Security Barrier

The rest of the discussion didn't carry anything of importance. It was just full of bickering and taunting between the two. They were too exhausted to continue with the interrogation session. So, they just used the rest of the time to make fun of themselves as pastime.

When it was lunchtime, the duo went back to the house as each one of them took up their respective roles.

Jean went ahead to check on the concoction as Casper went to prepare their lunch.

Jean could have wished to pay close attention at the manner in which Casper was preparing their lunchtime meal, but unfortunately to him, the guy kept him busy with the preparation of the concoction.

Since it had already cooled down, all he needed to do was just to sieve the herbs out so that he would remain with the solution.

The whole process from the sieving the concoction to placing it at s secluded place took only ten minutes.

Since the process didn't last that long, he was able to join Casper in the preparation of their lunchtime meal midway.

Despite him not having a clear view of the whole process, he was able to learn some ones and twos from the rest of the process. He also came to discover some new spices that Casper used.

At the end of the session, Jean was already itching to apply some of his newly acquired skills in the preparation of their next meal.

With this thought in mind, he went ahead to convince Casper to consider his decision of preparing their supper. The guy accepted instantly as if he had been waiting for this chance for too long.

After they have had their lunch, the rest of the day went by without any major activity. Jean decided to take a stroll around the forest within the territories.

He was eager to familiarise himself with his surroundings.

Casper on the other hand went for a hunt, of which Jean wasn't aware of. The guy had just told him that he was heading somewhere for a short while and he would be back.

The reason for doing this, was because the guy had anticipated Jean insisting on accompanying him for the fear of his security in the area. Given the fact that he had already mentioned the existence of beasts within the forest to the boy some days ago, it was easy for the boy to feel a little bit insecure in his absence.

Although the guy had assured Jean that the area was safe, there was still a room of doubt considering that Jean had not stayed in the area that long to confirm this possibility.

***

"The air around this place is so fresh and alluring. It reminds me of my time in the village. Although the forest at our new home also has a fresh atmosphere, this one is a step higher. I think this is the only positive thing about this place."

Jean mumbled under his breath as he gazed in the sky. Although it was still afternoon, the sun was barely visible in the cloudy sky. The overlapping tree branches also contributed in obscuring the partially visible sun.

Despite the temperatures being at its peak, Jean couldn't take off the leather jacket he was putting on, since it was still cold outside.

Unlike most of the forest that he had visited before, the trees in this forest looked old and grandiose. The trees grew randomly and with varying sizes, heights and species.

From just a single glance, one could tell that this was a natural forest.

From Jean's own observation and deduction, he was able to realize why Casper had chosen to reside in the forest and nowhere else. From the look of things, the for the guy to decide to reside in such a secluded and lonely place, there were three possibilities that could result to this.

Firstly, the guy needed privacy. Secondly, the guy was concerned about his safety and Lastly, the guy could have been in search of both privacy and security.

These were according to Jean's deductions. Although the guy had already given him a hint to why he resided in the area, Jean was still able to second-guess the possible cause.

Since the guy had promised to tell him why he had to flee from Astra city, Jean didn't see any need of trying to find out the reason by himself.

Leaning on one of the stems of a nearby tree, Jean scanned the surroundings with a glint of curiosity.

"I can't wait to find out about the security barrier that guards this place. But there's something that seems to dethrone my understanding. If there is something that is blocking people from entering this area, could this also imply that it can block people from leaving? If that turns out to be true, then how did Casper manage to get me in this area? Maybe there's something inform of a gate that requires special skills to open."

Jean pondered as he unconsciously rubbed his back against the bark of the tree he was leaning on.

Although it could be said that the act of him exploring the forest alone was precarious, the boy was confident in his fleeing abilities since his health had taken a boost in the past days. At the end of their discussion, Casper still sticked with his plan of taking Jean to his friends home. This was the only way Jean could have the opportunity of linking up with his family.

Since the cellphone in their possession could be tracked, the two had agreed to go and borrow Casper's friend his cellphone since unlike Casper, he had one.

Since the act of the two traveling such distance just to go and borrow a cellphone could have looked suspicious, the two had agreed to take the cellphone in their possession with them. They were to pretend to be there for recharging the cellphone before requesting for Casper's friend's cellphone. This way, they could reduce the chances of Casper's friend holding them suspicious.

The reason they had to do this, Jean had requested Casper to make the matter of his kidnap to be private so that his foes will lack the information for tracking him. Seeing the depth of the matter, Casper agreed and promised to keep his word.

When Jean found nothing more to do, he lowered himself to the ground and sat with his back on the tree trunk. Life was already getting boring in the area despite him having Casper's company to his advantage.

At this point Jean was longing to connect with his mum.

'I can't wait for tomorrow to come. The way we are going to traverse this dangerous forest is out of my knowledge, but as long as at the end of the day we are going to achieve our goal, I don't mind encountering challenges on our way.'

Jean thought to himself as he shifted his gaze from time to time.

Although the act of Jean connecting with his mum was different from him returning to his home, he believed that this the best way of starting his arrangements of returning to his home.

Even if he didn't have the resources that could take him back to his country, he was confident that his mother could go an extra mile just to get him back to his home country.

Although the journey to Kili city from his current location could be long, the journey to the nearest border was somehow closer.

In case he lacks the resources to get him straight to Kili city, he could just cross the border and settle in a nearby town before planning for the second phase of the trip.

Despite all this eagerness, Jean was finding some reasons for staying much longer in the area. First of all, he was interested in learning some herbal skills from Casper since he found such knowledge so important. If it wasn't for the herbal knowledge that Casper possessed, he wasn't sure if he could still be breathing till now.

Besides the herbal knowledge, Jean found the security barrier so important. He could tell that such barrier was so useful. He could secure his most precious items from prying individuals and adversaries by it.

Although he didn't know the basis of creating such barrier, he was still eager to know it in case understanding it becomes a problem. Though the chances of Casper sharing such knowledge with him were slim. But that was if he was the one that created the barrier.

'Is the barrier visible as a wall or just some kind of resistance forces?'

Jean asked himself at the thought of the security barrier.

Jean found some similarities between the security barrier and the mysterious spot despite one of them playing an unknown function.

The security barrier could deactivate itself the moment a stranger enters the compound from any point whereas, the security barrier was meant to prevent intruders from entering the secluded territories.

The deactivation mechanism of the mysterious spot served to prevent strangers or intruders from discovering its presence, while the security barrier's resistance served to block strangers and intruders from accessing the secluded area.

"What a coincidence!"

Jean exclaimed.

Suddenly, he started hearing some approaching footsteps from a distance. At first, he thought that it was just hallucinations, but with every passing moment, the footsteps seemed to be growing stronger.

When he listened keenly, he was able to deduce that they were human footsteps. With that thought in mind, he quickly got to his feet and gazed in the direction of the sound.

A minute later, the footsteps were now accompanied by the breaking of dry tree branches and the ruffling of leaves.

Since the area was eerily quiet, his ears were able to catch each sound with pure perfection. This was what made it easier for him to deduce the source of each sound.

In one moment, he thought that it was Casper returning, but in the next moment, he was thinking of fleeing.

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