THE HEART OF THE FOREST

The journey across the corrupt plains and forests of the Altverse had lasted five full days. Five days of a monotony that, for him, was a strange gift. The long hours of walking became an opportunity to get to know Luce better. Her unflagging optimism was a beacon in that bleak world, and their conversations and banter forged an easy and comforting bond.

The rest of the team maintained their own dynamic. Ikel kept telling his exaggerated jokes, Mitsu threw out arrogant but helpful comments about technique, and Lyra would speak up from time to time, spouting off remarks with her usual deadpan attitude that somehow always managed to make Luce laugh. The only one who remained silent was Noelia. She walked with them, but her mind seemed to be a million miles away, lost in a torment she didn't share.

But on the sixth day, the landscape changed. The fresh green of the grasslands turned into a dark and threatening thicket. They had reached the Whispering Forest, in the very heart of digital Pangaea. The trees were gigantic, their trunks twisted like anguished arms. The air was cold and heavy, laden with the smell of damp earth and rusted metal. Their objective, the center of the Altverse, and the reinforcements that awaited them, were on the other side.

— Is this the place? — he asked, unable to hide the shiver that ran down his spine.

— The only way to the Ruins of Dawn — Mitsu confirmed.

Lyra, her face serene but alert, added in her monotone: — They say that in this forest the souls of the players who are erased do not disappear completely. — That their souls become corrupted and remain trapped here, wandering eternally.

Ikel stopped dead in his tracks. — Hey, do you have to tell those things just now? It sounds like a low-budget horror play! —

— Just contextualizing the environment — Lyra replied, and Asimil could have sworn he saw a hint of a smile on her expressionless face. — Or is the great fiery-fisted warrior afraid of ghosts? —

— I'm not afraid of anything! — Ikel roared, beating his chest, but the movement was somewhat forced.

Just then, a dark arrow whistled through the air and stuck in the tree an inch from his ear.

— AAAAAAAAAAAYYYY, A GHOST!!!!! — shouted Ikel, jumping back and clinging to him with the force of sheer hysteria, — I TOLD YOU, I TOLD YOU!!!!! —

— Ikel, get down! You're going to throw me down! — Asimil begged, staggering.

The newcomers approached. Three rough-looking men and a girl with short dark hair. It was she who caught his attention. She had a serious, resolute face, and her blue eyes sparkled with alert intelligence. The instant their gazes met, he felt an electric tingle, a déjà vu. It wasn't the pang of lost love he felt with Noelia, nor Ikel's boisterous camaraderie. It was a strange sensation, as if he had already fought with her in a forgotten battle.

Mitsu stepped forward. — Relax, they are ours. The reinforcements that were waiting for us. —

One of the men, a bearded warrior, scrutinized him. — The skinny one? He's a Pit Survivor? Are you sure about this, Mitsu? —

Asimil felt the ground disappear under his feet. The sacrifice of Saitras...

—So... the death of Saitras...? — he couldn't finish.

— Yes —the leader confirmed, his voice soft but unrelenting. — He was one of the first victims of the Void's expansion in this area. —

He looked at Noelia. She kept her face like a stone mask, but he saw how she clenched her fists, her knuckles white.

— But there is a way to contain it — the dark-haired girl interjected, her voice clear and firm. — The regional Defense Towers. They can create a quarantine field. —

— Exactly — nodded the leader. — There are three. One is in the ruins behind us. We will split up. Mitsu, you and my men will secure the two outer towers. —

He pointed to Asimil's team and the girl. — You will stay with me. We'll activate the main defense here. —

Her blue eyes met his again. That strange feeling of familiarity and trust returned, stronger this time.

— We will leave at dawn — announced the leader.

Night fell over the camp. The weight of revelation was overwhelming. The game was over. This was a war for survival.