The snow had slowly turned to grass.
The dead trees were now full of leaves.
The three stood unmoving for a bit.
"Should we go in?" Elisa asked.
"I'm not sure."
The entry to a forest.
Mark called out the digital map.
"According to the map, that's probably..."
"The entry to Sloth?"
"Yeah. Should be it."
"Mmm..." Elisa nervously scratched her elbow. "A Demon Lord's Territory... Entering it now-"
"It's the Monster Realm. Just because the one standing above is a Demon Lord doesn't mean we're... Trespassing or anything. I think."
"True. Still, entering it when it's still dark out would be... Stressful."
"What? You're scared?"
Elisa rolled her eyes at his words.
"It's not the same. Who knows what kind of Monsters we'll find in there? Or rather, what kind of Monsters will find us."
Mark's eyes narrowed for a bit.
His gaze moved from Elisa to Krista, before finally going to the endless forest of tall trees.
"I'm excited to go in there." Mark said honestly.
"Of course you are. Going back to where you're from, huh?" Elisa teased.
"Sure..." He chuckled. "Something like that."
They stared at the forest for a bit.
"Question is, do we want to take a break here, or in there."
"We'll be hidden by the trees in there. But the problem is-"
"That we haven't encountered anything out here."
"Yeah. Haven't encountered anything yet."
"I guess we're already inside the forest in a way. Just gets a lot denser there."
The two stared for a bit.
"We're being pretty careless." Mark noted.
"I guess. Think we should hide while discussing this?"
"Probably... Or just enter."
"We're sleeping soon though."
"Sure, alright."
"Then let's stay just beyond the entry for the night."
"Suits me." Mark said as he started walking forward.
The tall trees seemed to make, by the difference in their numbers, a wall that separated the Rift from the Monster Realm.
"Think the forest is..."
"The outer limit of Sloth? Yeah, I guess. Seems like a... Natural barrier, of sorts?"
"Would you look at that, you're starting to complete my sentences for me."
"Seems Princesses can be pretty lazy."
They approached the forest.
"A funny Monster, who would have thought?".
"More Knight than Monster at times-"
Upon taking a step inside the forest, Mark's body froze.
"What is it? Can you sense anything?" Elisa immediately asked upon noticing him.
"No. It's..."
[You have entered the Demon Lord Of Sloth's Territory.]
The digital words halted Mark's movements.
He could instantly feel a gaze.
A strange gaze, as it didn't feel like he was being watched or looked at.
'Feels like something is... Looking for me...?'
As if a powerful being was looking around in his direction.
[The Demon Lord Of Sloth says that he will keep half an eye on you.]
[The Title "Devourer" stares.]
[The Title "Evolving Monster" stares.]
[The Demon Lord Of Sloth yawns.]
[The Demon Lord Of Sloth welcomes you into his Territory.]
Mark stared at the words, unmoving.
Suddenly, something pulled him out of the daze.
Yawn-
Yawn-
"We should probably find somewhere to sleep. Even Krista is-"
"You didn't...?"
"Didn't what?"
"Get the messages?" Elisa's eyes widened. "About the-"
"Run."
"Huh?"
"Run, you dumbass!"
Only then did Mark understand.
The Moonlit Feline jumped off his shoulder and took on its Form as a Lioness.
'Shit. Shit. Shit!' Mark cursed internally as he ran.
The three ran away from the spot they stood on earlier.
"Let's stay close to the edge of the forest, just in case." Elisa whispered.
Mark nodded.
The Demon Lord had felt him entering Sloth.
'That gaze... There's no denying it...'
The three ran as fast as they could through the dark forest.
But only one of them truly knew how bad the situation was.
Getting messages from the System upon entering a Territory is the System's way of warning you that you are trespassing. That you are walking into a Territory you shouldn't be in.
And if the System warns the trespasser, then it is of no surprise that it would warn the one to whom the Territory belongs.
They ran for a dozen minutes, before slowly stopping.
Elisa knew that the Territory's owner had to have been notified by the System.
'The forest isn't considered a Dungeon, otherwise, we would've been told about it... Some kind of tribe or pack of Monsters? Who does it belong to? And...?'
Why was Mark the only one notified?
The answer was simple.
[The Demon Lord Of Sloth is slightly interested in you.]
[The Demon Lord Of Sloth asks what you are.]
