IN ANOTHER WORLD

"Haa… haa… haaa…"

"Wait… wait… I can't anymore! My legs—they're completely numb!"

Rema staggered to a halt, her chest heaving as she pressed a hand against a nearby tree for support. Her wide, panicked eyes darted behind them, but the creatures that had pursued them were no longer in sight. The looming shadows of the dense forest had swallowed them whole.

The oppressive sense of imminent danger had diminished, replaced instead by an eerie stillness that wrapped around them like a suffocating shroud.

"Sou," Rema said, her voice trembling, "we need to stop. Just for a bit. I'm completely spent."

Sou, his breaths shallow and fast, nodded in agreement. He knelt down beside Dr. Ren, who was slumped against a tree, his face pale and drenched in sweat. Sou's sharp eyes scanned Ren's leg, already dreading what he would find.

The sight made his stomach twist. Dr. Ren's foot was grotesquely swollen, the bluish discoloration spreading alarmingly fast up his calf. The skin looked taut, almost as if it might split, and his uneven, shallow breathing was a stark warning.

"Rema," Sou called, his voice low but urgent. "How much food do we have? I didn't pack any supplies."

Rema hesitated, fumbling through her bag. "Enough for two, maybe three days… if we're careful. But water…" Her voice faltered. "We don't have enough to last even a day at this rate."

Sou exhaled, forcing his racing thoughts into some semblance of order. "This isn't good. Ren's condition is deteriorating fast. He's losing consciousness, and if that fever gets worse…" He trailed off, glancing at the endless expanse of trees around them. "We need to find help, but it doesn't look like we're anywhere near civilization. For now, let's aim for a riverbank or some kind of clearing. It'll be safer to camp there while I go searching for a way out."

Rema's fingers clenched around the strap of her satchel as she nodded, her unease plain on her face. "This forest doesn't feel right. It's too quiet, too… alive. There could be creatures worse than the ones we escaped from."

"That's why we can't stay here," Sou said firmly. He knelt down, carefully shifting Dr. Ren onto his back. "Let's keep moving. We need to find shelter before night falls. Ren—just hold on. We'll get through this."

Ren's lips barely moved, his voice so faint it was almost inaudible. "I'm… sorry… I didn't mean to slow you down…"

"Stop that," Rema snapped, her voice trembling. "This isn't your fault. If anything, I—" She swallowed hard, her guilt threatening to choke her. "If only I'd been more careful—"

"No one's to blame," Sou interrupted, his tone brooking no argument. "We're in this together. That's what matters."

The three pressed on, Sou leading with Ren on his back and Rema following close behind. The forest seemed to stretch endlessly, its towering trees casting long, sinister shadows that deepened as the sun dipped lower.

Time became meaningless, the hours blending into a haze of exhaustion and uncertainty. Their compass spun uselessly, its needle refusing to settle, and the growing darkness made the path ahead almost impossible to navigate. Dr. Ren's breathing grew more ragged, each shallow gasp like a ticking clock counting down.

"Rema," Sou rasped, his throat dry. "Pass me the water bottle."

No answer.

"Rema!" Sou glanced back, his voice sharper now. She jolted, startled out of her daze.

"Oh… sorry," she murmured, fumbling for the bottle and handing it to him. But her gaze lingered on the forest behind them, her expression tense.

"What is it?" Sou asked, his voice low.

"I… I don't know," she admitted. "I keep feeling like something's watching us. Like we're being followed."

Sou's brows knitted together, his eyes scanning the shadows. "Stay close. If you see anything, tell me immediately."

They resumed their trek, but the air seemed heavier now, as though the forest itself was closing in around them. Rema's unease only grew, the weight of that unseen gaze pressing harder against her senses. Then Sou froze.

"What the…?" he breathed.

Ahead of them, the ground began to writhe. The gnarled roots of a massive tree snaked across the forest floor, twisting and curling like living tendrils. The trunk groaned as it shifted, the bark creaking and splitting. Rema gasped as limbs began to form, and the twisted surface of the tree morphed into something resembling a face—an eerily human face.

"Do not fear, little ones," the figure rumbled, its deep voice reverberating through the air.

Sou's instincts screamed at him to run. "Rema, go! Run!"

"Wait!" the tree protested, raising a branch-like arm in a gesture of peace. "Please, there's no need to be frightened. I am… a vegetarian."

Sou blinked, his confusion momentarily overriding his fear. "What?"

Rema smacked his shoulder. "Are you seriously considering this?"

The tree chuckled, the sound like leaves rustling in the wind. "Truly. My name is Gill, a resident of the La Volly Forest Community. I mean you no harm. I merely noticed you wandering and wanted to warn