“I made it,” John lay on the ground, caring less about the dirt and the prickly pine needles. He smiled. His eyes reflecting the glow of the silver fireflies as if they were carnival lights. They flew and blinked like light-bulb with wings. It was a beautiful scene. Something he never had the chance to see back on earth.

“Menu. Status. SP,” his words came in a row, opening his desired window. It was tedious at first. But after enough time John got used to it.

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‘I guess that’s good enough,’ John jumped back on his feet. He stretched his neck and limbs, preparing for whatever was ahead. As of now, he was clear from danger, away from the jaws of the Onyx Panthera. But who knew what would await him in this new ground.

John walked among the swarm of silver fireflies. He was carefree and relaxed, far from that chase he had with the goats. It felt different in a way. And he had to admit, this part of the forest was quite lovely. It wasn’t too dark as the ambiance was just right. Similar to a well-kept backyard. Even the smell was different. He assumed it was lavender, perhaps a tint of it. Nonetheless, the pleasant smell soothed his heart and mind. As if this part of the forest was blessed by some higher power. No wonder the woman kept urging him to get here.

Still, his stomach was still empty and his throat dried like an empty well. He had been wishing he would stumble on a pond or a lake. Quenching his thirst had never been so important to him, and he realized how blessed he was back on earth. Everything was of convenience. Like they always said, you would never truly appreciate something until you lost it completely.

By sheer luck, his ears picked up something. His frown grew deeper as he focused himself to listen. ‘A stream?’ his smile couldn’t be contained. It seemed hope had not yet abandoned him. With thirst driving him on, John rushed on his feet, chasing down the sound of water.

He leaped over a shrub and for a brief second, he witnessed the thing he sought. That lapse of losing attention made him misstep on his landing. He fell and rolled, but the pain didn’t bother him. Right now, his eyes were fixated on the pool of water. It was just a few yards away with heavy mist clinging around the pond. The pond’s edges were strewn with pebbles and stones, neatly as if a person had done it.

Like a separate entity, his parched throat demanded the water. John pushed his legs off the soft grass as the mud scraped by the sole of his dress shoe. In mere seconds, he reached the edge and with his body carried by the momentum, he plunged headfirst into the calm surface of the pond. John vanished underneath as waves rocked the whole pond.

Water came rushing through his open mouth, and he welcomed it gladly. He swallowed it without a care and the still water had never been this sweet. His feet found the muddy bottom of the pond and he lunged himself back to the surface. Water splashed and new waves rolled through the pond again.

John’s thirst drove him as his hands scooped up water after water. He quenched his throat, ending the drought that had been plaguing him in the last few hours. John was satisfied. His whole body was drenched from top to bottom, with cold water slipping over his skin, freshening him from the fatigue of the whole day. He rinsed his hands, then his face. The urge to take a bath took over as he slipped off his shirt. Yet the corner of his eyes caught something.

The mist dispersed and revealed a silhouette at the other end of the pond. John’s guard went up. He unconciously retreated a few steps, wary of the sudden appearance of a stranger.

“You finally notice,” a sensual voice echoed softly around the pond. The mist further dissipated like a curtain being parted. In the sky, the clouds moved, clearing the night with the moonlight descending over the small pond. The dark scattered, retreating under the shadows of the tree and John finally saw her.

The vague moonlight was enough to illuminate the beauty of this damsel. Her complexion was fair yet the unknown hue of her skin made John curious. Her hair was long and lush, yet it rested on the edge of the pond and not the water. She was leaning at the edge as if relaxing by the pool. The big flower hairpin on her crown was an interesting choice of accessory. While her bewitching jewel-like eyes gazed at John like an invitation for a romantic evening soiree. His eyes couldn’t tear himself away and moving down, those luscious lips looked as sweet as ripe peaches.

John fell into a trance, grinning like an idiot. His guard dropped, thinking he had a chance with the ethereal beauty.

