~More Than Just A Legend~

"You idiot! How could you possibly have gotten us lost?!"

Ciel wanted to have fun, but honestly, he couldn't bring himself to it, after finding out that Alois had no idea where they were going in the first place, or where the exit was. Sieglinde's spell had already worn off and she couldn't use another so soon after the first one.

"We were going to be staying the night anyway, so why should it matter?"

"Of course it bloody matters! If we can't get out of here if need be, then we just walked inside a death trap!"

Alois scoffed. "It's not like the legends are real. I just said all that to scare you."

"It doesn't matter if the legends are true! We're stuck here with nowhere to go!"

"Please stop all this yelling. It won't change that fact that we're lost." Elizabeth pointed out.

"She's right, you know. We have to keep our heads and think of a plan." Sieglinde added.

Ciel knew they had a point, so he calmed his fury and took a deep breath. "You're right. We can't be turning on each other."

"That's exactly right." Alois added. "If we stick together, we'll be just fine."

Ciel took another deep breath. "Alright, does anyone have any ideas on what we should do?"

Sieglinde was the first to speak. "I think that we should at least try and find somewhere to stay for the night. We could get better protection from the elements doing that."

Alois looked around. "I don't see how that's possible, considering the fact that there are nothing but trees here. Besides, we don't know what might be lurking around."

In response to that, Lizzie shuttered. "Please, let's not talk about all that."

Ciel nodded. "Agreed."

Three of them kept on walking, but Lizzie stayed behind. She started looking at their surroundings, and a sudden sense of dread came over her. It could have just been a trick her mind was playing on her, but she could have sworn that she saw something moving in the shadows and along the trees. She also saw what looked like eyes staring back at her. Her eyes widened and she gave out a tiny whimper.

"Lizzie, are you coming?" That got her attention, so she immediately nodded and went ahead to join the group.

The group of four kept walking, hoping to at least find some sort of shelter. It wasn't exactly easy, however, as there were only trees and darkness surrounding them. Lizzie couldn't help but clutch the handle of her sword, in fear of the off chance that something might actually jump out at them. She knew that she was probably being paranoid, but something in the back of her head was telling her that they were being watched.

"Uh...guys?" The other three in the group turned to acknowledge her.

"What is it, Lizzie?" Sieglinde asked.

Lizzie's grip on the handle tightened. "I-I know that this might sound crazy...b-but...do you think, that there might actually be ghosts and ghouls out here?"

Ciel made his way over to her. "It will be alright Elizabeth. Alois was only saying those things to get us into the Halloween spirit. There are no monsters and we will all be just fine."

As much as Lizzie loved when her cousin attempted to make her feel better like this, she just could not deny that her gut feeling was still there. "I don't know, but I just can't help but feel that we're being watched."

Sieglinde's eyes widened upon hearing this, then she shifted them to the ground. "Do you remember what I said when we first walked in here?"

Lizzie nodded. "Well, I want you to remember that, alright?"

Lizzie only sighed, then she nodded. "Yes, I understand."

The girl felt a bit of courage well up inside her, and she kept on walking with the group. This time, however, Sieglinde was the one to stay behind. She looked behind her, and she also noticed the moving shadows and the creepy eyes staring back at her. Sieglinde turned back to the group, who was walking ahead of her.

"Lizzie is right."

Ciel, Alois, and Elizabeth all turned back to face the girl with their attention set on her. "W-What?" Lizzie asked.

Sieglinde sighed and continued. "As much as I hate to say it, we really are being watched. Not by some mere animal, but by supernatural forces. My spiritual instincts tell me that is so."

"B-But that's impossible." Alois stuttered. "I didn't actually believe any of it."

Sieglinde shot Alois a glare. "Never underestimate the power of the supernatural. We have no idea what tricks may lie up their sleeve."

Alois felt a chill run down his spine while Lizzie only looked around frantically, clutching the handle of her sword. "D-Do you happen to know whether or not these spirits are malevolent?" She asked.

Sieglinde turned around and tried to guess the intent in the atmosphere with her abilities. "Let's see, I'm picking up some mischievous intent, but whether or not it is evil has yet to be determined."

Lizzie whimpered in fear while Alois shifted his eyes around the forest. "Alright everybody, that's enough." Ciel said, hoping to try and calm everyone down.

"I know that we're in a dark forest with supernatural energy around us, but if we are ever to get out of here, then we have to keep our heads. We cannot afford to fall apart now."

Lizzie, despite how scared she was in that moment, sucked up her courage. "Y-You're right. We have to stick together, especially in this situation."

