Jinn BLADE
Chapter 57 | Cabin In The Woods

Chapter 57: Chapter 57 | Cabin In The Woods

*BANG!

With a large bang, Biyo slammed his fist into the crystal wall he had formed the night before.

The thick ice cracked instantly, then shattered as chunks scattering across the forest floor.

In a few seconds, the pieces melted into steam and vanished, leaving behind an open path for the group.

"Now then, let’s move, shall we?" Biyo said, stepping through the opening with heavy thuds crushing leaves and underbrush beneath his boots.

Jinn gave one last glance at the broken wall before turning to his friends.

"Let’s go."

He followed behind Biyo, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword—tapping—as the others fell into line behind him.

The air was thick with moisture and the sound of birds, the usual rustle of leaves and distant cries of unknown beasts always there—haunting.

As the group made their way deeper into the forest, the shadows shifted and stretched under the covered sunlight that barely reached through the high canopies up above.

Jinn tilted his head upward and caught sight of Garan above—moving from branch to branch with fluid ease—each leap almost silent.

The drakkar’s claws dug into bark without a sound as his movements were precise and natural.

Like a shadow hunting from above, Jinn thought.

The way he moved reminded Jinn of how a predator stalked unwary prey.

From the corner of his eye, Jinn caught sight of Verkaryon skipping along the trail—humming to himself and smiling like a child as if he was in a field of flowers.

The way he moved, light on his feet, hands behind his back—made it seem like he wasn’t walking through a beast-infested jungle at all.

There really is something really wrong with this guy, Jinn thought, furrowing his brow.

He watched Verkaryon for a moment longer, then shook his head and refocused.

No use trying to understand him—for now.

He tightened his grip on the hilt of Fangeryth and kept close behind Biyo.

After everything that had happened the previous day?

It was best to stay ready.

Then—as if on cue—the air began to change.

A low haze crawled through the trees, rising from the forest floor and swirling around their very feet.

The further they walked, the thicker the mist became—turning trees in front of them into vague shadowy silhouettes and swallowing the sunlight above.

"Hey," Verhedyn spoke up, glancing around.

"If I’ve ever read scary stories about mists before, this is usually the part where some monster jumps out and eats someone."

He gave a half-hearted sarcastic shrug, but the tone in his voice was still cautious.

Jinn then looked left, then right.

His eyes scanned every movement, every branch that rustled.

The silence was heavier now, like the forest was holding its breath.

Slowly, he unsheathed Fangeryth...

*...Shing!

its crimson blade gleaming faintly even in the fog.

"Well, I guess we stay close and watch all sides," he said, voice calm yet alert.

Above them, a familiar rustle echoed from the trees.

"Don’t worry, little meats," came Garan’s snarling voice.

He was leaping from branch to branch as usual, half-hidden by the mist above.

"I can smell anything long before it attacks."

He stopped briefly, sniffing the air like a hound. His sharp eyes narrowed.

"If something’s out there..." Garan grinned, showing sharp canines from his mouth,

"It’ll regret coming near us."

Jinn exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing as he turned his head back toward the path ahead.

Even with Garan’s confidence, something about the mist felt wrong.

Like it wasn’t natural.

Like it was alive.

With a quick flick of his fingers, Vox adjusted his glasses, narrowing his eyes as something caught his attention through the mist.

"Mister Biyo, there’s a cabin up ahead!" he called out to Biyo, raising his voice just enough to be heard over the crunching underbrush beneath them.

Biyo stopped in his tracks, turning his head slightly.

"You’ve got good eyes, lad!" he grunted with a nod, then turned back toward the path, his pace quickening.

Jinn and the rest squinted ahead, trying to make out the shape.

At first, there was nothing but fog and trees—but slowly, through the thickening mist, a dark shape began to form.

Just like what Vox said, a small wooden cabin stood ahead, crooked and old—it was partially covered in moss and vines.

It looked out of place in the wilderness—like it had been forgotten by time.

Or was it intentionally there to create panic through the group?

As they drew closer, the worn details of the cabin came into view.

The wood was dark and cracked, and the windows were clouded over with grime. One of the shutters hung loose, swinging gently in the breeze that the mist created.

*Creak... *Creak... *Creak...

Biyo stepped up first, placing a large hand on one of the cabin’s support beams. The wood creaked loudly under his touch.

"Mhm," Biyo grunted, tapping it twice with his knuckles. "Poorly built. No craftsmanship at all."

He walked up to the door and gave it a firm knock.

*Bang! *Bang! *Bang!

"Anyone home?" he called out, his voice echoing faintly around the area.

Silence.

He knocked again—this time louder.

*BANG! *BANG! *BANG!

Still nothing.

"Mhm," Biyo muttered again, ruffling his beard with one hand.

