World Awakening: The Legendary Player
Chapter 58: JK Road

Chapter 58: JK Road

’Auraelia,’ Nox thought, ’was that the right move? Leaving them behind like that?’

Her response was almost instant, a private text box appearing in his vision.

[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks (Private Chat)] I think you did what you thought was best to protect them! That’s super noble! ✨ But they are your soulmates, you know! It’s going to be hard to keep them away for long! They’re all connected to you now! 💖

The main god chat erupted right after, and he winced internally.

[Baron Von Cynic] He’s walking off with the elf. Look at him, all self-important. He thinks he’s protecting them, but he’s just running from his own attachments. Pathetic.

[Lord of Carnage] Cutting them loose was a smart move. Attachments get you killed. Now he can focus on getting stronger without worrying about a bunch of kids.

[Lady Veritas] He abandoned his responsibilities to his party. He created a team and then immediately dissolved it through deception. That is not the action of a leader.

He was so tired of this soulmate thing. ’They’re not my soulmates,’ he thought, the feeling of annoyance leaking out. ’I barely even think of them as friends. They’re just people who started following me around.’

[Trickster God Hermes IV] Ooh, hear that? The kid’s getting grumpy about his fan club! 😂 Someone doesn’t like the ’S’ word!

He shut the chat down in his mind and just kept walking. Serian didn’t say anything, she just walked with him, her presence a quiet weight at his side. They walked for a long time, and the city finally gave way to smaller buildings, then to nothing but open, cracked roads. They ate some of the snacks he’d bought, and drank some water, but they didn’t talk much.

The sun went down, then it came up again. They found a burned-out car to rest in for a few hours, then they just kept walking.

"We have been moving for some time," Serian said finally, her voice a bit tired. "This city of yours is much larger than I first thought."

"Yeah, it’s a long walk," he agreed, looking at the road ahead. "We should be getting close to a place called JK road soon. That’s the way north."

It was late in the afternoon on the second day when they finally reached the spot. He knew it was the right place from the old, faded street sign that was still standing, miraculously. But he just stopped, and stared.

Serian came to a stop beside him. "What is it? Is something amiss?"

He didn’t answer right away, his brain trying to make sense of what he was looking at. "This... this isn’t right," he said, his voice low. "There’s supposed to be a road here. A big one, four lanes. And houses, lots of them."

But there wasn’t a road, and there weren’t any houses. All that was there was a forest, a huge, dense forest with trees that looked ancient. They were massive and tall. They weren’t the kind of trees that grew in this part of the country or world for that matter.

"And it shouldn’t have taken us two days to get here," he added, a confused frown on his face. "From the city center, it should’ve been a few hours, maybe a little more on foot. Not two whole days."

Serian felt the mana in the air, and it was a familiar feeling, almost like home. She knew this energy, it was the same that flowed through the lands of her own world. It wasn’t the refined, gentle mana of Lifewoods, but it was from her world, she was sure of it. This whole forest had been pulled across, just like she had.

Then she felt something else mixed in with the familiar energy. It was a cold, watchful feeling that made the hairs on her arms stand up. The hostility from within the trees was so thick she could almost taste it.

"This place feels... weird," Nox said, his voice low. He was staring into the dark trees, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

Serian looked at him, a little surprised. "You can feel it too?" she asked.

He gave her a quick glance. "Yeah, it feels like something in there really doesn’t want us to come in."

She was impressed. ’He can sense that? A human of his level shouldn’t have that kind of awareness.’ She had always been taught that humans were blind to the deeper currents of the world. He was growing so fast, it was almost scary.

"So, what do we do?" she asked, her own hand near her sword. "Do we find another path?"

He looked at the forest, then at the empty road behind them. "A different path to where? This is the way north." He shook his head. "We don’t have a map for this place. We go through."

’He is not afraid at all,’ she thought. His directness was a constant surprise to her. He just saw a problem and walked right at it.

"That is a reckless course of action," she told him, her voice even. "We do not know what lies within. The presence I feel is... considerable."

"Yeah, well, sitting out here isn’t going get you home, is it?" he shot back. "We’re losing daylight. We go in a little way, find a spot to camp for the night, and then push through tomorrow." He didn’t wait for her to agree, he just started walking towards the edge of the trees.

She sighed and followed him. He was right, standing out here was pointless. The sun was getting low, and the shadows of the massive trees were stretching long across the broken road.

As they stepped under the first branches, the air immediately felt different. It was cooler, and the sounds of the open road died away, replaced by a deep quiet. The trees were so thick that not much light got through to the forest floor.

’He just walks in like he owns the place,’ she thought, staying close behind him. ’He is either very brave or very foolish.’

Nox was looking around, his eyes scanning their new surroundings. He didn’t look scared, just focused.

They found a small clearing a little way in, a spot where a few trees had fallen and left a patch of open ground. It felt a little less claustrophobic than the rest of the forest.

"This will work," he said, dropping his backpack. "We can see if anything tries to sneak up on us here."

Serian nodded, looking around at the dark shapes of the trees that surrounded them. The feeling of being watched was even stronger now. She pulled some firewood from the undergrowth, and Nox used a lighter from the pack to get a small fire going. The little flame pushed back the darkness a bit, its light making the shadows dance.

They sat by the fire, eating some of the trail mix from his endless pouch. He stared into the flames, his expression unreadable.

"So," he said after a while, his voice quiet. "This forest is from your world, isn’t it?"

She looked up, surprised by the question. "Yes. The mana... it is familiar."

"And that thing we feel in here, the hostility," he went on, "is that from your world too?"

She nodded slowly. "There are many dangerous creatures in my world. Creatures that feed on fear and thrive in darkness." She looked into the woods around them. "Whatever is in here, it is not friendly."

He just grunted and threw a small stick into the fire. ’Dangerous creatures, huh? So, more monsters.’ He wasn’t really surprised. That seemed to be the new normal.

Later, as the fire burned low, he laid out a blanket for her. "You should get some sleep," he told her. "I’ll take first watch."

She wanted to argue, to say she could watch first, but she was tired. Her body still ached from her fight with the two mercenaries. She nodded and lay down, pulling the blanket over herself.

Nox sat with his back against a large tree, his sword across his lap, and just watched the darkness. The forest was quiet, too quiet. He could hear his own breathing, the crackle of the fire, and nothing else.

’Something’s not right,’ he thought. He felt his mana coiling in his chest. ’It’s like it can feel it too. It’s... restless.’ He kept his eyes on the trees, waiting for something to move.