Chapter 1: The Boy in the Woods

The forest was a dark labyrinth, its towering trees casting elongated shadows under the moon's pale glow. Amidst the night’s eerie silence, a young teen boy perched on a sturdy branch high above the forest floor. His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, while his ears strained to catch any hint of danger lurking in the darkness.

“Hey, can you guys move any slower?” the boy called out, his voice tinged with impatience. Below him, two figures navigated the dense undergrowth: an elderly man with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, and a young girl who looked the same age as the boy moved with a dancer’s grace.

“Hold your horses, young blood!” The elder man chuckled, “You might be part squirrel, but some of us have bones that creak louder than the trees.”

The girl, running alongside the old man, let out a melodic giggle. Her laughter was a brief, sweet note in the forest’s otherwise oppressive atmosphere. Aragyan flushed with embarrassment.

“Fine, complete the work yourselves then!” he muttered, while clinging to his branch.

“Don’t be so serious, Aragyan. We’re just having fun,” the old man replied, his tone light-hearted. “Though, to be fair, we could’ve done it alone if we had to.” He winked, and the girl giggled again.

The old man and the girl finally reached the base of Aragyan’s tree. The girl waved at Aragyan, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Come on down, Aragyan. We’ve got to get to the village before dawn.” the old man called him.

Aragyan sighed and climbed down from the branch, landing with a soft thud. “Koka!! If you hadn’t gotten off at the wrong station in the middle of the night, we wouldn’t be wandering this creepy forest.”

A Few Hours Earlier...

The rhythmic clatter of train wheels echoed through the carriage, a comforting sound against the backdrop of the night. The train chugged steadily through the countryside, its lanterns casting a warm, flickering light.

Inside, Aragyan was fast asleep, his head resting against the wall. The girl was engrossed in a book, the soft rustle of pages the only sound she made. The old man, meanwhile, gazed out at the passing landscape, lost in thought.

Suddenly, his eyes widened. He nudged Aragyan awake, his voice urgent. "Aragyan, wake up! I think this is our stop!"

Groggy and disoriented, Aragyan rubbed his eyes. "Huh? Already?"

The girl looked up from her book, puzzled. "Are you sure, Koka?"

"Of course I'm sure!" He insisted, standing up and grabbing his bag. "Come on, we need to hurry!"

In a flurry of activity, the three of them gathered their bags and hurried off the train. As soon as their feet hit the platform, the train pulled away, leaving them in an unfamiliar station.

Aragyan blinked, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep. "This doesn’t look right."

The old man frowned, looking around. "Of course it is. Just give it a second."

A few moments later, the realisation hit them. The station was eerily quiet, and the sign above read a name that was definitely not their destination.

The station master, a rotund man with a handlebar moustache, approached them, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Welcome to Hildoi Station! You folks seem a bit lost."

The girl, trying to stifle a laugh, asked, "Is this the station for Sumhat?"

The station master chuckled. "Oh no, Sumhat is a good 35 kilometres from here."

Aragyan groaned, shooting a glare at the old man. "Koka!! This is your fault! It's almost 10 o' clock currently!"

the old man scratched his head sheepishly and asked the station master, "When will the next train come?" The station master replied with a strange smile, "Sorry! But the next train won't be here before tomorrow afternoon."

Aragyan's face turns pale in an instant and he looks at the old man with his eyes stretched. The old man tries to hide any kind of guilt and says smiling, "Looks like we’re walking!"

They started walking towards the destination. Aragyan looked as if all his motivation had disappeared.

The station master, still chuckling, waved them off. "Good luck! And watch out for the forest critters. They can be... unfriendly at night."

As they set off on their journey, the humour of the situation slowly seeped in, turning frustration into laughter. Despite the inconvenience, the old man and the girl couldn’t help but enjoy the unexpected twist in their plans.

Back to the present…

“Ah, but then we’d miss out on all this lovely bonding time,” the old man quipped, his eyes twinkling mischievously. Aragyan rolled his eyes, feeling his cheeks heat up with frustration.

The girl continued walking quietly, her lips curved in a small smile as she watched the playful banter. The three of them moved through the forest, the canopy above them thick and impenetrable, allowing only slivers of moonlight to guide their way. The air was filled with the sounds of nocturnal creatures stirring in the underbrush, and the occasional hoot of an owl echoed through the trees.

