Monster Crisis | Ateez

Prologue

As sunlight shone between the gaps of the plentiful green leaves in the forest and down to the earthly floor, a cool breeze blew by, causing the leaves to rustle as the branches swayed back and forth. The trees looked like it was dancing to the songs that the early morning birds happily chirped along with the buzzing sound that the insects made as they all started to go through their daily routines. The musky scent of moist dirt and the fragrance of various flowers filled the damp air. Under the sunlight, the clear morning dew could be seen glistening on the leaves and petals. A few dripped down onto the dark brown earth, vanishing instantly as the dirt hungrily absorbed the precious water.

This moment of peace was interrupted by the sound of twigs snapping and the thwacking sound from nearby bushes. Two adults, a male and a female, were seen leading a young boy with a blindfold on by the hand. They were all wearing similar outfits that had a mix of forest green and sapphire blue colours for their tightly-fitted, long-sleeved silky jackets which flowed down to their midthighs. With a similar material, they also had pearl white leggings that fit snugly along their legs which was then topped off with chestnut-coloured leather boots that almost reached up to their knees. Silver armored plates rested on their shoulders while a brown belt was tied around their waist.

The two adults could also be seen with weapons on them. Both carried a long, wooden bow along with a basket of arrows on their back. On their waist, the male had a long broad sword hung from his belt while the female had a dagger hanging on her belt from both sides. However, the boy didn't appear to have any weapons on him at all.

On a closer look at them, the two adults had pointy ears and a beautifully carved out features on their faces that make their beauty seem out of the world. Similarly, the boy seemed to have characteristics that resembled the two adults despite his eyes being hidden by a blindfold. Although if one was to observe carefully, the boy did not have a pointy ear like the two adults.

Both having a long wooden stick in their hands, the two adults whacked some of the bushes that blocked their way, trying to make a path for them to get through. With a blindfold on, the boy could not see the branches that ended up smacking his face. At times, the branches left a sharp stinging pain on his skin before he felt something warm dripping down from those area before it turned cool, warning him that he was bleeding. His clothes teared as they snagged onto sturdy branches which allowed the cold breeze to brush past his exposed skin. Even though the boy flinched every time a branch hit his face, he did not utter a single complaint... or it was that he dared not to. Only trusting the hands that he was holding, he obediently followed the two adults.

After trekking in the forest for a long time, the boy could no longer keep track of time anymore. He didn't know how long he walked for, but he panted heavily as his feet ached from stumbling and tripping over the tree roots and stones that were in his path. Sweat dripped profusely down his face while his muscles screamed at him to take a break. The hands that he held tightly with his sweaty palms still forced him to move forwards. It didn't seem like there was going to be a short rest anytime soon as the two adults were silent ever since this morning.

At this point, he was extremely exhausted. He didn't have a single thing to eat or drink yet. With a hazy mind, he felt nauseous and was almost on the verge of passing out; however, he forced his protesting legs to take one step in front of the other after another, convincing himself that it was just a little bit more before he could take a break.

Just as his mind was blanking out, he felt the two adults coming to an abrupt stop, almost causing him to crash into them. As he was catching his breath, he felt the hand that was big and rough release its grip on him while the slender and silky hand tugged on his hand again, indicating him to follow.

Since the moment he woke up, the boy was extremely confused as to what they were doing because this wasn't what they usual did; but nevertheless, he didn't question them and stayed obedient. Silently, he followed the adult, whom he assumed was the female one because of her hand, according to the direction of the tug on his hand.

Not long after, the feminine-like hand also released its grip on him. He then felt hands on his shoulders before they pushed him backwards. Carefully, the boy took a few steps back until he felt something rough and prickly against his back. Based on the texture, he guessed that it was a large tree trunk that he was leaning against.

A squeeze of his shoulders brought him out of his thought. As he was wondering what was going on, he heard a way-to-familiar female voice, ordering, "Stay here and don't move until we come back to get you. Understand?"

Listening intently, the boy nodded, "I understand." His voice came out weak and unstable as he hadn't spoken a single word all day.

Without another sound, the hands on his shoulders disappeared. He heard footsteps walking further and further away until he couldn't hear them anymore. With his back against the tree trunk, the boy took deep breaths to recover from his long hike through the forest. Despite his achy legs, he kept standing. He was ordered not to move, so he must absolutely not move.

With his blindfold on still, he couldn't observe his surroundings. But based on how hot the beams from the sun were, he guessed it was around midafternoon. The insects buzzed lively in the air as he heard a woodpecker not far from where he was, hammering away at a tree.

Even though he kept sweating and felt thirsty, the boy stood solid still where he was. Occasionally, he would flinch when a bug landed on him and started crawling, tickling him as they moved their tiny legs rapidly across his skin. Sometimes, the bug felt furry as it danced around on his skin before flying away. Sometimes, the bug would go in his shirt and frantically tried to escape when it got lost. Sometimes, the bug would give him a bite where a painful sting was felt before it was followed by an itching sensation. With every passing moment, his heart rate increased from anxiousness every time a bug landed on him, wondering what it was going to do next.

Despite all this, he stayed still. He didn't try to brush the bugs off of him. The only reason was that if he did as he was told, they would come back for him soon. Convincing himself that he needed to withstand this just a little longer, he leaned against the tree trunk and got lost in his imaginations so that he wouldn't think about the discomforts he was feeling.

After some time, the boy felt a cold breeze blowing by. Soon, he heard crickets chirping, indicating that it was evening. Although his sweat has evaporated during the day, the cold wind that swirled around made him shiver. His leg was aching so much from standing that it was starting to shake uncontrollably. Plus, he still hadn't ate or drank a single thing yet today.

Feeling weak with exhaustion and hunger, the boy could no longer hold himself up anymore. He opened his mouth, ready to speak; but he closed them again, feeling hesitant whether he should or not. Just then, his legs buckled. With no strength left in him, he collapsed on to the ground.

He laid there for a moment before he shakily sat up and once again leaned against the tree. The icy wind continued to brush past his exposed skin, making him feel colder and colder by the second. His mouth felt dry while his stomach growled angrily from the lack of food. Bugs continued to crawl everywhere on his skin, making him itch everywhere.

Unable to hold it in anymore, the boy meekly called out, "Mother? Father?"

No answer. Only the chirpings of the crickets were heard in the deadly silent night.

Suddenly, a howl from a distant frightened the boy, making his hair stand on ends. Right after, a hoot of an owl was heard overhead while a rustle appeared to come from his right. Frightened, the boy held his breath and wondered anxiously what it was.

When nothing happened after a while, the boy curled himself into a fetal position, trying to keep himself warm. Putting his head on his knee, the boy tried to calm his frantic heart, but to no avail.

Talking to no one in particular, the boy softly whimpered, "I'm scared."