Edward prepared his backpack, deciding to take only the essentials with him, it didn’t actually change much as he didn’t have many things, to begin with. He took his gourd, a rope, some mushrooms, and the dagger he had obtained from the ruins. He left the blanket in his room as he didn’t intend to stay the night outside, it was far too dangerous from what he saw back in the Vipin forest. There was still lots of space left in his backpack, he would have space to store anything he wanted to pick up from the forest.

He left early in the morning, in order to have a maximum of time before nightfall, he also wasn’t situated that close to the forest and had to come down from the mountain first. He had to take this travel time into account. Being ready, Edward left his base and started to travel toward the forest.

I don’t even remember when was the last time I went on a hike. It would have been nice if I had my phone with me, I could take such cool pictures, just me, the sun, the mountain, and the forest in the background. I wonder if there are marmots in these mountains, those critters are too cute.

Edward walked with a light-hearted pace for a few hours before reaching the forest. From where he stood, he could see the trees more clearly. He recognizes some of the trees, having the same three-lobed dented leaves as the ones he first saw in this world. Others were totally new to him, the forest was very diverse, and he could see at least four or five different trees' essence already. He stopped and attempted to sense the aura of the forest, he didn’t close his eyes as it was too dangerous on the outside and as he was more proficient in sensing auras now.

This forest didn’t feel threatening like the Vipin forest, instead, it was more alive. Edward could almost feel the trees breathing, even the soil was full of life. He could sense life from the soil although it was blurry, it was more like an amalgam of auras blending together than the separated auras of living beings. The forest was lush, and life in it was abundant, with all kinds of plants growing and animals roaming in it.

Now, that looks like a good place to wander. It hasn’t been soiled by pollution and it is both welcoming and beautiful. I still need to be careful however, with so much life, there should be enough food supplies for big predators. Even if I can’t feel monsters yet, it doesn’t mean there are none inside.

He entered the forest, the soil soft and munchy under his feet. He leaned down to pick a handful of soil, there was a thick layer of leaves providing humus and nourishing it, the soil was very dark, almost approaching black. He scared some insects which scurried away, back to the protection of fallen leaves. Edward took a deep breath appreciating the scent of the forest.

He continued to stroll forward, the sight of the mountain disappearing quickly behind him. There was no clear path, but the undergrowth was not thick enough to be a problem, there were only ferns’ tufts here and there. At one point, he found some bushes with red berries growing on top of it, he didn’t know if they were edible but he decided to pick some in his backpack. He wouldn’t eat it right now, as he didn’t know if it could negatively affect him, but he would try to eat one once he was back.

As he continued to tread inside the forest, he spotted some flowers growing from a tree. They were of a vivid turquoise blue and caught his attention. He walked closer to it, smelling their sweet perfume, he stopped when he stepped on something that cracked with a crunch. He lifted his foot, seeing small bones under it, he hadn’t noticed it but he had already come quite close to the flowers. Looking around him he could see a small expanse of tiny bones mixed with the leaves. He thought that those flowers were pretty but now he realized his mistake. He wasn’t near beautiful harmless flowers, but rather right next to a heartless killer, just like a spider in the middle of its web. A sense of horror washed over him, he quickly tried to run away, but he realized that he was feeling unusually tired and had some trouble moving. He stumbled away from the tree, even falling at one point before leaving half crawling. He rested farther away, with his back against a tree for a few minutes, trying to regain his senses.

What the fuck was that? Did those flowers almost kill me? He looked back at the tree with all the bones under it a look of horror on his face. That’s creepy as hell. All those small bones are mixed with the leaves and I didn’t notice them before getting close. This smell must have affected my mind somehow, if I had reacted later, I would probably have collapsed under this tree, and become a pile of bleached bones like the other. Now, that I look at it, those bones all belong to small beasts. This scent mustn’t be potent enough to kill big animals quickly before they get away, just like me. This forest may look welcoming, but in the end, it is as dangerous as the Vipin forest.

Maybe, I should come back already, it is enough adventure for a day. Edward got up, looking around, carefully avoiding the flowers tree. Wait…From which direction did I come? He took his head inside his hands, feeling as if he was having a bad dream. Shit, shit, shit, I don’t remember. With all those leaves, I didn’t even leave footprints behind, and all those trees look the same. Okay. Calm down, you can do it. He took a few big breaths, letting the expirations calm him down. Last time, I climbed a tree to see the directions of the sun. I can do it again, the sun was behind me when I descended the mountain, I just need to follow it.