Then he gasped, his heart racing. His quivering eyes fixated at the maiden who rose from underneath the water, unraveling her figure below her collarbones, a set of beautiful mounds. Water slipped over the curvatures of those peaks, falling like Niagara Falls. It was like John always said, boobs were truth.

The maiden of the pond unraveled everything under the moonlight. She came closer as the water rippled from her approach. Her rosy slender fingers playfully teased the surface of the water.

Soon, she stood right in front of John with barely any space between them. John never looked away as if he was charmed by a spell from this alluring vixen. She was taller than him by half a head, probably at six feet. But height was never an issue for John.

“It’s been a while since I last saw a straggler,” she grinned, looking at him from above.

John could have replied with a witty answer. But the man had his jaw hanging, lovestruck like a virgin.

The lady of the pond slowly shook her head. She had a bitter smile as it seemed her tantalizing scent had done it again. “A pity. I thought I would have you for dinner.”

She passed by him and graced the ground with her supple legs. The lady sauntered through the ground with her arms stretched wide. Tree branches around her grew and stretched. The leaves from those branches fell above her, swirling around her figure, forming into fabrics as soft as silk. It completed itself into a chiton dress with a slit on the side. Vines from the tree top snapped on their own and slithered around the lady’s waist. It knotted itself and perfected her attire for the evening.

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Yet a presence caught her off guard.

“Did you say dinner?” a voice from her back. She turned and saw John standing there with water dripping from the edge of his clothes.

Her confusion lasted for a few seconds before turning into curiosity. Never had anyone broken through her charm this quickly. She thought she met an ordinary man, but now, he was unlikely to be ordinary.

The grumble of John’s stomach broke the silence between them. John looked down and so did her. He looked up and flashed an awkward smile.

“Come,” she said, smiling slightly.

Her dulcet voice was candy to his ears. John followed her, hoping there would be food for his belly. Yet he wasn’t as unguarded as he looked. ‘Shit, I almost lost myself there. If it wasn’t for this belly of mine, I would have been stuck like that for ages.’ Instead of continuously dreaming in a cage of lust, his hunger pulled him back. Thank goodness he heard the word dinner, triggering him back to reality like a snap of a finger.

It was a short walk with not many words between them. John looked around and witnessed the field of flowers before him. Even in the night, the petals glowed unlike when under the sun.

“Surprise?” the lady asked. She chuckled seeing the look on John’s face. “What you see here is a different breed of flowers. They only bloom under the light of the moon and hide when facing the sun. Yet ironically, they still need the ray of the sun.”

She walked through the field with John trailing from behind. They reached the foot of a small hill and stood before a curtain of vines and roots. The lady gently waved her hand and a path opened. She went first and the grotto’s wall began glowing in a greenish hue as if acknowledging her presence.

John stepped inside, finding the moss and algae on the walls the source of this luminescent light. Dimmer than a light bulb, but far more efficient. His fascination only grew stronger as the scent that lingered within these walls was like the smell of early spring. It was far more different than the scent around the lady that bared everything to him.

He passed through a tunnel and was greeted with the high ceiling of a cavern space. Yet the inside was nothing like your usual cave. Flowers, vines, and climbing plants decorated the walls. While tree-like furniture sparsely filled the cavern floor. It was just like a house and it should be since a lady lived here.

“Have a seat,” her hand gestured at the end of a long table.

John nodded and sat. He tried adjusting the seat but it wouldn’t budge. Looking down, it seemed the chair itself had rooted itself to the ground. He raised his eyebrows and sat there obediently.

The lady left him for a while and soon she arrived with her hands filled with wooden plates. This time his hunger took over. Saliva filled his mouth, preparing himself for a feast.

Yet the moment the plates were set down, his ravenous hunger was cut in half. It seemed he expecting too much from a lady who controlled the flora to her whim. Plates of fresh herbs, salads, and fruits were the delicacy of a woman like her.

