Chapter 22: Confrontation

After some time had passed, I realized that I was stuck in an odd posture that was beginning to produce pain in my back. This pain was a result of the awkward bending position that I had forced myself into. When Dwayne began driving the vehicle, he kept glancing in the rearview mirror. I was nearly startled out of my position because I anticipated that whenever he glanced in that direction, he would also see me. It's likely that he noticed something upsetting following his car from behind.

I was like a child playing hide and seek, going back and forth between these tight spaces. I wanted to know what's bothering him, but I couldn't even turn my neck back. After that, he rapidly accelerated his speed for a brief period of time. As the automobile picked up speed, it came very close to running over my foot. It was by chance that I seized a plastic bottle that had been placed next to the vehicle chair and as I did, it produced a crumpling sound that made me feel quite uneasy.

The commotion drew his attention back around. I swiftly concealed myself under the chair, using the bulky jacket as a shield, and waited for him to finish gazing at the crushed bottle before I moved in to prevent him from taking it off.

I let out a breath of relief, but at the same time, I couldn't help ruminating about the many other outcomes that were still possible. I was attempting to sneak up on him while holding on to the edge of the passenger seat, and my fingers were trembling slightly. I saw him staring in the rearview mirror once more at that point. His eyelids started to shut halfway, his eyebrows began to curl, and he tightened his lips.

“Shit!” He exclaimed, and with his entire energy, he punched the steering wheel. Even my senses were thrown off by this, and I found myself closing my eyes inadvertently as a result of the unexpected surprise.

My back felt numb. I reached my hand under the jacket and grasped it tightly before leaning my back against the car door. I hid myself in the shadows, specifically below the window.

I have been able to keep my equilibrium for close to a half an hour despite the fact that the feeling in my muscles is similar to that of running into an electric current, which has completely rendered my body stiff and rigid. I clenched my teeth and bit the inside of my bottom lip to keep from making even the slightest sound.

I can't help but wonder what kept him from getting to his destination on time, given that he arrived so late. It has been over an hour! I used the camera app on my phone to take a picture of him just as he was getting out of the driver's seat.

I started counting the seconds as soon as he left so that I could leave at the same time as him without him seeing it. It was fortunate that someone called him on his phone since this caused him to redirect his attention to the device. I made the most of this chance by gradually stepping out while maintaining low.

I crept around to the rear of his vehicle and approached him stealthily from the side. I took precautions to ensure that the actions I took would not produce even a single sound. He spoke to someone on the phone while covering practically the whole of his lips with his hand.

In addition to that, he continued glancing in every direction, which caused me to cover my face once again. He gave off the impression of unease, to the extent where he spoke softly enough for only himself to hear. Why would he bother to lower his voice when he is the only one in the area but himself? Did he notice my presence?

“I’ll call you later,” he quickly said while rushing to take steps forward.

I wandered my eyes around and noted that the location is entirely packed with forestry plants all around, that probably just a hectare of land is being cemented with a medium-sized structure at the end. Although some areas of the cement were already crawled up with plants. The air was filled with the chirping of a flock of birds. I was surrounded by flies, and I could hear them singing. In spite of the fact that it is the middle of the day, the chilliness of this location is notable. The quiet here is deafening.

I made my way towards the woods.

I crept around the corner and crouched behind the tree as I saw Dwayne enter the building. In the meanwhile, I found myself making my way further into the forest, where I stood gazing upward at the clouds and the sunshine that was able to penetrate the canopy thanks to the gaps produced by the trees. It seemed to be a gateway made of sticks leading to the skies.

But the farther I traveled and the more I familiarized myself with this new region, which I hadn't even anticipated to exist, the only thing I could think about was that peak in the realm.

From behind me came a swiftly approaching pointy item that resembled a razor. I hurriedly jumped to the side and my eyes widened as I saw the blade penetrate towards the tree's trunk, almost striking me in the face!

“Huh?”

O-Oh wait, it’s not a dagger! It’s a werewolf claw!

“How bold,” an icy, deep, and revibrating voice spoke. “No one dares to come to this place ever since it collapsed during the war,” he added.

"Who are you?" I asked as I held my head up and stood with my spine erect, doing my best to project confidence. I continued, reiterating, “This is our territory," this time stressing each syllable.

The werewolf charged at me without uttering a single word in response. I spoke a spell in my thoughts to conjure a sword at my side, and it materialized before me. Instincts for survival compelled me to do it, even though I wasn't certain whether or not it would have an impact since I am not inside the realm. To my astonishment, it turned out to be effective!

I quickly sprang from the ground and swung the blade at the werewolf's neck as I closed the distance. When I asked Master Apo how to kill a werewolf, he said that the only method to do it is to pierce the victim's neck. The objective is to dismember them by removing their heads from their bodies.

But, I failed. *It’s alright.*I was able to persuade myself. Regardless, this is going to be my first time.

Now, the werewolf and I were facing each other with our backs against each other, but I could tell from him that he was slowly turning around to face me in the other direction.

I stared at him with a hostile attitude, but instead of fighting me back, he quickly rushed away, which caused me to tilt my head to the side.

I blinked my eyes several times while my sword slowly disappeared into thin air. “What was that?”

"What are you doing down here?" The sound of Dwayne's words jolted me to my very core.

“Dwayne?”

Dwayne approached me at a normal speed. I was curious as to whether or not he had seen what had happened, but his speech did not include any signs of surprise or suspicion. His hands were behind his waist. He smiled to himself as he glanced down. However, that grin seemed to be quite suspicious. After then, he turned his head toward me as he halted a short distance away.

“Did you sneak inside my car?” he asked.

I looked away. “Can’t you tell?” I answered without a trail of hesitance.

He laughed. “I knew you would.” *What?*

After being thrown off by his remarks, I turned my attention back to him and saw that he was smiling at me once again in a way that looked like he was plotting something.