"Layen, where are the rest?" Enopy asked, his voice laced with curiosity.
"Right after those wind blades hit you, another barrage caught the rest of us," Layen replied, leaping swiftly from branch to branch. "We scattered. You're the first I've come across."
"Oh. Okay," Enopy said, falling into a heavy silence again.
"Someone should have died…" Enopy thought. "The wolves should've gone after Kaito, Zow, or Erie. If they hadn't... Layen probably wouldn't have made it." He shook the thought from his mind and pressed forward.
"We're pretty close," Enopy muttered, eyes narrowing.
"Yeah," Layen replied, though it added nothing to the moment.
Trailing behind Layen, Enopy could feel his companion's sharp gaze on him. He didn't react, focusing instead on the mountain ahead. Its ashen silhouette now clearly loomed in the distance.
They finally reached the base.
"Huh," Enopy froze, a jolt of unease hitting him like a chill down his spine. He took a deep breath and spoke softly:
"So this is Red Ash Mountain..." His eyes scanned the weed-choked, gray slopes.
"You guys are finally here."
The voice pierced through Enopy's thoughts. His pupils shrunk. He spun around.
"You took your time," Kaito said, studying Enopy with a cutting gaze. "Surprised to see you're still alive... Enopy, and..."
He didn't finish the thought, turning instead toward the sound of someone approaching.
Zow had arrived.
They waited. Silence stretched. The sun dipped. Time passed.
Eventually, Enopy broke the quiet. "Where's Erie?"
"We lost her. Most likely dead," Kaito said with a blank face.
"Oh," Enopy said simply, unfazed.
"So, what are we waiting here for?"
"The bloodsuckers are weaker in the light," Kaito answered, turning toward him again.
"Oh." Enopy glanced up, watching the sky darken.
They passed the time in silence. Then—
"Now," Kaito said, standing abruptly and motioning the others to gather.
Enopy, Layen, and Zow huddled close, listening.
"Jump, and don't stop. If they catch your feet, you're dead. Don't run in a straight line. And avoid landing where someone else already stepped," Kaito warned, face grim.
They lined up, shoulder to shoulder. Enopy charged his legs with faint white aura. The others activated their movement techniques.
"Go!" Kaito shouted.
They launched into the air, surging up the slope of Red Ash Mountain. Enopy carefully regulated the aura from his feet, extending his airtime while conserving energy.
From the corner of his eye, he studied the others:
Kaito stepped upward on orange fragrance platforms, calm and controlled.Layen rode erratic waves of blue wind, the strength of each diminishing.Zow floated on a fragmented purple cloud, speed unpredictable—his descent inevitable.
They advanced quickly—or so it felt. In reality, they had barely cleared the mountain's base.
Enopy was the first to touch down. As his feet hit the ground, he pushed aura from his arms into his legs and leapt again.
Then he saw them—roots crawling across the ground, grotesquely covered in eyes, spikes, and mouths.
"Straight from a nightmare," Enopy thought, forcing his gaze away. Layen's wind and Zow's cloud shrank with every second.
He had no time to worry about them. He began pulling in energy, storing it in his arms. He avoided drawing from his core—yet.
Layen fell. Then Zow. Both recovered quickly.
Enopy fell too—then bounced back.
Fall. Recover. Fall. Recover.
Over and over again, as the days bled into one another. Eventually, they reached the mountain's midpoint.
"Huuu... If only I were a manipulator," Enopy thought, watching Kaito leap effortlessly across his scent-made stones.
Enopy dropped again, crouched upon landing, and sprang into the air.
"Shit!" he muttered, spotting a massive root reaching for him. He poured more energy into his legs and blasted upward.
"You guys should know—the roots get bigger the higher you go," Kaito called out without turning.
Layen and Zow fell again, barely avoiding the roots chasing them.
The group pushed forward—tense but steady.
But the roots grew faster, larger. Enopy had to land again—this time, the danger was immediate.
The monstrous root chased him still. With little energy left, he dropped toward it.
He spun midair and kicked, sending the root recoiling. It struck back.
Enopy twisted in free fall, positioning himself feet-first. He waited for the hit.
Thump.
The root made contact. Enopy launched himself off it in a split-second reflex.
He flew through the air like a comet—so fast, regular people wouldn't see him, and even expert warriors would barely catch a glimmer of white light.
He was far ahead of the others now.
High in the sky, he gathered energy, desperate to stay airborne, to stay safe from the nightmare below.
He wouldn't let himself fall again—not if it meant facing the bloodsuckers.