Chapter 8

I'm awoken by Leon sometime later. I can see a very very tiny sliver of daylight off in the distance. Stretch as I sit up, clearing the sleep out of my eyes. I focus my eyes at Leon as he starts to talk.

"It's still a few hours until daybreak it's your turn for guard detail" Leon said with a drowsy tone. Leon wanders over to his sleeping bag and quickly climbs in and falls asleep. I wake myself up by the fire enjoying the peaceful quiet night life. I still can't help but feel uneasy like something bad is about to happen but this feeling comes through my magic, a special trick that I learned from my adventuring teacher. By focusing everything you have on the magic around you you can feel when a monster's near, or when any form of prey is hiding. This trick is called sensory feeling. Not only can you detect what is near you but you can also get sort of a warning. The way my adventuring teacher described it is that magic in everything around us carries its special energy and contains thoughts and feelings. He says that magic that's in the ground, animals, trees and in the wind are more like spirits than magic. People and other creatures have magic and energy within them when someone uses magic that's in the environment around them. A portion of that person's thoughts and feelings merge with the magic that's around them. Over many generations this special energy continues to gather within the magic that's in the environment all throughout the world and as our scientists have discovered a great deal of magic and energy that is gathered the more likely it is that a special magical mutation will happen Like Monsters with special magic spells or unusual abilities. The magic that's around us was also once touched by the gods who once fought the demon King and their desire to protect this world was imprinted upon this magic energy as well. My adventuring teacher thought that the magic in the environment around us had the power to give certain people a certain warning when someone is about to do something bad or when there's too much magical energy gathering too close to a monster and a magical mutation occurs. My adventure teacher told me that it happens more than people think but not everyone acknowledges it they brush it off as nothing but my teacher told me to not brush it off that if you feel it strongly through the magic around you then it's most likely true. So because of this sensory trick I can't help but feel nervous and anxious sitting in the dark while everyone else is asleep. I wonder if it could be another demonized monster but the odds of that are extremely low. I close my eyes and focus everything on the magic around me trying to listen to a saying more intently so I can get a better idea of what's going on. The magic around me is practically screaming that there's an evil force within the forest and that there's someone here in the forest with evil intent. I beg the magic energy to show me this person. My consciousness slips out to my body straight towards the deepest deaths of the forest. In front of me I can see a man cloaked in a black hood. I am unable to get closer to see his face but I can feel his magic. He is human no doubt about that, but he has demon magic surrounding him and flowing through his body as well. I can see some kind of orb in his hand that has intense evil magic in it. This intense magic is so strong I am unable to get closer out of fear that he might sense my presence. There is a difference between when someone is brainwashed by evil magic and when someone is willing to use evil magic. When someone is brainwashed by evil magic that person's internal magic will try to fend off the evil magic and the evil magic is focused around the person's head or their mind to be more accurate. But when someone is willing to use evil magic their whole body is surrounded by it. The evil magic feeling through his body tells me that he is not brainwashed and that a human has sided with the demon king. My consciousness snaps back to my body as I jump in fright as someone grabs my shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Zeke asks. As I've bent over trying to steady My heart I glance up and notice that the sky has risen a little higher. It seems like I've been away for about an hour or so.

"For the Love of the gods don't do that" I practically shouted at him.

"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you, I just wanted to know what you were doing seemed like you were sleeping but you don't seem the type of person to be irresponsible" Zeke said in an apologetic tone.

"If you have to know I was using a sensory feeling something doesn't feel right here in the forest" I said standing up straight and crossing my arms.

"No way you can use sensory feeling too" Zeke said, lowering his hood and revealing his pointed ears. There are more creatures than just humans, demons and monsters walking about our planet. There's elves, fairies, spirits, dwarves and a few other creatures as well. But many of these creatures have their own dwelling fairies and spirits don't exist in the physical plane like we humans do; they live in a strictly magical and spiritual realm. Dwarves only live in mountains for they may be short but they are incredibly strong they're strong and sturdy bodies are perfectly suited for tough mountain environments. Elves live in forests but create their own towns and whatnot but no one ever goes near an an elf settlement, unless they have special connections or permission, because elves create strong magical barriers around their town to protect their people from humans who have mistreated elves, and other creatures, in the past before. But these days however elves are more accustomed to showing themselves for humans, dwarves and elves have coexisted for many generations now. Also, almost all elves are capable of using sensory feeling as well because they're more in tuned to the magic and nature around them.

