“…….” Zalanderi was left speechless. The fearsome Grollin had transformed into a small human female.

“Why are you looking oddly? Is my form crooked?” She checked her newly formed body. “If it is, I can’t change it…”

“No.” His eyebrows moved with a gentle lift. “I'm wondering why you've become human.”

She tilted her head. “It is obvious, I take the form of the soul I'm bonded to.”

“Then what happens if you bond to a lizard? Will you take its form?”

“To a certain extent, yes, because the being with the higher presence takes the form of the lowest, and they all have to be conscious creatures, otherwise, results will be bad.”

“In my readings, this doesn’t happen to humans.”

“Every case has an exception.”

‘Soul Bond, a dangerous magic that haunts all souls of the participants, and none can escape without killing each other.’

“Pyungmangi.”—Zalanderi approached her closely—“Do you know about the town I mentioned?"

“Yes. What about it?” she said, slightly taken aback by his serious tone.

“The soul bond, it leaves us at the mercy of each other, doesn’t it?” he continued, and a tiny smile had been carved on his face.

“Yes.”

“And that leaves you one option; you have to come to the town.”

“No, I will not.” She shook her head. “I can't lie about my true form.”

“You don’t need to, just don’t speak about it to anyone”

She grunted. “Being soul bonded is not an excuse to treat me like a pet…” Her expression soured as she spoke.

“I understand that, but you said you had a mission that’ll be done when you’re with me”

“Of course, but for now”—She pointed at him—“I don't see any reason to follow you directly.”

“I see a reason.” The edges of his mouth pointed upward. “Let us suppose I ‘accidentally’ in trouble—”

“Accidentally?”

He went on, not taking notice, “—You wouldn’t be able finish your job.”

“Huh?” she muttered. “Are you not afraid of death, Zalanderi?”

“No more than you.”

Her eyes squinted, sensing something inside, and buried deep down in him, “Zalanderi.” She sharpened her gaze. “Have I bonded to a mad man?”

A small giggle escapes his mouth. “I’m afraid you’d have to find out,” he said. that enough had been a confirmation of her worries, ‘Yes I definitely did,’ she thought.

“I see your point,” she sighed. “No need to argue anymore.”

They walked to the horse’s location, Zalanderi had been limping slowly as his wound was not fully healed, while Pyungmangi proudly took a leisure-full stroll around, and she made sure he noticed every movement she had with her leg. ‘Such a show off,’ he thought. ‘Such a weak man,’ she also thought.

“Come on. Let’s ride,” said he.

“Why can’t I just run through the forest?” She lifted one leg, and put it down, then did the same with the other one.

“That would take too long, and I do not have to state the issues with running in your Grollin form.”

“No one will see me.” Her words sounded as a mumble.

He insisted, “We can't risk that.”

“I’ve never rode anything before,” said she, a slight disgusted look appeared on her face. “I can’t discuss that further…”

“That’s not an issue, I'll teach you.”

Zalanderi showed her how to sit comfortably on the horse while explaining, “First, you take your leg, place it in the stirrup…” She lost him half way through that explanation.

Instead of following his instructions, Pyungmangi executed a graceful leap with her light foot, and used her wings to positioned herself carefully on the horse.

“Was this good?” She settled down on the saddle.

“Close enough, but there's definitely some room for improvement.” His disappointment can be heard.

Playfully, she said, “Next time I’m doing a flip.”

‘Oh there is no “Next time”, in no way I’m letting you near my horse,’ he internally said.

 

They travel along a gravel path that stretched through the dense forest, its air was permeated with a shivering cold, and an eerie mist cloaked the surroundings, casting an unusual spectacle.

Zalanderi took notice and remarked, “This mist is unusually heavy for this time of year. It doesn't typically form so frequently.”

“This isn't ordinary mist.” she responded.

“What do you mean?”

“This is soul mist.” For a fleeting moment, emotion filled her response.

“This wasn't here before…”

“It could be a side effect to our soul bond, you can now perceive areas that have witnessed a heavy loss of lives. This is what soul mist is, and it forms around magical creatures.”

“Has this been a common occurrence for you?”

“Yes. Always.”

Unbeknownst to them, as they press onward through the forest, the once-clear path had stretched endlessly ahead.

Pyungmangi urgently called, “Zalanderi! Halt the horse!”

Reacting swiftly, Zalanderi tugged the reins, bringing the horse to a sudden stop.

“What’s wrong?” said he. His concern apparent.

Her eyes widen, and her voice trembled as she uttered, “We’re no longer within the forest...”

A sense of unease griped Zalanderi, as he scanned the surroundings. He concluded an alteration in the forest, no sounds can be heard, the crunching of the leaves, and the sound of the wind cracking the twigs off the trees had vanished. The moon glow waned, then its light became dim. And the trees themselves, had pointed branches, its leaves morphed into sinister, claw-like shapes.

