The air still buzzed with the tension of their last battle, The forest had returned to its eerie tranquility, but beneath the surface, something had shifted. Neither Valen nor Fel were quite the same after their clash. Yet, the truce that hung between them was delicate. fragile even. But Fel knew something he didn't. the monsters had been tracking him, and Valen was far from safe.
It had been a few days since their strange "dinner," and Valen was once again standing at the edge of the forest. His gaze lingered on the trees that stretched far above him, the leaves shifting in the wind like whispers. He wasn't sure why he'd come back. Maybe he wanted vengeance, or maybe the thought of being alone was more unbearable than dealing with the princess who drove him insane.
The crunch of footsteps on the forest floor broke his thoughts, and he turned, sensing a familiar presence.
Fel emerged from the mist, her figure outlined against the eerie glow of the trees. Her eyes flickered with curiosity, but her expression was unreadable. She stopped a few paces away, not saying anything at first.
"You're still here," Valen said, his voice low and laced with a tinge of frustration.
Fel crossed her arms, her posture casual but poised. "I said I owed you an apology. This is me making sure you don't try to kill me again."
Valen's eyes narrowed, a smirk tugging at his lips. "I haven't decided whether I should thank you or threaten you."
Fel's lips curled into a playful smile. "Maybe both."
A silence hung between them before Fel spoke again, her voice turning more serious. "You know, those monsters you're running from. the one's after you. Well I'm also... kinda in the same situation."
Valen's smirk faltered, replaced with a grim expression. "What do you know about it?"
"Enough," Fel replied cryptically. "I don't like being hunted. You probably don't either."
Valen tilted his head. "And you think that makes us friends?"
Fel's smile faltered, but she didn't back down. "No, but it does make us allies for the time being."
The moment stretched between them like a tightrope, neither willing to break first. Finally, Valen scoffed, turning his back to her. "Allies, huh? Fine. But don't think I'm going to play nice just because you fed me."
Fel raised an eyebrow. "I never expected you to."
The forest shifted once more, its eerie, twisting paths betraying the unsettling calm that had once settled over the land. Valen's blood began to stir in his veins, sensing something far off. He turned his gaze back to Fel, sensing the same anticipation in her eyes.
"Looks like our little truce might be tested sooner than I thought," Valen muttered, already bracing himself for what was to come.
Fel's smirk returned, and without a word, she extended her hand toward him. "You're still going to need my help, whether you like it or not."
Valen glanced at her hand, then at her face, and after a moment of hesitation, he placed his hand in hers. The grip was firm, but their war was far from over.
For now, however, they'd fight together.
Meanwhile, beyond the forest's edge.
The demons and monsters, emboldened by their numbers, made their move. They charged toward Fel's forest, weapons drawn, ready to engage, a massive ogre with an iron sword commanding them, bellowed orders.
"Charge!!" he roared.
They advanced, feet pounding against the earth, but as they stepped over the treeline, something strange happened. Their bodies froze, and a sudden wave of green energy surged through them. One by one, they transformed.
"WHAT IS THIS?!" a demon screamed as his body began to sprout vines, his skin turning into bark. His sword dropped, and his body twisted into a towering tree.
"No, NO!" shouted another, his voice becoming muffled as his form morphed into a dense mass of ivy and leaves.
Within seconds, they were all reduced to nothing but plants, rooted in place. some towering, others collapsing into flowers, moss, or creeping vines.
The remaining monsters paused, stunned into silence. Their leader turned around, eyes wide with terror. "It's... it's the forest! The forest did this! They. THEY JUST TURNED TO PLANTS!"
"They... they just-" one monster gasped, barely able to comprehend what had just happened.
"GET OUT! GET OUT OF HERE!" another screamed, his panic spreading quickly.
One demon, a nervous creature with a bow, pointed shakily toward the trees. "We need to burn it all. It's the only way to-"
Before he could finish, the remaining monsters scattered, heading for the edge of the forest, but they couldn't escape. The trees seemed to bend and shift, trapping them in place.
Valen, watching from a distance, stood with his arms folded, silently observing the chaos. He smirked, then stepped forward, making his move.
Without a word, he summoned his blood to form a sharp, deadly spear. With precision, he threw it into the chest of a monster trying to escape, his body collapsing to the ground instantly. Another fell to a similar fate. a swift, bloody death.
The remaining demons, seeing their numbers dwindling, hesitated. Fear flooded their minds. One attempted to retreat, but Valen flicked his wrist and sent a tendril of blood surging toward him. The demon found himself yanked off the ground, pulled through the air, and thrown straight into the forest.
"No!" the demon screamed, but it was too late.
In an instant, he too became part of the forest. his body twisting and stretching, turning to vines and roots that spread like a creeping plague through the soil.
Valen took another step, not even breaking a sweat. Another monster. this time a burly, armored orc. rushed at him, sword raised. Valen barely flinched, his blood slicing through the air and cutting the orc down before he could even swing his weapon.
"Pathetic," Valen muttered under his breath, eyes narrowing as more monsters panicked, retreating deeper into the forest.
At that moment, he snapped his fingers. Blood surged from his body and extended outward, pulling the remaining demons into the forest. One by one, they were dragged forward, their screams cut short as they turned to plants. vines, flowers, and shrubs growing from their bodies as they were assimilated into the land.
The remaining demons stood frozen, eyes wide, mouths agape in terror.
"What is happening?!" one monster cried, voice shaking.
"The forest... it's cursed!" another screamed, retreating back into the lines.
Valen watched them fall, his eyes gleaming red with amusement. He turned and casually strolled toward the edge of the forest, passing through the trees without a second glance.
Fel, watching from a high perch, raised an eyebrow, her expression flat. "I told you they couldn't handle it," she said, her voice dripping with an egotistical smirk. But she didn't make a move to intervene. She didn't need to. The forest had already taken care of everything.
Valen turned, giving her a brief nod. "Yeah, couldn't handle me," he smirked.
Fel's smirk only widened as she floated down to join him. "Next time, try not to drag them in here. I don't like cleaning up after you."
But the forest had already claimed its prize, the demons now nothing more than twisted remnants of their former selves, scattered throughout the forest, forgotten. And Valen, true to his usual form, had left nothing but chaos in his wake.
A handful of battered demons stumbled back to the outskirts, collapsing before the succubus commander.
"The forest.. it's cursed," one gasped out. "It turned them all into plants. Only the vampire... he walks free."
The succubus narrowed her eyes, a slow, cruel smile forming.
"So, he's hiding behind curses now? Fine. Let's see how long that saves him."