Marcus walked over to the helicopter which was already prepped by the crews. This was going to be a mission for him and his crew. Since the recruits from the adventurer’s guild were still in their training, there was no reason to bring them along. Besides, this was only a transportation quest, so there was no need to complicate it with extra people.

The aircraft sat ready on the tarmac, dark and solid under the early light. The crew had already finished most of the checks. Panels were closed, fuel lines disconnected, equipment secured. The cargo had been loaded last, just as planned, locked in place inside the cabin.

Marcus slowed his pace as he approached, his eyes running over the helicopter out of habit. Nothing out of place. No loose fittings. No signs of rushed work.

"Status?" he asked.

"Fully fueled. Systems green. Cargo secured," one of the crew replied without hesitation.

Marcus gave a small nod.

"Good."

He stepped closer, placing a hand briefly against the side of the aircraft, more out of routine than anything else. It was steady. Familiar. Reliable.

Behind him, he heard footsteps.

He didn’t need to turn to know who it was.

"...You’re really going now," Elaina said.

Marcus glanced back at her.

She had stopped a few steps away, arms loosely crossed, but her posture wasn’t as composed as usual. Not tense, just... held back.

"Yeah," he said. "No reason to wait."

Her eyes shifted briefly toward the helicopter, then to the crew moving around it.

"...Everything’s ready," she said.

"It is."

A short silence settled between them.

Marcus stepped down from the skid and walked toward her.

"...We’ll be gone for a few days," he said. "Maybe less, depending on how clean the route is."

Elaina gave a small nod.

"...And if it’s not?"

Marcus shrugged lightly.

"Then it takes longer."

She let out a quiet breath.

"...You always make it sound simple."

Marcus gave a faint smirk.

"It usually is."

She looked at him, clearly not convinced, but she didn’t argue.

Instead, she stepped a little closer.

"...Just don’t take unnecessary risks," she said.

Marcus met her gaze.

"I won’t."

She reached out and adjusted his collar slightly, a small gesture, almost absent-minded.

"...You always say that too," she murmured.

Marcus didn’t pull away.

"I mean it."

Elaina held his gaze for a moment longer.

Then nodded.

"...I know."

The sound of the rotor beginning to turn cut through the moment.

Marcus glanced back at the helicopter, then returned his attention to her.

"...I’ll be back before you know it," he said.

Elaina didn’t smile.

But her expression softened just a little.

"...You better be."

Marcus gave a small nod.

Then he stepped back.

No dramatic pause.

No drawn-out moment.

He turned and walked toward the aircraft.

The rotors were spinning faster now, the sound growing heavier, the air starting to shift around them. Dust lifted slightly from the ground as the machine came to life.

Marcus grabbed a headset and climbed up, pausing just before stepping fully inside.

He looked back one last time.

Elaina was still standing there, watching.

Marcus raised a hand slightly.

A simple gesture.

Then stepped inside.

The door slid shut.

Inside, the noise dropped to a controlled hum through the headset.

"Ready?" the pilot asked.

Marcus secured himself and glanced once toward the cargo behind them.

"...Yeah," he said. "Let’s go."

The helicopter lifted.

The ground pulled away beneath them as the base shrank in view. The walls, the buildings, the people—everything reduced to smaller shapes as they gained altitude.

Through the window, Marcus caught one last glimpse of Elaina.

Still standing where he left her. Then the helicopter turned. And the base disappeared from view.

The helicopter climbed steadily, the base shrinking behind them until it became nothing more than a faint cluster of structures against the land. The early light stretched across the horizon, casting long shadows over the terrain as they gained altitude.

Marcus adjusted his headset slightly and leaned back into his seat, his eyes shifting toward the front.

"Heading north?" he asked.

"Yeah," the pilot replied. "Straight line as planned. We’ll cut across the outer range first, then approach the forest."

The aircraft leveled out after a few minutes, settling into a steady forward motion. The vibration smoothed into something consistent, almost easy to ignore once you got used to it.

Below them, the land stretched wide.

Fields.

Small settlements.

Roads that wound like thin lines across the terrain.

All of it slowly giving way to rougher ground the further they went.

Marcus glanced toward the rear of the cabin.

The box sat secured where they had placed it.

Strapped down.

He watched it for a second.

Still the same.

Still nothing about it gave anything away.