After several minutes of trudging through the dense foliage, the girl suddenly stopped, her ears perking up. “Wait,” she whispered, holding up a hand. “I hear something.”

The group fell silent, their senses heightened. In the distance, an unsettling rustling noise grew louder, accompanied by a low, guttural growl. The atmosphere shifted, tension crackling in the air as they realised they were not alone.

“Let me check,” Aragyan whispered, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the darkness.

Without wasting a second, Aragyan became a blur, disappearing from sight. The next moment, the old man and the girl saw him leaping through the branches, heading towards the source of the sound. Branches bent beneath his weight as he leaped from tree to tree, closing in on the source of the ominous sounds echoing through the forest.

The old man and the girl, panting slightly from their hurried pursuit, arrived moments later at the edge of a small clearing bathed in moonlight. Aragyan stood crouched on a thick branch overlooking the scene below, his eyes narrowed in intense concentration.

“Can you see something?” The girl whispered urgently, her face etched with concern. “Be quiet,” Aragyan hissed. Without another word, he vanished from the branch.

Ahead, a young boy, no older than ten, was being chased by a dark, humanoid entity. The boy's eyes were wide with terror, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. He stumbled over a root and fell, the boy's mind raced with fear, paralysing him as he watched the monster's twisted form approach. He whimpered as the creature extended a clawed hand toward his cheek.

Just as the creature was about to put its hand on the boy, Aragyan descended from the trees, his eyes gleaming in the moonlight. Just the next moment we see that he had severed the creature’s hand. The entity recoiled, shrieking in pain and rage, dark ichor oozing from its wound. It turned its malevolent gaze towards Aragyan, who stood ready to face it.

“Stay here,” Aragyan commanded the boy as he moved, trying to lure the creature away. The boy just watched the scene in terror, too frightened to speak.

The old man and the girl arrived seconds later, finding the boy trembling on the ground. “Are you okay?” The old man asked gently, kneeling beside him.

Before the boy could respond, another similar creature emerged from the shadows, its eyes glowing with malice. the old man stepped forward, his stance firm. “I’ll handle this one. Itashree, take care of the kid.”

Itashree nodded, wrapping her arms around the boy protectively. Meanwhile, Aragyan led the first creature deeper into the forest, weaving through the trees with agility. Surrounded by towering trunks and thick underbrush, Aragyan faced the creature, ready for the battle that would ensue.

The creature stood in front of Aragyan, the air thick with tension. For a moment, everything was still, only the faint rustling of leaves. Then, with a guttural snarl, the creature rushed at Aragyan.

Aragyan launched himself upwards, using the tree trunks to propel himself out of harm's way. The creature's hand slammed into a tree branch, splintering the wood and momentarily getting stuck. Aragyan, hanging from a higher branch with one hand, watched the creature struggling to take its hand out.

With a fierce yank, the creature freed its hand and leaped at Aragyan. But Aragyan vanished in a blur of motion. In the next instant, the creature crashed to the ground, disoriented, and found Aragyan's foot firmly pressing its head into the dirt.

Meanwhile, the old man and the girl faced their own adversary. The creature in front of them was a twisted, malevolent figure, its eyes glowing with a malevolent light. Itashree stood protectively in front of the boy, her eyes darting between the old man and the creature.

The old man cracked his knuckles, a determined look on his face. "Alright, you magnificent brute, let's dance."

The creature lunged at the old man, its claws aiming for his chest. The old man sidestepped the attack and delivered a swift punch to its side, feeling the impact reverberate through his old but still powerful muscles. The creature snarled and swung its arm, catching the old man on the shoulder and sending him stumbling back.

The old man gritted his teeth against the pain and charged forward, tackling the creature to the ground. They rolled through the underbrush, a blur of limbs and snarls. He managed to pin the creature momentarily, delivering a series of rapid punches to its face, leaving bloody gashes across his own arms and the creature's face.

