Its body was thick and hunched, supported by two powerful legs with heavy, clawed feet.
The posture leaned forward aggressively.
The head was small compared to the body. The mouth was stretched wide open, filled with thin, needle-like teeth.
Along its back and shoulders, the flesh was distorted into large, rounded, tumour-like growths.
Under its torso, there was a cluster of bulbous, sack-like structures. The blood vessels from the forest were connected to these structures.
Before Reiji could react, the thin jet of blood already cut off his right arm.
Reiji yelled in pain and fell to the ground.
He once again started hearing the screams of the mind controlling creature from before, making his headache that much worse.
Out of nowhere came another creature. The one that had the skeletal arm and a blade in the other.
It was the same species, but this one had two strong arms and no blade.
It grabbed Reiji and threw him away. He flew through the air until his back hit a tree.
He landed on the ground, motionless as blood vessels enveloped him. Some even connected to the blood vessels of his severed arm.
As he's lying there, taking his last breath, he sees a figure.
It was a tall, thin, completely black silhouette, shaped like a long cloak.
Its lower edge dissolved into ragged, dripping strands. It looked like the cloak was torn and dripping blood.
It wore fine boots that just barely peeked out of the bottom of the cloak.
At the top, the figure wore a wide-brimmed hat. It had no mouth nor nose. Only eyes with dark, wide pupils and a red sclera.
It had a cane resting in front of it. The top of the cane was a ball on which both of its arms rested with bent elbows.
It spoke in a low, whispery and ghostlike voice.
“Haven't seen something like you here. How fun.”
Reality itself froze and turned pitch black. Eyes started popping out of the darkness, looking at Reiji.
Reiji blinked and found himself in shallow water that stretched as far as the eye could see.
He got up onto his knees and had a look around.
The sky was clear and sunny. His right arm was still missing. He touched his forehead and the scar was healed.
He spotted the same figure about 5 meters away.
“What a beautiful soul you have.”
Reiji's skin turned to goosebumps as it spoke. His eyes even began watering.
It was a voice that was just like a ghost, and it was right inside of his head.
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It walked forward towards Reiji. Taking its cane into its left hand.
“I'll describe your soul to you, not that you'll remember much.”
It walked past him and looked at the horizon.
Reiji stood up, the figure was two and a half meters tall. It even spoke with no mouth.
“You're a calm soul. Just like water changes shape when placed into a bucket, you adapt to your surroundings, but they never change who you are.”
“Thanks for the explanation.”
Reiji commented with an unbothered tone.
“Case in point. You just had a near death experience and still have an attitude. This shallow water also means you don't scare nor overwhelm anyone with your intensity. You only do so in combat. It makes you approachable.”
It looks at Reiji with a look.
“What? Keep going.”
Reiji said to the figure.
“There are no islands here. You have no home, friends or family. Nothing to hold you down but nowhere to stay. I’d say that's about it.”
It walked past him again, back to the spot where Reiji first saw it in this endless ocean.
Reiji looked at the figure and suddenly, a shadow covered everything in front of him.
He looked back and saw an impossibly high wave.
The creature stopped and spoke.
“It's impressive how much of your rage you control. Your control is so good that it acts like determination. But even you have a limit. Be careful with your anger, Reiji Kurozuma.”
Reiji looked back at the figure when it said his name, but it was gone.
“When did I tell you my name?”
Reiji slowly looked back at the wave and after a moment it hit him.
He suddenly woke up on the ground, in the cold snow with no blood forest in sight.
His breath was quick, like he just experienced a nightmare.
He quickly checked his right arm, it was there. He checked his forehead, it was scarred.
“What in the world?”
He stood up and had a look around. He saw that he woke up right next to a road.
He pushed through the snow and when he was on the road, he had a decision to make.
Go uphill or downhill. Since Reiji went downhill when he departed from the platoon he decided to go uphill.
After a short moment he saw that platoon. Everyone gave him a weird face.
Reiji quickly walked towards lord Fujioka.
“Hey, I have a question.”
Asked Reiji.
“Yes?”
Asked Fujioka.
“When I come with you, what will happen exactly?”
Asked Reiji.
“Well, you'll undergo intense training and maybe even join my private army but that's still up for debate.”
Lord Fujioka answered. It was an answer Reiji wasn't happy with.
“No, no. Will I be stronger? Able to take out those horrors that hide in the dark?”
“Oh, you have no idea.”
That was Lord Fujioka's answer to Reiji's question.
“...Fine, let's go.”
Said Reiji.
“Why the sudden change of heart?”
Asked Fujioka.
“Sudden? Why would it be sudden?”
“Well, you returned after just a minute of leaving.”
Reiji Kurozuma looked at Lord Fujioka with a confused expression.
“I was gone for hours, what do you mean?”
He looked up at the sun and saw that it didn't move from the sky. It should've been dusk by now.
“I think you're going crazy.”
Said the general.
“I'm not crazy!”
After a pause Lord Fujioka spoke.
“Please, tell us what you saw.”
“...I saw a forest made of blood. The snow was melted, the leaves were red, there were blood vessels on the ground. I think I saw-”
“That's enough. “
Lord Fujiko cut off Reiji. Reiji stared at him with a confused expression.
“We're going back to my estate.”
Said Lord Fujioka as he walked over to his horse. The general and soldiers all got up and followed Lord Fujioka.
Reiji stood there for a moment, thinking to himself.
That face he made. It's like I said some secret or something. He knows about all of this, doesn't he?
