Chapter 50 – Signs of Darkness

The northern forest, usually quiet and full of morning birdsong, was eerily still. The air was cold—unnaturally cold for midsummer—and every gust of wind carried with it a whisper of dread.

Zareen gripped his black staff tightly as he led the way along a narrow, overgrown trail. The ground was damp beneath his boots, and the smell of wet earth mingled with something metallic and bitter.

“This doesn’t feel right,” he murmured, his voice barely louder than a breath.

Yuna walked just behind him, her expression calm but her eyes sharp, scanning the tree line. “You’re right. The air is heavy with dragon aura. It’s like a black mist seeping into the soil… into everything.”

Sari pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders, her usual cheer gone. “Ugh… even my skin feels prickly. Normally, the forest wolves just howl from a distance, but this…”

Her words cut off as the underbrush exploded.

A massive wolf lunged from the bushes, but it was nothing like the wolves they had fought before. Patches of its fur had fallen out, leaving dark, cracked skin. Its eyes glowed red, and saliva mixed with black ichor dripped from its elongated fangs.

Doni reacted on instinct. “Rain Shot!”

A volley of arrows shot through the air and struck the creature’s shoulder, but the wolf didn’t even flinch. It bounded forward, snarling.

“What the hell!?” Doni yelped.

Before it could reach them, Yuna darted forward. Her blade, wreathed in a thin haze of darkness, flashed once. The wolf split apart in a spray of dark blood, which hissed when it hit the ground.

For a moment, no one spoke. The forest seemed to hold its breath.

Sari was the first to whisper, her voice almost trembling. “That… wasn’t just a monster. It was… corrupted.”

---

### Gino's Unease

The group stood still, staring at the corpse of the wolf as the stench of iron filled the clearing. Zareen’s stomach twisted.

Then, he glanced toward Gino.

The blonde young man stood motionless, fists clenched at his sides. His jaw was tight, and for the briefest moment, Zareen thought he saw a faint crimson flicker in Gino’s eyes—gone before he could be sure.

“Gino?” Zareen called carefully.

Gino exhaled slowly and rolled his shoulders as if shaking something off. “Hmph. I’m fine. Focus on the mission, Zareen.”

But Zareen didn’t miss the slight tremor in his hands before he shoved them into his pockets.

---

### A Rising Threat

As they pressed deeper into the forest, the situation worsened. The corruption was everywhere now—mutated rabbits with needle-like teeth, birds whose feathers had hardened into razor-sharp scales, even harmless deer that now charged with murderous intent.

Zareen’s magic never stopped flowing. “Defense Up! Regen! Additional Barrier!” His voice grew hoarse as sweat rolled down his neck.

The constant wave of monsters was draining not only their stamina but their spirits.

“This is too fast,” Zareen muttered under his breath, planting his staff in the ground and letting out a pulse of lavender light. “Mutations shouldn’t spread like this. It takes months, even years, for nature to twist like this!”

Yuna’s expression darkened. “It’s because the Ice Dragon is stirring. The closer we get to the appointed time, the more this world bends to its will.”

That made Zareen’s blood run cold.

Sari glanced at Gino out of the corner of her eye. He hadn’t said a word since the first wolf attack. His expression was calm, but his grip on his sword was white-knuckled.

---

### Camp Under a Dead Sky

By nightfall, they managed to set up a small camp on a dry patch of ground. The campfire crackled weakly, struggling against the chill. No crickets sang tonight. No owls hooted. The forest was silent as a grave.

Zareen sat cross-legged near the fire, his notebook open on his lap. His quill scratched rapidly across the page as he recorded everything: the mutations, the aura density, even the color of the corrupted blood.

*Sensei warned me about this…* he thought grimly. *If this keeps spreading, it won’t just twist animals. Humans will be next.*

He paused and stared at his trembling hand. The air felt so heavy, like the night itself was pressing down on him.

When he finally looked up, his gaze landed on Gino.

The blonde swordsman sat away from the fire, his back against a tree, staring into the black forest. His expression was blank, but once again Zareen caught it—that brief, unnatural red glint in his eyes.

*No… not just once. This is the second time. Is it the corruption? Is it affecting him too?*

The thought made Zareen’s stomach churn.

---

### A Silent Realization

He almost called out, almost asked Gino directly, but stopped himself. The words stuck in his throat.

What if it was true? What if the corruption was slowly sinking its claws into Gino?

What would he do then—fight him? Try to purify him? Could he even do that?

Zareen swallowed hard and shut his notebook. The fire popped softly, and the smell of burning wood filled the air.

Around him, Sari and Doni were already asleep, exhausted from the day’s battles. Yuna sat opposite him, her sword across her lap, but her eyes were half-closed.

Only Gino remained alert, sitting in the shadows as though keeping watch—or perhaps, Zareen thought uneasily, keeping his distance.

*Gino… are you fighting something inside you right now?*

The night stretched on, heavy and cold.

And Zareen couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the beginning of something far worse.