Cross was running full pelt as the sun rapidly fell in the sky. The long shadows played across the plains and he forced himself to move ever faster.

When Tian had been unable to find the correct words, Cross had dragged him to the old lady for an explanation with Shur tagging along. It had taken more time than Cross had liked, but finally he was able to get an explanation for what Shur had meant.

Earlier in the day Shur had seen men traveling along the edge of the forest. Curious, she had followed after them but stayed out of sight. They were carrying weapons and nets and had a Verlan guide, though one from another village. Shur had heard the guide talking about the forest elf and how dangerous she was. The men had laughed at that and spoken of a plan.

A plan.

Cross's legs burned but he didn't slow.

The old woman had tried to keep Cross from leaving, warning him that they would come in the night. Cross still didn't know what exactly they were that she had been trying to warn him about and he didn't have time to.

His breath came in ragged bursts as the forest finally came into view. Unable to keep his pace he came to a gradual stop, resting his hands on his knees and trying to calm his breathing. A pulse in his temple drew his attention and he snapped his head to the side.

He found a pair of red eyes staring at him.

"You must be what they warned me about," Cross spat as he returned to his full height.

In the dim light he could just make out its form. It was a bipedal creature, almost wolf-like in nature with its long snout and thick, black fur. Its arms were long and hung down almost to the ground. They ended in long, clawed fingers that curled over menacingly. It gave a low growl and took a step towards Cross.

"Right, then!" Cross let out a growl of his own and held his arms wide. "I really don't have time for you so let’s get this over with already!”

It roared out a challenge and lurched forward, swinging its great arms forward for momentum. Cross stood his ground as it came closer, his eyes closing halfway. The monster's arm came up and it swiped towards him, its serrated claws extended to rip through his flesh. Cross ducked under the attack and stepped forwards, thrusting up his arm into the beast's face. With a flick of his ring finger he discharged a flashbang directly between its eyes. It exploded with a brilliant display of light. The creature screamed in pain and jerked back a handful of steps before falling to its knees.

"You don't like the light," Cross mused to himself as he stalked forward and grabbed it by the head, his fingers finding purchase against the thick fur. “I see. You must be a nocturnal creature.”

Lexi’s knife appeared in his hand and he thrust it into the creature’s neck once, twice, three times, before wrenching the blade to the side. Blood burst from the wound and splashed against Cross’s chest, a few droplets reaching his face. Beneath him the creature spasmed, its arms uselessly thrashing about as it struggled to breath. With a grunt, Cross pushed it to the ground.

The beast’s cries grew fainter and fainter before subsiding completely. Among the silence Cross picked out a new noise. Closing his eyes, he tilted his head ever so slightly, his hands already loading in a fresh cartridge. He sucked in a harsh breath and held it. A tightness spread across his chest that only grew worse as he released the breath and flicked his eyes open.

He was met by a horde of red.

They moved around him with a chaotic rhythm, letting out howls and snarls as the bravest lunged towards him before quickly fading back. Reaching up slowly, Cross wiped away the blood on his face and a savage smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

“So, Nothing it is, then.”

Tired of waiting, one of the beast’s finally broke rank and tore towards Cross, its mouth open and fully intent on sinking its teeth into Cross’s exposed back.

It was dead before it could even process that it was in danger.

Spinning lightly on his feet, Cross allowed the predator’s open mouth to slide past him and chomp down on nothing but air. The blade in his hand spun around into a reverse grip and he slammed it down at the base of its skull.

It silently dropped to the ground.

Nothing.

Spurred into action, the others followed, lunging towards Cross in a chaotic mass of claws and teeth.

The knife hissed through the air and two died in an instant. A third followed suit as Cross thrust the knife into the creature’s head. As it fell, he ripped the knife free from the creature’s eye socket and ducked under a swipe before returning with a quick series of slashes to the attacker’s belly. As it brought its arms around to protect itself, he finished it off with a quick jab the throat.

Nothing.

Stepping back, he narrowly avoided a thoughtless charge. His foot lashed out and caught the creature’s knee, shattering the bone. As it dropped to the ground, Cross caught it by back of the neck. Tilting the head up, he slammed the knife into side of its neck and started to pull when another lunged towards him.

Cross turned his head and his vision filled with nothing but teeth as the monster bore down on him. Without blinking he lifted up his wrist and fired a flashbang directly into the creature’s throat. The small ball of light detonated on impact and the beast clawed at its neck, tearing its own flesh off in chunks as it struggled to relieve itself from the blistering pain.

The smell of burning flesh filled the air, mixing grotesquely with the coppery scent of fresh blood.