Ciel smiled a little. Alois didn't take his eyes off of the forest. "W-What should we do now?"

"The only thing we can do. Keep going and try to find a way out of here." And so, the not-so-merry group of four kept moving onwards.

It was silent, and everybody was tense, looking side to side, making sure nothing jumped out at them. No one spoke, as they continued their journey. They were far too busy looking for an exit to utter even a single word. The more they looked at the trees, the more they saw shadows moving along them. Ciel didn't believe in ghosts before, but he sure did now. So much for that night of fun they had planned.

Ciel was wondering if they would ever get out of there, since there didn't seem to be any exits. If they ever did get out of there, then it would most definitely be a night to remember. They could just look back on this night and awkwardly laugh about it. Or they could vow never to speak of it again. Sieglinde was trying her hardest to read the atmosphere, but she was still a witch in training, so she couldn't read it too well. Alois wasn't playing the part of the fearless king very well, as he kept shifting his head from side to side.

"What foolish children. Don't they know how dangerous this forest is on Halloween?"

The group of four stopped in their tracks upon hearing the voice. They frantically looked around, but there was no one in sight.

"On the bright side, at least we'll have some trick-or-treaters this year."

"That's true, but they honestly shouldn't be out this late. If they were my children, they would be receiving a stern talking to."

"I myself would love to have a child."

"Yes, we all know that."

"Where are all these voices coming from?" Ciel asked.

"That darned demon always scares everyone away, so we never get any trick-or-treaters. It's a real shame."

"True, Halloween is the one day of the year when I actually fit in, Heh, Heh, Heh."

"I've got it, let's give them the best trick-or-treating experience they've ever had. Agreed?"

"Agreed!"

And when all that strangeness was said and done, the group of voices stopped talking and the feeling that the group was being watched dissipated. The group of friends only blinked.

"What in blazes was that?" Alois asked.

"I-I don't know...but what did they mean by 'best trick-or-treating experience?'" Lizzie asked.

Ciel only sighed. "I don't know, but I do know one thing for sure. This night is far from over."

It was finally Alois's turn to confess something. "Look everyone, I had no idea that these forest creatures actually existed. I just wanted something that we could all do for Halloween."

Ciel nodded. "We know that. We were just as clueless as you were."

Alois sighed. "What are we going to do now? How are we supposed to leave?"

Ciel closed his eyes and sighed, then opened them and spoke. "I feel there is only one thing we can do. I can't believe I'm saying this. I know we've probably outgrown this already, but to get out, we have to go trick-or-treating."

The three of them only blinked. "That...actually doesn't sound too bad. I mean, just be happy that we don't have to face this demon head on." Sieglinde said.

Lizzie had to think about this for a second. "Actually, trick-or-treating sounds kind of fun. I remember doing it a long time ago with Ciel and Alois. This would be out first time with Sieglinde. Also, trick-or-treating in a dark forest and receiving candy from ghosts seems like the perfect Halloween experience."

Alois pointed his staff towards the sky. "Alright, our fearless group has been reunited once again! Tonight, we travel these woods collecting candy, and we will settle for nothing less than the best night of our lives! Understood!?"

Lizzie and Sieglinde both smiled and saluted. "Yes sir!"

Ciel didn't salute, but instead he gave off a little smile, which he shielded from view. "Alright everyone! Now, we march!"

"Um, Alois, where exactly are we going?" Sieglinde asked.

Alois stopped walking as soon as the realization hit him. There were many different directions in which they could travel, but Alois wasn't sure which direction would be correct, if any of them were. "Uh, maybe we should go that way." He said, pointing left.

The group really had no better idea, so they just blindly followed the king into the darkness. They had absolutely no idea what they might find out here, or who they might meet. They didn't know what kind of residents this forest had, but judging by their earlier conversation, they didn't seem to be very fond of the forest demon. The fact that there were forest creatures here had to mean that the demon existed. They were all sincerely hoping that they wouldn't have to face it on their quest.

The demon, however, only seemed to add to the thrill of this escapade. Trick-or-treating in a dark forest on Halloween night was scary, but having someone stalking you the entire time added to the Halloween experience. In a way, it was like running from the authorities. It was exciting enough to create an adrenaline rush, and they figured that they could use some excitement in their lives. It might help their courage and confidence boosters.

They were imagining creatures all over the forest, waiting for them to show up and receive candy. They could only imagine what it was like in this forest, waiting for others to come by, but they never do. Where they got candy in the first place, the group of friends would probably never know. They would have answers to all of their questions in due time, however.