Chapter 23: Reverse
Leon wakes up and observed his surroundings—full of trees and grass. The sky was blue but covered with a barrier to prevent any student who could fly from escaping. Leon was lying against a tree that wasn't huge but was wide and looked very old. Its light brown wood had turned dark brown with time. Its leaves were green and strange fruits were hanging from its branches. The vibe under the tree's shade made him sleepy. He was about to fall asleep again but the glasses guy woke him up.
"You'll get killed by corrupted entities very easily if you sleep so carelessly," said the glasses guy as he adjusted his glasses.
Trying to look cool? Not like I care, Leon thought as he looked at the glasses guy. Still he slowly stood up and asked, "Where are the others?"
"They found a river, so we're planning to spend the night there. They probably caught some fish and are cooking now. Let's go and help them," the glasses guy replied.
"Wait, wait, wait. We just got here and they're already thinking about dinner? Aren't they planning to explore?" Leon asked in confusion.
The glasses guy sighed. "You've been sleeping since we got here. We had things to do, so we didn't wake you up. It's already 20:24 and 54 seconds."
You don't have to say the seconds.
Hmm...they got things to do?
"What are you thinking?" asked the glasses guy.
"Nothing, let's go to where they are," Leon replied with a yawn.
"Well then, let's go," said the glasses guy.
Leon and the glasses guy made their way through the forest. The faint crunch of dried leaves beneath their shoes blending with distant echoes of rustling branches. The air was cool and smelled of damp earth and wild fruit. As they walked, Leon glanced around.
"By the way," Leon said, half-yawning. "we're in a deadly forest and the others are already cooking fish like it's a camping trip or something."
The glasses guy adjusted his glasses again and replied, "That's exactly why we're keeping our guard up. Acting normal helps keep morale steady. If everyone panics or overthinks then they'll make mistakes."
Leon gave a slow nod as he brushed a low-hanging branch out of his way. "Still feels weird. This place gives off bad vibes."
"Of course it does. It's crawling with corrupted entities," the glasses guy said. "Even the trees might be watching us."
Leon paused mid-step. "You're joking, right?"
"No," he replied calmly. "There's a species of corrupted that disguises itself as trees but they usually appear only at night."
Leon narrowed his eyes at the forest around them. "You could have told me that before we walked through ten trees."
The glasses guy smirked slightly. "You're alive, aren't you?"
Leon sighed. "Barely. Let's just hope dinner's worth all this creeping dread."
They continued walking, the sound of flowing water growing louder. A faint glow from a campfire flickered in the distance—the other two members of squad 35 was sitting there, waiting for Leon and glasses Guy.
The golden-haired guy was cooking while the red-haired guy chopped vegetables and fish. Leon walked over to them and said to the golden-haired one, "Oh, you look like a mom."
Without looking at him, the golden-haired guy replied, "Shut up." He tasted the soup then added a pinch of salt.
"Where did you get that salt?" Leon asked, pointing at the small salt bottle.
"It was given to every squad, idiot". Golden-haired guy said.
Leon then walked over to the river for checking out the area where they planned to spend the night. He stared at the water.
Still staring.
Still staring.
Still...
"What the hell are you trying to do?" the glasses guy asked.
Suddenly, Leon jumped into the river, splashing water everywhere. It hit the golden-haired guy and even the food.
"What the fuck—"
"Oh, sorry," Leon said with a nervous smile.
The golden-haired guy wiped his face and snapped, "The fuck you mean sorry? How are we supposed to eat now?"
"Let me fix it," Leon said. He raised his hand. "Reverse."
As he spoke, the food returned to its state before the splash.
The whole squad stared.
"How did you do that?" they all asked.
Like I'll tell you.
"I don't know, but I've been able to do small things like this since childhood," Leon said with a shrug.