Chapter 186: [Flashbacks] (I)

A short while later, the preparations were finished, and the group finally stood before the Forest of Nightmares.

Even from the outside, the place felt wrong.

The trees were tall and twisted, their branches bending inward like crooked fingers trying to claw at the sky.

Thick mist crawled between the roots, clinging to the ground like something alive. The light dimmed unnaturally the closer they got, as if the forest itself was swallowing the day.

From far away, it looked creepy, but it just looked fucking scary.

A few meters from the mist, Leon suddenly stepped forward, increasing his pace before turning around to face everyone.

“Before we enter… I need to make something clear.”

The casual air vanished.

“This forest isn’t a joke,” Leon continued.

“Some people call it a trial. Others think it’s just another dangerous area filled with beasts and traps.” His eyes swept over the group before stopping openly on Gray.

“That’s a mistake.”

His gaze lingered.

“Especially for you, Gray.”

Gray raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

“You’re strong,” Leon admitted plainly.

“Physically. Even your instincts are sharp. But this place doesn’t care about muscles or cultivation alone.” He tapped his temple lightly.

“It attacks what’s in here.”

“It creates illusions that feel real. Not just images, but memories, emotions, regrets. Anything unresolved. Anything you’re afraid of, ashamed of, attached to…” Leon paused.

“The forest finds it. And then it digs.”

“Gulp!” Ronan swallowed audibly.

“Any weakness you don’t even realize you still have,” Leon added, voice tightening slightly, “will be dragged out and used against you.”

Gray simply nodded, albeit a little annoyed.

’Shouldn’t you be more attentive towards yourself? You stole my talent because of your stupid inferiority complex.’

Leon then continued.

“I’ll do what I can to help,” he said, lifting the chain around his neck slightly.

A faint rune glimmered against his collarbone.

“This is an illusion-repellent necklace. It won’t nullify everything, but it weakens mental interference and stabilizes perception. If someone starts acting strangely… tell me immediately.”

“As expected of the royalty,” Adrian clicked his tongue.

Ronan looked at the necklace with naked envy, then looked away, pretending he didn’t care.

“Alright, alright,” Selene cut in, folding her arms. “We get it. Creepy forest, spooky mind games. Can we go already?”

Selina nodded in agreement while Lyra walked closer to Gray.

Lira had the usual calm expression, and Maelis and Cassandra, too, were pretty calm. Cassandra was isolated from the group while Maelis stood a bit close to Adrian.

“Let’s go then,” Gray spoke, taking the lead.

The others stayed close as they stepped into the mist.

The air grew colder almost instantly, muffling their footsteps as they walked in what they thought was a straight line.

“…Give me a second, guys,” Gray suddenly said, raising a hand.

They stopped.

“What is it?” Adrian frowned, already feeling uneasy.

Gray reached into his dimensional storage and pulled out a dagger. He turned to the nearest tree and carved a shallow mark into its bark.

“If there’s a space illusion, this will tell us if we’re walking in circles,” he explained calmly.

“Oohhhh! That’s smart,” Ronan exclaimed lightly.

Gray shrugged, stepping back from the tree. However, as soon as he did so, his expression turned into a deep frown.

“…Where are the girls?”

The mist shifted slightly.

“…Oh, fuck,” Leon cursed as his eyes widened.

“They’re gone.”

“…Is there something we can do?” Ronan stared at Leon since he was the one who understood the most about this forest.

Leon clenched his jaw.

“Not really. Once illusions separate you, you’re on your own.” He exhaled sharply. “All we can do is hope they find the exit. For now… we should stay close.”

Adrian nodded slighly before suggesting,

“What if the four of us walk with our backs pressed together?”

Everyone stared at him for a moment… it was a good idea, but a weird one.

“That might work,” Gray said, carving another faint mark into a different tree, this one slightly higher than the last.

“Let’s just do…” His voice paused slightly.

“…it.”

Just as he turned back around from the tree…

No one was there.

“Fucking hell…”

He was completely alone now.

“Jasmine… is there any way you can help me?”

[…Not really.]

“Tsk…” he clicked his tongue.

“You really are useless.”

[…]

With nothing to do, Gray simply decided to slowly walk forward while continuing to carve a few marks on every tree he saw.

But he didn’t crave them in the same place, and instead, craved in different positions to keep in mind where he actually was.

Sure, he could crave numbers, but for Gray, who had a perfect memory, this seemed a more plausible way, as by numbers, if there was a humanoid monster, it could easily replace it with another number to confuse him.

So, only by doing it this way could he actually keep on track where he was.

“…What… is that?” Gray muttered.

Ahead of him, a figure was moving.

“Shit…”

A humanoid shape stepped out from the fog. Its arms were twisted at wrong angles, joints bent backward like broken branches.

Its face was smooth except for dozens of dark question marks etched where eyes and a mouth should have been.

Gray narrowed his eyes and took a single step closer.

Crack!

The creature’s neck snapped sideways toward him, bone grinding loudly as its invisible lips suddenly appeared and revealed a wide, deep, unsettling smile.

“A-ah… w-why am I feeling s-sleepy…?”

His body suddenly started getting heavier, as his thoughts started blurring slighly, as if he had gotten drunk.

His eyelids started trembling as they threatened to close, and soon…

Thud!

He directly passed out from exhaustion or whatever was happening to his body.

…

Drip… drip…

It was the sound of water trickling somewhere in the distance, echoing faintly in a secluded greenhouse of Central Park.

Dew clung to the glass walls as the beautiful moonlight painted silver patterns across the marble floor.

It was late, too late for students to be here, but that’s what made it perfect.

SLAP!

