The Green Forest was just like any other forest they have seen before but there were differences, some very obvious ones. The forest was too silent. It was like a place without life. There was no sound of birds chirping.  There was no sign of any animal anywhere around that gloomy place.The only thing they saw were trees that stood in random order. Dark green grass covered the ground but not even a single flower can be seen. It was empty like a heart without any emotions. That was how they could describe the forest.

Ilhoon stayed as calm as he can despite the darkness that seemed to be so overwhelming in that forest. He knew that if he feels even the slightest panic or tense, the shield will break. His hands rested on the neck of his horse as he looked up once in awhile to make sure that the shield was still in its form.

Kai rode his horse in almost the same pace as Ilhoon while he looked around suspiciously. He knew that everything he saw was just an illusion. Something really dark was hidden in the mask of that deafening silence. Kyungsoo stayed in his pace too, following Ilhoon and the others closely from behind. Once in awhile he could hear an almost inaudible hissing sound from his back  making the older twin tilt his head a bit but nothing was there.

“Should we go faster than this?” Eric asked. They have been riding their horses in quite a slow pace compared to before and he felt uneasy being in that forest for too long. Every one of them knew that evil lurked in every inch of that forest.

“No... We should keep this pace. If we go too fast, I’m afraid that it will be harder for me to sustain the shield.” Ilhoon explained to him.

The deeper they go, the darker the forest became. Kyungsoo and Kai were both had their senses on alert as they listened tentatively to any sound they can hear around them. Once again the older twin heard the hissing sound and his doe like eyes widened as he looked behind his back. Kai quickly turned his head to his right when he heard another hissing sound.

“By the name of God, what is that?!” Lumia gasped in fear at what she was looking at. They stopped moving for a minute and all their attention was thrown to a tree nearby the guardian.

The tree looked pretty normal from afar. It was tall like the rest of the tress in that forest but there was something odd about that tree as they stared at it closely. Its dark brownish barks formed a weird shape, like there was a big lump on the surface. It was as tall as human although it doesn’t look like it was any taller than Kai.

Even when they looked at it carefully, they felt like they were looking at a mannequin that was attached to the tree. The eyes of the mannequin were wide and big as if they were popping out from the sockets. His mouth made a big ‘O’ shape as if it was screaming its lungs out. The more they looked at it, the more they believed that what they were seeing right now wasn’t a mannequin or a doll. It was a real human being that was into the tree and his whole body turned into bark like he was a part of the tree.

“That is human...” Kyungsoo muttered helplessly as he realized that fact.

They turned their heads and looked around them. Another gasp can be heard from Lumia when she realized that they were surrounded by trees with a human attached on each of it. Fear can be seen on each of the dead human’s face.

“What the heck are these?” Kai was still looking at one of the trees with his wide eyes. He wasn't afraid but he was rather surprised by this new discovery. He had never seen anything like this in his entire life.

“They are people who died because of their greed.” Ilhoon told them in a rather cold tone.

“We should keep moving. We’ve been in this forest for too long.” Eric notified them and once again, they started moving in an almost  synchronized pace.

Sssssssssssssss.......

All of them became more cautious when they heard the obvious hissing sounds that seem to be roaming around them in a circle. Long roots and tendrils coiled on the ground like snakes but none of them tried to get close with the shield. Kai could sense that something bad was about to happen but he just couldn’t  figure out what kind of danger  will attack them any second.

“You can never get out from this forest... Never!”

A deep and husky voice whispered silently. Kyungsoo's eyes widened once again, he knew that familiar voice. A black shadow can be seen lingering around them in lightning speed as they heard the same words again and again.

“What is that?” Eric asked with a slightly high tone.

“I don’t know but it’s not from this forest.” Kyungsoo's face darkened as he heard Ilhoon’s answer. He was sure that he knew what was disturbing them now.

“Whatever that thing is, it’s pissing me off.” Kai growled as they kept moving despite the whispering and the hissing sound that had grew louder.

Suddenly all the noises stopped and they fell into a deep silence again. There was not even a single sound that can be heard. They still kept their pace as stopping will only mean more danger but their eyes roamed cautiously around them.

Kyungsoo was the most anxious one. He locked his eyes on Kai as if he was expecting something to attack his twin. Not long after that he saw a black shadow flew directly towards Kai and he shouted, “Kai, duck!” The younger twin was surprised but he quickly did as he told. A few seconds later, the small tree near him exploded.

“Ilhoon, watch out!” Kai shouted as he saw a shadow coming straight to the blonde guy. Before Ilhoon or any of them can react, the shadow hit him harshly and he was thrown right onto Kyungsoo who was behind him. The two of them fell hard on the ground while their horses started to get wild by the sudden surprise.

“!” Kai cursed. The shield has been broken and now all of them were exposed to the deadly forest. Kai, Lumia and Eric were standing close to each other when the roots shot from the ground and wrapped their feet in just a few seconds. Tendrils shot from the trees and caught their hands, stretching them from each side.

“Arghh!!” The three of them shouted in agony as they felt like their body was about to be torn apart. Kai’s eyes glinted with anger before his red fires burst out and bur