Edward watched the trees around him, but they weren’t having any low branches and they were too thick to just climb with his feet and arms. He had a rope in his backpack, but he wasn’t feeling confident enough, to simply throw it somewhere in the tree hoping it would hold and climb with it. If he broke something, there was nobody to take care of him. Alone in the wilds, even a broken leg could mean death.

Okay, the day hasn’t ended yet, I still have time before nightfall. For now, I will choose a direction and stick with it. Somewhere, there should be trees with lower branches that I can climb. If I stick with the same direction I should arrive somewhere too, the forest isn’t unending after all. He tried to reassure himself even though he knew the forest was huge from what he was able to see from his vantage point back at the ruins.

He continued to walk in the forest in the same direction, watching if he could spot a tree that he could climb. He spotted other flowers’ trees, but he avoided them thoroughly, he didn’t want to repeat his near-death experience. As he didn’t see those trees on the way in, he knew that he was in the wrong direction, but he still decided to stick with it. If he changed directions too much, without any visual marks, he could easily walk in circles. As the hours were passing by, and as he wasn’t seeing any trees that he could climb, he was starting to get anxious.

I still can’t find, any easy trees to climb. What should I do? If I go on like this, the night will fall while I’m lost in the forest. Should I try to climb a tree? I guess I don’t have much of a choice.

Edward stopped near a tree, dropped his backpack, and took out his rope. He made it turn while holding it to give it some momentum, just like he had seen some cowboys do in western movies with a lasso. When he estimated the rope had enough momentum, he threw it toward a branch…and missed it.

Great. Good beginning, I’m glad there is nobody around to see me shaming myself.

He tried several times but he didn’t achieve much. In his best shot, he managed to throw the rope over a branch, the other end falling loosely from the other side, but he had no idea how to secure it. If he was with somebody else, someone could have held the rope while he was climbing, but alone he had no way of climbing the tree in that way. Disheartened, Edward had to give up and rewind the rope in his backpack.

Now, he really was getting nervous, under the shade of the trees the luminosity was declining quickly. From what he saw in the Vipin forest, he couldn’t stay in the open like that. If a pack of wolves saw him, he would be ripped apart, he could fight one or two wolves, but not a whole pack, nor any pack leader like that regal wolf. As he was deep in the forest and had no idea in which direction to go he had to find a hideout for the night.

Shit. I need to hide, I can’t go on like that. In the dark, I wouldn’t even spot any of those flowers’ trees before getting stunned and killed by it. Wait. I didn’t see those bones because of all those leaves. I can do the same. I just need to find a good spot with enough leaves.

Edward went further away, he didn’t want to hide in a place where he stayed for so long. All his attempts with the rope had disturbed the thick layer of leaves, there were too many traces left by him to hide here. Once he was far enough, he went into the nook of a tree, burying himself under leaves and some dirt for good measure. He took his dagger with him, even if a beast discovered him, he could still surprise and ambush it before it had the time to react.

All he had to do now, was to wait. While being hidden and immobile, he was listening to the sound of the forest, the rustling of the leaves in the wind, and the cracks of the wood as the branches swayed slightly. After a dozen minutes, he even managed to see some small beasts running past him. One looked like a shrew, small and with brown fur, hard to distinguish against the soil of the forest. However, its quick rushes of speed betrayed him, it was running for a few meters suddenly stopping, then running again.

Achievement unlocked, become one with the forest. Some people would pay to do something like this. Edward thought. As the night was falling, it was getting harder and harder to see, Edward’s range of vision quickly dwindling to a few meters only. At the same time, the sounds of the forest changed, he could hear some owls hooting, and bigger beasts rummaging in the forest out of his field of vision. He didn’t know if they were omnivorous like wild boars, or if they were carnivorous animal hunting. He stayed as silent as possible.

This is a good time, to practice my aura control. I can’t move and I need to be discreet. I should diminish my auras.

Edward focus, decreasing his presence so that his aura disappears inside of him. He had barely managed to do that when he saw a dark figure appearing out of thin air only a few meters from his position. He almost lost control of his aura, the thing had emerged without notice, seemingly teleporting. It stayed like that without moving and making a sound, only its head looking around. It didn’t move its neck, instead, its head rotated nearly 360 degrees on its own. And then it was gone as if it had never been here in the first place.

Edward felt shivers run down his spine, this thing was straight out of a horror movie, he would probably have nightmares for months after such an encounter. It made him think of Endermen but in a creepier way. He wasn’t able to see much as it was quite dark, but that thing was at least two to three heads taller than him. However, it wasn’t bulky, it was only a thin and tall figure. From this moment onward he wouldn’t make fun of the children who were afraid of the dark.