“Becker won’t be leaving before tomorrow morning; he wouldn’t risk walking around the forest at night. He’ll leave first thing at dawn, though, while we’ll have to wait for your mom to leave for work. That means he’s going to get a head start of a couple of hours.”

As she was talking, Erin was also studying the map of the forest, trying to figure out what options they had. Creatures fleeing the Core of the forest meant that now would, in theory, be the safest moment to go there. It also meant that these creatures had to have gone somewhere else, and thus that reaching the center Core would be potentially more dangerous than normal. It was also likely that many of the territories marked down on the map would no longer be relevant, making the journey to the center even more unpredictable.

In short, Erin was beyond nervous. She’d fallen back into some of her old habits, trying to plan everything that could be, though she was quickly coming to the conclusion that many things would have to be left to luck. Still, while this would have sent her in a panic less than two months ago, today’s Erin could deal with it.

“Do you think we should swing by Becker’s place? Make sure he’s actually gone?” Sarah asked, breaking Erin out of her thoughts.

“It’s on the way, so that’s probably a good idea. I really don’t expect him to still be there, though,” Erin replied absentmindedly, her eyes still fixated on the map in front of her.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Sarah doing the same, though her friend wasn’t really acquainted with all the creatures that populated the forest, and it showed on her face. She looked lost.

“You’re going to need a good pair of shoes, and some thick clothes. We’re also going to need to get a few days’ worth of food at least, some camping equipment if you have some, and some of the instruments we borrowed from Becker,” Erin said, glancing up. “Can you take care of the food and equipment? I’m going to pick a route and then see what tools I should bring.”

“Sure thing,” Sarah said, a grateful smile on her face. “I’ll take some time to write a letter for my mom, too. Some stuff we’ll have to wait tomorrow morning to do, since I can’t exactly go downstairs and start packing food while she’s there, but I can prepare everything in the meantime.”

And so, with all the tasks divided, Sarah and Erin set to work, organizing everything they could so that they would be able to quickly leave the next morning. Once everything was in order, the two friends quietly retired for the night, hoping to catch a bit of sleep before their long journey.

- - -

“She just left.”

The moments the words left Sarah’s mouth, the two girls sprung into action. Lisa Ritter had finally left for work, which meant that Sarah and Erin could finally finish their preparations and leave the house.

Two big backpacks were requisitioned from the back of a dusty closet and promptly filled with all the necessary gear, as well as all some old camping gear that hadn’t been used in years Sarah managed to find in the attic.

In the living room, Sarah carefully placed her folded letter on the dining table, gazing at it with an unreadable expression. Erin placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, which was rewarded with a shaky yet sincere smile.

“We’ll come back as quickly as possible,” Erin murmured.

“I know,” Sarah sighed, “I just hope she won’t worry too much. Let’s go before I change my mind.”

Erin nodded, and the two of them left the house in silence, locked the door, and left without a glance back, their backpacks filled to the brim.

Unfortunately, Sarah didn’t have a car, and Erin’s had been taken by her parents, and so the two teens resigned themselves to walking along the quiet streets of Eriz.

Passing by Becker’s house confirmed Erin’s suspicions. His car was gone, and a quick scan by Sarah revealed that all the protections on and inside the house had been activated, though new ones had also been added.

They didn’t stay after that, and resumed their walk, each step bringing them closer to the outskirts of the forest.

- - -

“That looks like Becker’s car,” Erin said, as she spotted a distant speck of dark color, close to the edge of the forest.

They’d long since walked past the few buildings that littered the periphery of Eriz, and now only large wild fields awaited them, bordering the entirety of the forest.

And indeed, as they got closer, Erin recognized the deep blue of Becker’s Ford. It had been parked haphazardly next to the end of the sole gravel path that crossed the fields, and Erin could see tire tracks in the gravel. As she reached the car, Erin pulled on the passenger side handle, only for the door to open.

“Looks like he was in a hurry,” Sarah said, glancing inside the car.

“If we manage to find him and he attacks us, I need you to stay away and take cover,” Erin said, turning to stare Sarah in the eyes. “I’m serious. Last time he threw a spell at me in the middle of the school, for no good reason. I don’t want to imagine what he might try if we’re alone in the forest.”

“Do you think you can beat him in a fight?”

Erin hesitated. “Probably not. I’m a lot stronger than I used to be, and I’ve got that new spell from my bracelet, so I might be able to surprise him. On the other hand, everything I’ve recently learned came from his house. Plus, he’s got at least two centuries of experience on me.”

“Then we should probably try to make sure he doesn’t see us as a threat,” Sarah said, biting her lip.

“Yeah,” Erin said, gazing up at the trees. “I really hope he won’t.”

- - -

The plan from then on was simple. Sarah would occasionally use her powers to scan their environment, focusing her attention on the presence of big creatures and ignoring everything else. If she did find anything, she would then do a second scan, and describe the creature to Erin, who would then decide how to proceed.

This was a trick Sarah had come up with only very recently. By focusing only on something very specific, say the presence of a large creature, she would be able to extend the range of her awareness while not being overwhelmed with large quantities of information. She could thus pace herself much better, while ensuring their safety.

