Three Options

Gloria blinked a few times, as if struggling to find the right words. Her gaze shifted between me and Oswin, then to the newly arrived boy. Finally, she took a deep breath and decided to speak.

"Well, what happened was..."

.....

As we walked, Gloria explained everything to the unknown boy. He advised us to keep moving while we talked—according to him, standing still in the middle of the forest, especially in a situation like this, was just asking for trouble.

"So, to sum it up..." The boy, who was walking a few steps ahead of us, turned around to face us, now walking backward with one arm crossed over his chest and the other hand resting on his chin in thought. His balance was flawless, as if he was completely at ease moving through the forest, not even needing to look at where he stepped.

"You two," he gestured toward Oswin and Gloria with an easy, almost lazy motion,

"Along with a third friend, were running from an incredibly powerful Magical Beast. In the middle of your escape, your friend didn't make it. You followed the sounds of the forest and ran into this guy," now pointing at me, "Followed him, only for him to start bawling like a little kid. And in the midst of all that, you two started fighting because one of you thought it was a good idea to provoke him?"

I clenched my teeth. 'Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened.'

Oswin scoffed, crossing his arms.

"You, Oswin, right? You're a complete idiot." Nikolas' tone was light, almost indifferent, but the sharp edge of disdain was impossible to miss.

"With everything going on—the state of the forest, that thing still out there hunting you—you thought now was the perfect time to stir up trouble?"

Oswin gritted his teeth and looked away.

"And you," Nikolas turned to me,

"Letting yourself get baited like some rookie, especially when you're already beaten up? A hunter should always stay in control, no matter the situation."

I frowned, anger bubbling up. "Would you stay in control if someone mocked your family's death?"

For a brief moment, Nikolas stared at me in silence. Then, a cold, humorless smile tugged at his lips.

"Of course. And then, I'd wait for the right moment to make them pay. Piece by piece."

His voice was so icy that even Gloria shivered beside me.

Oswin clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. "Shouldn't you introduce yourself before lecturing everyone?" His voice was laced with irritation.

Nikolas tilted his head slightly, as if only just realizing his oversight. "Fair point. How rude of me."

He then placed a hand over his chest and gave a small bow, his tone dripping with theatrical irony.

"Nikolas Beaumont."

At the mention of his name, Oswin muttered a low curse, barely audible. "Just a collateral lineage..."

Nikolas smirked but said nothing. "And you?"

Gloria was the first to answer, instinctively gripping the pendant around her neck.

"Gloria Le Dracknum," she said, her voice slightly hesitant, as if unsure whether she should reveal her name.

"Oswin," he said reluctantly, crossing his arms.

Then Nikolas turned to me. "And you? What's your name?"

For a moment, I hesitated. I didn't want to reveal it, but at the same time, I knew I didn't have much of a choice. If I was going to stick with them, hiding my identity would be pointless. Besides, Nikolas clearly knew the forest better than any of us.

I let out a quiet sigh and said,

"Alexander W. The Dracknum."

The silence that followed was almost tangible.

Nikolas raised an eyebrow in surprise. Gloria and Oswin, on the other hand, looked outright stunned. But then something curious happened—despite their initial shock, their expressions didn't change much. They still looked at me the same way.

After all, in Dracknum, it didn't matter who your father was. If you didn't prove your worth, you were just another meaningless name.

Nikolas remained silent for a moment before crossing his arms and letting out a low whistle.

"Huh."

That was it. No bow, no flattery. Just a brief reaction followed by a shrug.

Before anyone could say anything, Gloria brought the conversation back to what had been bothering her.

"Earlier, you said… the forest is bleeding?" Her voice carried hesitation, as if she wasn't sure whether it was just a metaphor or something far worse.

Nikolas lifted a hand and gestured broadly around us, as if pointing out something obvious.

"Look around, kids." His tone was calm, but there was a weight to his words that made me swallow hard. "Two moons in the sky. One normal, the other… blood-red."

He raised his eyes to the sky, where the crimson glow of the Blood Moon cast everything in an oppressive, red hue.

"The beasts have gone mad. The mana density in the forest has skyrocketed. And on top of that…"

He lowered his hand and closed his eyes for a brief moment, as if sensing something in the air.

"There's this… repulsive energy seeping into everything."

When Nikolas opened his eyes again, they were sharp as a blade.

"So yes, Gloria. The forest is bleeding."

Gloria clutched the pendant around her neck even tighter, her expression heavy with concern.

Oswin scoffed, crossing his arms. "That doesn't explain shit. What the hell does 'the forest is bleeding' even mean?"

Nikolas turned to him, a humorless smile tugging at his lips.

"It means exactly what it sounds like, Oswin. Something was broken. Something that was never meant to be touched. And now, the forest itself is paying the price."