'What I am? What's-'
[The Title "Devourer" snarls at the Demon Lord Of Sloth.]
[The Title "Evolving Monster" screeches at the Demon Lord Of Sloth.]
'What the fuck are you doing? You're making it worse-'
[The Demon Lord Of Sloth is perplexed by your existence.]
'Perplexed? Oh, fuck... Why don't you just forget about me, please?'
[The Title "Probable Demon King Candidate" stares at the Demon Lord Of Sloth.]
Immediately, Mark could feel the gaze looking for him grow much more intense.
He instinctively lowered his body and hid behind a tree.
"What are you doing?" Elisa asked.
"I'm... I'm not sure."
[The Demon Lord Of Sloth chuckles.]
A couple of seconds passed and,
[The Demon Lord Of Sloth has grown bored of your existence.]
The next second, that gaze disappeared.
Sigh-
Mark's halted breathing finally resumed.
"Fuck. That was stressful..."
"What do you mean?"
"It's just-"
Mark suddenly lowered his body once more.
[The Demon Lord Of Sloth says that you are welcome to come see him.]
'Huh?'
[Your Title "Devourer" looks away.]
[Your Title "Evolving Monster" looks away.]
[Your Title "Probably Demon King Candidate" declines.]
'WHAT THE HELL?? DON'T BE THAT BLUNT ABOUT IT!!'
[The Demon Lord Of Sloth chuckles.]
[The Demon Lord Of Sloth offers the possibility for a 1-on-1 conversation.]
[Do you accept?]
'1-on-1...?'
Mark waited for a couple of seconds.
'Why aren't the Titles... Wait... I'm supposed to answer??'
"Can you pleaase tell me what this is about? You're stressing me out."
"I was... I was invited to go see..."
"To go see?"
"The Demon Lord Of Sloth."
Elisa felt like she was about to pass out.
The stress from not knowing didn't seem so bad now.
After all, what she knew now was the worst outcome she could think of.
Elisa looked around her.
A confused expression on her face.
She looked for it.
And once she found it,
"Well..." Elisa grabbed the Moonlit Feline's body. "It was nice knowing you."
"What? Don't leave now! Are you serious? Already walking away?"
"I hope you have a nice life, Monster."
"What happened to being your Knight?"
"My what? I have no idea what you're talking about."
[The Demon Lord Of Sloth is waiting for your answer.]
Mark's gaze went from the urging message to the walking away Elisa who was carrying Krista.
"I..."
Demon Lord.
Elisa & Krista.
Demon Lord...
The next second, a hissing Moonlit Feline was thrown Mark's way.
He turned just in time to catch Krista.
"So? What does the Demon Lord want?" Elisa asked without walking closer.
"He... Said I was welcome to visit."
"Are you going to?"
"No...?"
"That would be rude. And getting a Demon Lord on our bad side is the last thing we need."
"We?"
"Yes, we."
"Weren't you just-"
"Oh, shut up."
Mark remained silent for a bit.
His gaze moved away from Elisa.
The instant it did, she started walking closer.
"You'll be taking all of the Corruption. By the time we get to the Elven Forest, I want none of it. Agreed?"
"Yep-"
"And you go get us food. And..."
"And?"
"That's it for now."
For someone who needed help to go somewhere, Elisa's tone was rather rude.
Still, Mark was glad that she was there.
"Getting a Demon Lord on our... Tsk. Why does he even care about you??"
"Who knows..." Of course, Mark knew.
The Demon Lord Of Sloth is perplexed by your existence-
There was only one reason why that could be the case.
The Demon Lord held the Deadly Sin of Sloth.
And Mark held fragments of Greed and Gluttony.
"You'll be the death of me, you know that?" Elisa sat below a tree. "A Demon Lord..."
Mark nodded.
"He offered the possibility for a 1-on-1 conversation... Whatever that means."
"Did you accept?"
"Not yet. Do you know what that means?"
Elisa sighed.
She wasn't sure whether she wanted to answer or not.
Whether she wanted to say the truth or not.
Elisa stared at Mark for a bit.
He didn't seem too worried.
'What the hell is wrong with him...?'
Mark did not know much about Demon Lords. About how terrifying an existence they truly are.
Sigh-
"You'll be able to hear his voice. And he, yours. Or perhaps, you'll be able to see one another."
"Is that so-"
"But that doesn't matter. What matters... Is the Link between you two."
"The Link... Between us?"
