shadows in the forest

Their journey continued the following day. For Mike, it felt like torture. He hadn't slept well, but it was worth it—he couldn't afford to let his guard down. Now regaining some of her strength, Rin could walk on her own. The morning sunlight trickled through the forest canopy as they trekked deeper into the woods, the world around them feeling peaceful for the first time. They had their first heartfelt conversation. They walked deeper and deeper into the forest, not realising the situation they were in. Rin clung to Mike's arm as they walked through the forest. 

"AWWW, you're heavy," Mike said jokingly.

Rin rolled her eyes.

 "You're just weak." 

She tugged his arm playfully, but her laughter faded as the forest grew darker around them. The wide gaps between the trees began to close in, and the canopy above blocked out more sunlight.

Mike frowned. "Hey, is it just me, or did it suddenly get... creepy?

"It's alright. I can tell you have not had much experience with girls." ending it with a giggle.

Mike thought about when he was back on Earth. He had not had much interaction with girls. He had two friends at that time, and he barely left his room. The only thing he enjoyed was playing video games all day.

"This bag is heavy," Mike said, pointing at the bag on his back. I wish there were a way to deal with this. "

"Ohhh, that's right. You are a silver wolf, so you should be able to use storage. Why are you not using it." Rin said

"Storage, what's that," Mike said with a confused look. 

"Seems like you don't know much about your species, and here I thought you were clever."

"Hey, that's mean." 

Rin chuckled, avoiding looking at Mike.

"Try that storage and see what happens." 

"Okay. " Mike shouted, "store."

"I said, storage dummy."

(POP.....)

A screen pooped in front of Mike (you have unlocked the store. You can...….)

Mike dismissed it. "Storage," a swirling void appeared before him. His mouth hung open, and his fingers twitched as if resisting the urge to poke it. "Whoa... is this it?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.

"You did it." Rin looked proud of Mike. "now, just put the bag inside." 

As he placed the bag inside, he admired it. "This looks like a black hole than a storage."

"What is a black hole," Rin asked Mike.

"Basically, a hole that pulls things in." 

They continued on their journey. They had been walking for four days and had no idea where they were. Luckily, Mike had been putting marks on trees to identify them. 

Rin was feeling unease as they continued with their journey. The forest with significant gaps between the trees turned into a jungle. But dismissed it, seeing how carefree Mike was.

The forest air turned cold and heavy, carrying a faint metallic scent that churned Rin's stomach. The cheerful rustling of leaves was gone, replaced by an oppressive silence., They had entered the forbidden forest.

Rin froze mid-step, her face pale. "This... this can't be happening," she whispered.

"What's wrong," Mike asked Rin in an urgent voice. 

"Don't tell me we have entered the forbidden forest." 

"What is that," Mike asked.

"Forbidden forest, where no one who went in has returned. Even the great sage went in looking for tressure but disappeared since then. The monsters that live are simply too strong for any human. Kingdoms came together to recover the lost grimoire that the great sage carried around, but all the knights that went to this exhibition never returned, and they had to abandon the mission. That could be the reason for the corruption of the nobles. Everyone feared him because of his strength, and he would always execute anyone involved in slave trading. But since his disappearance twenty years ago, things took a huge turn. The peace that lasted for over 500 years was gone in an instant. " Rin explained to Mike.

"Wait, does that mean he has been alive for over 500 years? That's impossible for a human." 

"Yes, it is, but heroes, with the blessing of the goddess, can live that long."

"What's this about heroes again," Mike asked Rin.

"I will make it easy for you: over five hundred years ago, the humans were at war with the demon race, and there was no chance for them to win. So the goddess summoned a hero from another world, and that hero was later known as the Great Sage after he defeated the demon king."

Suddenly, loud noises approached them, cutting short their conversation. Their curiosity got the better of them, and they piked to see what it was.

To their surprise, It was a large bird-like creature.

"No... no way," Rin stammered, her face pale.

The massive bird spread its wings, and the forest was swallowed by darkness. Its piercing cry shattered the silence. Mike's legs locked as the creature's glowing eyes locked onto them. Move! His brain screamed, but his body wouldn't obey.