CHAPTER 4

It has been more than half an hour since he first started running, and Gunn had an inkling that he was nowhere near where he was supposed to be heading. For all he knew, he could be circling around the Misty Forest on the same exact quandrant and he wouldnt even have the slightest idea.

How could he? There was no one there to help him figure things out. There was no one there other than himself to compare notes with. He had lost Uobe to the fog from the get go and the green fairy that was supposed to be guiding him was nowhere to be found. The odds were stacked against him even right before the great marathon started. And at the rate that he was going, Gunn might not be able to reach the Sanctuary of Spirits on time.

'Did they lie about the fairies? Is there a twist to this?'

Actually, there was no special twist. The Ladder Guides didnt say anything untruthful. Not at all. The task was straight forward. It just so happen that Gunn's integration rate to the Seed of Eiya was very weak to begin with. He was the one who was not ready. And the weaker the seed integration to the host, the lower the chances of seeing the fairies too. Plain and simple.

It cant be helped. Gunn didnt have the slightest idea that the Seed was already there, implanted inside of him the moment he marched out of the Narrow Gap. He honestly thought that it would be bestowed to them individually through a different medium. Like say an elaborate ritual of some sort. Obviously, he got that part wrong

And although he did get some parts right about the Gap allowing people to get a free pass if they carry the right amount of lucis inside of them, Gunn didnt account for the Seed integration on the equation. Again, how else would he know? Only the Administrator and a select few of the Ladder Guides were exposed to this truth. The fact that Gunn made it out of the Narrow Gap and managed to obtain the Seed, albeit through trickery, was already a miracle in itself. Sad news was, his trickery was now coming back to bite him in the ass.

Supposedly, the fog which was rich in concentrated micro lucis were there to help speed up the integration process of the Seed to its host. The participants need only to inhale the 'nutrients' as they run along, and that should do it. It should supply nourishment to the seed that was embedded to their lucis core over time.

Unfortunately, most individuals were not readily as adaptable and as gifted like some. Only a lucky few who were gifted enough were able to integrate with the Seed long before the fogging even started. These exceptional few managed to synchronize perfectly and adapt to the Seed the instant that they emerged out of the Narrow Gap. It would be of no surprise if they'd be breezing through the Misty Forest trail and arrive way ahead of the others at the finish line. They have all the advantages. Except of course if they were too dumb to follow the fairy or get hindered by something else. Because remember... the roads laid down on Eiyas Ladder were never straight. Every brick poses a threat.

"Someone...Please...Help me! Aaghh!"

Every other minute, Gunn would hear screams like that from here and there and all over.

One minute, he would hear some of them running, and then the next, he'd hear them being tackled by something really big. And everytime he'd hear someone scream right after, it made Gunn twice as anxious and unsure of his safety.

Gunn actually wanted to confront his fear. But since he had no idea know who his enemies were and how they looked like, he decided to just dodge these 'snatchers' in the fog like the plague that they were. He simply ran as fast as he possibly could.

'But where to exactly?'.

That was Gunn's biggest problem. Yes, he could probably outrun whatever monster this thick fog was harboring. However, he was also burning his stamina for nothing. Wandering aimlessly was obviously not a plan. He'd like to very much stop wasting energy. However, he was too afraid about getting snatched by these hidden monsters lurking behind this sea of mysterious white cloud. He was not about to have himself eliminated by this game of tag in the fog because that would be too pathetic.

And just when he was trying his hardest to stay the fuck out of harms way, suddenly, there was this rift that formed through the thick fog. And from that rift out came a huge hand covered in thick black fur. It tried to grab Gunn's right hand but luckily it missed. Gunn was quick to withdrew and immediately remove his presence.

Instinct told him to run faster with twice the speed, which he did. However, that thing that was hiding behind the fog was just as fast. And everytime it got close to where he was, it repeatedly went for his right wrist, jabbing and forming small pockets of visible holes in the air.

'Why only my right wrist though?' Gunn thought while busily dodging the grotesque hand that was darting in and out of the white cloud.

This thing, whatever it was that was chasing him was relentless. 'What's it in my right wrist that got this monster so hyped up?'

