The screech, though terrifying, helped inform the knights of the incoming beast. Everyone felt the earth rumble as it drew closer. Judging from the sound it makes, few could guess that it's something skittering on the ground with its many legs.
And it was such a creature that emerged from the giant trees. A hybrid of a lizard, snake, and a giant centipede with the giant part true when compared to humans. It was a basilisk. Bigger than the common two-story house, the basilisk has a long body covered in thick and spiky exoskeleton. Its many legs draw inspiration from a dragon but thinner, allowing the creature to skitter. The head was that of a lizard with a tongue a fourth of its length.
Basilisks are rare and have a high level of threat. For even in the stories of the past, destruction and death were always mentioned after these beasts.
But even the feared beast shall fall against the great number of esteemed Panteran knights. As soon as the basilisk appeared, the acting commander, Cylon Gabras, shouted a single phrase, "Assume position!" The knights did as he commanded. Some went for the researchers to bring them to safety, while the strongest and most confident ones led the fight against the Basilisk.
The basilisk screeched once again and slammed its armored tail to the ground. Then, clusters of soil float in the air and harden before shooting towards the knights.
One by one, the Zeals of power of the knights glowed. Some burned the rocks with their flame, others sliced them with their swords, and few stood still, allowing the rocks to be crushed by their body.
When all rocks were hurled, the basilisk followed with a charge wanting to hit the knights with its long and hard body. But, the knights also attacked, running towards the beast. Led by their acting commander and the remaining Chiliarch of Silver beside him, everyone was confident that the basilisk wouldn't last.
And they were right. The basilisk covered itself in fire and tried to tackle Cylon with its head and Irus with its body. But, as a bearer of the Proud Lion's Zeal, the acting commander was accustomed to fire. He covered his sword with his own flame and clashed with the basilisk's head. Chiliarch Irus did the same. Their attacks were perfectly synchronized.
Overwhelmed with their strength, the basilisk got thrown on its back. As if unhurt it forced its body upright and attacked again. Sadly for the beast, the knights were near it and unfolded a barrage of strong slashes and magic, killing the basilisk in less than five minutes.
"Check anyone for injuries!" Cylon said as soon as the battle had ended. He also commanded the knights to be prepared and check their surroundings.
While all of the fighting was happening, Aeneas, and the other noncombatants clustered at the center with some of the knights surrounding them, including Rhene and Haemon who were adamant in protecting them, especially Lyra and Aeneas. It was still the same picture when the basilisk was killed since there might be another attack.
Sitting beside Aeneas, Lyra turned to Anastasia and some other researchers, "Why did that basilisk turn mad only now?" She asked.
"It might be a coincidence," one of the male researchers replied.
Another one stood up to look at the dead basilisk from afar, "Or, it must be because this place isn't loved by mana," he said.
Anastasia scratched her head, "What is it about this place that makes it a hotspot for chaos when all of the forest is dense with mana?"
The researchers have tried to study the grass and even the soil, yet, even when compared to the ones outside the Great Verdant forest, they saw not a single difference with all the tests they've done. In their few hours in the Lost Meadow, they have only learned of the scarceness of mana, thus concluding that the place is dense with chaos. For what reason it became like that, remains a mystery.
Even their goal of finding the reason for beasts going mad didn't come to fruition for the only maddened beast they've encountered inside the Lost Meadow was the basilisk. And they have seen more of them outside the place.
Tiriara sat beside Aeneas, she leaned closer to his ears, "Did you see that basilisk before it attacked earlier?" She whispered.
Aeneas shook his head, "Like I said, I saw a figure of man, with a mist-like thread, dark red in color," he replied.
"Are you being serious?"
The boy sighed, "Forget it."
Curious, Neoma also went closer to them and asked what they were talking about. Tiriara explained what happened to him. Neoma stared at Aeneas, "Are you trying to fool Tiri again?" She asked.
"You know what? Don't believe me if you don't want to."
Neoma tilted her head, "You're serious?" she replied.
Aeneas stared at Neoma and replied by nodding.
