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the second part of the special chapter! the next part of this is still in the making, so please be patient until it's out!

slight disclaimer for spooky elements :p

also, this is not proofread, i will fix the mistakes if there are any after the jumpstart event of my school! ty for being patient with me :)

chapter two: followed, unwelcomed.

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song: school rooftop by hisohkah

☆-繁栄の本質

the catatonic state that the mind and the heart has been left in, it leaves me in pure reverence.

☆- 信頼と忠誠

birds of a feather, stick together until the end of time.

synopsis:

the touden party had started their hike up the mountain, but there was something... bizarre. it was an off-putting feeling, but they can't seem to figure out what it is exactly. despite this, they try to make the trip worthwhile... there was still an elephant in the room that they'll have to acknowledge, after all.

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"the air in this mountain feels a bit heavier than normal."

"yeah, [name]'s already down."

hiking up a mountain is definitely not [name]'s favourite activity, which is pretty obvious from how she was already grasping for air while halfway up their designation, so shuro ended up carrying her on his back for the rest of the hike.

the others didn't seem that affected, other than marcille who has complained over her feet hurting the entire time.

"we can take a break from walking, if you guys want to?"

laios asked the group, and they didn't even miss a beat and agreed immediately. it's not that everyone is tired already, it's only been an hour of hiking. namari, shuro, laios and falin are all good in terms of stamina. chilchuck has to keep up with them, so he's in need of a break while marcille is... well, give her a break. she's not made for long trips.

same thing goes for [name]. while she doesn't really realise she's tired quite often, this will result in her body giving out all so suddenly without a warning. this is one of those times, considering how she never even slept much before the trip.

but the whole reason why they all collectively agreed wasn't just because of the exhaustion of other members, no.

they may not say it out loud, but they could all feel it.

the mountain... the woods... and the fog surrounding it... they felt off.

everyone can feel a shiver run down their spine from the unnerving feeling that they're all experiencing, but brushed it off as nothing but the cold morning air. maybe they just needed more sleep...

"you doing alright, [name]?"

laios crouched down in front of the girl who was sat on a broken tree log, her hair clumsily put up as best as it could. she's not really good at styling herself.

"i feel a little better now. i do not venture in mountains that often, so the sudden change of atmosphere sent my body in quite a shock."

"that's good to know. don't worry though, once we're in a better spot, you'll feel a little better."

he grinned, and handed [name] a bag containing her personal stuff.

"here's your bag, it has everything you need in there."

"are some of the potions i packed here?"

"yeah, i made sure to stuff them inside."

[name] was quite surprised to find her bottles neatly tucked inside the bag, wrapped in a soft cloth. she didn't expect laios to be this observant over her potion equipment.

"...thank you."

"you're welcome. i'll go check up on the others, okay?"

laios stood back up on his feet, making his way back to where the rest of the party are at.

"hmm, these potions should be enough for a small group of eight."

[name] began inspecting the bottles one by one, when she realised something.

'wait.. eight?'

she began thinking hard, her brows furrowed in concentration. a shiver ran down her spine, and she placed her bottles back inside and stood up, following after laios.

'no, it's probably nothing...'

"hm? need something, [name]?"

chilchuck asked as she came up to them, squeezing herself in between him and marcille.

"no. it was just a bit too chilly at my spot."

"i told you, you should have brought your coat with you."

marcille sighed, wrapping an arm over her shoulder and rubbing her arm to warm her up.

"do you need extra warmth, [name]? i can cast a spell to help you stay warm."

falin offered as she sat on a tree stump in front of them, and [name] shook her head.

"no, save your energy in case of an emergency. i will be fine, do not worry."

falin only hummed, a little conflicted as she watched [name] huddle up against marcille. she looks a little pale.

"actually, we're just a few more walks away from our camping site. if we get going now, we should be there before lunch."

laios points to the map he had on the ground as he sat next to namari and shuro.

"this is near the bridge that leads to the valley nearby, right? isn't this a spot where people go missing?"

namari points to a certain spot near their supposed camping site, and laios cocks his head to the side curiously.

"wait, seriously? i didn't know that. people said that it's a good spot for camping because of the nice view of the forest below."

"i'm guessing the rumors about that bridge might be true then?"

shuro butts in, and the two raised a brow at him.

"what rumors?"

"from what i heard, outsiders would try to cross that bridge from the valley to this town but would end up missing for unknown reasons. some say that there are rogues and bandits around that area that would steal and murder people. others claim that there is an unknown beast that lurks near the bridge, preying on innocent civilians."

shuro explained, and namari nudges him on the arm with a frown.

"that's not funny."

"...i'm not trying to spook you all. those are genuine rumors i heard from people back in town."

namari groaned, and laios looks around them for a moment.

"it's not uncommon to have some rogues in the mountains. back in our village, we used to kill savages that try to enter our village."

"excuse me, what-"

laios scratched his head in confusion as namari stared at him strangely.

"what? did i say something wrong?"

"guys..."

the three of them looked up to meet chilchuck's gaze as he jutted his thumb over to falin, marcille and [name] that sat farther away from where they were.

