The pair… or trio… if Nyx was included, re-entered the shadowy canopy on the other end of the clearing, attempting to escape the eerie forest.

Fortunately, it seemed that the dense mass of vine webs was only concentrated mainly around the spider's nest. Having already passed through the more challenging part of the forest, the vine webs were now becoming thinner on this side.

He was certainly grateful for being able to walk through freely without having to face-greet any more vines. The hours of forcefully ramming through countless vine barriers had given his bruised shoulder a rather ruthless beating, and he doubted how much more of it he could endure. 

However, even with the dwindling frequency of the hanging vine barriers, the creeping vines on the ground still persisted, laid out all across the forest floor.

***

The trio traversed the giant forest stealthily for another 30 minutes, only after which did Dain convince himself that they had finally shaken off the monstrous spider. 

After remaining on high alert and being gripped by constant fear for nearly an hour, the relief that washed over him was palpable as he finally allowed himself to let loose. The tearful child was trailing a fair distance behind him, showing visible reluctance to get any closer.

Observing the enigmatic child behind him, he sank into thought. Now that he had confirmed that he was a genuine child in distress, this meant that his earlier suspicions were reignited, seeking answers once again. It was now an indisputable fact that the boy had truly somehow managed to make it all the way into the clearing by himself. 

Just how was this feasible for him? I understand that there were no vines on this side, so it was possible for him to have walked in here, but it still doesn't explain how he managed to survive the clutches of the murderous spider long enough for me to reach him!

It was truly puzzling. Dain found that all the facts at his disposal failed to lead him to a satisfying explanation. The mystery remained, and he struggled to formulate a proper reasoning for this strange occurrence.

But more importantly, why is it that even after 30 minutes of peace, the boy's crying is still not showing any signs of cessation? On the contrary, it seems to only be intensifying by the second. Dain couldn’t help but frown. 

Just what exactly is the root cause of this child’s intense crying? Could it all be solely due to the fear he experienced from being trapped in this forest all alone? But now that someone has already come to his rescue, shouldn’t his tears have lessened, at least a little bit? After contemplating for a few moments, he shook his head.

It seemed improbable that his present fear of the forest alone was the sole cause of the unstoppable downpour of tears. This wasn't merely crying; the child seemed to be almost on the verge of a serious mental breakdown! It was evident that there was something much more serious underlying his distress.

But that raises a separate set of questions : Just what exactly could have triggered such intense emotions in a young child? What experiences did he have to endure in his few years of living that was capable of invoking such a reaction?

Dain couldn’t even remember a time when he himself had cried this hard. Alright, perhaps once or twice, but it certainly wasn’t at such a tender age!

As he finally tore his gaze off the child, he resolved inwardly. I promise, once we escape this forest, I'll find out what's bothering you. I wish I could comfort you now, but I understand trust needs time. Let's hope we reach the end of this forest soon! 

Meanwhile, Nyx, the arrogant and carefree midnight cat, was strutting pompously at the head of the trio. She seemed to believe that she held all the authority to lead the group's direction.

Watching his companion's behavior, he couldn't suppress the irritated expression forming on his face, muttering under his breath. "This stupid furball... Did she already appoint herself as the group’s leader? And why are we even following her lead anyway? She's been sleeping since the beginning. There's no way she knows the direction of the exit!”

Unbeknownst to him, he had inadvertently voiced his frustrations out loud. The black cat had heard all his complaints about her assumed leadership, turning her gaze towards her foolish caretaker.

Feeling the midnight cat’s glare, Dain responded with a bored expression, making no effort to conceal any of his criticisms. After all, what he had said was all true.

In a swift leap, Nyx hopped up onto his shoulder, immediately commencing a series of paw swats to his forehead.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

“What are you doing, you smelly cat! Get off me!” Dain protested, chasing the dark feline off his shoulder. Nyx hopped down, making a seamless jump into the child's arms.