Turning back, Cross finished pulling the knife across the downed beast’s throat before spinning the blade around and slamming it between the eyes of the other. It died with its hands still at its neck, the once bright eyes quickly growing dull. Ripping the knife free with a fresh torrent of blood, Cross glanced around at the remaining beasts. They had grown wary and put a small amount of distance between themselves and Cross.

One made the barest hint of movement and Cross launched the knife at it. The blade struck it high in the chest. Strange. Its mouth opened in a scream, but Cross heard nothing. Regardless he ripped the knife free and finished it with a punch to the throat followed up by a quick stab between the ribs, piercing the heart. As it dropped to its knees in front of him, Cross caught it by the head. The blade spun lightly in his hand before he skewered it through the side of the head.

He held it there, aloft, and looked at the final few creatures that had begun to slowly back away, unwilling to turn their backs on him.

They were nothing. He would turn them to nothing.

Cross let out a soft laugh and tore the knife free with a large amount of blood and brain matter.

“Nothing.”

Though they could not understand him, the tone was more than enough to break their will. With a series of yelps, they began to retreat. The sight made Cross twitch and his hand tightened against the hilt of the knife.

His foot came up to give chase and a soft hand pressed against his cheek. He froze at her touch. Another hand came to press against his back and he was suddenly in a tight embrace. His muscles tensed and he tried to pull away, but she did not let him go

Teeth bared, he began to thrash, letting out a howl of frustration, but she only held him tighter, her grip steady and unyielding as she held him into place until his energy suddenly left him in a single breath. Slumping over, the knife slipped from his numb fingers and fell to the bloodied grass below. He did not hear it land.

The air drifted softly along the plains and carried the smell of blood and death with it.

The hand returned to his cheek. Her fingers against his flesh were cool, calming. When had he grown so hot? His skin was on fire. Something hot… it was dripping down his face. Oh, it was blood. Was it his blood? He tried to wipe it away, but it kept coming.

He was on his knees. It was so dark. Why couldn’t he see? Oh, wait, no, his eyes were closed. They were, weren’t they? It smelled like metal. No that was blood. So much blood. His hands, his body… he was covered in blood. It pooled all around him. Where…why…

“Cross.”

Sound abruptly returned to the world and Cross flinched.

He was falling.

A scream caught in his throat as his hands scrambled to find something to stop his descent, but there was nothing. Nothing but darkness. He was falling, falling, falling. Would he fall forever?

His body jolted as he crashed against the earth, but his head landed on something soft and warm. With a shaking hand he reached out, but there was no one there.

His eyes opened and he was alone, standing in the Verlan plains, surrounded by a mass of death. Bile rose up in his throat, but he choked it back down, one hand coming up to clutch at his chest as he stared at the bloodshed.

“Right, then.” He gave himself a rather violent shake and reached down, retrieving the knife. Wiping the blood off against his pants, he gave one final look at the carnage before tearing his eyes away and slowly began back on his way.

His body was heavy but he forced his legs to move, one step after another, until he finally worked his way back into a sprint.

He didn't stop again until he reached the safety of the forest. He had a feeling even if those creatures had wanted to, they couldn’t follow him here. Their domain was the Verlan plains. The forest. The forest belonged to Misa.

"Misa," Cross breathed the name softly as he came to a stop and glanced around the forest. With the sun almost completely down and any stray rays already being filtered out by the thick foliage he could only see a few feet in any given direction.

If that.

This fact was made abundantly clear when Cross turned his head and found himself nose to snout with an extremely large bear. Cross took an involuntary step back as the bear gave him a sniff. It seemed to be the bear he had first seen upon entering the forest. It was certainty large enough. He couldn't even begin to imagine how it had been able to sneak up on him like that.

The bear let out a huff and turned away from him. It took a few steps before it paused and looked over its shoulder at Cross. After a moment, Cross took a tentative step in the direction it was heading. The bear huffed again and continued to walk. With no better plan, Cross followed after it.

The bear moved silently through the forest and Cross did his best to mimic its stealth, keeping his body low and his footsteps light. It took only a short while for his eyes to begin to adjust to the darkness and his heart to settle. He felt a sense of comfort as the noises of the forest washed over him. The forest was never really silent.

Something was always alive here.

As the bear continued to lead him, Cross began to pick out sounds that he knew didn't belong.

Voices.

Harsh voices that cut through the night.

The clink of glasses.

The sound of a stone rubbing against a blade, honing the edge.

The enraged cry of a caged animal.

Cross could make out the light of a fire and the men sitting around it. A few were bloodied and tending to wounds, their faces split with grimaces. Others drank happily and stared down at their capture.

Misa.

Cross's fingers curled into fists as he started at her in the flicking light of the fire.

