Right on the other side within the woods, Eva Patriarch and Jarius Asnee rode on their horses with their capes moving on their shoulders and heads. Jarius' eyes widened when he realized how far they had been running around from the spot where their comrades were resting. Eva also felt the same thing. She suddenly felt unsettled while looking around her.
Because of what happened, their speed slowed down when they reached the area where they weren't familiar.
"Ja-Jarius..."
"I know."
Eva hopped down from her horse and went towards one side of the way. She raised her head, finding ways on how to get back. Jarius then followed her after he tied their horses on the trees.
"It seems that we've traveled too far," Jarius spoke, scratching the back of his head with his one arm. After that, he stepped closer to Eva and touched her shoulder. Eva immediately looked at him.
Jarius saw a worried expression on Eva's face by the time their eyes met. Knowing Eva, this expression does not mean she was afraid. It was an effect of overthinking about the possibilities that might happen along the way, especially that their squadmates are looking for them now. Yes! Eva is sure about that! Plus, they must rest at this time, not wandering around!
Jarius smiled at her. "Stay here. I'll go around and look for our comrades." He said. Eva's eyes shrunk, and her mouth went straight and looked cold. When Jarius noticed the change in her emotion, he laughed a little.
"Bruh, what's funny?" Eva asked with her angry eyebrows, but Jarius continued to laugh more.
It made Eva more anxious.
"You look like a cat begging for her master to bring her with him!" Jarius replied while holding his stomach, laughing out as loud as he could.
Eva stilled. She bit her lower lip and clenched her fist. And with the blink of an eye, she punched Jarius' arms not just once! Not just twice! But as many as she could! She did these while Jarius kept moving backward while laughing! Damn! How dare he could laugh with Eva's face like that?!
"You think I would allow you to leave without me, huh?! Of course not! I'm going to go with you!"
When Jarius noticed the aggressiveness that Eva showed, he stopped laughing. He caught Eva's pulse before it will land again on his arm.
Eva stilled and accidentally raised her head to look at Jarius' face. Her eyes widened because he surprisingly paused without saying a word but to catch her pulse.
Eva could not read Jarius' mind while making eye contact with him. He looked her straight to her eyes like he was thinking of something. Eva felt there was wrong with him, especially that his eyes went sad, and she could see his small tears wanted to fall, but Jarius avoided it from falling.
What's happening to him?
"Ja-Jarius? I-It's there something wrong?" Eva quizzed. By the time that Eva spoke, Jarius got back to his consciousness. He quickly looked away from her, shook his head, moved to his side, and wiped his eyes.
Eva was about to ask her again, but he stepped closer to her back. And to her surprise, Jarius bumped the side of his palm over the top of her forehead.
Eva gasped and rubbed her hands on her forehead while looking down. "Ouch!"
"My bad, I almost have forgotten my promise to your father." He said, out of nowhere. Eva stilled and wondered why he spoke about that thing.
Eva looked at him with her narrowed eyebrows. "Huh?"
Jarius blew an air before he looked at her back. "Let's go?"
But instead of giving her an answer, Jarius chose to walk away towards his horse. Eva blinked her eyes several times as Jarius left him confused. She left no choice but to hop in with her horse as well since Jarius seemed in an unstable mood right now.
-
While Jarius and Eva rode their horses at a walking speed, Eva could not stop looking towards him. Jarius just looked down the ways without any words. Eva can feel that there was something that kept bothering him. But, what could that be?
Eva held the ties deeper as a result of her eagerness to speak, but she does not know how to start the conversation between the two of them. Yes, the two of them are close, but she doesn't want to become insensitive at some point.
What promise was he talking about that he said to her father before? Jarius, mentioning her father, made her remember the selfish man she knew that never came back.
When Jarius and Eva were younger, they used to play around in their small gardens in their backyards. Their parents were close friends, and they inherit that kind of relationship they had in their families. In short, they grew up together. One late afternoon, Eva's father warned her to stay away from the woods since Anitos were likely to attack in there. Eva nodded her head and smiled towards her father. He then caressed her hair and left to perform his duty.
"See you later, dad!" Eva shouted in wit, waving her hands as her father went away. Her mother, who came from washing their clothes, kneeled beside Eva. Like what she did, her mother also waved her hand to her husband.
"Go home soon! I'll cook you your favorite dish!" Her mother shouted with a smile on her face.
Eva's father smiled. The support of his family brings him comfort and courage.
Eva went calm, with her lips curved upwards. She looked above the skies, thinking that her father is happy and living in peace from there.
Jarius held his head when he remembered his memories. He gasped and closed his eyes. Eva quickly turned her sight back to him when she heard his voice.
Jarius ran towards Eva through their backyard while she was washing the dishes. His presence surprised her since he just came all of a sudden.
"Eva! Let's play!" His eyes twinkled as he waited for her to respond.
"I am still washing the dishes," Eva replied with her soft tone voice.
