The forest floor was a makeshift war room. Izuno’s fingers stopped tracing the jagged lines in the dirt, his hand trembling slightly. He looked up at the circle of faces surrounding him—the faces of his captors, the people he had been forced to trust with his life.
Kairo, the group’s spearhead, stared down at the map with a heavy, unreadable intensity. Beside him, Toka maintained a chilling, statuesque calm, his eyes scanning the diagram as if committing every tunnel-junction to memory. Tera watched Izuno with a guarded, mature vigilance.
"It’s done," Izuno muttered, pulling his hand away from the dirt. "This is the West Territory," Izuno whispered, his voice cracking. He drew lines that branched like veins. "It’s a fortress, but it’s hollow. Beneath the historic monument lies an underground tunnel network. Every tunnel connects to another, eventually leading to caves scattered across the region."
He pointed to three distinct markers. "There are many entrances."
"But the first is beneath a waterfall, that route leads closest to the main core. The second is a cave hidden beneath massive tree roots; that leads to where Harumachi stores the monument's supplies. The third is an overgrown talus slope—it's the safest route, primarily an escape passage."
Silence blanketed the group. It was Toka who finally broke it, his voice chillingly calm despite the lethal stakes.
"...We split up then," Toka said. "The tunnel network gives us that advantage. If we enter through different routes, we'll cover more ground and make it harder for Harumachi's people to predict our movements."
"I agree." Tera nodded in agreement, her gaze steady. "Then how does the plan go?" Kairo asked.
Toka pointed to the waterfall route. "Kairo, Benji, and Izuno. This path leads to the main core."
Izuno hesitated, his hands trembling slightly. "There's something else. Harumachi always carries the map. It's his greatest authority—it contains every tunnel and route beneath the west region, as well as the locations of the East, North, and South territories. If you want that map, you’ll have to confront Harumachi directly."
The atmosphere grew heavy with the weight of the task.
"I'll take Cindy," Toka continued, pointing to the second route. "We'll infiltrate through the tree roots and secure the supply area." Finally, he gestured to the last path. "Tera, Yomi, and Morri—you'll enter through the talus slope. It's the safest route. Your job is to secure the escape path and wait for us."
Toka looked back at Kairo. "Once you obtain the map, use it to locate my position. We’ll regroup through Tera's route and escape together."
No one objected. The plan was set.
Kairo stood up and turned to Izuno, whose eyes flickered with a mix of fear and desperate hope. The boy had been their prisoner, their informant, and their only key to the West.
"Thanks, Izuno," Kairo said, his voice of acknowledging him.
Izuno looked up, his jaw tightening. "The deal.... you promised. Once the infiltration is set and the chaos begins... you let me walk. I don't belong in this fight."
"You have my word" Kairo with a firm smile.
A gentle breeze swept through the clearing.
The crude map scattered slightly beneath drifting leaves.
Stolen novel; please report.
No one spoke.
Each of them understood what lay ahead. This wasn't simply another fight; it was an infiltration.
A battle of strategy, and from this moment onward... the real battle for the West Territory had begun.
If everything unfolded according to plan, they would reunite through the escape route beneath the West Territory. Until then, every step forward depended on trust. One by one, the groups disappeared into different corners of the Dead Forest, carrying the hope that their teamwork would succeed where strength alone could not.
...........................
Several minutes later...
The distant roar of rushing water gradually filled the air. Towering cliffs rose before Kairo's group, their weathered stone cloaked in thick emerald moss.
A powerful waterfall thundered down into a rocky basin below, sending cool mist drifting through the surrounding forest. Hidden behind the endless curtain of falling water was a narrow opening swallowed by darkness. It was almost impossible to notice unless someone already knew where to look.
Kairo, Benji, and Izuno emerged from the trees and stopped at the water's edge. For a moment, none of them spoke. They simply stared at the concealed entrance while the waterfall roared between them and the cave.
Izuno slowly raised a hand and pointed toward the darkness hidden behind the torrent of water.
"...There."
"That's the entrance."
Kairo followed the direction of his finger. Through the gaps in the rushing water, he could barely make out the mouth of the cave. It was so well hidden that anyone passing through the forest would mistake it for nothing more than solid rock.
"...So that's it," Kairo murmured.
Izuno nodded quietly.
Kairo slowly turned toward Benji.
The bespectacled boy; although nervousness was written across his face, there was no hesitation left in his eyes.
"...You ready?"
Benji looked toward the hidden cave one last time. His heartbeat pounded inside his chest, but after taking a slow, steady breath, he gave a firm nod.
"...Yeah."
"...Let's do this."
A faint smile appeared on Kairo's face.
Without another word, the three stepped forward.
The icy curtain of water crashed over them, soaking their clothes in an instant. The deafening roar echoed around them as they pushed through the waterfall and crossed into the darkness beyond.
The sunlight vanished behind them, only the dim glow filtering through the waterfall remained before even that disappeared.
The tunnel stretched endlessly ahead.
Cold water dripped steadily from the uneven ceiling, each droplet echoing through the cavern with haunting clarity. The air smelled of wet stone, and every footstep bounced softly along the narrow passage as they ventured deeper beneath the forest.
For several minutes, the tunnel remained straightforward.
Then the path changed.
Another passage opened to their left.
A second branched away to the right.
Not long after, another split appeared ahead.
The farther they walked, the more the underground maze revealed itself. Ancient stone corridors twisted in every direction, each one nearly identical to the last. There were no markings, no sunlight, and nothing to distinguish one tunnel from another.
Benji instinctively slowed.
"...There's..."
He glanced from one passage to the next, his expression growing increasingly uneasy.
"...Way more tunnels than I expected."
Kairo's eyes fixated on the maze surrounding them. Every corridor looked exactly the same. Without a guide, even choosing the correct direction would've been impossible.
Walking several steps ahead, Izuno suddenly came to a stop.
He glanced back over his shoulder.
His expression had become noticeably more serious.
"...From this point onward...stay close."
His gaze moved between Kairo and Benji as they both took his advice without questioning.
Izuno remained silent for a brief moment before looking back toward the countless branching tunnels stretching into darkness.
"...Because you see, this underground tunnel..."
He let out a quiet breath.
"...has a habit of making people disappear."
Benji's face immediately stiffened.
"...Disappear?"
A small smile tugged at the corner of Izuno's lips.
"...Don't worry."
He turned and resumed walking as though nothing unusual had been said.
"...Just stick close. Hopefully, you won't find out why I said that."
Neither Kairo nor Benji responded.
The two simply exchanged puzzled glances before quietly following after him.
Behind them, the darkness slowly swallowed the path they had just walked, leaving only the endless labyrinth of tunnels stretching silently beneath the West Territory.
To be continued....