William and Riana were still outside the cave, waiting for Raven to return after he had left a few moments ago.
"Damn, it's been almost thirty minutes... where did that kid go?" William said irritably, his face tense with worry.
"Um, maybe he forgot the way," said Riana, who had been accompanying William.
"Oh my... the kids inside are facing a problem. Where is Raven now?" William grew even more anxious.
Suddenly, the atmosphere around the cave changed. The thick fog slowly thinned, the sound of insects appeared, and the sky looked a little brighter, but strangely, the moon was nowhere to be seen. Riana spontaneously looked up, then looked down at her watch.
"Um, William... isn't the time in this world the same as the time in our world?" said Riana, trying to calm him down. She showed him her watch, which now read five in the morning.
William was silent for a moment, then checked his own watch. He began to think that maybe what Riana said was true. If time in this world ran the same, then the good news was that it would be easier for them to keep track of time, and they might have a chance to find a way out of this forest.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Raven walked alone. His body swayed slightly, one hand holding his head. His breathing was rapid, his steps irregular, as if he didn't know where to go.
"Shit!.. why won't this voice go away," he hissed with a grimace.
Kill...
them...
close...
kill...
The voice continued to echo, growing louder until it made his head throb painfully.
Raven stopped in his tracks, bowing his head as he clutched his hair.
"Bastard, why is it getting worse? Where am I now? I have to go back... I have to go back to the Cave..." he thought frantically.
However, just as he was about to turn around to retrace his steps, a familiar cold chill pierced him, the same coldness he felt when the spear had struck their bus.
Raven reflexively turned his head to the side.
Sssst!
An arrow flew by, just a hair's breadth from her head, then stuck hard into the tree trunk in front of her.
Thuk!
Raven froze. Her eyes widened for a moment, then slowly turned towards where the attack had come from.
From above the trees, three figures stood watching. Their silhouettes contrasted with the faint light of dawn piercing through the fog. Their tattered clothes clung to their dirty, sweaty bodies, the thin fabric sticking to them like the remains of street beggars. But the look in their eyes... was not that of ordinary humans.
The figure on the left crouched on a branch, holding a bow with an arrow ready to be released. His face was grim, his eyes focused, his hands steady as if he were accustomed to killing from a distance.
In the middle, a smaller but no less dangerous man. Both hands gripped a small axe with a rag wrapped around the handle. The axe glinted faintly in the dim light, and the way he twisted his wrists seemed to warn that a single swing could tear apart anyone who approached.
As for the figure to Raven's right,
he recognized him immediately. His chest tightened when he realized who it was. It was the man who had previously attacked their bus, the man who had used his spear to send Carl's first bus into the ravine.
His body was muscular, his muscles bulging so much that he looked like a monster in human form. On his right arm was an old, blackened wound, and in his hand he now held a long, shiny spear. A crooked smile was etched on his face as he stared at Raven as if he were nothing more than prey.
Raven clenched his fists. There was a strange, mysterious pressure that made him hold back. He knew that if he made one careless move, his life could be over.
"Hdahdsdjakdj..." muttered the small man with the axe, his voice heavy and rough.
"Khfhdsfdahfhjfstrrfhjfhj.." replied the spearman, his smile widening.
"Dhjhfrufifhiruaf!" shouted the archer, his expression full of anger, his teeth clenched tightly.
The foreign language sounded strange, harsh, and difficult to understand. However, Raven's ears felt like they had heard it before, vaguely, as if it came from his dreams. Although he did not fully understand, he knew what they meant. They were mocking the archer because his first shot had missed Raven's head.
And now, the three pairs of fierce eyes were staring at him at once.
"This is crazy... it looks like they're going to attack again," thought Raven, his body tensing.
Sure enough. The archer had already drawn his bow again. The arrow was aimed directly at Raven, his eyes full of murderous intent.
Raven reflexively ran, his body darting behind the trees, seeking cover. But the archer didn't care where he moved; his eyes followed Raven's every step.
Swiiing!
The arrow was released. It flew so fast, piercing the air with a sharp whistling sound. Raven could see it, somehow, as if the world had slowed down for a moment. He quickly took cover behind a thick tree trunk, confident that the wood would be strong enough to withstand the attack.
But he was wrong.
CRACK!
The arrow pierced the large tree trunk as if it were fragile paper. The wood shattered, splinters hitting Raven's face. The arrow flew past, narrowly missing his body. Raven was thrown backwards by the force of the impact.
"Aaakh!" he cried out.
He felt a burning pain on his right cheek. Blood flowed from the long scratch left by the arrowhead. Raven fell, his vision blurred, his body feeling heavy. The world around him began to blur, like fog swallowing all shapes.
Her breathing was labored, her heart beating fast and irregularly. Through the fog of her fading consciousness, Raven could still hear low laughter from above the trees. The sound was even more terrifying than the whistling of the arrow.
"Is this my fate..." Raven muttered softly, her lips trembling.
His vision was blurry, but he could still vaguely see the three figures standing on the tree branches. Two of them were laughing as if mocking the archer who had failed to kill him just now. Their laughter sounded like a taunt that pierced his ears, as if Raven was just a toy they could break at any moment.
Dammit... dammit... dammit! she cursed silently, her teeth chattering as she tried to suppress her anger and fear.
The mysterious voices she had heard earlier in her head disappeared, replaced by the laughter of the bandits. Raven bowed her head, breathing heavily, her chest heaving irregularly.
Why am I like this? Why don't I just fight back? he thought bitterly.
They treat me like a toy... like prey that they can kill anytime.
Raven closed his eyes.
Fear swallowed him whole, paralyzing his joints.
I... am so afraid...
afraid...
afraid...
afraid...
afraid...
AFRAIDDD!
Her heartbeat pounded loudly, echoing in her ears. Her hands shook violently, her body swayed, cold sweat dripping from her temples. Until a murmur escaped her lips, soft but sharp, like a whisper born from the deepest abyss of her heart.
"It's better... if they die... than me, right?"
His gaze changed. His breath, which had been ragged, now flowed heavily, as if there were embers burning in his chest. A faint, faint but terrifying smile crossed his face.
"Yeah... kill them. That's the only way... I can live."
Kill...
kill...
kill...
Kill...
I will kill them...
the raven murmured softly.