Snow’s skin was crawling and his stomach turning before he could even see where he was. The air smelled horribly, almost smothering, and the strong sense of wrongness sent cold shivers down his spine.

“Azure!”

ZaiWin¹Literally zai (blade) + win (chaos). released him and turned back towards that voice. And Snow just stood there, staring at the dark, dead forest right in front of him.

“When did you get here? The old man didn’t tell us that you were coming.”

“I just got here. Where did you see the movement?” ZaiWin asked, going straight to the point, and the young men pointed towards the trees.

“Over there. See that patch of taller trees? They were shaking just now, before you got here. It has been moving around more and more, these last few days. And it's getting closer to the border. I told the old man to report it. But he said that as long as it didn’t leave the forest there wouldn’t be a problem.”

“The stupid old fool!” ZaiWin spat angrily. “You, go back. All of you.”

“But …” the young man started and ZaiWin frowned, more than annoyed.

“Do as I say, Hill!” he immediately cut the other off and the young man scratched his head, clearly torn.

“We could stay, in case you need some support,” he still dared offer but ZaiWin’s angry glare made him take a step back. “Okay, fine. We’ll go back. Just be sure to join us when you’re done, okay?”

ZaiWin simply nodded and stood there, completely motionless, waiting until the three young men mounted their horses and drove them away.

Once they were finally gone ZaiWin allowed himself to take a deep breath, and turned towards the dead forest, his gaze set.

“It’s one of those things, right?” a small voice asked, coming from right beside him, and ZaiWin peered sideways at the boy. His face looked even paler, his gaze hard and cold as ice.

“Probably. Nothing else would be able to move around in such a place.”

“I can … feel it.”

“Stay here,” ZaiWin simply told him, taking one step forward, but his sleeve got caught on something, forcing him to a halt.

“I’ll go with you,” Snow openly declared.

“You will stay right here! You have no way to fight that thing! Your ice markings won’t be able to harm it. And you’re a freaking Celestial! That thing out there, this entire forest, is filled with energy that is the complete opposite of everything that you are! Have you forgotten what happened the last time you so much as touched one of these things’ blood?”

Snow looked up at him and frowned. Without a word, he released ZaiWin's coat and stepped forward on his own.

ZaiWin stared at him in complete disbelief for a split second. What in the world was he trying to do? Was the brat out of his freaking mind? Wanting to pull him back, ZaiWin stretched out a hand, meaning to grab him by his hood. But a tall, thick wall of ice immediately appeared in front of him, forcing him to quickly retract his hand.

“What the fuck! You damn brat!” he growled angrily, and Snow looked at him over his shoulder, his expression cold and unfazed.

“I can always close you inside an ice box, if you prefer. You’re not too good at melting ice, right? And I know you can easily jump from inside it, but I can always make another box. Want to see who’ll get tired first?”

“You damn brat! Want me to break your legs?!”

“No. I want to lead you to that thing,” Snow calmly replied. “But I will go alone, if you’re not willing to come with me.”

“Snow!!”

Snow couldn’t help smile at the sound of his name. Even when shouted in anger it was much better than being called a brat.

“We’re wasting time.”

ZaiWin punched the ice wall in front of him but it didn’t even budge. Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down, he finally opted to make his way around it.

“Next time I will tie you up to a pole and leave you at the village!” he grunted, which left Snow immediately tense. But then ZaiWin grabbed his hand as he walked past him, allowing him to relax a bit. “Lead the way, then. And try not to faint!”

As if he would faint!, Snow replied inside his head, being forced to follow ZaiWin again.

Snow focused on his purification daitai²Literally dai (light) + tai (mark), or Holly Markings, considered Heavenly Blessings. They’re the source of power. and allowed its warm energy to cover his body like a mantle. Looking up at ZaiWin, he included him in that mantle as well, the soft golden light covering ZaiWin's body like a second skin. He knew ZaiWin must have immediately felt the difference, but he didn’t even slow down, firmly stepping into the forest. That should help them walk through that death zone without being affected by its corrupted energy … or so Snow hoped.