With a surge of strength, the creature threw the old man off and lunged again. This time, the old man caught its arm mid-swing, twisting it until he heard a satisfying crack. The creature howled in pain, but the old man didn't relent. He slammed his fist into the creature's stomach, knocking the wind out of it. With one final effort, he lifted the creature and threw it into a nearby tree. It crumpled to the ground, dazed and defeated.

Panting heavily, the old man wiped the blood from his face and turned to Itashree and the boy. "Is he alright?" he asked, his voice rough but steady.

Itashree nodded, her eyes wide with a mix of care and admiration. "He's fine. Are you okay?"

He chuckled, though it quickly turned into a wince. "Just a few scratches. Let's find Aragyan now."

As they moved to regroup with Aragyan, the forest seemed to hold its breath, the echoes of their battle fading into the night.

The old man and Itashree moved cautiously through the dense forest, their senses heightened after their intense battle. The dawn was beginning to break, casting a faint glow through the canopy above. They finally spotted Aragyan lying on the ground, staring up at the sky with a serene expression.

The old man hurried over, his steps heavy but determined. "Aragyan, where's the creature?"

Aragyan lifted an arm and pointed towards a nearby tree. The old man and Itashree followed his gaze and saw the creature pinned mercilessly on the broken branches, its body pierced by sharp wooden shards. The sight was gruesome, the creature’s lifeless eyes reflecting the first light of dawn.

Itashree knelt beside Aragyan, her voice gentle but firm. "You need to calm down, Aragyan. You didn’t have to go this far."

The old man nodded in agreement, his expression stern but concerned. "She’s right. That was overkill."

Aragyan sighed, sitting up and rubbing the back of his neck. "It's been two months since I last fought a creature. I guess I got carried away."

"That's not an excuse," the old man began, but Aragyan cut him off."Let's talk about it later. We need to get to the village quickly." Aragyan stood, brushing dirt off his clothes. "We don’t know how much more we have to walk."

The boy was asleep on the old man's shoulders, and the group started making their way through the forest once more. The light grew steadily stronger, banishing the shadows that had hidden so many dangers during the night.

The forest slowly transformed from a menacing labyrinth into a tranquil woodland, the sounds of birds beginning to replace the eerie silence.

As they walked through the gradually brightening forest, Itashree glanced at the boy, who was still groggy from the ordeal. "What about the boy?" she asked.

Aragyan shrugged. "He’s probably from the village we’re headed to."

The old man, however, shook his head. "It’s better to be sure. We still have time to find his home before we make any assumptions."

Aragyan’s frustration was evident. "I don’t want to waste any more time."

They stopped, and Itashree gently shook the boy awake. At first, he seemed doubtful and scared, but soon his expression softened, and he offered a shy smile. "Thank you for saving me," he said quietly.

The old man crouched down to his level. "What's your name and where is your home, kid?"

The boy said with a respectful manner, "Amit" and pointed in the direction they were headed. "My home is in the nearby village."

Aragyan crossed his arms, a smug look on his face. "I already guessed that."

The old man couldn’t resist teasing him. "Just because you guessed right doesn’t mean we shouldn’t check, Mr. Know-it-all."

Aragyan’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Let’s just get moving."

The old man introduces themselves, "My name is Ratan, she's Itashree and this little guy is Aragyan." Then they get ready to walk, "Come we'll take you to your home."

As they prepared to continue, Amit suddenly spoke up. "Wait! It's not a good idea to go there."

The old man raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

The boy hesitated, then blurted out, "The village leader has powerful—"

Aragyan cut him off. "We know what’s there. We came here for that reason."

Amit looked confused but also slightly relieved. "The creatures chased me all the way from the village to this place."

Ratan placed a reassuring hand on the boy’s shoulder. "Stop worrying. You’re safe now that we’re here."

The group resumed their journey, moving with renewed purpose. After a few minutes of walking, the trees began to thin, and the outline of the village emerged in the distance, bathed in the soft light of dawn.

Aragyan led the way, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of danger. Ratan, despite his injuries, kept a vigilant watch, while the girl comforted the boy, who was still visibly shaken.

As they approached the village, Amit pointed out a place. "You should enter from that side. It's safer."

Aragyan nodded, his focus unwavering. "Let’s quickly get this over with."

Itashree tightened her grip on the boy's hand. "We’ll keep you safe. Don’t worry."

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