“Pyung! Do you see that?”
She followed her gaze, confirming his observation, "Yes, as if the forest had been broken."

The fresh breeze of the night time, slowly turned sour. Zalanderi was first to notice, yet his sight remained locked on the morphing bushes, "Something is hiding behind the sharp logs! I can sense it, yet it evades my eyes!"

Pyungmangi dismounted, she turned around, tense and alert. “Don't take needless risks, we're in unfamiliar territory.” said Zalanderi to her.

Her eyes glowed red, and claws elongated from her paws. “We're in danger. Remain vigilant!”

He stepped off his horse, edging closer to her. “Though my senses do not match yours, I can sense some floating presence enveloping us.”

“Let us look further.”

They scoured the environment, within certain distance of each other, but their impaired vision revealed nothing amiss.

Zalanderi built up anxiety, as he fixated on a specific direction. He beckoned, "Over here. There's something!" His words hang in the air.

Zalanderi's attention narrowed further, capturing something he had never seen before; some colossal visage emerges – a giant floating head, its face red, gleaming with a crimson colour, and with a nose, pointed like a sword, and too big for its size, and a very, very, devilish jubilant grin scalped underneath that nose.

A force had anchored Zalanderi in his place, rendering him immobile. Inwardly trembling, Zalanderi's mind raced, ‘What’–His thoughts scramble—‘is this!?’

Pyungmangi spotted Zalanderi's stunned figure, she jumped with remarkable speed, and moved him away.

"Are you alright?" Her voice laced with concern, as she cradled his frozen body in her grasp.

Zalanderi struggled to reply, still waning from the shock. In response, Pyungmangi channelled her potent mana, administering a quick jolt to snap him back to his senses.

His muscles contracted, and energy flowed through his veins, relaxing the contractions with some time, “Thank you,” he responds barely.

“What happened?” said she, a confused look paints her face, as if she hadn't heard his initial cry.

“Something attacked, a giant red face or something of the sort, though I can't recall the details clearly,” he replied.

“You didn’t alert me.”

"I did, I called out to you from that direction to see it.”

"I didn't hear your voice because you didn't speak. I saw you momentarily frozen, and that's when I rushed to aid you." Pyungmangi didn’t even hear him at a mental level.

"Strange. Our connection was severed momentarily."

The shock began to wear off. Zalanderi stood up and attempted to steady his breath, holding onto consciousness despite the overwhelming weakness in his body.

‘Pyung! Can you hear my thoughts?!’ Zalanderi tried to establish a mental connection with her.

‘Yes,’ she responded. ‘and I can also hear you screaming inside of my head. Please think quieter.’

‘Good, now we have to devise a plan escape.’

‘Do not look at its last directions, just be on guard while I go around searching for an exit.’ She moved hastily, dashing and looking in the area desperately, ‘Something is here, an opening...’ she thought.

Her glowing red eyes bulged out slightly, their veins close to bursting with blood, and her tiny mouth crumbling into a broken shape, she calls out. ‘Why… Can’t I move?’

Zalanderi caught a glimpse of her despair, his teeth gnashed as he hopped in the air, he landed next to her, catching her within his grasp and moving her away from the face.

“Pyung!” He screamed repeatedly, but she remained frozen, even for a heavenly beast; this shock had been too much.

‘I can’t help her… My mana is insufficient.’ He grumbled quietly. ‘Is this my limit?’

‘Leave me be…’ Her voice reaches him. ‘The creature is everywhere, no matte where you look, he’ll come for you, run!’

‘I understand, but that won’t solve this issue!’ His irritated thoughts whirled. ‘The time for running has passed; we’re trapped here in this endless forest.’

‘What will you do then?’

‘I think I understand how its magic works,’ said he.

‘Fear,’ she answered.

‘Yes. When the mind is clear, it implant fear inside it, and that becomes the sole emotion present.’

‘Good, but how do you counteract that?’

‘I can elaborate later.’

He stood up with firm footing, leaving Pyungmangi’s body laying near his horse, and he meticulously searched all part of the partially bright circle surrounding them, seeing shadows and faces in the corners of his eyes, each laughing at him, and partially visible.

‘The crimson-face (What he had to call it) – I do not know anything about it, an entity absent from the books, not even in the ancient tablets.’ He pondered.

Finally, the laughing face had revealed itself. Zalanderi’s eyes seethed with anger, the sight this entity igniting a deeply hidden blood-lust, ‘I promised myself not to… again.’ Old memories resurfaced, ones too dark for him to handle, filling him with regret, and aggravated him more.

His breath’s heavier, and his face’s red as a blaze, the veins on his forehead held tightly, though close to bursting open from the flow.

He steeled himself, ‘No room for regrets.’

Zalanderi’s final mana level had been reached, a limit that endangered his life.

