Vars tapped his foot on the ground. He'd been waiting outside for twenty minutes.
Cough, cough.
"Phew... I must've caught a cold out there. Well, when are they coming out?"
Grandpa and Itoî stepped out of the house. Grandpa was carrying the bag Vars had given him earlier.
"Ah, there you are!" Vars said, relieved.
Itoî had changed clothes. He wore a black t-shirt and dark blue shorts. A small pouch was attached to his left side, and he carried the bag Vars had crafted, now filled by their grandfather.
In his shorts pocket, there seemed to be something: a long, thin object.
Intrigued, Vars asked his brother what he had in his pocket.
"You'll find out when the time comes!" Itoî replied with a huge grin.
Grandpa pulled the boys into a hug:
"Boys, be very careful in there. I packed some rice balls in your bags in case you get hungry on the way. I also added a distress flare. If you really need help, I'll do everything I can to come to your rescue. Okay?"
He kissed both boys on the head. They smiled at him, then headed toward the Tortured Forest, waving goodbye.
"Promise, Grandpa, we'll come back alive!" Vars said.
"Yeah, don't worry, Grandpa!" Itoî added with a smile.
Vars looked at Itoî, who was walking along with a smile:
"Itoî, whatever happens, you can't take off Mom's necklace, and you must never fall into the demon's trap. Understood?"
Itoî nodded and replied:
"Don't worry! I won't fall for his trap again! I want to get stronger on my own!"
Vars smiled:
"Don't worry, Itoî. We'll train together so you can get stronger. Grandpa is here for that too. Just don't give in to that thing's temptations."
Itoî already seemed miles away. He was bouncing around, trying to catch a butterfly.
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"Ha! Come on! Gotcha! Hahaha, look, Vars, I got it!" Itoî said, showing off the butterfly.
It was white with long red antennae.
Vars smiled:
"Not bad! I bet I can catch a bigger and prettier one!"
The boys gradually made their way toward the Tortured Forest, having fun catching bugs and butterflies. The path seemed rather peaceful, even soothing. The forest was lush, yet no hostile presence made itself known.
"Vars, when are we getting to the Tortured Forest? We've been walking for an hour already," Itoî asked, looking almost bored.
Vars started to think. His eyes suddenly went wide, and he snapped toward Itoî.
"Watch out!"
Vars lunged at Itoî, shoving him out of the way.
A fraction of a second later, a ferocious beast pounced exactly where Itoî had been standing. It was a Tigoora, a large one. The beast looked like a cross between a tiger and a lion. It also had a pair of angelic wings, creating a rather eerie contrast. The Tigoora was part of the vast chimera family.
Vars said:
"Itoî, stay hidden! This thing is way more dangerous than a Quashti! I'll finish it off quick!"
Itoî nodded vigorously and ducked into a bush between the trees.
Vars scrambled to his feet and shot the beast a murderous glare.
"We're already in the Tortured Forest. I just didn't realize it!"
The beast growled:
BRRPPFF... GRRR!
It scraped the ground with its sharp claws before kicking up a spray of dirt toward Vars. The Tigoora was much smaller than a Quashti: only three meters long. However, its speed and aggressiveness made it far deadlier.
Vars instantly saw through the beast's strategy. He charged right through the clumps of dirt it had thrown, then jumped high enough mid-trajectory to dodge them.
But his real goal was to dodge the Tigoora charging right behind it. The beast had planned to use the dirt cloud as a screen to blend into.
"It's over!"
Vars chanted at blinding speed before unleashing:
"The Three Pillars!"
Three massive stone pillars erupted from the ground toward the Tigoora, which deftly dodged them.
Shit!
The Tigoora barreled straight at Vars, who was starting to descend from his jump. He was a goner if the beast caught him.
At that exact moment, Itoî burst from the bush and yelled:
"Close your eyes, Vars!"
Vars caught on instantly and squeezed his eyes shut. Itoî hurled a seed of light at the Tigoora, which had turned its head toward him.
"Scintilla lucis!"
The seed detonated, producing a brief flash—mild, but highly effective given the incredibly short distance from the Tigoora's eyes.
"Now!" Itoî cried.
Vars opened his eyes and cast a spell:
"Verdant Slap!"
Two thick, massive leaves materialized. Vars clapped his hands together, as if crushing something.
And that something was the Tigoora.
The impact was so violent that the leaves burst at the same time as the Tigoora, flattening it with indescribable brutality. You could barely make out its bones, shattered into countless pieces. The splash of red coated the surrounding trees.
Vars exhaled loudly. He looked thrilled.
"WOOO!" he cheered.
Itoî laughed, watching his brother.
"Check out my hand!" Itoî said.
"That was incredible, little bro! Hahaha!" Vars said enthusiastically.
His gaze was so fierce it could have set the entire forest ablaze on its own. He slapped Itoî's hand hard.
"Wow! You completely wrecked my hand!" Itoî said, blowing on his now bright red hand.
"Without you, I would've been in bad shape. Thanks," Vars said.
Itoî smiled, clasping his hands behind his head as he walked.
"No problem, Vars!"
The two boys walked peacefully into the forest, which already seemed to live up to its name.