Chapter 3- Journey into the unknown

As they journeyed into the forest,at first, the forest was open and familiar, with scattered trees and patches of tall grass stretching beneath the soft glow of the moon. The path was still visible, the ground well-trodden by hunters who ventured here in search of game. Ren had walked these edges before, back when he was younger, helping his father carry firewood.But as they moved deeper, the trees thickened, their trunks broadening, their branches stretching toward the sky in twisted shapes. The undergrowth grew dense, tangled vines slithering across the ground like unseen hands grasping at their feet. The air became damp, heavy with the scent of moss and rotting leaves.Then they reached it—the Red Boundary.A weathered wooden marker stood crooked among the roots of an old oak, half-buried in the earth. It was nothing more than a simple stake carved with a faded red insignia, but its meaning was clear. Ren slowed for a moment, his father's words from long ago echoing in his mind."Never cross that line, Ren. The forest beyond this is forbidden to us."He remembered the warning well. The village hunters never stepped past this point, not because there was no game, but because those who did either never returned or came back as something… broken. His father never explained further, only saying that some places were meant to be left undisturbed.Ren cast a wary glance at the cloaked man ahead of him, he didn't even hesitate—he stepped past the marker as if it were nothing, his movements fluid and unbothered.Ren swallowed hard and took a deep breath. Then, pushing down the unease curling in his stomach, he followed.The forest beyond was different.The trees were colossal, their trunks ancient and scarred with time. Their roots twisted like the limbs of slumbering giants, creating natural pathways and unseen crevices. The canopy overhead was so thick that only slivers of moonlight pierced through, casting eerie silver streaks across the forest floor. Every step felt heavier, the silence deeper, as if the land itself was watching them.Ren clenched his fists. He had already come this far.There was no turning back now.As they moved, he could feel countless predatory eyes of vicious beasts locking onto him as they ventured past the red boundary.As their name implies, they are different from normal beasts hunted by hunters like his father . They are beasts that has gone through blood awakening and the can go toe to toes with blood cultivators when in comparism to their abilities.