Meanwhile, Erin would keep her eyes open for more static dangers, like landslides and dangerous plants. Hopefully, doing things this way would ensure their safety.

The first part of their trip went by with barely any problem, which Sarah found reassuring, as it meant that most creatures did not yet feel threatened enough to take refuge near the forest’s borders. While she may not have been as knowledgeable in magic as Erin was, animals were something she could understand.

As Sarah trudged through the forest with Erin at her side, occasionally sending a pulse of magic all around her, she was able to see the forest slowly change around her. The foliage became thicker, the terrain harder to navigate, and less light was able to pass through the canopy overhead, plunging their surroundings in dark shadows. Even the strange beacon of light, the whole reason for this expedition, was barely visible anymore over all the foliage.

While the dark wasn’t stark enough to make it difficult to walk around, it completely changed the atmosphere of the forest. Before, Sarah had always perceived the forest as a warm and inviting place, with its numerous clearings, flat grounds and light vegetation. If it hadn’t been for Erin warning her about the dangers, she would have thought it to be the perfect place for a relaxing nap.

Here, that feeling of peacefulness was completely gone, replaced instead with an undercurrent of tension. Sarah felt more and more unwelcome as she and Erin sank deeper into the depths of the forest, a nagging feeling at the back of her mind telling her that, just maybe, turning around would be the best course of action.

She did her best to ignore her unwanted thoughts, of course, she would never do that to Erin, but she couldn’t help but dread the moment they would finally reach the Inner Ring, where even Erin herself had only gone a handful of times. What could possibly await them in there?

“Erin?” Sarah asked after a moment of doubt.

“Yes?”

“Do you ever get used to it all? Walking in that forest, while knowing that you’re surrounded by dangerous and unknown creatures?”

Erin looked at Sarah with a compassionate smile. “Kind of. It doesn't stop being scary, but you get used to it, and you start to recognize dangerous spots, which makes it easier to deal with the fear,” Erin glanced away, a faint blush coloring her cheeks, and gently grabbed Sarah’s hand. “I know this place is creepy, but I promise I won’t let anything happen to you,”

Sarah didn’t say anything, she just squeezed Erin’s hand, walking as close to her as she dared.

- - -

“I think we should stop here for tonight, we’ve almost reached the Inner Ring,” Erin said, while inspecting her surroundings. “There’s a pretty nice dip here, so we’ll be more difficult to spot. I can put up some protections for the night while you set up camp?”

Sarah nodded, and put her backpack down with a sigh of relief. She didn’t think calling herself out of shape would have been fair, but she definitely wasn’t as fit as Erin was, and it had showed on the last segment of their journey.

By now, they could barely see further than a few meters ahead, though it was hard to say whether that was because of the late hour or the nature of the environment. Aside from the muffled sound of the wind, the forest was pretty quiet, and if it weren’t for the occasional noise here and there, Sarah would have thought it to be devoid of animals. It was just uncanny enough to be noticed, and only now, Sarah realized that the forest around her had, at some point during their trek, gained a strange new quality, an eerie feeling that nagged at the corner of her mind.

Now that she’d experienced it herself, Sarah was starting to understand why Erin and Becker separated the forest into rings as they did. The change in her surroundings had by no means been abrupt, but it had still been noticeable, and she could tell that tomorrow’s segment of the journey would be completely different from today’s.

As she set the camp as best as she was able, Sarah saw a very faint dome of white light erupting around them, white filaments criss crossing each other and slowly swaying, as if moved by the breeze. It was barely noticeable, even in the obscurity, and slowly faded a minute later.

“There,” Erin said, as she formed a ball of faint light in the crux of her hand, before carefully letting it hover in the center of the small camp. “Nothing should bother us now. I’d still rather not light a fire, so we’ll have to eat our food cold, but the arrays around the camp should protect us from the low temperatures a little bit,”

“We didn’t find Becker,” Sarah murmured, as the two girls settled down on their sleeping bags, next to one another. “I don’t know if I should be happy or worried,”

Erin let out a long sigh, “I don’t know either, but it actually makes sense. I picked our route while keeping your abilities in mind, while Becker had to be a lot more careful and take a safer path,” she paused, staring at the pulsing orb of light in front of them. “It’s strange to think that he probably isn’t that far away from us, right now. The three times he and I went to explore the Inner Ring, we always camped just outside of its perimeter,” a strangled laugh escaped her throat. “He’s a huge prick, but even after everything I can’t help but worry about him, how weird is that?”

“It’s not,” Sarah said and shuffled closer, her shoulder pressing against Erin’s in a silent show of support. “It’s part of who you are,”

Erin hummed noncommittally, letting her head rest on Sarah’s shoulder, her posture relaxing for the first time since they’d left this morning.

A comfortable yet uneasy silence settled around them. The easy part of the trip was done, and now came the dangerous one. The duo ate in silence, the comfort of each other’s presence like a balm to their souls, before they faded in an uneasy sleep, their sleeping bags pressed against one another.