{TEMPORARY RISE IN POWER: MANA LEVEL FROZEN:: CRITICAL LEVEL BEYOND 11}

‘What are you doing!?’ Pyungmangi’s thoughts travelled telepathically, yet not heard, as Zalanderi’s mind was imprisoned.

Zalanderi’s sword was drawn, and he lunged towards the crimson-face, his legs acted as a powerful spring, his movement became like a canon when launching a metal ball, with immense speeds; the subsequent force almost shattering the unhealed leg bones into little pieces, again.

The fluid movement of his body, braced his collision, which shattered the sword, that had transformed it into shrapnel and scattered all around the area.

‘Zalanderi! You’ll get yourself killed! You have evaded its influence, but how can you evade it further!?’ Pyungmangi's mental plea ringed through Zalanderi’s mind, but was unheard.

The resultant blast stiffened his hands, ‘Only one way left’. He created a fist of energy, punching the hardened smug crimson face, unable to move it in the slightest.

Then blood seeped from his hands, the pain was numb, but he still can feel something draining out of his hands. He backed away from the crimson-face, its laughable grin growing even more than before, mocking his needless efforts.

Pyungmangi contemplated, she had to do something before they both meet their end, and she tried in desperation to move her frozen body, ‘What force would stun a Grollin?’ she thought, she moves her finger slightly upward, ‘Something is blocking me from moving…’

Zalanderi fell to the ground, grasping for air, as he was alarmed by an annoying alert.

 

{CRITICAL LEVEL 12}

‘Beyond my limits…’ Zalanderi’s throat burned from the strain on his body, a suffocating sensation devoured his thoughts.

He stepped forward towards the crimson-face, with the remaining power in him, and launched an onslaught of kicks, each with the power of a hammer swung at a rock, with some even managing to chip away at the hardened grin.

Quickly, the crooked smile of the crimson-face lightened, and the visage vanished.

The stunned Pyungmangi had felt sensation coming back, her fingertips feeling the moist air, and her back laid on a soft bed of grass, then, despite her weakened legs, she stood up.

Zalanderi was in a deep state of numbness, unresponsive, but acutely aware of his surroundings, and his attention focused more on the crimson-face entity, not noticing Pyungmangi.

With a small nudge, she aimed to wake him from the self-induced anger coma. Abruptly, he turned his back and lunged in a direction, launching kicks at the crimson-face, knocking it backwards and thwarting its attempt at a surprise attack.

This state.
I’ve felt it many times.

Then why have I not woken up?

Why have I not?

Why can’t I wake up?

Is this truly my limit?

His soul felt as if it was lifted, floating through and empty void, traversing a sea shrouded ind darkness; one beyond human comprehension.

If can’t wake up soon.

My presence will vanish.

He concentrated vigorously, aiming to bring back his presence to earth again.

I remember who I am.

And who I used to be…

The tired presence got slightly altered, which was between two worlds, and had came back to his body.

“HUH!” Zalanderi was abruptly thrust back into reality, finding himself face to face with the floating crimson itself, half of its face chiselled from the kicks, and with an ungodly glare.

“Verditi! My feet… are hurt!” He tumbled on to the ground. As suddenly as his presence returned, the pain in his body pressed him.

‘Welcome back!’ Pyungmangi telepathically communicated with Zalanderi, ‘I’ve been holding him back, while you continued your silly kicks.’

‘For how long?’ he said internally.

‘You’ve been in this state for quite some time, enough to leave a mark on it.’

A sense of relief washed over Zalanderi. ‘Just a bit more, and we can put an end to it.’

‘I’ve analysed it carefully. There’s a gust of wind that accompanies its movements. Now we can predict its attacks,’ she thought.

Zalanderi pushes himself upwards, despite his many injuries.

‘I’m surprised you an stand up still,’ she exclaimed.

‘I can endure more.’

They take defensive stances, guarding each other’s back. ‘On your left.’ Zalanderi alerted her, wind pierced the the damp area, and the crimson-face quickly moved towards her left.

Her claws were already drawn, and with the immense power flowing fluidly, she disrupts the crimson-face’s attack; and effectively takes a chunk out of it.

‘Good attack,’ said he. ‘The crimson-face is but a mere rock, and with a glowing core, we have to destroy that it,’ he explained.

‘Then we’re close,’ said she, ‘On your right.’

Zalanderi was on guard, his leg was swung, demolishing what’s left of the rock.

The core pulsed with red waves, creating a giant hue of crimson light, and each one inverting the gravity of the ground, yet it vanished…

Its existence had been forgotten by many, and its origins was shrouded in mist, hiding behind a thin veil, and only a passage could be remembered:

The world had a laughing face.

One they say of disgrace.

Hiding itself behind shadows.

While grinning at the human race.

 

The moist had cleared, the night light returned and shined through the gaps under the woven trees, every branch had become its natural shape, and the gravel path once again apparent.

