Rescue

Miles stopped in the gloomy forest and looked around, only to realize that he... was lost?

All around him stood forests thick with white bones. In the desolate chill, the trees grew like a pack of half-dead monsters baring claws and fangs. He had escaped the undeads' dwelling, that was true, and he had fled alongside the other mages.

But somehow, during the retreat, the other mages had vanished. The terrain around him had suddenly become unfamiliar as well, completely different from the route they had taken before.

He had never been here.

Having remained in this forest for a week, Miles was absolutely certain of that.

Then... there was only one possibility left.

He took a deep breath and clenched his fists, noticing that strange emotion within him surging up again like a rising tide. At the same time, he felt colder and colder. He did not know whether the temperature in this forest was dropping, or whether the chill came from somewhere else.

Boom!

The ground beneath his feet split open, and great masses of rotten vines burst forth. Miles dodged the strike at his fastest speed, yet he keenly sensed that he seemed to be just a little slower than usual.

A terrible premonition welled up in his heart.

"You..."

He turned around and stared at the undead that had suddenly appeared some distance away. The question rose instinctively to his lips, but he could not ask it. The undead's gaze remained fixed on him. Pity, contempt... all kinds of negative emotions poured down like invisible raindrops, leaving nowhere to hide and placing greater and greater pressure on Miles.

The vines attacked him without pause, and as he dodged, he could clearly feel his speed slowing bit by bit.

The aura of the undead gradually enveloped him.