Chapter 7: Face Your Own Ghost
"Wasn't this Enchanted Forest supposed to be terrifying?" Kid said while crawling through the barrier. "This trip feels sillier and sillier by the second."
He dusted himself up before helping his friends to their feet. They were finally inside the Enchanted Forest which was infamous for being unconquered for centuries. But the condition to get inside was to walk on all fours?
"This is just crazy," he murmured once again. "The person who made this barrier's most likely off in the head—"
He looked back after realizing there were only six of them. Max was still outside the barrier. A silly thought crossed his mind, and he pulled his friends away while giggling. They huddled around a circle like villains discussing how to end the world.
"Toki," he whispered, "Make sure you get this scene intact. We're about to see something spectacular!"
"Huh? What scene?"
"We'll get to watch Max walk on all fours!" he giggled. "Who would imagine seeing him do that in a million years?!"
They giggled from excitement, and even without popcorn, the look on their faces was enough to show their ANTICIPATION.
A thunderous sound echoed through the Enchanted Forest, and their jaws dropped to the ground. Right in front of their eyes, the entire barrier collapsed, just like their dreams. They aggressively spun their heads to Max, who only needed one finger to break the powerful barrier.
"Wha—?"
Max took a step forward and was already inside the Enchanted Forest, his friend's disappointed faces greeting him upon entry.
"You broke the barrier? That's it?!" Kid barked. "You said the entire forest would collapse. It's still intact in my eyes!"
Max stared at him with a serious expression. "Don't worry. I broke the original barrier, but replaced it with a new one."
They looked behind him and noticed a replacement barrier standing. Olivia furrowed her brows. "And you couldn't have done that earlier?"
"I didn't know the conditions earlier, so I had to leave it untouched. But now that I do, making a new one doesn't seem like a stretch." He smirked. "And of course, this one had some changes in its conditions."
"What changes?" Toki asked.
"Only those walking on all four can enter... of course, except me. I get to be the exception."
Max left his friends with their mouths open as he headed straight into the forest—unfazed by the scary-looking creatures in front of him. The sharp-looking talons and red-glowing eyes didn't scare him one bit. Slowly, he disappeared from his friend's sight with his hands inside his pockets.
Kid rubbed his forehead. "Wow. How can this world be so unfair?"
Crawling like a baby would not stain his image. He'd done sillier things. But the thought that someone could look so cool all the time, just because they're powerful, made him pout.
If he was as powerful, would he be as cool as Max? Or would he still be the silly boy who runs around looking for trouble? How come his friends can have cool powers while he suffers from the slightest noise and the nastiest smells?
"If you had Max's powers," Olivia said, "They'd go to waste."
"Thanks for reminding m—Hey! You're reading my mind again!"
"You let your guard down. Wasn't my fault."
He pouted and turned to Clover. "I'm taking my words back. Tell your aunts I'm sorry."
Snow crossed her arms and stood prouder than Clover. "That's why you should never underestimate her aunts, Kiddo. You better wish they accept your apology, or say goodbye to your happy days."
It has been an inside joke among them, but they embody Clover's luck as real aunts who'd do everything for their favorite niece. They'd stop at nothing just to make all her wishes come true. And sometimes, would even decide on their own without her permission. Kid suffering from their punishment would be more than possible, and the look on his face showed how terrified he was already.
"Worry about your punishment later," Doki said. "Let's hurry, or we'll lose Max."
They continued walking. Olivia and Clover walked in front, while the twins, Kid, and Snow, hid behind their backs like puppies cowering in fear behind their mother.
"Are you hearing what I'm hearing?" Kid asked, while looking around. Hundreds of glowing eyes were watching them from behind the trees.
"Shut up. If you can't hear it clearly, there's no way we can." Snow said. "Keep those creepy sounds to yourself."
"But it sounds like a cry--"
"Shh!" Snow took two Freso rings off her fingers and shoved them in Kid's hands. "Wear these and let us walk in peace!"
"What about you?"
"It's fine. My curse can't affect the weather inside this forest."
They continued.
Once in a while, the four cowards would jump in fright. With dozens of mythical creatures popping in front, their journey to the Enchanted Forest seemed like a trip to a haunted forest. And after all the screaming and jumping, they reached a small cave under a huge limestone mass.
"Aw!" Kid wailed in pain. "The crying sound, it's coming from inside the cave!"
Clover looked at him. "Here. You can wear my rings as well."
"Thanks."
Olivia lead the way, and with bright Soglums in their hands, they stepped inside the cave. Minmin, despite cowering on Olivia's shoulders, still held his tablet to document their adventure—proving himself worthy as the three-time awardee of Most Responsible Pet Secretary Of The Year.
The cave was narrower than imagined, and the interior gave off an eerie chill that sent shivers up their spines. They huddled closer together. Something was off about this cave, and even Olivia felt hesitant to continue, but they continued moving.
"Ew," Snow gagged. "W-what's that nasty smell?"
Kid sobbed. "Tell me about it."
They took baby steps forward and were actually making slight progress. But it wasn't long before a series of inaudible murmurs made them stop in their tracks.
Toki chuckled nervously. "I-it's just the wind, right?"
"R-right." Olivia answered. "Let's move forward."
A thick mist blocked their path after some time, and they couldn't make anything out of it except for some silhouettes. As it cleared up, seven figures turned to face them. They froze and watched in horror as seven spitting images of themselves smiled at them—menacingly.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
ZJJung
ZJJung If you're reading this at 3AM, I'm sorry.
XD
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