To Dain’s surprise, the silent boy allowed the black cat to leap into his arms, cradling her in a gentle embrace. Despite his earlier tears, he was still somehow able to cast an unimpressed side-eye at Dain.

"Hey! You saw what she did to me! How am I the bad guy here?" Dain objected, feeling indignant. Somehow, he seemed to be earning an undeserved reputation as a dirty and unreliable adult as time passed.

Grrr… I gotta give her credit… That stupid cat really is good at deceiving others… 

As Dain and the midnight feline continued trading hostile gazes amongst themselves, something suddenly interrupted the peace and quiet of the silent forest.

It was a terrible sound of rumbling…

The air itself seemed to thicken, charged with an electric tension that raised the hair at the back of Dain’s neck. An icy shiver shook the core of his soul, a sense of dread clutching his heart. 

The ground beneath his feet began to tremble violently, sending shockwaves through his entire being. Glancing down at his feet, he realized that the threaded vines on the floor had begun to vibrate.

In a panic, he began to glance around frantically. He could feel an impending sense of danger, rapidly converging upon them!

Scanning through the giant trees in the darkness, his eyes finally fixated onto the source of all his fear. A groan of frustration escaped him.

The persistent vine spider was in sight once again. 

In the far distance, the massive arachnid was already in the midst of its mad charge, letting loose an ear-grating screech. 

SKREEEEEECCCHHH!!!!

Its piercing cry echoed throughout the silent forest, tearing the air apart. The giant, grotesque body of the creature furiously thundered towards them at top speed. 

Witnessing the colossal monster, the weeping child became rooted in place, overwhelmed by fear. 

“How? How? How? We definitely lost the spider a long time ago!” Dain's voice trembled with disbelief and mounting panic. “How did it find us again?”

He cast a desperate, wide-eyed gaze in all directions, frantically searching for any clues that might provide him an answer. Seeing the vines at his feet, the answer struck him like a bolt of lightning.

The spider was drumming on the vine threads earlier… That must be how it’s locating us! The spider is using the vibration of the vine threads on the forest floor to figure out our whereabouts! Dammit!

With that realization, an accompanying revelation struck him at the same time: Since the entire forest floor was covered in such vines, there was nowhere he could run to to escape its detection. This was its domain, and there was no escape!

Without wasting a second, Dain scooped up the weeping child, who now no longer resisted his foul smell, along with Nyx. The dark cat let out a soft yelp as she was abruptly lifted.

It was clear that the audacious tactic he had employed earlier wouldn't deceive the relentless creature a second time. Not to mention the difficulty of attempting it again with the boy’s added weight in his arms.

His heart thundered in his chest as he broke into a frenzied sprint away from the relentless spider. Only this time, there was no carefully laid plan. There was only the raw, unbridled instinct of survival.

He began running for his life, every fiber in his body igniting in pure dread. The world was narrowing into a tunnel of panic, every sound and shadow magnified, every detail etched vividly into his consciousness.

Moving on its home turf, the mighty spider easily gained distance on the fleeing pair, quickly ramping up its speed in its pursuit.

Tears were streaming down Dain's gray leather armor as the child in his arm silently cried into his embrace out of fear.

The thought of certain death flashed into his mind as he continued running for his life. The adrenaline that had fueled his earlier escape now turned bitter, tasting of desperation. His legs burned with each step, threatening to buckle beneath him. 

Closer and closer the great monster got to the fleeing trio. But just as he thought that things couldn’t get any worse, it did.

Amidst all the chaos, he suddenly felt a tiny weight jump off his shoulder. As he turned his head, he felt his heart fall into despair. 

Nyx had hopped off his shoulder, and he could only watch helplessly as she began running off in a separate direction into the trees. The foolish cat had decided to make the worst choice at the worst possible moment once again!

Seeing her tiny figure disappearing into the distance, he knew that her fate was sealed. As much as he yearned to turn around and rescue her, the harsh reality was that the weak often didn't get what they desired. This was yet another instance where his powerlessness had thwarted his heartfelt desires.

