Re:Birth - Restarting Life From Zero 7 Hiding In The Shadows

With hurried steps, the young woman approached him and his father, who was still on the veranda of the house. Her gaze conveyed confidence and determination, and Alay already understood what she was wanting him to do.

- You're coming, aren't you? - Emma asked, even if she already can bet the answer

- Yes, I will! I don't want to be afraid anymore, I'll kill this thing and become stronger! - He answered, meeting the girl's expectations, who smiled as she listened.

- That's the way to talk! Get ready soon, we can't wait for too much. - In response, he ran inside the house, leaving only the girl and her father outside. When he looked at Emma, she was staring at him, as if she wanted to say something.

- When this is over, I would like you to treat Alay better, I don't think he's going to be okay the way he is now - she said, taking the man by surprise with the suggestion.

- What do you mean by that? My son is fine, he doesn't need anything else.

- You're wrong. At that time you hugged him, I thought I realized how excessively violent you were being with him, so he apologized. I may not have a child, but I know how bad that can be for a person. To demand too much from someone who gives everything to improve is something very bad. That's why I'm suggesting the change.

- And why are you saying that? If you say that, what would be missing for us?

- Understanding. You're putting too much pressure on him, let him do things his way, he'll achieve the dreams and goals he has to allow himself. Alay's a good person, I could tell that from the little time I spent here. And I know you want what's best for your son, every father wants that. So, as a simpleton who pa.s.sed here, I say he should be free to improve at his own pace. - Emma was not the sentimental type, but she could feel the strong bond that that family had and that he should be preserved. Maybe that feeling came from somewhere in her misty past, but she couldn't say for sure.

At least he got what he wanted, leaving Paul speechless and thoughtful. The man adopted a melancholic expression, crossing his arms and looking inside his residence, watching his family with a discreet smile.

- I just wanted them to feel encouraged to become better people, to fight for it, to realize how hard reality can be. I was raised by a military father, and I caught and fought hard to form my personality. On the outside, I hated the old man, but it was only when I lost him that I realized how much he was missing - tiny drops of water slid across his face, wiping them right off. - To be honest, there's still a lot of my father in me, a man who pretends to be strong and tough, but he's someone with a good heart - he looked directly at the girl with regret stamped on his face. - Do you think I can change?

- Relax, there's still time to change. Follow what I´ve said, you will see how this will improve your relations.h.i.+p not only with him but with your whole family and perhaps with the other people in the village. - As soon as she finished saying it, Alay walked through the door carrying his spear and wearing his leather breastplate and boots with a smile on his face.

- Are you ready to go? Can't go back now, huh?

- I'm still a little afraid of all this, but there's no reason for us to give up now - He raised his arm and pointed to the forest - Let's go hunting!

After that, they began to walk towards the dark trees in the vicinity of the village. From the house, Paul looked at his son, managing to see a reflection of himself when he was younger. With those thoughts, he laughed and entered his house. "We're waiting for you, Alay", he said to himself, closing the door behind him.

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Having a better view of the path they were to follow, they realized that the path was not as far as they thought it was. If they ran to get there faster, they would end up spending a lot of energy, which would be essential for the battle to come.

Alay, who was behind Emma, could feel that since the arrival of that mysterious traveler in search of missions, his life had taken a path among the many curves of destiny. He felt that if he followed her, he could become a more virtuous person and help others, but he still mistrusted the girl's past, who had not yet told him the truth.
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Meanwhile, Emma pondered what she would do after the mission. It had not been a day since she had arrived in the new world, but her concern about the time she had to get strong and defeat the other members of the Golden Menorah only grew with the hours that elapsed. Her luck, which was no longer so great, was not in her favor, even though she managed to get equipment fast and have the chance to complete a mission that would give her real combat experience. "I wonder how Amber's doing. I wish I hadn't come here for anything," she thought, noticing that they had finally come close to the forest.

From the woods, sounds of unknown origin combined with the icy howl of the nocturnal wind created a sonnet that echoed all over the threshold forest, like a wild forest anthem. Unlike the purple-leaved trees that Emma found earlier that day, these were normal trees, typical of someplace in the US.

The little lighting among the trees came from some lunar light beams that could cross the dense green carpet and some plants and insects with bioluminescence. Even if she looked with her eyes, she couldn't find an end to the extent of the trees. There was no sign of the footprints of the creature they were chasing from there, which left them with no trace to follow.

She took the knife out of her pocket and looked at Alay, who had already adopted a more cautious posture and pointed the spear forward.

