Greena Forest (12)

That night – 11:50 PM – Tamim's Home

Tamim's phone buzzed. The screen flashed with a call from the SIM card Faria had given him.

"Who's calling this late?" he wondered, picking up.

"It's Faria. Listen carefully," her voice was firm, "The police have found a hideout, and they're making their move. If you want in, meet me at Nigah Road's backside as soon as possible. Wear something inconspicuous and bring a bag with a change of clothes. You'll need to keep a low profile. I'll wait five minutes. If you're not there by then, I'm leaving without you."

Before Tamim could respond, she hung up.

"What just happened? Should I even go? And where am I going to find something to hide my identity?" Tamim muttered to himself, pacing his room.

Five minutes passed as Faria stood at the desolate street. The moonlight bathed the road in a cool, silvery glow.

"Well, time's up," she said to herself, turning to leave.

But just as she started walking, she heard footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw Tamim jogging toward her, slightly out of breath.

"You're late. I wasn't going to wait any longer," Faria remarked.

"You could've given me more than five minutes," Tamim shot back.

Without another word, Faria opened a glowing portal. "Let's go," she said.

They stepped through the portal, emerging into a deserted train station.

"Why a train station?" Tamim asked, puzzled.

"I can only teleport to places I've been to before. My powers have limits," Faria explained as they walked toward the platform.

Tamim frowned, "So, where exactly are we going?"

"Greena Forest," Faria replied curtly.

The overhead speaker crackled to life, announcing the departure of the last train to Green Forest Station.

"We need to hurry," Faria said, quickening her pace as they boarded the train.

Inside, the train car was almost empty, with just a few passengers scattered around. An elderly ticket collector shuffled down the aisle toward them.

"Tickets, please," the man said in a raspy voice.

"Oops, I teleported into the train station to avoid the CCTV cameras and forgot about the tickets," Faria mused, inwardly chiding herself.

We, uh, seem to have misplaced our tickets," Faria attempted to explain.

The old man squinted at them and then broke into a smile. "Ah, no worries. You two remind me of when my wife and I were young. We once hopped on a train without tickets, too. The ticket collector let us go, just like I'm letting you two. No charge tonight."

Tamim's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, that's not what—"

"Sorry, didn't catch that," the old man interrupted, cupping a hand to his ear.

Faria cut in smoothly, "He said thank you, and we appreciate it."

"Ah, no problem. Have a safe and happy journey together," the old man smiled and walked away.

Tamim stared after him, dumbfounded. "Did he just think we're… together?"

Faria smirked, "Seems like it. But don't worry about it. At least we don't have to pay."

They sat down on a seat near the door, keeping a noticeable distance between them. After a moment of silence, Faria turned to Tamim.

"Did you bring your phone?"

"Yeah, I did," Tamim replied, somewhat defensively.

"You know that's risky, right? If someone tracks your phone, it could cause trouble."

"I didn't think about that," Tamim admitted. "But it's too late now."

"Give it to me. I'll give it back once we return to the city," Faria offered.

"No, I'd rather keep it," Tamim said firmly.

Faria shrugged. "Your choice. But you should reconsider."

Tamim turned toward the window, watching the moonlight shimmer across the river as the train sped past. His thoughts drifted back to the day's events.

"Every time I fight those monsters, it feels like I'm getting stronger, but my strategy sucks. I barely survive." He glanced at Faria. "Your powers are electric, right?"

"Yeah," Faria confirmed.

"And electricity is their weakness. That's why you can take them down so easily."

"It's not easy, but yeah, I manage," Faria replied, sounding a little tired.

"How do I even stand a chance? I almost died today. If you hadn't saved me, I'd be dead," Tamim admitted, his frustration clear.

"You can go home if you want. I can teleport you back," Faria offered without hesitation.

"No," Tamim responded quickly. "I need to figure out how to counter them."