"I know humans are capable of sensory feeling but I've never come face to face with one before" Zeke said.

"Wait a minute you said you had a bad feeling. I've been feeling the same thing as well. I thought it was just me though my nerves after coming across the demonized monster elves are very sensitive to demon magic you know. But if you're feeling this ominous presence too we should wake Leon in the others" Zeke said as I nod silently in agreement. After we go around waking everyone up we explain to them what we felt through sensory feeling and Zeke backed me up on it.

"Since it's true you should investigate this while we are already here" Leon said.

"He's too far away even if we start walking there now it'll be hours and hours by the time we get there, he will already be gone" I said.

"Then we just have to use sensory feeling and track him so that way we don't have to worry about losing him by the time that we get close" June said.

"Think you can do it Zeke?" Leon asks.

"No way elves and demons do not mix very well neither does their magic. If I try tracking him using a sensory feeling he'll know it instantly" Zeke said.

"Then how about you Amethyst you can use sensory feeling too he won't sense your presence if you're spying on him" Caleb said.

"No sweat" I said.

"Start tracking him now when he gets up and leaves let us know" Leon said. I close my eyes and focus my consciousness back towards the hooded stranger. Thank goodness he has not moved from that spot.

"He hasn't moved, he's still in the deepest depths of the forest," I said.

"Then let's hurry and pack up and it will take us quite a while to get there but if he is up to something then we must do our part as adventures and put a stop to whatever evil he's planning" Leon said. I can hear everyone shuffling around me and getting stuff together. As I focused more on this hooded stranger I tried to get in a little closer but before I could even try he shot an evil glare in my direction and a rush of evil magic was hurled in my direction. My body is filled with intense pain so much so that I break my concentration on the sensory feeling and snap back to my body. I crouch down to the ground screaming in pain as it intensifies. I can hear Leon and the others asking me what's wrong and how they can help. I tried to fend off the evil magic but it's too intense and overwhelming I find myself practically paralyzed in pain on the ground curled up. It feels like all of my insides and my brain are being squeezed from the inside. I can't help but dig my fingers into my sides as this intense evil magic squeezes my lungs so tight that I can no longer breathe. As I squirm on the ground Caleb, Leon and Abigail pin me in place and hold my arms down as Zeke and June use all kinds of healing and protection magic on me. The intense evil magic begins to lift but there's still a good portion holding my lungs and preventing me from breathing. Whoever this guy is, he is focused on killing me all because I spotted him. Caleb, Leon and Abigail have a hard time holding me down for I struggle even harder because I cannot hold my breath any longer. I can faintly hear Leon saying that it will be alright. As my mind begins to fade away I can hear what sounds like a divine blessing that's being recited by June and Zeke together. A mere second later and the intense evil magic is gone and I inhale a deep breath of air and cough uncontrollably. I roll onto my side as I am taking deep even breaths. I can feel Abigail rubbing my back.

"Whatever this guy was he had intense evil magic with him" June says as she claps to her knees.

"Thanks guys I had no idea how he spotted me" I coughed out.

"Do you think it might have been my fault when you were using your sensory feeling the first time I touched your shoulder?" Zeke asks.

"No way startled as I may have been, my adventuring teacher taught me to always stay calm and cover myself even when I'm scared especially when I'm using sensory feeling. It's a good way to get attacked by Magic" I said as I lay on my back.

"Then how did he know you were there? It should be impossible to know that someone is there watching you using a sensory feeling when you can't feel them," Leon said. I managed to sit up as a thought crossed my mind.

"I don't think the intense evil magic we were feeling came from him I think it came from whatever gave him the demon magic that's flowing in his body someone was watching his back" I said. As the Sun finally rises everyone agrees it's pointless to go after the guy now he's most likely already bolted. But we do all agree to get to the Ovarian Kingdom as soon as possible. The sooner we can obtain a riding beast the faster we will be able to warn everyone about the impending danger.