There’s a saying online, often phrased as “Horror movie protagonists be like.”

It’s like when a light in a room flickers ominously, a chilling wind blows, and yet, instead of leaving, the protagonist insists on venturing further into the room to find out what's going on.

Right now, Aino and the others felt like they were the protagonists in a horror movie.

Parker furrowed his brows, deep in thought. Alea, visibly nervous, edged closer to Aino, her gaze darting around, trying to see through the shadows in the forest.

“I’m curious about what’s inside. Should we go in and take a look?”

“N-No… maybe we shouldn’t. Think about it—how could there be a human voice coming from a place like this? It doesn’t feel right at all!” Alea protested fiercely, her fingers clenched tightly, showing her reluctance.

“Oh, come on, Miss Alea, aren’t you a witch? Witches shouldn’t be scared of things like this…” Parker interjected, unwittingly earning Alea’s ire.

“What are you talking about? Of course, I’m not scared! I’m just being… cautious for our safety…”

“Safety? Well, I can guarantee that,” Aino added fuel to the fire with a mischievous grin.

Predictably, Alea’s brief moment of confidence faltered. Her face flushed as she struggled to explain herself.

“But… in a place as creepy as this, what if there’s a curse or something? Better safe than sorry, right? And… the voices are getting louder… Let’s just leave!” she whimpered.

The eerie cries for help did indeed seem to be growing louder. Seeing Alea’s legs trembling pitifully, Aino decided it was best not to push her any further. A joke was one thing, but going too far wasn’t worth it.

“Alright, Alea, we won’t go in. Let’s just head out…”

“Please… save me…”

!!!

Unlike the earlier, disembodied voices, this one clearly came from just ahead.

Amidst the towering trees, a faint silhouette shifted in the shadows.

Upon closer inspection, it was a man, bound tightly by a mass of vines. These vines wriggled like monstrous tentacles, each one agile and strong, holding the man aloft as he struggled, seemingly on the verge of death.

Their previous intention to leave came to a sudden halt, and they found themselves hesitating.

Aino spoke up, testing the waters, “This scene… it reeks of a trap. Should we go check or just leave?”

Parker said nothing, turning his gaze to Alea.

“Well… if someone’s really there, we should at least take a look… Besides, if anything happens, Aino can handle it, right?” Alea replied hesitantly, casting a quick glance at the figure before muttering her decision.

With that, the three of them moved toward the source of the sound, Aino leading, with Alea and Parker closely following behind.

“The magical energy in this area is quite dense. There are probably a lot of powerful creatures around,” Aino remarked calmly, guiding them as they pressed forward. Although they had seen the man trapped near the edge of the forest, a sudden mist filled the area as soon as they stepped in, obscuring everything around them.

Only the increasingly desperate cries for help served as their guide, drawing them deeper in.

Finally, they stopped at the base of an exceptionally large tree, from which the cries seemed to be emanating.

This tree was no ordinary one.

Its trunk was thick and twisted, its bark rough and dark, like it had absorbed centuries of gloom and filth. Its branches contorted in unnatural angles, resembling demonic tentacles stretching toward the sky, painting eerie shapes in the night. The tree’s broad, dense leaves occasionally swayed in the wind, emitting a low, ominous rustling sound.

The branches of this tree were what had extended out to suspend the man in the air, his body contorting slightly as he continued to cry for help.

Strangely, even with Aino and her group standing directly in front of this massive tree, the vines made no move to attack them. Aino stood there in silence, simply watching the man as he struggled in midair, a faint smile hinting at her amusement at his “performance.”

“Help me… Please… Save me…”

“I’m going to die… Save me!”

No matter how he screamed, Aino remained rooted to the spot, seemingly unbothered, observing his desperate display with a hint of amusement.

Alea and Parker, sharing an unspoken agreement, simply stood by, silently watching the scene unfold.

As the three showed no signs of responding, the great tree appeared to grow agitated. More vines emerged, covering most of their field of vision, while the vines holding the man grew increasingly forceful, as though they intended to tear him apart at any moment.

Yet, even as Aino remained still, the vines hesitated, brandishing menacingly but refraining from striking.

“Heh.”

With a light chuckle, Aino extended her right hand, fingers curved into a claw. Her presence flared with powerful magic, a spell forming swiftly.

Releasing such potent magic caused her aura to surge, a towering pillar of energy shooting up, instilling fear into every creature nearby, all casting panicked glances toward the source of the terrifying power.

The vines froze, visibly panicking. Some even began to reach out as if to interrupt her spell, but they hesitated halfway, unsure of what to do.

As the spell neared completion, the vines holding the man abruptly released him, letting him drop to the ground. He stumbled forward a few steps, then collapsed to his knees, wailing in desperation.

“Mercy! Please! I shouldn’t have tricked you into coming here! Please, spare me!”

Seeing Aino and the others still motionless, the “man” began to beg repetitively, like a broken record.

“Spare me!”

“I’m begging you!”

“Please, don’t kill me!”

Just as he had continuously called for help to lure people in, now he pleaded endlessly, giving off an unsettling, unnatural vibe.

Alea frowned, taking a few steps back in disgust. “This thing is definitely not human…”

The figure’s movements grew increasingly exaggerated, his voice wavering uncontrollably, and even his appearance began to distort. His arms twisted in unnatural angles, and his facial features contorted grotesquely, transforming into an unrecognizable mass.

Aino was reminded of “imposters” from her past life—a chilling sight that made her skin crawl.

Facing such an unnerving creature, the best approach was simple: overwhelm it with sheer firepower.

A series of dark magical blades gathered around Aino, crackling with volatile lightning elements, poised to tear the creature apart in an instant.

“I can’t stand such a noisy thing.”

The “man” flinched, his screams abruptly cut short, and he dared not utter a single sound.

Indeed, raw power made things much easier. Both Alea and Parker looked on enviously, with Parker silently vowing to become a powerful mage himself someday.

“Reveal your true form. You’re not human, are you?”

With narrowed eyes, Aino scrutinized the creature before her, sensing it was some other kind of being in disguise, though its exact nature eluded her.