- We have nothing to follow now, every step we take inside that forest is going to be a gamble, that is, be aware of anything that moves or makes a strange noise, understood? - Emma questioned, being answered with an Alay's "ok" with a gesture.

Thus, they got closer to each other and entered the forest quietly, trying not to draw unnecessary attention to the creatures living there, trying to blend in with the environment.

As they entered the woods, it seemed as if they were being watched, having several pairs of invisible eyes for them staring with curiosity at the invaders of their home. Fortunately, neither seemed to want to intervene or appear for both, remaining in their natural hiding places.

At a certain point, Alay noticed something strange on the ground next to him. A strange bright goo with vivid colors scattered like a trail to a group of bushes stained by it.

- Emma! Look there! - he whispered, pointing to the supposed new trail he had found.

The girl soon turned and looked at where the boy was pointing and made a gesture to guide him forward as she approached just behind him. Getting closer to the goo, Alay nudged the earth with the tip of the spear and removed a fraction of the neon-like colored substance, bringing it closer to their faces.

The thing didn't seem to have any striking features other than natural fluorescence and a strong iron smell. Unable to contain herself, Emma took the tip of one of her fingers to the s.h.i.+ny liquid, rubbing it to remove even more fragments of the strange material. "The consistency bordered the liquid and the gelatinous as if the liquid had clotted. The iron smell, split consistency... like it's clotted"... The young woman asked herself, resembling a possible answer soon after, but that she would not like it to be the right one.

- Alay, point this spear forward and push the bushes, I'll take care of your back. - Emma said, and the boy nodded, slowly approaching the foliage full of that thing.

With a quick movement, he used the spear to split the bush in half, revealing what was on the other side. On the ground, bathed in the same bright liquid they had found before, lay the body of some animal that resembled a shattered deer, soaked in what they soon understood was the blood of the mammal, something they had never seen before. Emma quickly noticed that the bite marks on the corpse were identical to those found on the remains of the chickens they found earlier that day.

They looked at each other, further increasing their fear when they realized that the other was also afraid.

- I think we should get out of here, go that what killed this thing is still... - Before it could complete, a wild roar broke through the forest, accompanied by a huge reptile that jumped from the bushes beside it and bit one of Alay's arms, which were still extended with the spear.

The boy shouted in response to the stabbing pain that ran all over his right arm, where the creature had jumped and grabbed his limb. When Emma perceived the action of the beast, she lifted her dagger and lowered it with all the strength she could gather, piercing the eye of the creature full of pain, producing a b.e.s.t.i.a.l and horrifying sound, releasing the boy's arm and running desperately into the bushes.

Given the momentary opportunity, Alay almost fell to the ground, letting one of his knees give way while leaning on the other. The bite site was the middle of the forearm, from where scarlet rivers fell like waterfalls on the ground, bathing the ground with blood. Without much thought, Emma used the b.l.o.o.d.y knife to cut strips from her clothes to stop the bleeding. She didn't have much medical knowledge, but she knew the basics to make a rudimentary tourniquet.

When she knelt, she found what she was looking for on the ground. "A twig, perfect!" she thought, approaching the boy. First, she tied a knot in the front of the wound, then she put the branch over the knot and tied it again with a firm knot, making the boy grunt in pain. Using the branch as a crank, she turned it with the knot to tighten the bandage, consequently causing even more pain in Alay. When she saw that the wound had, at last, stopped bleeding, she took a deep breath and stood up, extending her hand to the boy's healthy arm, who used it as a support to stand up

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- That's... that's incredible - he said, referring to the improvised tourniquet. - How did you know to do that?

- Don't doubt the television shows, my bro - she replied, collapsing with the admiration of Alay, who only laughed at the reply. - Well, the worst is over, now we have to finish what we started.

- Do you want to keep hunting this thing? Don't you think it's time we got back?

- If we go back, we'll be the prey of the round. The bug left a trail of fluorescent blood behind, it's our best chance to end it. And I won't let you come back alone, you'll know what the animals do to you if they see you walking through the woods alone.

Alay preferred to remain silent since he had no better plan.

- And there´s more, you still have a healthy arm, they're a pair and a half of functional arms against a mouth full of teeth from that section, we're at the advantage here.

- I.. I think you're right.

- So that's it, let's go after that thing and finish it off once and for all!

With the adrenaline racing in their blood, Alay and Emma continued their journey through the dark forest, chasing the great Saber Dragon who had attacked them, following him through the trail of bright blood he had left when he escaped wounded.

The game of cat and mouse was finally coming to an end, but the real battle was just beginning.