The Forest Race Clonne

Chapter 115

Thud, thud―

The sound of footsteps was heard coming from somewhere. The sound was clear enough to know that someone was coming this way. The people who swallowed their groans anxiously looked in this direction.

“They’re almost here!”

“Hurry, Reta!”

The smell of blood grew stronger. Reta had vomited blood again. Soon, a glowing pattern appeared on the back of his hand. The air started to ripple as if it were being twisted.

Clang―

But the sound of the heavy iron door opening was even faster. A flood of bright light poured in, and for the first time, everyone’s faces were visible. I finally noticed how much worse off they were than I’d imagined. Their eyes were bloodshot, as though they’d been crying uncontrollably.

“Now, it’s time for your injection… What the hell are you doing?”

“…!”

The ones coming in with tools immediately sensed the unusual atmosphere. They hurriedly charged in, but a shadow blocked my path before I could stand. It was Kalph, gritting his teeth and standing firm.

“Syran!”

With a desperate shout, a shattering sound echoed. It was the sound of Syran breaking the shackles on his arm. After that, he immediately placed his hands on the ground. Then, a bizarre energy arose, and the soldiers rushing in were helplessly flung back as if they had hit something.

“What—what’s going on?”

The soldiers, startled, tried to move closer again, but the result was the same. It was as if an invisible wall had suddenly appeared between us and them. Looking closer, I noticed that a symbol was glowing on the back of Syran’s hand as well. His face, pale and bloodied, met mine as he forced a smile before spitting up blood.

“Damn it, this needs to break now!”

“Someone go and bring back Lord Vaen!”

“Reta, hurry!”

Urgent shouts echoed between those trying to break the wall and those attempting to buy time. Thud! Boom! With every relentless vibration, Syran’s face visibly darkened. The same was true for Reta, who was straining to summon his strength.

In the midst of this turmoil, all I could do was swallow dry breaths, barely holding on.

“……”

What am I even doing right now? I came to rescue them, but all I’ve done is receive help instead. Because of me, everyone is being pushed even harder. This isn’t what I came here for. I… I…

“Ugh!”

As if things couldn’t get worse, my condition started deteriorating rapidly. My head felt as though it were floating, consumed by fever. My breathing became labored, and I instinctively clenched my chest.

“Sei?”

“Sei, what’s wrong?”

Shocked voices rang out from every direction, and only then did I realize I was hunched over. Cold sweat was dripping down my face. What had once been clear voices now felt muffled and distant. Why is this happening again? Anger surged within me.

“…What are you doing?”

You’ve already assessed the situation. How long do you plan to just watch? I know you’re reading my thoughts even now. Don’t tell me you can’t break free from mere shackles when you shattered the Dragon’s seal.

You said you were my strength. You said you could handle everything. If it weren’t for those words, I wouldn’t have undertaken such a reckless venture.

‘So please…!’

Right now, prove your words true!

“Epethes!”

I thought I heard a faint chuckle from somewhere.

―Of course.

I wasn’t sure if the response I heard was just a hallucination brought on by my desperate mind or a real voice.

What’s clear is that I felt a current in my body, as if something were about to explode. And it wasn’t just me—this force seemed to rush everywhere, swallowing everything in its path.

“This…!”

“Everyone…! Get ready…!”

Amidst the searing noise, I could faintly hear fragmented human voices.

I think I lost consciousness for a moment. At some point, everything went quiet. The turbulent currents that were violently swirling around subsided. When I barely managed to lift my eyelids, someone was quietly looking down at me.

‘…Who?’

He had a somewhat cold impression. It was a face I’d never seen before, yet I felt inexplicably glad to see, as if meeting someone I’d longed for a long time.

It was then that I realized I was in his arms. Though bewildered, for some reason, my body wouldn’t move. It seemed like only he noticed my flustered state. When our eyes met, his eyes softened into a gentle smile.

‘Ah…’

They were eyes resembling the darkness I had been wandering through. Various colors flowed over them like a cluster of stars. I had seen colors like that not long ago. In the depths of a place where I had been forcibly dragged.

‘You are…’

He recognized that I had identified him as well. “See, I told you I’d come if you called?” The smile in his eyes deepened. I wanted to respond, but even opening my mouth seemed difficult.

“Don’t strain yourself. Leave it to me and get some good rest.”

Eventually, a large, warm hand covered my eyes. As if those words were a spell, my flickering consciousness rapidly dissipated.

“I hope you have pleasant dreams for a while.”

That was my last memory.

* * *

Something unbelievable happened.