"I know! Let me help you then!" Jarius said in enthusiasm. He did not wait for Eva's confirmation. He immediately went beside her and stole the soap she was holding.
Eva was confused about what he did. "Wh-what-"
"Let me do it, go and fix yourself. It's fine weather today. We'll be going outside then."
"O-outside?"
"Yes! We'll play around the tall trees and-" Jarius stopped talking when he noticed the sad expression on Eva's face.
"I-Is there something wrong?"
"My dad said I am not allowed to play within the woods because there are tree monsters in there," Eva explained. Jarius stopped washing the dishes and argued with their innocents.
"Tree monsters are not true."
"But dad said they exist."
"But your father is alive right now, so they never exist. Right?" This argument shut Eva's mouth. She looked down while rubbing her fingers. In her mind, Jarius makes sense.
Eva did not respond verbally.
She turned around towards her room and changed. Jarius smiled while looking at her. He finished washing all the dishes and went outside to wait for her.
As soon as Eva finished changing, she went straight outside. Jarius immediately grabbed her pulse and pulled her with him.
While Jarius was grabbing her, she can't help but worry about her father's words.
"I don't want to go right now," Eva said while remaining nervous.
"What are you saying? We are almost there!" Jarius replied with his excitement.
Later on, Jarius and Eva played with the forest's winds. They ran around, touching those tree's huge trunks. They looked happy, and their faces can tell it. The butterflies were evident that one of those even laid at Eva's nose. Eva smiled while looking at the butterfly. She stopped and waved her head carefully. This made Jarius caught her easily.
"Got you!" When Jarius slightly pushed Eva's back, the butterfly flew away.
"No! The butterfly..."
Eva turned around facing him with an angry face. Her hands were shivering. Jarius stepped back, waved his hands at his sides while letting out an apologetic smile.
"I-I didn't mean to-"
Unfortunately, Jarius was not able to continue his words because the huge tree beside them moved its roots! Eva screamed while covering her ears, while Jarius pulled her away from a giant branch that was about to hit her! Both of them fell as the ground was shaking due to that trees' movement!
Jarius was completely surprised because of what they saw. He cannot make any word, looking at that moving trees' giant woods and branches waving in the air!
Eva cried while she crawled away from the monster tree. Jarius helped her stand. And as soon as Eva managed to balance herself, Jarius grabbed her arm and both of them ran as far as they could!
"Is that tree going to kill us?" Eva asked while crying, but Jarius wasn't able to answer her. He himself doesn't know, but for him, it surely does eat human flesh!
While striking their way home, Jarius can't stop thinking of what Eva told her. He placed Eva in danger despite being warned. How reckless was he?!
The sound of their breathing occupied with their fear as the tree moved closer to them. With its huge branches reaching their direction, Eva could not stop crying! Her voice almost echoed around the forest!
"Eva, close your eyes!" Jarius raised his voice since the commotion that this tree made with other trees that broke them into halves was disturbing their hearing.
As Jarius said, Eva closed her eyes as she lent her trust on Jarius who was holding her hand.
A few moments later, the ground they were running broke into halves due to the tree's roots. Because of this, Jarius mishandled Eva's pulse. Jarius tried to reach her back but the shaking of the ground, once again, made him out of balance. Eva was laying on the ground, unconscious. Her head bumped towards a medium-sized stone.
The branch captured Jarius, slowly, he was about to get eaten, but a person suddenly flew out of nowhere to remove the branch from wrapping around him. When Jarius saw the man's face, he could not stop worrying. He stilled, and could not move even if his body was now free to run away.
It was the Agila regiment's commander, Mr. Raymond Patriarch. Eva's father.
Jarius saw how her father cut off the branches of the trees no matter what their sizes were! His reflexes were on point, and he got perfect timing and speed! He was even able to fight with the tree monster by just using his bow and arrows! But, that was not the only thing that made Jarius unmoved. The words that Eva told her a while ago can't also get off from his mind!
He should have listened to her!
"Go! Run with my daughter! Please, take care of her!" Jarius blinked her eyes as he got back from his consciousness. At this time, he felt more scared when he saw a lot of wounds on the commander's body. He was in the time where he struggled from getting his body away from the trees, human-eating trunk! Its woods stuck on his skin while pulling him inwards.
Jarius's eyes went stilled and widened as his body trembled while crawling backward.
The commander tried his best to move out from the trunk, stretching his arms in the sight towards his daughter, but he was unable to make it. The tree's branch grabbed his arm towards the trunk, and as soon as Eva's father got eaten by the tree, the branches went calm, and the tree slowly went back to its non-monstrous form.
The reinforcements came late. They were able to fight the few branches away but weren't able to come on time. The medical soldiers fetch Jarius and Eva, and while on the headquarters, waiting for their parents to come, the last words of Eva's father kept echoing on his mind.
"Go! Run with my daughter! Please, take care of her!"
"I will, commander."