Chapter 138: Oakhaven (2)
Deep within the forests surrounding Oakhaven City, where the trees grew tall and thick enough to swallow all traces of sunlight, a cloaked figure moved like a blur between the branches.
It leapt from one to the next without sound, without hesitation, a shadow passing through green shadows. Below, the forest floor was completely undisturbed, as if nothing had passed through at all.
The figure dropped down at the entrance of a cave hidden deep within the treeline, far from any path a traveler might wander onto.
The opening was narrow and unremarkable, easily mistaken for a crack in the rock face if one didn’t already know it was there.
It went inside.
The cave stretched long and deep. Darkness pressed in from every side as the entrance disappeared behind.
But further in, faint light began appearing along the rock walls. It was dim, steady, attached to the stone itself. And beyond that, the tunnel opened up into a wide hidden chamber, properly lit and occupied.
Seven figures stood or sat within the space.
They looked almost human.
They were almost like humans but if not for the unique things they posses on their bodies.
Dark horns curved from their heads. Long tails moved slowly behind them. Their eyes caught the light differently. Vertical slits where pupils should be, sharp and still.
They were demons.
Race that belong to Empire of Baelgor.
The newly arrived one pulled back its hood and shook its head at the others before anyone could ask.
"Nothing. We found nothing again."
A heavy silence settled over the chamber.
"Damn it." One of them pushed off the wall with barely contained frustration. "We’ve been hiding in this forest for over a month. A whole month. And still nothing. What exactly are we supposed to do now?"
All eyes drifted toward the figure seated against the far wall.
He had dark black hair and dark blue eyes that carried the particular weight of someone who had been thinking about a problem for a very long time. He sat with one knee raised, his arm resting on it, staring at nothing specific.
He was their leader. The one who had leand them here since coming in human empire.
He was quiet for a moment longer. He didn’t said anything. As if he was in deep thought.
Then he exhaled slowly.
"Then we move on to the next step," he said. "We will stop looking for it."
The reaction was immediate.
"What?"
"After everything we spent on this?"
"We’ve been here for a month and now you want to just—"
He raised one hand and the voices died down.
"Yes," he said calmly. "We spent a month. And we found nothing. Staying longer in the middle of a human empire is not wisdom — it’s recklessness." His dark blue eyes moved across the room. "We will leave."
Grumbling murmurs passed between them, but no one argued directly. They knew he was right even if they didn’t want to say so.
"Fine," one of them muttered. "We go. But what about the other thing? The thing we were supposed to do after finding it?"
The leader was quiet for a moment.
Then he stood.
"We were going to do it anyway after finding that thing...but since we couldn’t find it...better to move toward next step."
Humans and demons were not at war or extreme enemies of each. They were not allies either — the relationship between the two races sat somewhere in the uneasy middle ground of mutual distrust and cautious distance. Most demons had no particular interest in human destruction, and most humans returned the sentiment.
But some organizations did not share that restraint.
The leader’s expression didn’t change as he spoke his next words. Flat. Decided. Final.
"Begin the preparations," he said quietly. "It’s time for a bloodbath."
---
Back on the bus, Noah had absolutely no idea any of that existed.
He was leaning comfortably in his seat, watching the scenery change outside the window as the city gave way to stretches of open road lined with increasingly tall trees. The air coming through the ventilation carried the faint green scent of forest.
A voice came from the seat directly behind him.
"Noah." It was Arisha, leaning forward over the headrest with her golden eyes narrowed and curious. "When did you and Lyria get so close? You’re even giving her chocolate now. This is something new."
Noah turned around calmly to look at her. Arisha sat beside Marina. A quiet elf girl with blonde hair and calm green eyes who was watching the whole exchange with barely concealed amusement.
"It’s nothing special," Noah said, his expression easy and unbothered. "I found out a few days ago that she likes chocolate. I had some with me in storage rings you know...I eat them from time to time.. So I gave it to her." He shrugged once. "That’s all. Nothing special...i mean friends share things with each other. Thats what I did."
Arisha studied his face with those sharp golden eyes for a long moment, searching for something she could pick at.
She found nothing.
Her eyes narrowed slightly. For some reason she didn’t believe in him.
Lyria spoke up from beside him, her voice calm but carrying a faint defensive edge. "There’s nothing more to it. Can’t Noah give me something like that without it becoming a topic?" She paused, then added, "It’s not like he’s given anything to you."
Arisha opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
Then immediately leaned forward over the headrest again, further this time and reached her hand past Noah’s shoulder, setting her palm flat against the top of his head.
Noah went still.
Her fingers moved slightly, pressing into his pale hair with obvious curiosity and absolutely zero shame.
He turned his head slowly and looked up at her with a twitching expression. "What do you think you’re doing?"
"Nothing," Arisha said pleasantly. "Your hair is just incredibly smooth. I wanted to check. You know...just like that evening."
