Into the forest (2)

"Ghhrrn."

Birdsong and a ray of sun filtered through the leaves and landed on Nathan's face. He groaned, waking up on the same branch just like yesterday.

"Good morning, Natha-"

"What's wrong, Lilo?"

"This place is…"

"What the hell?"

It was strange. Nathan remembered exactly where he'd fallen asleep, but somehow, he'd woken up in the same spot he'd slept the day before.

"…"

"Hey! Let's just move!"

"Right…"

At Lilo's suggestion, they pushed forward, heading in the same direction as yesterday. Before sleeping, Nathan had marked a tree with his sword just a shallow cut to keep track of where they'd gone.

"That sword marking thing was smart," Lilo said.

"Thanks. Just a trick."

"Hmm~ Did it come back to you? Any memories?"

"Not really. It just felt natural."

"Interesting. You're not even shaken by killing monsters… maybe you were a hunter or a mercenary?"

"I mean, I know what a mercenary is. But aren't hunters the kind that chase deer and rabbits?"

"Oh no, I mean monster hunters."

"Monster hunters?"

"Yeah. They get paid to kill demonic creatures. It's kind of like a mercenary, but mercs do other things too."

"I see."

They kept walking the same path as the day before, trying to shake the eerie feeling clinging to their skin. The trees, the air, the sounds, it was all too familiar.

"…Lilo. Do you remember that bush?"

"It… it looks like the one the giant snake came from. But I'm sure it's just a coincidenc-"

"SSSSssss!"

"!!!"

"Natha-"

"You don't have to remind me!"

This time, Nathan didn't hesitate. He rushed to the tree, jammed his sword into the trunk, and used it as leverage to climb higher way higher than last time. He grabbed another branch and pulled himself up, breath tight in his chest.

"Your sword!"

"Shhh!"

"…nods."

Below, the snake slithered through the grass, scanning its surroundings. Maybe because Nathan climbed higher this time, the thing didn't notice them. It moved on, disappearing without a fight this time.

"Let's go down," he said.

"Alrighty."

They climbed down. Nathan yanked his sword from the bark and took off, same as last time away from the snake's trail.

"…Lilo. I'm not crazy, am I?"

"No… history repeated itself."

"Great. So, we're in some kind of curse."

"I should've seen it sooner. Sorry, Nathan."

"It's fine. No one's at fault. Let's just move... faster."

Nathan started running. Lilo grabbed his arm, keeping pace without letting go.

"If this loop resets after nightfall, we just leave before night."

"Yeah! Good plan, for a human!"

"Lilo… too honest."

"Oh. Sorry."

Eventually, they pushed past the point where yesterday had ended. The world finally looked different. That heavy déjà vu feeling lifted.

"Yeah, man. That's what I'm talking about!"

"Don't stop!"

He didn't. He ran until...

"!!!"

"Yay!! A sign of humans!"

Up ahead, in a small clearing, stood a hunting tower. It looked abandoned, but it was something something human made. Something new. It was hope.

"Let's check it out."

"Careful. That ladder might be ancient."

"Right."

Nathan climbed cautiously. At the top, he broke the lock with his sword old, rusted, easy.

"…Damn."

"Poor guy…"

Inside the tower, in the corner, sat a skeleton in a soldier's uniform. Old bones. Not a fresh kill.

"Let's see… a map, anything."

"I'll look around."

There was almost nothing a table, a broken chair, bloodstains on the wood. No map. Just cracked bowls and dusty liquor bottles.

"F*ck. Lilo, anything?"

"Just ragged clothes."

Nathan sighed and rushed to the body, digging through the uniform.

"Please, please… Yes!"

"What did you find?!"

"This."

In his hand, he held a compass.

Finally. Now they knew which direction they'd been going.

"Lilo, let's go. We need to move before night."

"Yes!"

They left immediately. Neither of them noticed the flag under Nathan's foot as the tower door creaked shut behind them. It was old, tattered an ancient flag. The emblem of a long fallen empire that had once ruled where the Aurelion Empire now stood.

They kept walking. Deeper into the forest.

Nathan's legs started to give. He dropped to one knee.

"Nathan!"

"I'm fine… Wait."

"What?"

"Moss grows on the north side of trees, right? You're a nymph ... you'd know."

"Oh… yeah. In this forest, it does. But why?"

"Look there."

He pointed to a tree. Then another. And another.

The compass said they were heading north.

The moss said otherwise.

"…"

"…"

They stared at each other. Something was off ... something worse than a simple loop. The forest was hiding something old… twisted.

A time loop? A cursed trail? An empire lost to history?

Whatever it was, it wasn't done with them yet.