face with one of the guys she saw at the previous stone structure — the black-haired one.

"Oh my God!" Miranda exclaimed, her heart pounding inside her chest.

"Relax, sister. Calm down." Kaz tried to talk to her, but she wasn't listening, and neither was she ready to. She turned away instantly to follow the next path only to find the second one there.

"No, please! Don't hurt me! I swear I'll leave your forest. I don't even know how I came here but I promise I'll leave." Miranda brought her palms together in front of her as if in prayer mode, pleading as tears began to well up in her eyes. This was becoming too real and serious and the image of how she would die there was already being painted in her mind.

"We are not going to hurt you. Please just stay calm so that we can talk." Simeon assured her.

"And do not cry, I beg of you. You are a leader, and a leader should not cry in front of her subjects. Also, as your brother, your tears make my heart weary." Kaz added, making Simeon slap his forehead internally.

"Kaz," Simeon called his name for attention, and when the latter responded, he shot him a glare. "Shut. Your. Mouth."

"Why?" Kaz queried.

"Because you are making matters more complicated. Let me handle this." Simeon gave a response that Kaz refused to counter even though he wasn't happy with it.

It was obvious that the person he was talking to did not recognize them, a fact that hurt him even more than their imprisonment.

Miranda glanced from Simeon to Kaz, wondering what they were talking about. And why was he calling her his sister?

Looking closely at their faces, she couldn't believe people as good-looking as them were real. More and more, she kept having reasons to believe she was dreaming all this because how the hell does a man look so good?

The entire story changed, however, when her gaze drifted downwards to their tattered clothes. Who looks this good and decides to dress like this? It wasn't making any sense. None of it was.

"Hello, Miss, my name is Simeon Chaser, and this is Kaz Eranus." Simeon introduced, summoning his best smile. "I know you are confused right now, but I assure you there is no reason for you to be afraid. We do not have any intention to hurt you. I will appreciate it if you relax and talk to me about how you made it to this place."

"I swear, I didn't mean to intrude," Miranda uttered, taking a sideways step so she could escape should they try to attack her.

"I know. I never said you were intruding." Simeon sighed, noticing how her eyes were darting around as if she were searching for a way to escape. "Listen, even if we let you run away again, you will still end up here. There is no escape from this forest. We have been trapped here for years. so if you can tell us how you came in, maybe we can find a way to get out." Simeon explained with a calm voice, and Miranda broke down in tears, much to the confusion of Simeon and Kaz.