"Shouldn't you tell your mother about it?"
"Nene's right, you must tell Aunt Lyra if it was true."
Both Tiriara and Neoma convinced Aeneas to tell his mother. He went to her and said that he had something to say in private. The boy feared being mocked and doubted if other researchers heard him. For aside from the people of Mene, a stranger lurking deep inside the Great Verdant forest would seem highly unlikely to their eyes. Add the fact of him seeing a dark red mist that formed a thread towards the direction where the basilisk emerged.
Concerned, Lyra followed him, "What is it, Aenie?" She asked with a worried expression.
Aeneas explained the whole thing that happened, including how his right eye hurt a little before he saw what he did.
After hearing her son's words, Lyra's eyes widened.
"Your eye… is it still hurting?" she asked.
"A little."
Lyra hugged her son and told him that she believed him. She asked Aeneas the exact location where he saw the figure of the man. Without question, Lyra asked some of the knights to check that part of the area for suspicious activity. Although the knights were doubtful at first, they followed since they knew that even if the possibility of it was low, it wasn't zero.
One of the knights who went to investigate found tracks closely resembling that of a human, he reported it back to their acting commander, Cylon.
With the possibility of having a party unknown to them, Cylon Gabras commanded everyone to become extra vigilant.
"Another track here!" One of the knights exclaimed.
Though they found a few more traces belonging to a human, it didn't confirm whether there were multiple of them, lurking in the darkness, watching.
Their findings assured Aeneas that what he saw was real. It wasn't a hallucination due to the pain in his right eye. Lyra even thanked him. Aside from his mother, Tiriara and Neoma were giving Aeneas compliments. Most that came from Tiriara sounded like teasing. The boy decided to thank them once and ignored further 'compliments'. Then, Lyra stared at the three kids; Aeneas, Neoma and Tiriara. And with a serious expression, Lyra said that it would be wise not to tell the others that it was Aeneas who saw the figure from afar. Including the mysterious mist.
"Then, does that mean that it was that dark red mist that turned the basilisk mad?" Aeneas asked his mother with a whisper.
"It might be. But, we're not certain so let's not rush to think of it as the truth."
While they were talking, Cylon went towards Lyra to ask her how she knew about the stranger's existence.
"I wasn't sure at first, but I thought I saw a figure."
"That so?" Cylon smiled and glanced at the three teenagers smiling back at him, "Still, we are fortunate. Thanks to you, we are prepared if they ever decide to attack us," he continued.
It has been an hour since the attack of the basilisk. The researchers were now swarming at its carcass, studying it up close. On the other hand, the knights were waiting for them so they could help extract materials from the beast after.
As they waited for the other unit that Nireus went to assist, Aeneas felt shivers crawl up his spine. His sudden movement of standing up with a blank expression made his mother, the two girls, and the knights Rhene and Haemon, worried.
"Aenie?" Lyra said.
Haemon also spoke at the same time, "What's wrong, young lord?" He said.
Aeneas began looking around in the distance. He saw three figures from afar who were only a few meters from each other and all of them covered with the same dark red mist-like aura.
"There!" He shouted as he pointed at them.
Lyra and the others looked in the direction he pointed at. Even the other squires, researchers, and knights close to them were curious and took a glance. But it was far and all they could see was darkness.
"Nothing's there…" Neoma muttered.
"Do you have some sort of powerful eyes?" Tiriara asked.
Lyra looked Aeneas in the eyes and questioned, "What were they doing?"
The boy started telling them what he saw -- that the dark red mist had begun to expand. While he was explaining what he was seeing, Lyra asked one of the knights to tell the acting commander of the location. And some knights went towards it.
"What were they doing now?"
"The mist… it's forming like a bigger thread."
Aeneas felt more pain in his right eye which made him close both of them. Then when he looked again, he saw the dark red thread of mist go past the ground. He told Lyra and the others what he saw.
Moments later, even before the knights apprehend those behind the figures, the entirety of the spacious Lost Meadow trembled. Everyone felt something underneath wanting to force its way up and resurface.