The woods in the forest were cold and green. Even the summer heat could not turn their leaves brown and shed them. Hitori and others took down the path filled with a few dry leaves and dirt.
Hitori walked with the hope of not facing any monster on the way and wasting more time than he already has. He smelled the sweet smell of leaves and flowers on the way, and it would have been wonderful to just stay in the forest if it was not for the dangers– the monsters and Tengoku (upcoming).
"How much more walking is left?" Reon asked. "I am feeling sleepy—"
"Sleepy? In this situation?" Akira frowned, glancing at her. He turned back and continued walking down the road. "Just a few more minutes. Besides, Tengoku has not reached yet, has he?" he asked, turning to Kakashi right behind him.
Kakashi said no.
Reon was sleepy, Hitori was too, he realized. The danger of Tengoku did not feel as scary as before, perhaps because they had already experienced it, but it was not scary enough to keep them awake at night.
They walked for another five minutes before they reached the end of the house, the exact end of the house. No sign of Tengoku and no sign from the Haunter. The Haunter was turning up to be a fraud.
But Hitori never thought much about the Haunter being back as a good kid. A bad kid closed in the closet for his mistake comes out as a good child for only a day or two at most, then he is the same, old, bad kid.
But they were wasting time chasing something fake, they should have instead gone for Onogi at his fort. At least he did not change places like Tengoku.
Akira then took them to the woods behind the house. It was another patch of calm woods. No movement in the woods, no birds anywhere, and no disturbance. Only if it had some light and air, it would have been the best place for artists.
For a summer night, it was cold in the woods, comparable to a winter day. The warm outside and the little cold inside the woods created a comfortable atmosphere for everyone, so much so that Reon yawned, followed by Hitori.
"We will wait here till we get any sign from the Haunter or if Tengoku is around," Kakashi declared as he bent and took a seat against a tree.
Reon stepped to the side and sat on the ground without caring about the dirt. Hitori sat beside her, then drew his wand just in case Tengoku finds a way to get to the back and finds
Eya and Akira stood for a moment, examining the area before they sat down too. Reon was the first one to doze off. Hitori did not even realize when he fall asleep.
Eya and Akira tried to keep their eyes open and look for any subtle sign of an ambush, but at two o'clock, even they dozed off.
Kakashi was the last to fall asleep. He knew everyone was asleep so he tried to look out for any danger. He thought it was his job to look after them. But the pain and the exhaustion did do him nothing good. He dozed off.
Time passed by and it was three in the morning, yet they were asleep. They would have slept through the day till noon if it was not for Kakashi's pain.
In the middle of the fourth hour of the morning, a sharp cry, leading to screaming pain, woke Hitori up. His heart was pounding and sweat was dripping down his back.
It took time for his eyes to get adjusted to the darkness, then he glanced to his right. Kakashi was rolling on the ground, covered in the mud, crying in pain.
Eya and Akira were surrounding him, Reon was sleeping, and now Hitori was moving towards Kakashi.
He got to his fours, then pushed the dirt to get forward. His hand slipped on the dirt as he pulled it to propel his body. He scattered the leaves and stopped in front of Kakashi.
"What is happening ? he asked, but no one bothered to answer him.
Eya grabbed her wand and fired a healing charm while Akira grabbed Kakashi by his shoulders and pushed him to sit straight on the ground. But both efforts were in vain.
Kakashi crumbled back to the ground and Eya's spells did not heal him in any way. He still continued rolling, grunting, and sometimes screaming in pain.
Reon woke up and rushed to the site. She looked at Kakashi, but she could not find what was happening to him either.
That suffering continued for another minute or so till Kakashi stopped rolling like a kid with aches in his stomach and like a person who hits his thumb on the corner of a table or a chair.
He stayed like that for another moment, Eya used magic to heal him, and it did work this time. He got off the ground and stood straight, still panting for air, he rubbed the sweat off his forehead.
The sweat had drenched his back and his chest. He looked at everyone with pained, burning eyes. "You need to take a look at this," he muttered. His voice came tired and painful, he was on the verge of crying– but he held his tears.
He stretched his forearm for everyone to take a look at it. Eya stayed behind and Akira on the side, Hitori leaned forward and he saw the flames on Kakashi's arm.
Reon stayed back, watching them from a distance as Hitori gasped and fell back. "W-What the heck is that?"
Eya watched with a straight face, then her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. She closed her eyes and moved back.
Only Akira watched with a straight face without flinching at any of the horrifying scenes. He shook his head away from Kakashi's arm and looked at Hitori.
Hitori stared back at him, then got off the ground. "It did not inform us. We should not have trusted it."
"Forget about that," Akira said. "If we do not rush now, it will be too late to even do anything." He turned as he drew his wand and navigated the path.
Hitori turned to Reon and let her go ahead with Eya as he got Kakashi off the ground. "Can you walk?"
"Give me your shoulder. I will be better by the time we reach." So Hitori gave him his shoulder.
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