William:

"Alright, what's the plan, princess?"

"We need help, so we'll head to Virdien and seek assistance from Sentinel."

"Hmmm, alright, but I'm not familiar with the mythical forest. Do any of you know the way?"

"OOO OOO ME ME ME! My master taught me how to use my sword style to navigate through the forest. Although it's my first time, we might get a little lost," Arthur admitted, whispering the last part.

"That's great. I took classes as a kid on how to travel the mythical forest in case I had to flee, so we'll combine both our abilities, Arthur," the princess suggested.

"Well, I can't contribute much to getting there. However, I do possess knowledge about some of the monsters I've encountered. "I said

"So, the formation is William at the front, I'll be in the middle, and Arthur in the back. When I get lost, Arthur will switch with William. Understood."

Both Arthur and I acknowledged our understanding. I led the way into the forest, a mystical realm that remained an enigma to this day. Nestled in the heart of all the nations, it was surrounded by a muddy green barrier that allowed unhindered entry and exit .The barrier wasn't there for us but rather to prevent monsters from encroaching into our world. Brave exploders of the Valyndor nation explored and died getting that small information about the realm. Within this mysterious expanse dwelled formidable beasts capable of annihilating entire nations overnight. Even HE would hesitate to venture deep into the forest.

I extended my hand into the barrier and stepped through. The familiar surroundings greeted me – towering trees that surpassed even the grandest castles, vines extending like nature's artwork, and the wisdom-infused aura of ancient trees with bark that belied their youthful appearance. Signaling to the others, I saw their faces light up in awe at the breathtaking greenery and the sky's vibrant blue. Beauty coexisted with the potential for perilous encounters in this magical forest.

"Princess, which way are we headed?"

"Since the kingdom of Virdien lies to the east of the forest, we need to go west."

"Excuse me, wouldn't that be east? "Arthur asked confusingly 

"Yes, if we were outside. But within these enchanted confines, directions are flipped. Arthur, initiate your sword stance."

"YES MAMA!" Arthur exclaimed.

Arthur began his technique – hands on his sword, eyes closed, emitting a soothing blue glow that encompassed him. A symbol materialized beneath him, featuring four points on its periphery and a smaller circle within. Opening his eyes, Arthur confirmed, "Yep, she's right; the mana is pulling me to the west."

"Alright, then just inform me when we need to change directions, princess."

As we ventured deeper into the forest, the grass grew taller. It reached a point where it matched my height, obscuring our vision and muffling our sounds.

"PRINCESS, ARE WE STILL HEADING THE RIGHT WAY?"

"YES, WE SHOULD BE HALFWAY THERE, I THINK!"

"YOU THINK! SHOULDN'T WE HAVE ARTHUR CHECK JUST IN CASE?"

"I SUPPOSE."

"UGH, DO YOU GUYS WANT ME TO USE IT NOW?"

"HOLD ON, ARTHUR, LET'S STOP HERE."

We came to a halt, and finally, we could converse without the hindrance of the towering grass.

"Arthur, go ahead and use your technique."

"I... I, Captain."

Arthur initiated his technique, but this time it lingered, taking considerably longer. Observing the process, I noticed the blue light emanating from him being absorbed by the grass. The more he exerted himself, the more the grass seemed to absorb.

"Arthur, stop!"

"Hmmm, I'm sorry, William. It's draining me more than i thought, and I don't know why."

"The grass not only absorbs sound but mana too. Try cutting a patch for yourself and attempt again."

"Yes, sir!"

Arthur unsheathed his sword and swiftly carved out a section devoid of grass, repeating the process. This time, it proceeded as expected – the blue light radiated, and Arthur spoke.

"WHOA, this grass is pretty cool. Anyway, we're going in the right direction."

"Good. Do you know how much longer?"

Arthur spoke first.

"Well, it seems we're close, just a few hours away."

"He's right; we're approximately two hours away, William," the princess added.

"Which is very weird, right? We haven't encountered a single monster, not even a small one," Arthur remarked.

"Arthur are you trying to jinx us? "the princess said with such agitation 

Just as she uttered those words, a resounding roar reverberated through the forest. I immediately recognized it and knew we had to start running NOW.

"BOTH OF YOU, RUN, RUN NOW!"

We all began running. They were much slower than me, so I managed to maintain a pace with them to avoid leaving them behind. In the distance, we heard trees breaking and falling, a cacophony of sounds accompanying two very loud, very forceful steps approaching us at an alarming speed.

"DAMN, IT'S GONNA CATCH US AT THIS POINT! WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO FIGHT THAT THING!"

"ALRIGHT, WHAT'S THE PLAN?" the princess yelled.

"YOU DISTRACT IT WITH YOUR WIND SPELLS! ARTHUR, GO FOR THE LEGS, MAKE SURE IT WON'T BE ABLE TO MOVE! AND I'LL GO FOR THE EYES!"

We all stopped. I veered to the left, Arthur to the right, and the princess stayed in the middle, waiting for the monster. As Arthur concealed himself in the trees, we heard the footsteps growing louder, approaching us. Then we caught sight of it – a cyclops, 50 feet tall. It halted and began walking toward the princess, an evil grin on its face, saliva dripping from its mouth. The princess remained poised, staring confidently at the creature. Suddenly, it stopped, turned its head sideways, and burst into laughter, clapping its hands, and spoke with a lisp.

"I've never eaten a human before, hehehe, what a lucky day."

We all froze for a second. Cyclopes don't speak nor exhibit any characteristics of humans, yet this one did. Without a moment to spare, the princess unleashed wind spells at the creature, targeting its eyes and ears. The cyclops raised its hands in defense, but nothing hit the cyclops i looked over and released that we were still in the tall grass so none there attacks work here the only thing that works here the only rule of this forest is that pure raw strength of your body with out it your nothing. The cyclopes then shouted.

"Stop it, stop it, you're hurting me."

The look on the princess face was just not fear that I though she would have but confidences she stood proud and fearless against this monster, A monster that terrified me. Just as Arthur was about to make his move, the cyclops's actions halted him. It began to laugh hysterically and spoke again.

"Kidding!"

The cyclops lunged at the princess with a speed I had only seen HIM use. Acting swiftly, I reached the princess in time, and the cyclops collapsed headfirst to the ground with its back exposed. Arthur moved quickly, severing its Achilles tendon, and with a thunderous roar, the cyclops screamed in pain. Arthur then swiftly and cleanly decapitated it. Both the princess and I stood in awe of his speed and strength.

"What? Was I not supposed to kill the thing?" Arthur spoke.

I smiled a little, "It's not that, Arthur. It's just amazing how quickly you handled the cyclops."

"Well, I couldn't have done it without my trusty decoy," Arthur said happily, pointing to the princess.

The princess, still in my arms, gave Arthur a scolding look.

 "WHAT? I was giving you a compliment. You did good distracting the thing."

As the princess was about to say something, we heard a thunderous boom right next to us. We looked and saw a crown of curved horns jutting proudly from its skull, accompanied by sharp, curved fangs that gleamed with an otherworldly luminescence. Its single, piercing eye reflected intelligence and ancient wisdom, while wisps of smoke curled from its nostrils—a testament to the internal fires burning within, lending a fearsome and mystical quality to its presence. A dragon had just landed, and it seemed ready to feast.