Without another word, he took a few steps back, raised his leg, and with a heavy

*BANG!

Biyo kicked the door open.

The door bursted inward, slamming inward towards the cabin’s supposed interior.

The group peered inside—and froze.

The interior wasn’t what they expected.

No wooden floors.

No furniture.

No dust, tools, or shelves.

Just... white.

Pure white.

An empty and pure white space stretched out before them. No walls, no ceiling, like the inside had been erased and replaced with something... unnatural.

"What the hell..." Jinn muttered, stepping forward cautiously, his hand still gripping the hilt of Fangeryth.

Vox blinked, adjusting his glasses again. "That... That shouldn’t be possible. That cabin was built like any other—this doesn’t make sense."

"Is this some kind of illusion?" Ophelia asked, as her eyes widened in confusion as she stared deeper into the white void.

"Or a trap," Hector added, eyes narrowed—his hands already on the wrapped object attached on his hip.

"What the he—" Biyo’s voice cut short.

*BANG! *FWOOOSH!

A violent burst of mist exploded outward from within the cabin, slamming into them like a crashing wave.

The force howled through the air, blinding and deafening.

Jinn instinctively threw up an arm to shield his face, squinting as the cold vapor crashed into him with force, pushing him back.

His boots scraped across the forest floor, dragging a few meters until he managed to regain his balance.

*cough!

He coughed once, the thick mist caught inside his throat.

When the gust of mist settled, everything around Jinn’s surrounding had changed.

Silence.

Jinn blinked, the fog now completely enveloping the area.

The cabin, the trees, the campfire, his friends—were gone.

There was no one. Nothing but swirling white mist, dense and unmoving that enveloped the whole area.

"Everyone!?" Jinn shouted, voice echoing into the void.

He turned in place, searching, stumbling forward a few steps.

"Ophelia! Kain! Verhedyn!"

No answer.

His heart pounded faster. "What the fuck is this...?"

Then...

laughter.

A sharp, high-pitched chuckle, bouncing from every direction.

Left.

Right.

Behind.

Front.

Jinn froze. The sound was wrong—too clear, too inhuman.

Like something mocking him from beyond the veil.

He drew his sword in a single swift motion

*SHING!

the metal gleaming faintly in the whiteness.

His stance lowered, muscles tensing, heart pounding and mind focused.

"So it’s another beast," he muttered, eyes scanning through fog. His voice came out low and focused as his brow were furrowed.

The mist churned again, as if something was moving within it—fast.

Jinn adjusted his grip on Fangeryth, ready for what was to come.

"Come out, then," he said with a serious tone.

Then, a silhouette emerged from the mist—small, childlike in shape.

It walked slowly, its steps eerily quiet against the forest floor, until finally... it stepped into view.

Jinn’s breath hitched.

His eyes widened, trembling.

No. It couldn’t be.

"Nevi..." Jinn muttered.

It was her.

Standing just a few feet away.

The very same Nevi who used to read books aloud in the orphanage, her voice full of wonder.

The same Nevi who followed him when they tried to escape...

The Nevi who died, back when Venedix burned their hometown to ash.

"Jinn..." her soft voice called out.

Jinn’s heart pounded, lungs struggling to pull air inside.

But before panic could fully seize him, something deeper took over.

Anger.

Pure, violent, burning rage.

His grip tightened around Fangeryth as crimson eidra sparked along the blade like veins of lightning.

"You... You dare defile her!?" Jinn exclaimed, his voice shaking with fury.

With one powerful arc, he slashed his blade—sending a thunderous crimson wave hurtling toward the illusion.

It passed clean through.

Nevi’s form flickered and then vanished like fog caught in the wind.

Then the chuckle returned.

*Hihihihihihi!

Mocking.

Echoing.

Surrounding him again and again.

Then... a roar.

*GROAR!!!

Deep and visceral.

It ripped through the mist, shaking the ground beneath Jinn’s feet.

Jinn turned sharply in instinct.

A massive silhouette rose from the haze.

Towering, hunched, spindly.

*Hihihihihihi!

Hair hanging down like moss and its mouth stretched unnaturally wide—rows of jagged teeth disgustingly pulsating as it appeared itself to Jinn.

"M-M-Meat! Meat!" it shrieked in a rugged voice, drool coming from the side of it’s mouth. "Kill... child! Eidra!"

*Hihihihihihi!

It staggered forward as its limbs twitching unnaturally, like it barely knew how to walk.

Jinn didn’t flinch.

He raised Fangeryth, positioning the blade forward and toward the beast.

"About damn time you showed yourself," he said coldly.

Eidra surged through his body, wrapping around him in streaks of crimson energy.

He lunged forward with a bang.

"Now die."