"the girls said they're hungry. we really should have breakfast before we continue further up the mountain."

"i'm a little hungry too, now that you mentioned it."

laios sighed and stood up.

"alright, let's make breakfast for now. after this, we go back to the trails."

"i'll help with cooking!"

falin volunteered, rushing over to her brother as laios sets up a small grill on the ground.

"marcille, is it possible for mountains to have a magic veil?"

"magic veil? you.. mean like a domain spell or something similar to a dungeon? no, i don't think i've heard of that before..."

[name] frowned as she heard marcille's response, and she stares at the trees in the distance.

"why do you ask?"

"i just feel like this mountain is cloaked with magic energy. it may just be spirits, but..."

"but?"

marcille raised a brow, following her line of sight but not really seeing anything that caught her eyes.

"i am not quite sure. it just gives off the same energy as a dungeon. like it is being manipulated with mana."

"maybe you're still sleepy, [name]... here, you can close your eyes for a bit while we wait for breakfast."

[name] scoffed but didn't fight back as marcille slowly guided her head down on her lap, covering her eyes.

marcille didn't say it, but she knew what she was talking about. the woods felt alive, and not in a way that nature is supposed to be.

"you don't have to cover my eyes, marcille."

"just rest, [name]."

the girl didn't retaliate as marcille kept her hand over [name]'s eyes, and within a few seconds of staying in that position, [name] had fallen asleep completely.

"you're making her take a nap?"

falin asked curiously as she held a few pots in her arms, setting them down and drawing a magic circle on the ground to heat the pots on.

"she needs it. the 3 hours of sleep she got is finally getting to her, talking about magic veils and stuff like that in this mountain. it's creeping me out!"

marcille shook her head with a frown, and falin hums with a curious expression.

"but you know, it would make sense for this mountain to have a magic veil. there are countless stories that this once owned by ancient elves."

"...not you too, falin."

falin chuckled as marcille groans, but then looked at marcille with a serious expression.

"no, it's true. maybe those stories were just made to scare people off and protect the mountain, but the woods here are notorious for multiple disappearance."

"then what the heck are we doing here?!?"

falin sweatdropped at marcille's panicked shriek, to which the elf immediately shuts her mouth when [name] shifted on her lap slightly.

"what are you guys talking about?"

laios asked as he joins them with a basket of raw meat and vegetables to cook.

"laios, out of all the places we could've camped in, you chose a place that is known for creepy occurrences???"

the elf criticises the young man who rubs his nape sheepishly.

"huh? what creepy occurrences? as far as i know, this is just a mountain infamous for bandits and rogues. "

"people go missing here! isn't that creepy enough for you?!"

marcille whisper yelled, pointing ambrosia to laios who raised his arms up in surrender.

"i-i didn't really know about those rumors, actually. besides, we'll be fine. we delve in a dungeon full of dangerous monsters, and criminals who can't go back to the surface for unknown reasons. i think we'll be fine going on a little camping trip in a place like this."

"ugh, even so... how am i supposed to enjoy camping in a place where people disappeared? sure, they're probably just some bandits causing people trouble, but what about supernatural beings?"

falin pats marcille's shoulder in a comforting manner, a small smile on her face.

"don't worry, we can just cast a protection spell on everyone in case of any supernatural entity trying to harm us."

"that still doesn't make me any less spooked..."

now that marcille has shared her thoughts to the two, she felt a little more... safe? she doesn't know how to fully describe it, but she's more at ease knowing that [name] and her aren't the only one aware of this eerie feeling.

"there's definitely a magic veil masking this mountain."

marcille almost jumped out of her skin when [name] suddenly spoke, her head still resting on her lap while trying to reach for a shiny rock she spotted on the ground.

"i thought you were asleep?"

"the scent of bacon and sausages woke me up."

"don't worry, it won't take long to cook them."

falin reassured the girl who rolled over and accidentally fell of the log she's laying on, but now had the rock she's reaching for in her hand.

"ugh, seriously [name]? now you got dead grass and dirt all over you."

marcille scolded.

"i'm not hungry, the scent just woke me up because it's very strong."

[name] said to falin as she stood up and sat back down next to marcille as the fellow elf started to pat the dirt off of her clothes.

"you better stop rolling around trying to get rocks or i'll kiss you."

marcille huffed jokingly, and [name] looks at her strangely.

"is that supposed to be a threat?"

"huh... i didn't know you swing both ways, marcille."

"or maybe one way only."

falin and laios commented, the older touden having a shocked expression on his face while falin was just smiling. she definitely knew.

"w-wait, that was a joke! we usually joke like that-"

"so that's what your usual jokes, huh?"

falin elbows the girl playfully, and marcille felt like sinking to the ground, falling backwards onto the ground and squirming while covering her face.

"now look who's dirty."

[name] teased with a blank face before reaching for another shiny rock she found nearby.

"alright everyone, breakfast is ready!"

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"we're almost there, keep going everybody!"