His words made my thoughts drift back to the White Wolf, the sudden changes in the beasts' behavior, the black bear that had come back to life…

"You think this has something to do with the seals?" I asked, my voice more hesitant than I would have liked.

Nikolas glanced at me from the corner of his eye and clicked his tongue.

"Hard to say for sure without proof, but… yeah. Most likely, someone broke one of the ancient seals of the Black Forest. And if that's the case, we're all screwed."

Silence fell over us like a sharpened blade.

Oswin looked away, his fists clenched.

Gloria grew increasingly restless, her golden eyes glowing with a mix of fear and uncertainty.

I simply stared at the ground, struggling to process everything.

Nikolas, on the other hand, didn't seem the least bit shaken. He just sighed, running a hand through his wavy hair.

"Well, standing around sulking won't do us any good. We need to decide what to do next."

"What do you mean?" I asked, still somewhat dazed.

Nikolas smirked slightly. "I mean we have three options."

He held up three fingers.

"Option one: we keep running aimlessly and hope we don't run into something worse."

He lowered one finger.

"Option two: we find a safe place and wait for all this shit to blow over—which might be a terrible idea, considering no one knows what the hell is going on."

Another finger went down.

"Or…"

He left the last finger up, his expression turning more serious.

"Option three: we track down the source of this and deal with it before it gets even worse."

I clenched my jaw, frustration bubbling up inside me.

"Easy for you to say." My voice came out harsher than I intended. "I just lost a friend."

The White Wolf and the rest of the pack could be dead right now.

"I'm not exactly in the mood to play hero."

Nikolas watched me for a moment, his sharp eyes studying every inch of my expression. Then, he gave a small smile—not mocking, not condescending.

"Good." He crossed his arms, tilting his head slightly. "We don't have the same reasons, but I agree with you."

My anger dulled slightly, replaced by a brief flicker of surprise.

Nikolas sighed and glanced at the dense forest around us, his expression turning contemplative.

"Let's be realistic," he began, his voice more measured now. "We don't have the strength to face whatever the hell caused all this."

Gloria lowered her head, gripping her pendant even tighter.

Oswin scoffed, looking away, clearly unsettled.

Nikolas, however, turned his gaze back to me, his eyes now sharp—like a blade poised to strike.

"But that doesn't mean we're just going to—"

"Shh!"

Oswin cut him off abruptly, raising a hand to silence us. His face hardened in concentration.

"I hear something."

Before anyone could ask what he meant, Oswin instinctively crouched, his movements fluid—like a predator sensing an invisible threat.

I narrowed my eyes as I watched him press his palms against the damp earth. His expression turned serious, his jaw tensing slightly.

And then, to my surprise, he lowered his head even further, bringing his ear mere inches from the ground.

"What the hell is he doing?" I murmured, frowning as I glanced questioningly at Gloria and Nikolas.

Gloria looked worried, but not surprised.

Nikolas, on the other hand, observed with genuine interest, as if analyzing something intriguing.

Oswin remained completely still for a second, his chest rising and falling in slow, deep breaths. Then, suddenly, his eyes snapped open, and he lifted his head in a sharp, urgent motion.

"Something's moving… and it's coming straight for us."

His voice was low, but the urgency in it was undeniable.

Oswin barely finished speaking before a sharp sound sliced through the air.

Swoosh!

"Watch out!" Nikolas shouted.

Everything happened too fast.

In a single fluid motion, he grabbed Gloria by the arm and yanked her aside, both of them rolling across the dirt to get out of the way.

Oswin moved just in time, dodging the attack by mere inches, the air around him violently sucked away as he twisted his body to escape.

As for me… my body reacted before my mind even registered the danger.

A burst of wind exploded beneath my feet, launching me backward. I hit the ground hard, sliding across the rough earth, small rocks and twigs scraping against my skin as I rolled away from the impact.

Then came the sound.

CRACK!

A deep, jagged gash split the ground where we had been standing just moments ago. The earth tore apart in a grotesque line, as if something invisible had sliced straight through it. The impact was so violent that chunks of dirt and dust were thrown into the air, creating a thick cloud of debris.

I stayed still for a moment, my breath uneven, my heart pounding against my ribs.

What the hell was that…?

My eyes widened as I took in the dark scar cutting through the ground, stretching far beyond where we had been, slicing through everything in its path. The trees nearby had been grazed, their bark split open like raw wounds—some of them already leaning, on the verge of collapse.

I swallowed hard.

If we had hesitated even a second longer…

"What the fuck was that?!" My voice came out rough, but no one answered immediately.

Nikolas was already on his feet, his golden eyes glowing with alertness, his stance tense—like a predator ready to strike.

Gloria trembled slightly beside him, but she held her ground.

Oswin clenched his jaw, his fists tightening.

"I think Options Two and Three are off the table now."