A soft noise echoed, not from violence, but flesh-on-flesh… wet and needy.

“Haa… ngh~, don’t tease me…” the girl whimpered, her voice breathless, her legs trembling where she was pinned gently against the ivy-covered wall.

Her uniform’s top buttons were undone.

A little more, and her lace bra might’ve shown.

The boy in front of her leaned in with a smile, his lips brushing hers.

“You came here knowing I would tease you.”

His voice sounded very confident, and a little lazy, like he wasn’t trying too hard because he didn’t need to.

“Mmnn~ D-Dante…!”

Her moan cracked the night’s air, and just then, his lips crashed into hers.

“SLOSH, suck, smack!”

Their kiss was messy, deep, her hands gripping his jacket while his fingers sliding beneath her skirt.

Her body trembled with each breath.

His hand cupped her waist, drawing her closer. She squirmed, one leg rising instinctively to wrap around his.

She wasn’t shy anymore as his kisses melted all her resistance.

Dante didn’t rush.

He liked watching their expressions change.

From doubt… to want… to utter ruin.

“Mmh—ah! H-Hey—!” she gasped, arching as his lips slid down her throat, his teeth grazing that sensitive spot just above her collarbone.

Chuu!

LICK…

Slish~

“I can hear your heart racing,” he murmured against her skin.

“Scared you’ll get caught?”

Her answer was a dazed giggle.

“Y-You’re such a jerk…”

“Mmm. I know.”

He replied with a small smirk, but just then…

BANG!!

The door to the greenhouse slammed open.

The sound cracked like thunder in the quiet air.

“You… you bastard!!!”

Dante blinked lazily.

The girl froze, and her expression went completely white.

A tall figure stood in the doorway, breath fogging in the cold air, fists clenched at his sides.

“CALEB?!” the girl squealed, breaking free of Dante’s grip.

“Y-You were supposed to be out of town!”

“You LIED to me?!” Caleb roared, jaw clenched, eyes locked onto Dante with murder in his gaze.

Dante sighed, not moving an inch.

“Seriously?” he muttered, adjusting his collar before giving him a bored look.

“Tsk… you’re early.”

“YOU’RE DEAD!!”

Caleb charged at him.

STOMP—STOMP—!!

His coat flared as he closed the distance, cocking his arm back.

Dante didn’t even flinch; instead, he stepped forward, lips curving lazily.

“You sure you wanna do this, Romeo?”

“I’LL KILL YOU!!”

WHOOSH!

The punch flew for his face, to which Dante leaned sideways and dodged his punch before muttering in a teasing tone.

“Too slow.”

WHAM!!

Then, he drove his palm up into Caleb’s exposed armpit. Caleb’s arm spasmed and dropped, momentarily numb.

“You swing like a drunk,” Dante said.

“FUCK YOU!!” Caleb spat, swinging again with the other hand.

SLAM!

This time, Dante blocked it with his forearm, and seeing this, Caleb grunted and stepped in close, throwing a brutal knee to Dante’s gut.

SWOOSH, THUD!!

Dante easily caught Caleb’s thigh mid-air and lifted it hard, forcing Caleb off balance.

CRACK!!

Taking the opportunity, he headbutted him.

“AGHHH—!!”

Caleb reeled back, nose bent, blood running.

“You wanted to play rough, didn’t you?” Dante murmured.

His foot slid across the floor as he took on what seemed to be a fighting stance.

“JUST FUCKIGN DIEEE!!!” Caleb screamed and lunged again, his fists flying in a rapid barrage towards Dante.

PAP!

PAP!

WHAP!

WHAM!

Dante blocked the first, dodged the second, tanked the third with his forearms, and felt the fourth graze his cheek slighly.

’…There it is.’

BAM-BAM!!

His fists lit up like pistons, one straight to Caleb’s sternum, another hooking into his liver.

“GHHHH—!!”

Caleb doubled over, choking.

“First rule of fighting,” Dante said, grabbing him by the collar, dragging his face up to meet his gaze.

“You don’t start shit…”

BAM!!

Elbow to the nose.

“…if you can’t finish it.”

THWACK!!

A spinning backfist caught Caleb square on the temple, sending him stumbling.

“Argh…”

Caleb slowly stood up, his legs almost giving out before starting to throw punches at Dante. But now, his punches were stupidly slow.

“Haah…” Dante sighed as he sidestepped one of his punches,

He literally slapped one aside, and now they barely contained a hint of strength before getting a little annoyed.

CRACK!!

He punched him in the throat.

“Kurgh…!” Caleb gagged, hands flying to his neck, eyes bulging.

“You should be thanking me,” Dante said.

“At least now she won’t have to fake it.”

He scoffed slighly before then stretching his leg and directly kicking his chest hard.

Caleb almost flew backward.

THUMP!!

He crashed into a flowerbed, crushing petals and glass clippings, scattering under him.

He didn’t get up.

Just lay there, twitching faintly, his bloodied mouth open like a fish.

Dante rolled his wrist once, then shook out his hand.

“…Damn, your jaw’s harder than it looks,” he muttered.

The greenhouse fell into complete silence.

The girl stared at the scene, practically trembling from what seemed to be fear.

Her lips moved, but no sound came.

Dante approached her, brushing imaginary dust from his sleeves.

The girl backed away.

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean for this—!!” she cried, stumbling toward the door. Her heels clacked wildly as she ran into the night.

Dante didn’t stop her and instead just stretched his neck until it cracked.

“Tch…”

He looked down at Caleb’s broken, twitching form.

The bastard was barely conscious now.

Probably moaning something between a curse and a prayer.

Dante sighed.

“What a hassle,” he muttered, running a hand through his dark hair.

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