‘Were free,’ yelled Pyungmangi.

And without anymore words spoken, they had mounted the horse, each bearing their scars and injuries, and with a singular thought inside their minds, ‘Sleep.’

A humble smile shaped itself on Zalanderi’s mouth, now that they can hear each other’s thought, sometimes, they share many.

They cross a pond just outside the doorway of the northern wall (which is south of the forest). The moon light glowing through the fields, reflecting through the surroundings like a lightly-dimmed sun, and they continued through the northern side, where most of the farmland is located.

 

The town’s district had became near, light illuminated the paved streets, where some people had been out celebrating in their past time, as it was too late to work, and too early to sleep. One of them stood out, the mayor himself, Sir Yimani, laughing with his friends.

Zalanderi and Pyungmangi reached the district, dismounting off the horse, two men approached them in a hurry, considering their shape resembled two people whom came out of hell.

‘Sir Zalanderi! Are you alright?!’ One of them yelled quietly.

“Yes, just need some rest,” Zalanderi responded.

‘It’s been two days since you’ve left, we started to think you died’

“Don’t worry about it, I hope that the cave will be reopened soon enough,” he responded.

‘Of course Sir!’

Sir Yimani looked amused, he stepped forward, “Sir Zalanderi. Glad you could join us, come grab some food if you please.”

“Thank you, Sir Yimani. but I really can’t,” said Zalanderi.

“It is my treat, you can’t possibly refuse that?”

“Only if you take care of my friend over here.” Zalanderi pointed at Pyungmangi, whom was partially sleeping, “She needs to eat.”

“Of course, anything for our hero,” said he.

 

Pyungmangi was seated on a chair inside the local tavern, a simple gathering had been there, music was glaring, and drinks were served. She was with delights from the town’s bakery, the smell waking her up in an instant… “FOOD!” she roared, and started to devour everything on the table.

Yimani’s laugh couldn’t be contained. “Your friend’s apatite is something else, where did you find her?”

“She’s the one who’d been living in the cave.”

“What?” said Yimani, a slight frown in his eye brows formed.

“I have to explain this…” said Zalanderi, and he began explaining, detailing all events that had happened within the two days he’s been out.

Yimani glanced at Pyungmangi, growing slightly restless around her, “You have to keep this between us.”

“Of course, you have to understand something, she was never the one that had killed your people.”

“I understood that, the creature in the forest did,” said Yimani, with a glass of rum shaking in his hands. “but I do not trust her.”

“You have my word on that, since I can slightly contain her,” said Zalanderi, he rested his hands on the table.

“How? The cave’s door was supposed to contain her, and you had destroyed it with a sword…”

“Yes I did, but the door seemed enough to contain her all these years.” Zalanderi straightened his posture. “Then why did they need to build a wall?”

Yimani shook his head. “To prevent it from coming south, I guess.”

“That’s the empire’s explanation, but I want yours,” said Zalanderi.

“I don’t have—”

Before the mayor could deflect the question, he was cut off.

“People kept disappearing when they enter the forest,” The town lord’s son, Hamrur, said.

“You still have a knack for cutting people off mid speech,” said Yimani.

“You also do it all the time,” Hamrur mumbled.

Yimani lowers his head in disappointment. “Sorry for this, what my son said is an odd theory he and his friends made.”

“How is it a theory?” asked Zalanderi.

“Nothing has been proven about it.” Yimani replied.

“The crimson-face proves it, and we bare witness to it,” said Zalanderi, pointing at Pyungmangi.

“I believe you, but we still can not tell the town about it,” said Yimani.

“Alright.” Zalanderi agreed.

 

Some time had passed, and the gathering quieted down. Hamrur had been away for a while, after he got tired of all the old men blabbering about in the tavern. Pyungmangi had been sleeping on a lounge, too tired to care. And Zalanderi spent his time conversing.

Hamrur came back quickly, his eyes widened, and hastened to his father. He muttered something to Yimani, who locked his eyes with Zalanderi.

He approached Zalanderi, “Something has come up,” Yimani blurted these words with fear.

“What happened?” he worriedly said.

“The thing you had talked about...”

They departed; heading for the mayor’s house, he tells Zalanderi: “This thing had appeared sometime recently, my son had been stargazing and he caught it,” Yimani explained.

When they arrived, he directed Zalanderi’s attention at a strange device – an odd device, resembling a telescope, and written ‘Sky Magnifying Glass’ on its side, also etched near its name, an inscription that Zalanderi’s sight fell upon, ‘Designed by: Avonso Iveres’.

“Use it and see the moon.” Yimani adjusted the view of the telescope.

As instructed by him, Zalanderi searched amongst the sky for the moon, and then staked the edges of the moon, and found it.

 

The crimson-face, has appeared on the moon…