Chapter 81: The Fog Island [21].

"Sorry we made you fight, Alice," Aiden told her not long after the wolf had disappeared into the fog.

"It’s okay; I can use my other arm just fine."

"Wait, you’re ambidextrous?" Aldrus asked.

The girl nodded.

"I am. At home I was always told that was the bare minimum; I was taught to use both hands for everything from the time I was little. It’s way more useful than it may seem."

"That’s amazing; I’ve never thought about it before. What about you guys? Can you use both hands too?" Aldrus then said to Cedric and Aiden.

"Yes, I was also trained in that for years. Now it’s just like breathing."

"Yeah, me as well."

"Ugh, I’m always the one learning the basics at this point. Miss Leona didn’t teach us that; perhaps she assumed everyone was already capable of fighting with both hands. Maybe I should start practicing," Aldrus said.

Cedric sighed.

"That’s good and all, but wait until things go back to normal first. It wouldn’t be pleasant if we got killed because you felt like it was smart to fight left-handed," he warned.

"Tch, of course. I’m no idiot."

Aldrus and Cedric continued to rib each other for a while, with Alice chiming in mainly to get Cedric upset. After an hour, Aldrus got tired of it, and they resumed their trudge in silence.

The landscape changed as they advanced: the rain grew weaker, the wind howled quieter, and the mist became a little thinner. The mucky terrain stopped smelling of death and instead gave way to a rather pleasant herbal scent. The trees were no longer rotten; their leaves had all fallen and blown away, leaving the branches dry and rough.

It was getting colder, a sign the distance home was rapidly shrinking. Every step pulled them closer to that longed-for icy breeze, so typical of the southern nation. By the time the afternoon came, what their aching legs were pushing through was no longer mud; it had been replaced with hoarfrost and slush. The sight ahead was coated in white—it almost made them forget all the dangers they had faced and the uncertainty of their fate.

Despite the cold being harsher than before, the fact that the rain had weakened meant their clothes could remain dry and their bodies warm, to some extent. The only real issue such a shift in weather had led to was a slight slowdown in their pace. They would not make it to a safe place that night, and nor did they plan to. So, unless they kept moving, things would get very, very ugly.

"I’m fucking hungry," Cedric complained.

"This again? Deal with it; you won’t die," Alice said.

"Ah, you don’t get it, blondie. Men need more food than women, you know? Or else, how could I keep up these muscles?"

"Like I don’t know that. And besides, you don’t have any muscle. Quit your grumbling; you can hang on for another day perfectly fine."

"Hey, what are you saying? I’m always told I’m in good shape!"

"Really? By whom?"

"Eh... my sister."

Everyone went quiet.

"Ah, I see... I’m sorry," she said.

"What for?!"

"Wait!" Aiden hissed suddenly, covering Cedric’s mouth. The blond boy was about to complain, but the look in Aiden’s eyes told him this was no time to make a scene.

"What’s wrong, Aiden? I don’t see anything," Aldrus said, drawing his stone daggers.

"Something—"

Aiden had no time to explain, because, in the very next moment, the ground shook and rumbled as if struck by lightning, knocking them off balance. It was a quick, rough shaking that ended right away, only to start again and stop once more. This sequence cycled multiple times at the rhythm of unseen footsteps. Whatever the cause, it was not good.

The four youths lowered themselves down and slowed their pace with utmost caution, crouching close to the ground and trying to peek through the bare winter thicket. Then, a deafening roar of pain followed one last quake, this one stronger than before. The movement made them fall onto their backs, and a gust of wind whipped past them, chilling their bones. The air brought with it the smell of blood, and that horrible, bestial cry made every hair on their bodies stand on end.

"What was that?!" Aldrus exclaimed in a panic.

His comrades lay trembling beside him, each asking themselves the very same thing.

Aiden stood up and helped the others to their feet, then said, "It sounded like a beast. A giant beast."

"What should we do? It went quiet. Do you know where it came from?" Alice asked.

"Unfortunately, it looks like it came from over there," Aiden said, pointing to the path ahead.

Nightfall was approaching; their journey had been uneventful for most of the day, apart from one or two times when they had been forced to take on weaker monsters. However, they had run out of luck. The path in front of them was the only one they were convinced would take them to their destination, and although they had a hunch that not everything would play out safely, what hid behind those trees might very well be too much for them to handle.

No one uttered a single word for a long minute, waiting for anything else to happen, for something to move, for a clue of any kind. The silence was tangible, as if the forest itself were on guard along with them, expectant. Yet nothing happened. The wind brushed against their faces, reddening their noses and eyes. If the beast lurking in the depths was not going to end them, the cold would.

After a while, they argued and discussed what they could do. Terrible ideas came and went one after the other, each no more than a child’s excuse to avoid facing a monster. But deep down they knew they were running out of time, and there was no option but to push ahead. That is why they decided to keep going, with Alice bringing up the rear in case they required the necklace’s power. The plan—crawl and sneak past the beast. If that was not possible, they would use one gem to feed Aldrus’ cloak and hide. Two gems if one was not enough.

Aiden took a deep breath and led the way.

"Let’s go."