"please shut up, motivation is not what i need right now."

the hike up wasn't really going good so far, with half of the party already exhausted even after catching a break and eating breakfast to replenish their energy.

well, no one can really blame them. the mountain was steep and rocky, and it took them half an hour to even get anywhere near their designated camp.

thank god for laios being in his typical alpha mode, leading his pack. (awoo)

it felt like the gods have answered their prayers when the clearing of the mountain finally came into view. it was an open area near the woods that had a full view of the forest below them, and a path that leads to what they assume, is the bridge they were talking about earlier.

"finally! no kidding, my feet hurt from all that walking!"

marcille immediately sat down on a flat boulder, resting her exhausted legs.

"same here."

[name] follows her, but failed to climb up and sit down next to her due to her height.

"pfftt..."

chilchuck stopped himself before he could laugh, coughing awkwardly before turning away.

"you do not have the right to laugh, meerkat."

[name] narrowed her eyes at the half-foot and points an accusing finger at him.

"WHAT-"

"first thing's first, we gotta prep for lunch. i'm not that hungry yet, but the food we packed 's pretty much just some snacks t' munch on right?"

namari asked as she placed the pot she was carrying down on the ground with a huff.

"err, yeah... i figured it'll be more fun if we could hunt the food ourselves."

"i get what you are going for, but..."

shuro sweatdropped at laios' reasoning.

"i think it's pretty fun! while it's a little inconvenient, it still gives us the same thrill as a normal camping experience does!"

falin says to lessen the tension, and it seemed to work as laios sighed out in relief. good grief, falin really knows how to save his butt.

"plus, it's a bonding experience. how about this? big brother laios is gonna explain to us what we're gonna do for lunch-scavenging!"

falin bumps her hip against laios who scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"i thought of making it into a game of some sorts, you know? like falin said, it's some bonding experience. we get partnered up with each person to hunt for dinner together and whoever gets the best catch wins."

the party had mixed reactions. namari looks intrigued on the hunting part, shuro and chilchuck looked a little hesitant but wasn't against it, falin looks genuinely excited, marcille looked a little nervous and [name] was... well, [name] is [name].

she honestly doesn't care at all. in fact, she has already started dragging her cauldron somewhere nearby and have also started gathering water and materials from a pond not too far away.

"who's partners with who?"

namari asked, already holding her weapon in hand.

"let's draw straws and whoever gets the same size gets to be partners."

they agreed to that, and laios bunched up a few sticks that had four different measurements, having eight in total.

"alright, time to draw your sticks."

"me first."

namari was first to go, then chilchuck, followed by shuro, marcille and finally, falin.

"eh? why is there three left?"

laios thought to himself, still holding three small sticks for some reason.

"well, there's [name] and you but..."

"actually, why did you get eight in total?"

shuro asked, and laios scratched the back of his head in confusion. he dint know either.

"i'm not sure... maybe i just miscounted. how many of us are here again?"

"there's namari and i, shuro and falin, [name], marcille and you."

chilchuck listed out, and laios couldn't help but feel utterly baffled for some reason. has he been counting wrong the whole time?

"so seven in total?"

"yep, we bought seven bedrolls, seven plates, three tents with one meant for three people, and seven waterskin."

the young man felt even more disturbed as falin checks on the bags they carried, feeling as if he had just been made aware of something.

"i was counting eight for some reason..."

"maybe you need some extra sleep too, huh?"

namari rolled her eyes with a grin, and chilchuck chimes in with a teasing grin of his own.

"why don't you get some sleep with your woman, huh? she's right over there, doing her usual explosive liquids routine. don'tcha worry, we'll give you some alone time."

"what?! that's clearly not what i need! or maybe... uh, i don't know!"

laios shouted with a red face, earning a laugh from the two.

"they're so childish."

shuro commented, being the hater that he usually is while falin just laughed.

"ah, but that's the fun of it. it's pretty nice to think that my brother is finally taking interest in someone."

the girl comments, twirling some strands of her hair as she glanced at [name] who was too busy in her own business to even look at their direction, and by business i meant to try to catch a frog to add in her cauldron mixture. a soft smile bloomed on falin's lips.

"...though i hope this won't hinder anything between us."

"hm? what was that, falin?"

"oh, nothing! i was just mumbling nonsense, hehe."

she brushed off shuro's confused expression with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"everyone, i have discovered something."

[name] approached the group with a small, dirty bottle in her hand. there was something inside it, but with the mold and dirt covering it, no one could really figure out what it is.

"what's that? is that paper inside a bottle?"

marcille took it from the girl and began inspecting it.

"well, we can check it out later. you have to pick a stick of your own, [name]. but don't show it to everyone yet."

laios offered the last two remaining sticks to the girl that was hidden in his hand, the other one was already discarded somewhere after he brushed off what previously happened.

[name] didn't even bother to think about her decision and casually picked one random stick and held it in her closed palm.

"alright, everyone reveal your sticks!"

and so they did. as soon as they revealed their handpicked sticks, it was clear who the partners were. marcille and falin are together, namari and chilchuck, and finally, laios and [name].

"...why am i the