And then, while catching air mid-breath, it came to Gunn; he realized what was there on his right wrist all along--- it was the bracelet!

'So this is how they reduce the candidates, huh? By force eviction? Pfft! Sneaky assholes!'

Unbeknownst to the participants, the bracelet was purposely rigged with glazga shards. A type of rock mineral that was considered a delicacy to one of the most ferocious dwellers of the Misty Forest; the Eskorgas. A primate variant that were twice as big as the normal Silver Back. They have bristle like textured furs with tusk protruding from their lower jaws which specializes in crushing rock minerals.

To the Ladder Guides, this leg of the test was meant to temper the participants adaptability. And whether the hero wannabes were ready or not, they had to grow up fast. To be booted out voluntarily or forcedfully, it would be purely up to the participants. Those who would not be able to see the fairies before dusk would surely perish.

Surviving the Misty Forest test should be easy enough. For starters, if you find yourself fairyless at the beginning of the race, give yourself up and just break your emergency bracelet right off. As a realist, one would be better off teleported back to Adarna alive than find oneself fitted inside of a body bag. But for those who were crazy enough, fighting the Eskorgas could be a viable option too. Be sure to win though every single fight because the Eskorgas work in groups. The moment you beat one, five more would be coming back to hunt you. And the crazy part about the Eskorgas was their pack mentality; they will never leave you alone until they exact revenge for their fallen comrades. These beasts will only stop once they have reduced their enemies to a pulp, and that was just that. So, you've best come prepared.

Right now though, Gunn was trying to pull off a maneouver that doesnt involved any of that. What he was doing at the moment involved a lot of dodging and evading. He was trying his mightiest to lose the motherfuckers off of his tail until he reaches the Sactuary of Spirits. However, without his fairy, it wouldnt be long before he would wear himself out then lose his bracelet eventually.

'I need somewhere safe where I can wait and figure things out.'

Gunn continued to run like mad for a few more hours and somehow, as he was moving farther away, the screams have suddenly lessened. Which was good because no screaming means no hidden monsters around or at least that was the idea.

After twenty minutes of more mad running, Gunn had finally decided to call it quits. His stamina have ran out and there was no way he could continue his madness. He needed to recoup. And this crack underneath this boulder where he stopped by was just what he needed. It was wide enough for him to fit in and deep enough for him to bury himself in. It would be hard for anyone to try and scoop him out.

Four hours was long enough to recoup. So, Gunn decided to get back up and started running again. However, there was something odd about the fog. It was somehow not as thick and he could see better regardless. "But still no fairy." he said disappointingly. "Fuck!"

Gunn thought that maybe it would take sometime for the fairy to show up and he just need to wait it out, but he was wrong.

'Now what?'

He cant possibly just run around again aimlessly when he knew full well that the forest was riddled with monsters. That would be retarded.

'Think Gunn! Think'

And out of nowhere, just a few feet away from where he was hiding, a rushing participant just flew past him. It was as if the lady was following something in hot pursuit but Gunn couldnt see what or who it was following. A few minutes later, another fella did the same thing. And then the next and then another one after that. They were all going to the same direction up north.

Gunn was not dumb. He knew exactly what was happening after observing about ten of these participants doing the same exact thing. He couldnt see it for himself, but he knew that all of them were following the fairy.

Gunn wasted no time. Dusk was fast approaching and the only way to finish this test was for him to piggy back on someone else's good fortune. And as luck would have it. Just before dusk, he managed to arrive at the Sanctuary of Spirits.

He thought that he would be blown away by its beauty but there was really nothing special about the place except for the giant lake at the middle. They call it the Mirror Lake.

"Lord Valentine! Lord Valentine!" Gunn saw Uobe waving from afar. The red 'meatball' was rushing to meet him. "Im so glad you're here, Sire." Uobe said with a smile. The heavy back he carry on his back didnt seem to bother him."Were you the last one to arrive?"

Looking at his back with no more participants arriving after him, Gunn simply replied. "I guess so. Why you ask? Did you wait long?"

"Kind of, Sire. I arrived here seven hours ago. I actually arrived... first."