It was as if he’d entered another world, Snow noticed with a shiver.

The land beneath his feet was black and mushy, clouds of dark dust rising in the air every time they took a step. And it was wailing in pain, a chorus of desperate voices filling his head. And yet, there was not a sound around him. Not the sound of rustling leaves or cracking twigs. Not the song of a single bird or the buzzing noise of an insect. Everything was still, motionless, dead. Dead and rotting, the decay slowly spreading deeper into the land. It was stifling and tremendously sad. Everything that was life and movement had been broken apart a long time ago, the trees around them no more than darkened skeletal twisted branches, helplessly reaching towards the dark-gray sky. And yet, amongst that stillness, something was still moving. A very wrong kind of movement. A movement that only spread the darkness even further, that only made the land suffer even more.

Pulling the hand that held his in a tight grip, Snow firmly took the lead, guiding ZaiWin directly towards it.

ZaiWin looked at the boy leading him through the darkness. His entire body was covered by a soft glow, making him look like someone out of that world. He walked in decided steps, even though his usually cold hand had become hot and sweaty.

ZaiWin knew he shouldn’t have brought him there. As usual, ZaiWin would probably be fine no matter what happened, unless he got himself killed. But Snow was hardly like him, quite the contrary. And yet, short of really tying him up or breaking his legs, he had had no way to convince him to stay back. So much for following his orders, he considered grimly. It was probably that damned bracelet’s fault! And yet, no matter what, he did not want him to take it off, to see him for what he really was.

Snow stopped for a moment, his head turning right, before he pulled him again, at a much slower, much more careful pace. And then there it was. ZaiWin saw it immediately, the moment the boy froze in place, his sweaty hand shivering in his.

Silently pulling him back, ZaiWin made him crouch.

“Now be very quiet and still. Don’t make a sound,” he whispered into his ear and Snow nodded, his soft hair brushing against his face. “I’ll be right back.”

Moving soundlessly, ZaiWin stood up and took a deep breath, relaxing his mind and focusing solely on the enemy in front of him.

The feimao³Literally fei (raging / furious) + mao (beast / monster). Raving beasts that appear in unbalanced, ungoverned lands. They possess destructive markings that in turn corrupt the land even further. Hard to explain in just 2 lines -_-; Anyway. Bad, vicious things that need to be killed. standing just a few steps away from him was as big as a horse, but didn’t look like a horse at all. Its six legs were angular, which meant it could probably jump, and the dark paws ended in sharp claws like those of a feline. Its entire body was a disarticulated mass of bones covered in what looked like a sticky, dark substance, that kept dripping onto the ground below it, seeping into the land. Its sharp, angular head was something similar to a dog’s or a wolf’s, the pointy nuzzle moist, the rows of yellow fangs beneath it dripping more darkness. And, like with all feimao, its twisted, skeletal dark body was covered in bright-red markings.

Even though it now stood still, its bright yellow eyes half-closed, ZaiWin had fought enough of those things to know that it would be fast, most likely able to climb the dead trees, reason why its movements had been detected.

Looking at it, ZaiWin couldn’t help clench his fists in anger and frustration. He thought he’d gotten rid of all of them! In fact, he was sure that the Dead Forest was exactly only that. A dead mass of trees standing on a land that could never be healed.

Back when he’d been a child, this forest had been a den of feimao and they had infested the entire plains all the way to the Capital. But ZenTar and him, and a lot of other brave men, had managed to destroy them all, after years and years of hard work. Of course the land had never recovered. This forest in particular had become completely inhabitable. But why had one of those things appeared there again? More than frustrating, it was a real danger to the people of Dryriver, that lived not far from there. Not to mention that it was most certainly a sign that something still wasn’t right with the land, a sign he did not want to have to think about.

Taking a deep breath he forced himself to clear his head. Focus! He had to focus! And he had to be quick. If possible strike it down before it realized what was happening.

Allowing his markings to synchronize with the darkness all around him, ZaiWin moved as silently and as fast as the wind.

Silvareiel

? Go, Snow! Show him the pain that is to have to deal with overbearing, stubborn people like him ???