Chapter 267: [Freedom Dove] - Nerio’s part (19)
"What exactly is Luther’s ability?"
On the way, Damian finally spoke up. He wasn’t too fond of Thomas’s group either, but they had just shown a change in attitude. Besides, he wanted to take this chance to learn more about them—who knew, it might come in handy later.
Thomas looked unusually calm, nothing like his demeanor that morning. Without hesitation, he replied, "Luther’s ability is clue detection. With his ability, he can track the precise clues to whatever we’re searching for."
Damian nodded with a look of impressed curiosity, but said nothing as his eyes fell on Luther’s pale face.
Suddenly, someone quietly drew in a deep breath. Damian noticed it too—and only then did he realize the air had grown chillingly cold. Not the same kind of cold as before, but one that seeped into the marrow, making one’s very bones tremble.
Susan, leading the group, suddenly stopped. The hem of her cloak fluttered slightly.
She narrowed her eyes ahead. Right before them stood a massive tree hollow. The trunk was withered, the upper portion long gone, leaving only a stump a little over a meter tall behind. Naturally, it had no branches or fresh sprouts. Still, it was much larger than the surrounding trees, proving its great age.
Its bark had dried and peeled away in uneven patches, flaking onto the ground. Strange, twisting patterns ran across the surface of the trunk, and from a distance it looked disturbingly like the face of a weeping man.
Bella frowned, muttering, "That thing is ugly as hell."
Luis nodded in agreement.
Susan tilted her head toward Luther. "This is the hollow you mentioned?" Her question sounded almost outdated now.
Luther nodded, lips pressed thin, unease flickering across his face.
"Something wrong?" Susan smiled faintly as she asked.
Luther shook his head. "I don’t know."
"So all we need to do is destroy it. Leave it to me." Thomas volunteered eagerly and was about to step forward.
But just then, Luis raised a hand to stop him. "Hold on. We should observe first. If this hollow is the key to getting out of the forest, it must have something special about it."
No sooner had Luis finished speaking than the group found themselves within three meters of the hollow.
An unseen breeze swept past them at that moment as though guided by some instinct. Everyone froze in place, sensing a sudden, inexplicable shift.
Before their eyes, the world seemed to blur, as if veiled by a shimmering, translucent cloth.
And then—students began appearing around them. Most were in pairs, holding hands with bashful yet sweet smiles, darting through the trees in search of a patch of land to call their own.
Luis instinctively turned his head and saw that his companions were wearing the same expressions as he was.
"You all see it too..." he said.
"What’s going on here? Where the hell have we been dragged to?" someone shouted.
Luis frowned. "Look ahead first."
The withered little hollow tree from before had become towering and lush, its sprawling branches casting a vast shadow over the ground.
Beneath it, two figures stood, busily carving something into the trunk.
A soft, sweet female voice said, "If we carve our names into the tree, we’ll be together forever!"
The other person said nothing.
Dark shadows covered their faces down to their chests, making it impossible to see what they looked like. One wore trousers, and the girl wore a bright red knee-length dress that blazed like fire.
Even so, they were obviously a couple in the heat of passion, happily holding hands, carving their names into the tree as though sealing a vow of eternity.
[Hu hu hu, love is always the thing that kills people.]
[Wait, does this actually touch people? Come on, they’re just a couple of kids—and already promising "forever"?]
[Love can disappoint us, but there are beautiful loves too.]
[Yeah, that "beautiful love" ends exactly like this scenario! High school students really should focus on studying, not dating!]
[Ugh, such sweeping generalizations.]
[Why is no one feeling sorry for Scarlet?]
[I am, I am! Love itself isn’t wrong—it’s just bad when you trust the wrong person!]
The stream of comments flowed endlessly. Meanwhile, the two figures finished carving their names. The girl did most of the talking, the boy remained quiet, though he kept gently stroking her hair—it was apparent he loved her too.
Laughing and chatting, the two left together. At the same time, the entire forest seemed to be filled with students’ laughter. On the surface, it sounded innocent, even pure, yet it carried a strange, bone-deep chill.
"Moments like this... where’s Mr. C? Shouldn’t teachers be handling stuff like this?" someone muttered.
Luis frowned. He wanted to step closer and see the names carved into the tree trunk. He had a hunch they wouldn’t just be numbers or letters—they would be real names, leading them to clues about this school!
"Luis, watch out!"
Just then, someone shouted. At the same time, a resounding noise split the air, as if something had sliced through the atmosphere and clashed against metal.
Chaotic colors rippled across the air, brighter and more dazzling than a rainbow.
Bella’s face tightened with wariness as she looked around. Everything still seemed peaceful—the sun shining above, the shade of green leaves swaying gently. If her candy warrior hadn’t been knocked aside, she might have been fooled by this hazy scene.
The others quickly steadied themselves. With their heightened senses, the combat-type espers had already detected the abnormality in the air.
The students’ laughter grew louder, swelling into a strange, unified chorus. Mixed into it came the sound of countless giant whips slicing through the air, tearing it apart.
"Ah!"
A cry rang out. Ron, a pure healing-type esper, was suddenly hurled into the air. His face twisted in agony before he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Nana and Sana rushed forward at once, catching him just in time.
Thomas stood tensely, fists clenched, eyes darting around warily, yet he didn’t strike—he couldn’t even find a direction to attack.
"Luis, are you insane? Stop!"
Bella screamed. Up ahead, Luis continued moving forward, step after step, closer and closer. Yet he still couldn’t make out anything clearly even at this distance. The shimmering veil in front of him seemed to grow denser, and he needed to push closer if he wanted to see what he was after!
Bella bit her lip hard, raising her staff. Multicolored lights swirled and twisted, forming warriors that shielded Luis on all sides.
But just then, the whips lashed out again. Bella’s eyes narrowed as she dodged swiftly—but there were too many. Her eyes widened as pain ripped through her back, her skin feeling as though it had been shredded. She was certain blood was spilling from the wound!
The barrage of whips only intensified, faster and faster, yet they still couldn’t see what was attacking them!
A brilliant light surged forth at that moment, blinding enough to blur everything from sight. Susan’s calm voice rang out, laced with an undeniable power:
"Illusion—shatter!"