Chapter 12: Dark Waters and Silent Knives
As Dagda stepped out from the bloody river, dripping wet, Aidan stared in disbelief.
How did he survive that? Fade rushed forward, wiping the blood splatters from his face.
"Dagda, are you okay? I thought... I thought you were..."
Dagda simply shook his head and muttered, "I'm fine. Let's move. We still need to find the Almighty Stones."
They began walking again, deeper into the strange forest.
The air smelled heavy, the leaves rustling in ways that made the skin crawl.
After a few moments of silence, Fade spoke up, his tone cautious.
"Aidan... why are you acting so aggressive? Almost... like a predator?"
Aidan glanced over, smirking slightly.
"Me? Just... enjoying the blood, I guess."
Dagda raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Fade frowned but shrugged it off.
Aidan continued, almost too casually, "Besides, money's involved. You know how it is."
"Money, huh?" Fade muttered.
---
Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest —
Luna, Muscle, and Pedro marched forward, each keeping an eye out for danger.
"Do you have Essentia?" Muscle asked Pedro.
Pedro blinked. "Essentia? What's that?"
"It's like... superpowers," Luna explained. "If you develop it, guilds will hunt you down to recruit you."
Pedro's eyes widened. "Whoa, that sounds awesome! But no... I don't have any."
As they talked, they stumbled upon a strange sight — a massive rock standing unnaturally in the middle of a clearing.
"This rock... feels wrong," Pedro said, circling it.
Luna studied it closely. "This isn't a normal rock. Something's inside."
Muscle cracked his knuckles. "If it's blocking our way, I'll just smash it."
He wound up a punch and slammed it against the rock.
Nothing. Not even a scratch.
Muscle cursed under his breath. Luna tried slashing with her Lunar Blade — again, no effect.
After minutes of pushing, pulling, and shouting, the three finally managed to topple the rock.
As it rolled aside, a glowing white stone floated gently at its center — an Almighty Stone.
Pedro gasped. "We... we actually found one!"
Muscle cheered. "One Almighty Stoooneeee!!" Luna allowed herself a small smile.
---
Back with Dagda's team —
"Three hours... and nothing," Fade muttered, frustrated.
"Calm down," Aidan said coolly. "We still have time."
Dagda remained silent, his instincts pulling him toward a strange tree nearby.
He narrowed his eyes.
"This tree... it smells wrong," he muttered.
The closer they got, the more the air grew foul — rotting and thick.
Fade covered his nose. "Maybe they hid a stone here?"
Aidan grinned. "Only one way to find out."
Without hesitation, Dagda swung his blood-stained axe, unleashing a powerful blow.
The tree cracked and crashed to the ground, revealing a small gleaming stone inside.
An Almighty Stone.
Fade and Aidan shouted in excitement, but Dagda simply stared at it, his instincts on high alert.
---
The hours dragged on. Seven hours of endless walking. Searching bushes, breaking trees, fighting off minor monsters — and yet, no more stones.
As night fell, Aidan finally suggested,
"We need to rest. We still have time. Let's not waste our strength."
Fade wrapped himself tightly in his blanket and fell asleep almost instantly.
Dagda lay on his back, staring up at the unfamiliar sky.
His eyelids grew heavy.
Sleep...
Maybe for just a second...
---
Suddenly, his senses screamed.
Danger.
Dagda's eyes snapped open. In the faint moonlight, he saw Aidan, crouching low, knife glinting in hand, moving silently toward Fade.
In an instant, Aidan noticed Dagda awake and slipped the knife behind his back, forcing a crooked smile.
"Couldn't sleep?" he said casually.
Dagda didn't answer. He just stared, his eyes cold and calculating.
"No," he said softly. "Sleep isn't coming tonight."
The two locked eyes — both smiling, both lying, both waiting.
The forest was silent, but the real hunt had just begun.