Kalph stood with his mouth agape, a dazed look on his face. It wasn’t just him; the other Clonnes were the same.

At first, he thought there had been an explosion somewhere. The rough tremors of the ground, the whirlwind, the fierce currents. In the moment when they were helplessly swept up, he lost hold of the one he was protecting. To be exact, it felt like he was forcibly pushed away by some inexplicable force.

He desperately reached out his arm, but it never made contact; it was the last scene he remembered. When he finally regained his senses, everyone around him was sprawled on the ground. Syran, who had been deploying a barrier, and Reta, who had been creating an escape route, were both down. The patterns that had appeared on their hands were gone. The implication of this sight was clear.

‘We failed.’

Their first and last attempt had ended in vain.

The barrier, which had disappeared without a trace, was proof of that. As others regained consciousness one by one, they too assessed the situation and sighed in despair.

However, before they could even feel despair, their attention was captured by a remarkable sight. It was the unfamiliar back of a stranger standing before them. A tall figure with long black hair flowing down to his waist. Clad in pitch-black attire as dark as his hair. The man, completely cloaked in ink-like darkness from head to toe, stood alone in the space, which seemed to have been swept by a violent storm.

In his arms was someone who appeared to have lost consciousness. There was no mistaking who it was. Their precious Aesang and the only heir to the king.

“What…!”

As Kalph gritted his teeth and tried to stand, the man turned towards them. Their eyes met, and the burning rage immediately subsided. Words that were about to escape his mouth—questions about who this man was and how dare he lay hands on their heir—were swallowed back.

Instead, what rose up were confusion and doubt. Even seeing it with their own eyes, they couldn’t believe it. The man seemed to understand their reaction and smiled faintly. The moment Kalph and everyone else swallowed dryly at the sight of those mysterious eyes shining brilliantly, it happened.

“Ugh, what… what is this?”

“What in the world happened?”

Just then, the soldiers began to regain their senses. Those who staggered to their feet looked delighted upon noticing the barrier was gone, only to frown when they spotted the man standing alone in the center.

“Huh? Who’s that?”

“Was there someone like him before?”

“Ah, who cares? The barrier’s gone. Let’s subdue him quickly!”

Kalph, who finally regained his composure, felt a sense of urgency. He looked directly at the man who was still standing confidently. It still felt surreal, but that didn’t matter now. All that mattered was saving Sei.

“What are you doing?”

“…?”

“You can move, right? Run away before you’re caught!”

The man’s expression became peculiar at that. However, the response Kalph hoped for didn’t come. Instead, the man merely chuckled as if amused, adjusted Sei in his arms, and leisurely watched the soldiers who were approaching them.

“Is that all you want? To escape, not annihilate them? How dull.”

“…What?”

“Ah, I suppose I set your expectations too low. It’s understandable if you don’t know better.”

The following words were difficult to comprehend.

“Anyway, a promise is a promise. I have no choice but to give you what you want.”

The muttering sounded like he was talking to himself. So, when a red flame suddenly erupted around them in the next moment, Kalph was utterly shocked.

“…!”

“Ugh!”

“What… what is this?!”

The soldiers, who had been charging, stopped in terror as the flames erupted suddenly. The fierce fire, like the earlier defensive wall, blocked their approach. In fact, it seemed even more effective than the wall, as they couldn’t even touch it.

‘Fire ability? No, it’s slightly different. This is more like…’

But does that even make sense?

Just as Kalph felt confusion over his realization, radiant golden patterns began to spread across the ground beneath them. It wasn’t entirely familiar, but it was something he couldn’t fail to recognize.

“…!”

Before he could finish processing it, his view changed. Kalph instinctively closed his eyes against the sudden flood of light. When he opened them again, he saw a lush forest. The dark, cave-like space was gone, replaced by a winter forest under the bright sunlight, with cold air surrounding them. It was a scene from the outside world he never expected to see again alive.

“It really is teleportation magic…”

Am I dreaming? Is this insane situation really happening? Without realizing it, Kalph slapped his own cheek. The confusion was so overwhelming that he didn’t even have the mental clarity to enjoy the sunlight that had been absent for so long.

“Hah…”

“What the hell…?”

The others who had been moved along with him were just as stunned. They looked around in a daze for a brief moment, and their gazes quickly converged on one point. On the one who had created this entire situation. The man, who took in their stares leisurely, simply shrugged his shoulders. His eyes, now more vibrant in the bright light, curved lazily.

“Sorry, but I don’t know the coordinates for the main territory. Would someone care to tell me?”