"You need strategy and more strength than those monsters, that's all," Faria said. "But don't worry. I'm here with you. I didn't actually need you for this, but if I left you alone, you might've done something reckless. That's why I brought you along."

Tamim frowned. "You're making it sound like I'm a liability."

"I don't see it that way. But right now, you should stop wasting time and start thinking of strategies. That might help you more than talking to me."

"Yeah... I guess that's better than trying to argue with you," Tamim said.

Faria didn't reply, her focus glued to the window as she memorized the landscape, readying herself to teleport if needed.

Tamim, lost in thought, began mapping out potential strategies in his mind. As the minutes turned into hours, the clock ticked forward, reaching 1:23 a.m.

"It's already 1:23 a.m., and we've got about 10 more minutes. I have no clue what we're about to face. I barely survived earlier, but I've been thinking about new strategies. Maybe this time, I'll have the upper hand," Tamim thought as he stared ahead.

Just then, the old man returned, breaking Tamim's train of thought. "You two seem so distant from each other. Everything alright?"

Tamim and Faria exchanged a brief, awkward glance before Tamim said, "We're just... keeping some space."

The old man chuckled softly, "Ah, keeping a bit of distance before marriage—wise choice for a lasting bond."

Tamim cringed at the comment, thinking, Why did I even say that?

Before they could say anything else, the train came to a slow stop.

"We're getting off here," Faria quickly informed the old man.

"Ah, well, safe travels! And best of luck to you both," the old man smiled warmly as they stepped off the train.

"Finally," Faria sighed, glancing around. "We need to get to the Five Mountain Forest. I can see the outline from here."

"It's pitch dark, though," Tamim pointed out, scanning the foggy night. "Navigating will be tough."

"Don't worry, I have X-ray vision. I'll be fine," Faria replied confidently.

"Wait... I think I might have something similar, but I've never really tried using it," Tamim said, his brow furrowed in thought.

"We don't need X-ray vision right now. We need to teleport to the mountain's peak, but this fog is messing with my line of sight," Faria explained, frustrated.

"How about I teleport you onto that big tree? You could get a better view from there," Tamim offered.

"That won't work. Portaling into trees causes damage and makes noise, which could attract unwanted attention," Faria replied.

"I can teleport us both," Tamim suggested.

Faria blinked, as if realizing something. "Oh yeah, you can! Go ahead."

They teleported onto the large tree, allowing Faria to get a clearer view of the mountaintop.

"Finally, I can see it," Faria said with relief. She jumped down from the tree and added, "Alright, put on something to hide your identity."

Tamim raised an eyebrow. "You're telling me to dress inconspicuously, but you're still in regular clothes?"

Before his sentence ended, Faria's outfit transformed into a dark purple suit that covered her entire body, with only her eyes visible through small slits.

"I don't need to carry anything. My portals can swap my clothes instantly," Faria said with a smirk. "Now, change."

Reluctantly, Tamim pulled on a full black outfit, covering himself in a black hoodie, monkey cap, and dark glasses. It wasn't fancy, but it would do.

"Here, take my phone," Tamim said, handing it over.

Faria shook her head, "No need. Keep it in your bag. I'll store the bag somewhere safe once we get going."

Satisfied with their preparations, Faria opened a portal to the mountaintop. They stepped through, arriving at the summit where Faria took out a telescope and scanned the forest below.

After a moment, Faria spotted movement. "I see some monsters, and it looks like the police are engaged in combat. Stay here." Without another word, she opened a portal and disappeared before Tamim could respond.

"Wait, what? Did she just leave me here?" Tamim muttered in disbelief. He spotted her telescope lying on the ground and picked it up, gazing through it. In the distance, he saw a car speeding away from the forest.

"That must be the enemy escaping," he thought, and in an instant, teleported behind the car, trying to use his telekinesis to stop it. However, a sudden force blocked his powers—a spiritual barrier of some kind.

"What the...? What's the force?" Tamim muttered under his breath, momentarily thrown off.

To be continued….