Dain shut his eyes tightly. Her destiny was now in her own paws. There was nothing he could do for her.

But miraculously for the feline, the spider remained fixated on him without even a waver in its determination; it seemed that the spider had no interest in pursuing her in the slightest!

Dain, however, lacked the strength to even breathe a sigh of relief for Nyx. His concern was now solely on his and the child’s safety, and with his stamina nearly depleted, he knew that their lives were soon coming to an end.

The spider's screech intensified, sending a chilling crescendo that echoed through the darkened woods. The piercing screech rocked the air and caused his mind to race, his thoughts colliding like a chaotic storm. 

The fear shook him, inducing a vivid realization; This was no game; this was the harsh reality of life. People often met their end in insignificant ways each and every day. But till today, he had never pictured himself to be the one dying. It just didn’t seem like it was a real possibility. But now, he was about to confront this ugly reality.

As he continued sprinting frantically, the countless vine cocoons hanging high above his head passed by in a blur. The fate of those entangled in the vine cocoons flashed in his mind, and he knew that very soon, he would be joining their silent, nameless ranks. 

His body would be waiting in his very own cocoon until the next person stumbles into this forest, taking his place as the next clueless explorer of the dark forest. But the next time, his nameless corpse would be the relic that was discovered instead, rotting and decomposing for all of eternity.

He was going to be turned into a black-plated face, the mangled meat nugget.

His every instinct screamed at him to run faster, but his legs felt like lead. The beams of light from above gradually dimmed as the sun set, painting the forest in warm hues of orange. 

Seeing this, Dain could sense it. It was as if he was fated to die right here. This was the perfect atmosphere for his demise, as if God himself was personally orchestrating this scene to bid him a somber farewell in his final moments.

But he wasn’t ready to die yet. There were still so many things he wanted to see, so many things he wanted to do, so many places he wanted to explore. 

He wanted to live. He wanted to survive this ordeal.

Even if it went against the divine plan, he wasn’t ready to give up. Even if this was what God had decided for him, he wasn't ready to accept his predetermined end!

However, as he glanced ahead wishing for a miracle, he was only greeted by despair. The sight before him extinguished any remaining hope for survival. 

Ahead of him, a formidable barrier of vines, armed with menacing thorns, stood tall and proud. It intended to deal the killing blow by ending the chase right there, offering him up to the murderous monster. 

From his experience before, he was well aware of how tough each of these walls were. He knew right away that it would never fall easily.

In that moment, understanding washed over him. His fate had been sealed. No matter how much he yearned for a different outcome, life simply wasn't kind enough to grant such wishes. All he could do was accept the cruel hand that had been dealt to the both of them.

With a pair of teary eyes, he could only offer a final, hopeless apology to the child. "I'm sorry... I tried my best, but I still couldn't save us. It seems that this is the end. Perhaps if Azra had been here to rescue you instead of me, this wouldn't have—"

The weeping child didn’t offer a response. He kept his head bowed, remaining motionless in his embrace.

Unfortunately for Dain, there wasn’t much stamina left in him anyway. His running pace began to slow down as he slowly came to terms with the grim reality.

Perhaps it was God that placed that meddlesome wall right there…

Perhaps it was God that wanted the both of them dead…

But just as Dain was about to close his eyes and finally surrender, his eyes suddenly shot open with renewed determination.

No!

Mother is watching me from above!

There was once a time where I promised her to fight every battle until the bitter end. I cannot and will not give up until my life is over!

In a bid to surpass his physical limits, he somehow found the strength to push himself past his boundaries, forcing himself to tap into an imaginary reserve of strength. With his muscles pooling with lactic acid and screaming desperately for fresh air, he miraculously began to pick up speed once again.

With the last vestiges of strength within him, Dain invested every ounce into his final gamble.

This was his defiance of fate.