Noah and Lumi couldn't move.
The fog coiled thick around them, cold and stifling. The monstrous Kin Tree crept forward with twisted glee, its gnarled face splitting open like bark peeled in agony, revealing rows of jagged wooden teeth.
But neither Noah nor Lumi could look at it for long.
Their eyes were fixed behind it.
In the mist, something stood—taller, heavier, terrifying in presence. Its pink eyes pierced the fog like spotlights, and even the Kin Tree paused. For a fleeting moment, it trembled.
The guardian had come.
Without warning, the Kin Tree lashed out, extending razor-like branches to strike the fog-born beast.
It never reached.
The fog shifted—and pounced. The towering figure surged forward, tearing through the vines like paper. The full creature emerged:
A beast—a colossal fusion of bear, yeti, and man. Its entire body was covered in pink fur that shimmered faintly, with muscular arms and glowing green claws that glinted with protective fury.
Noah gasped.
"The Dodo…"
He remembered it from the journal. Not a monster. A protector. A myth whispered in notes and warnings—a guardian of the forest that guided lost travelers and drove back threats, without ever being seen.
Until now.
"The Kin Tree…" Noah muttered, recognizing its grotesque shape from the sketches and warnings in the journal. "It feeds on the memories of the lost…"
Lumi grabbed his arm. "Noah, what do we do?"
Noah didn't hesitate. "We run. The Dodo isn't after us—it's after that thing!"
He grabbed her hand and dashed through the trees, away from the battleground.
Behind them, the Dodo roared. Its green claws slashed through roots and vines. The Kin Tree screeched, unleashing clawed branches, but the Dodo barreled forward, tearing the tree-monster apart with terrifying ease.
With one final blow, it shattered the Kin Tree's body and sent splinters flying.
It roared again, triumphant.
Noah and Lumi kept running—until something huge landed in front of them with a thunderous crash.
Another beast.
It stood as tall as a two-story building, pink-furred with glowing eyes, just like the first—but this one was different. It stared down at them, unmoving. They were insects before a mountain.
Then a voice echoed—not from the beast, but from the forest itself.
> "Don't harm them. They are not threats. Guide them outside. Focus on Athel. She has crossed the line."
The very trees seemed to shiver at the voice's command. Birds scattered, and wind blew through the leaves like whispers.
Noah's blood ran cold. "Who are you?! What's going on?!"
No answer came.
Instead, the giant beast dissolved into thick mist. When it cleared, only a small bird remained—fluffy and pink, no larger than a chick.
"Follow me," the bird said coldly, without even turning back.
Noah and Lumi exchanged stunned glances.
"Did… did that bird just talk?" Lumi whispered.
For a second, she hesitated. Then she muttered under her breath, "Cute."
Noah wanted to scream.
---
Meanwhile
Ezra's eyes snapped open.
She was in motion. Trees passed overhead—but not normally. She was inside a cage made of living branches, moving forward, carried by something enormous.
She wasn't alone. Around her were the other students… and Coach Lin.
And Mr. Harrison.
Her memory rushed back all at once. The fog. The green-eyed woman. The glasses.
"The forest…" Ezra whispered. "It took them."
"They won't remember," a voice said sweetly.
Ezra turned.
The woman was still there—Headteacher Marlowe—but now her smile stretched too wide, too smug. Her hands glowed with faint green veins, pulsing like vines beneath the skin.
"You're quite clever," she said, tilting her head. "You remembered."
Ezra's eyes blazed. "What did you do to the real headteacher?!"
Marlowe… no, the imposter… laughed.
"I don't need this shell anymore."
Her form twisted grotesquely. Her limbs stretched, her flesh turned to bark, her torso cracked wide open like splitting wood—and something pale dropped out.
A woman. The real Marlowe.
She fell unconscious, her skin pale as frost. Before she hit the ground, a massive wooden hand caught her and tossed her into the cage.
Ezra rushed to her side. She was breathing—but barely. Her lips were blue.
"You'll all be sacrifices," the imposter hissed.
Above them loomed an enormous tree-castle—twisted, blackened, and crowned with crows. It pulsed with something ancient and wrong.
Ezra looked up at the living prison, at the castle beyond, at the pale woman beside her. A feeling of dread settled in.
> They were only the lackeys.
> Something worse waited inside.
*
At the boundary of the forest
Noah stared at Lumi in disbelief.
She was looking around, confused, like nothing had happened. Like they hadn't just seen two giant monsters battle. Like she hadn't heard a voice echo through the woods.
"Noah," she said gently. "What are you doing just standing there? We need to find a way home. Our parents must be worried sick."
Noah blinked.
"What…?"
"Come on," she said. "You've been acting weird. You're not still into that fantasy game, are you?"
Noah took a step back. "Lumi… what's the last thing you remember?"
She smiled. "We went on a nature walk. You kept looking around nervously. Then we saw that cool tree with a weird face. That's it, right?"
"By the way, where are the others?" She asked again.
Noah's heart sank.
"What the hell is going on?" he whispered.