UNITY

Chase had been walking for about ten or so minutes before his body had finally given up.

He walked over to a large tree covered in moss and lay down next to it. His thoughts had become foggy and jumbled.

He struggled to keep his eyes open as he lay curled up into a ball near the trunk of the overgrown tree.

Chase had noticed that it was impossible to see past fifteen meters or so because of the near-infinite amount of trees.

There was also an odd fog-like mist that covered the forest like a shadow.

The air was cold and thick, and the sky could only be seen rarely through small openings in the roof-like trees.

Roots covered the ground, like a blanket of twisting tendrils that reached heights of up to six meters or so.

It was like a maze for Chase to get as far as he did. In fact, he was not entirely sure if he was still heading north.

There were very few ways to get an idea of what direction you were going in the Dark Forest. The only solution Chase had come up with was to wait until night and look through an opening in the trees to locate the North Star.

His consciousness slowly began to drift to sleep, interrupting his thoughts...

Chase woke with a start, quickly scanning the area from a seated position.

It was now what seemed to be dusk. Chase slowly stood up. As the sun began to set, the forest was slowly enveloped by an eerie darkness that sent a petrifying chill down his sore spine.

Chase stepped closer to the large tree that he had slept under.

He placed his right hand on the dull corner of a piece of jagged bark and began to pull his tired body up the tree.

He was too tired to think. He had to keep any regret, worry, or sadness from seeping into his mind.

He had to dedicate one hundred percent of his being to surviving and making it to Phoenix Academy.

Chase's back tightened as he reached about halfway to the first branch, causing him to let out a loud gasp as the terrible pain threatened to cause him to fall to his death.

The trees of the Dark Forest were massive, reaching nearly two hundred meters tall.

The forest was alive with distant rustling and unidentifiable clicks, each noise making Chase's skin crawl.

As he attempted to take in the chilling effects of the forest, a piece of bark slit open the skin on the boy's palm.

He grimaced, ignoring the pain, grabbing onto the next piece of bark that stuck out, slowly getting closer to the first branch.

Chase braced himself, ignoring the intense pain, as well as the noises, as he climbed onto the lowest branch of the tree.

It was big enough to fit about two people and high enough to protect him from most monsters that he would probably meet in the forest.

After twenty minutes of just lying face down on the dark oak branch, Chase finally collected himself enough to sit up and take the black backpack off. He set the bag down in front of him and tiredly opened the large back pocket.

He took out a small book, thick with pages. It read, Physical Energy, and How to Discover.

He lazily opened the book; however, he found himself struggling to read in the dark embrace of the forest.

I am going to have to sit here all night, aren't I?

Chase groaned, fully aggravated by his new situation. He knew that sitting alone inside of a dark forest filled with monsters, and at the same time having nothing to do, could not be good for one's mental health.

The damp earth carried a faint, rotting smell, like decayed wood mingled with something unrecognizable.

He sighed, resting his back on the cold bark of the tree.

He struggled to keep the thoughts of his father and friends from distracting him as he ground his teeth together, focusing on the rustling of the leaves.

As Chase was about to go back to sleep, a loud roar could be heard from far off inside of the forest.

Chase recoiled, reaching for his bag. He reached inside, looking for the small topaz dagger that his father gave him before they had parted ways.

However, what he felt was not the dagger but a soft paper-like cylinder in the bottom of the bag.

His eyes lit up as he pulled the small paper match out of the bag. The match was one that his father always had on him. It could be lit with any type of surface, which was a huge help to the boy at the current moment.

Chase picked the book up and began to rip a small blank page out of the back.

However, as he scraped the match against the wooden branch:

Nothing happened...