"...Keep an eye on that," he said.

One of the crew near the back nodded.

"Already am."

Marcus looked forward again.

The flight continued.

Time passed differently up there.

No obstacles.

No delays.

Just distance being covered faster than anything on the ground could match.

After a while, the terrain below began to change.

The fields disappeared.

The roads became fewer, and then, they were gone. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"...That’s it," the pilot said, his voice coming through the headset.

Marcus leaned slightly forward, looking out.

The Forest of No Return.

From above, it looked like a single, endless mass.

Trees packed tightly together, their canopies forming a thick layer that hid everything beneath. No clearings. No visible paths. Just a continuous stretch of dark green that seemed to swallow light instead of reflecting it.

Even from this height, it felt different.

Heavy.

"...Doesn’t look inviting," one of the crew muttered.

Marcus didn’t reply immediately.

He just watched it.

"Good thing we’re not walking through it," he said after a moment.

The helicopter continued forward.

Crossing into it.

The moment they did, the feeling shifted.

It wasn’t visible.

Not something you could point at.

But it was there.

A subtle pressure.

Like the air itself was thicker.

The pilot adjusted slightly.

"...Instruments are stable," he said. "But something’s... off."

Marcus glanced at the panel.

Everything looked normal.

"...Keep it steady," he said. "No sudden moves."

"Got it."

They pushed deeper into the forest.

From above, it didn’t change much.

Still dense.

Still endless.

But now, there were small breaks in the canopy.

Not natural clearings.

Something else.

Burn marks.

Collapsed sections.

Signs that something had moved through there before.

Marcus noticed that.

"...You seeing that?" he asked.

"Yeah," the pilot replied. "That’s not normal."

Marcus narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Means we’re not the only ones using this place. You guys made a pre-flight checklist on the helicopter right?"

"Yes sir, all systems are nominal."

"Goods, because I hate it when it suddenly started..."

The words had barely left Marcus’ mouth when the tone inside the cockpit shifted.

It started subtle.

A flicker on one of the displays.

Then another.

"...Hold on," the pilot muttered, his hand moving instinctively across the panel.

Marcus leaned forward slightly.

"What is it?"

The pilot didn’t answer right away. His eyes were fixed on the instruments.

Then—

A sharp beep.

Another.

Then a rapid sequence.

"...That’s not good," the co-pilot said under his breath.

Marcus’ gaze snapped to the panel.

Readings that had been steady seconds ago were now jumping.

Altitude fluctuating.

Compass shifting by small degrees without input.

Signal indicators blinking erratically.

"...Talk to me," Marcus said, his tone steady but sharper now.

The pilot exhaled slowly, trying to keep his movements controlled.

"...Sensors are acting up," he said. "I’m getting inconsistent readings. It’s like something’s interfering."

Marcus glanced out the window.

The forest below hadn’t changed.

"...External interference?" he asked.

"Maybe," the co-pilot replied. "But there’s no visible source."

Another beep cut through the cabin.

This one louder.

More insistent.

One of the secondary displays glitched briefly before stabilizing again.

"...That shouldn’t be happening," the pilot said.

Marcus shifted his weight slightly, his attention moving between the panel and the outside.

"...Flight controls?" he asked.

"Still responsive," the pilot replied immediately. "No delay. Just the sensors."

Marcus nodded once.

"Then we fly manual."

The pilot gave a quick glance back.

"...Already switching."

He reached forward and flipped a set of controls.

Some of the automated assistance indicators dimmed.

The constant micro-adjustments stopped.

Now it was purely on him.

Hands on controls.

Eyes on the horizon.

"...Stabilizing," he said after a moment.

The helicopter steadied.

The erratic movement in the readings didn’t fully stop, but the aircraft itself held its course.

Marcus leaned back slightly, but his eyes didn’t leave the front.

"...Something in the forest is messing with it," he said.

The co-pilot frowned.

"...Magic?"

Marcus didn’t answer immediately.

He thought about it.

The pressure in the air.

The way the forest felt wrong the moment they entered.

"...Probably," he said finally. "Or something close to it."

Another flicker ran across the panel.

One of the readings spiked, then dropped.

"...That’s interference, alright," the pilot muttered.

Marcus glanced back briefly toward the cargo.

"Seems like it’s beginning to start like a bad idea."