Her face was blooded and scratches and cuts marred her body. They had bound her hands and feet with thick chains of iron. Around her arms and legs they had wrapped rope, binding her limbs in place so she was unable to move at all. A gag had been hit over her mouth, though she struggled against it, letting out growls and cries that only served to amuse them.

One of the men grabbed a length of chain that was wrapped tightly around her neck and gave it a hard tug, pulling her roughly across the ground. She let out a hiss of pain as her knees scraped helplessly against the forest floor.

They had leashed her like an animal.

Cross bared his teeth and started towards them, but the bear stopped him with a turn of his head. Cross nearly shouted at it in frustration but held his tongue at the last moment. The bear fixed its eyes on him and Cross froze. The bear made no noise as it stared at Cross, but he understood. Slowly, he unclenched his fists and gave a silent nod. The bear gave him a final look before it lumbered towards the campsite.

As it went, the forest came alive with movement. Cross did not flinch as a wolf, then another and another, walked past him, their fur brushing against his arms as they joined in the march. More and more inhabitants appeared, seemingly appearing from the darkness. Their numbers grew until they stood in a massive circle, completely surrounding the camp.

Cross's mouth set in a grim line as the wolves let out a howl and the bear roared. There would be only one outcome from this point.

The screams of the hunters died out almost as soon as they began. Unprepared and overconfident, they did not even have a chance to fight back.

As the slaughter came to an end, Cross slowly made his way into the campsite. The smell of blood was fresh, but save for a few stains, the only signs that humans had even been there was the still burning fire and the equipment that had been left behind. There were no bodies to be found and Cross doubted there ever would be.

He felt no sorrow for the death of the hunters. He knew well that there was a rule that this forest followed. One that Cross had seen firsthand during the many rainy days he had spent staring out into the woods.

Above all else, the forest protected its own, and these men had incurred its wrath the moment they had harmed Misa.

The animals allowed him to pass as he made his way to Misa. Dropping down to one knee, he quickly removed the leash from her neck and the gag from her mouth. She remained silent as he did so, her eyes slowly traveling over the animals that stared at her, until she finally landed on the bear. The two gazed at each other for what seemed like an eternity until Misa finally gave the smallest of nods. The bear huffed before turning away. The others followed after and soon Cross and Misa were left alone by the dying fire. Cross worked off the rest of her restraints and helped her to her feet, keeping an arm around her waist as she struggled to keep her balance.

Through the progress was slow and the journey felt long, Cross managed to work them back to Misa’s tree. Almost as soon as they made their way inside, the two collapsed to the ground. Beside him, he felt Misa began to move and for a moment Cross worried Misa would attempt to grow something to sleep on, but the girl was far too exhausted and was only pushing herself up against the wall. Following her lead, Cross did the same. Letting out a soft sigh, he began to close his eyes only to hear Misa begin to speak.

"The forest has grown strong. I've known that for a long time," Misa said softly. She was managing to stay in an upright position, but she teetered precariously. "I did not wish to admit that to myself. I feared what it would mean. In doing so… I lost sight of my true purpose."

"What do you mean?" Cross shook his head. "You've kept this forest safe."

"Perhaps…" Misa took in a sharp breath as a crack appeared in her cool facade. "Perhaps too safe. I have done all that I can to keep the Spirit of the forest from ever having to protect itself. Unlike my mother who allowed those she deemed worthy to pass; I blindly forced any who dared enter away. I could not bear to think what may happen should I see it. Should I truly see how strong the forest had become. How…how it no longer needs me."

She listed to the side. Cross reached out and caught her gently by the shoulder. He pushed her back into a sitting position.

"The Spirit of the forest has grown strong." Her emerald eyes glistened with unshed tears as she spoke. The waver in her throat betrayed the pride in her voice. "It no longer needs my protection."

"What will you do?"

"I do not know. Though this forest is my home….I…"

"You're alone," Cross said softly.

"I am alone," Misa nodded as she stared down blankly. A few tears broke free from her lashes and crashed silently against the floor. “I am completely alone, Cross. I have been alone for so long.”

"You know," Cross slid down the wall a few inches and shifted into a more comfortable position. "I was alone, once."

Misa lifted her head and looked at him.

"Actually, where I’m from, most of the people used to be alone, in one way or another. Some of us are orphans or runaways. Others outcasts and misfits. Some are just looking for their place in life." A small smile formed on Cross's face. "But together, we're not alone anymore."

"Your guild."

"My family."

"Family," the word was soft on Misa's lips.

"Family," Cross said as he glanced at Misa. "One that you could be part of."

Misa didn't reply and the room went silent. After a moment, Cross heard the sound of gentle breathing and realized she had fallen asleep. He almost laughed but the action would have taken far too much effort. Instead, he carefully reached out and pushed Misa down onto her side before he too gave into his exhaustion.