‘No wonder she’s so slim,’ John thought. Yet his eyes were drawn to those bosoms hiding behind those thin fabric. ‘I wonder how she got it so big. Is it genetic or diet?’

“Not to your liking?” her voice snapped John back. Both found each other eyes as they gazed without looking away.

“No, I love it,” John grabbed an apple-like fruit and took a chunk out of it. The juice seeped into his mouth and something went wrong. He quickly covered his mouth, pretending to chew while at the same time trying not to retch.

‘That is not an apple,’ he cursed with his eyes and sneakily slipped the leftover inside his blazer. He made an important mental note to throw it out later if he had the chance. John couldn't let his blazer reeking of rotten apple-like fruit. The taste was out of this world and it was in a bad way. It was bitter and slimy with the sudden pungent smell that assaulted his nostrils as soon as his teeth sunk into its flesh. As of now, John wasn’t going to touch any of those apple lookalikes.

Looking around the plates, he found something that might be edible. The second time was the charm and the berry-like fruit was his best bet. He popped one into his mouth and the familiar sugary taste carved a smile on that face of his.

With his hunger reignited, John gorged those fruits like no tomorrow. It didn’t take long before the plate of fruits was empty except for those poisonous apples.

“Now,” the lady spoke. She rose from her seat and walked closer to John. “Your hunger had been appeased, and what else that needs to be satisfied?”

That look in her eyes was an invitation. John got the hint, but it wasn’t as easy to accept. His experience from before taught him to tread this issue carefully. He sat there, thinking.

But before he could open his mouth, the lady beat him to the punch. “Are you wondering whether this is a quest or not?” she ended it with a smile that hid a thousand possible intentions.

John sat there with his mind getting numb. This wasn’t what he expected. The sense of fear started to grow in him like that time he encountered that ghastly werewolf.

“Ease your heart, straggler,” the lady walked behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck. The skin of her face caressed the side of his cheek as that particular scent of her just got more overwhelming.

Her smell rose something within him like a water down version of an aphrodisiac. He could feel something stiffening down below, luring him to that side of pleasure. Yet he wasn’t going to back down. He calmed himself and imagined the cutest thing he could remember. That cat video he always watched popped up just in time as it was enough for a deterrent for now.

“Do you not want me?” her whisper rattled his heart. And to make things worse, she kept planting small kisses on his cheek down to his neck.

He still didn’t know who she was or what she was. John couldn’t deny the possibility of getting into a trap. But then came the heavy bombardment. She moved and sat on his lap. Slowly, her hands pushed the straps over her shoulder and once more revealed those bountiful peaks.

He stared with wide eyes as she grew closer to him for a hug. John could feel it against his face and his last line of defense was crumbling down to smithereens.

‘Fuck! Don’t do it, John! You might die if you do it!’ that thought came at the last minute. John bit his lip as blood dripped down to his chin. The pain got to him first, and he finally shouted what he desired.

“Sleep!” he said.

“And I as well,” said the lady, hinting of something else.

“No, you misunderstood. What I meant is really sleeping. My doctor said I need a good eight hours of sleep or else I’ll keep yawning the next day,” John said.

“Oh,” the lady was genuinely surprised. She had never met with this kind of response before. Strangely for her, it was quite refreshing.

“Ma’am?” John pulled her attention. “You wouldn’t have an extra bed would you?”

To his request, the lady got down from his lap and guided him to a room near the back. Yet it wasn’t simply a room. The metal door that opened it was unlike the thing he saw back in the main quarters.

She turned down the lever on the wall and gears could be heard spinning.

John was getting suspicious of this. He hoped this wasn’t an attempt to put him in a prison. The sound of gear stopped and the metal door opened on its own.

The lady went in first while John stood there, looking from the doorstep. Yet what he saw triumphed everything he had imagined.

‘This isn’t a prison cell.’ He stepped in, taking in the sight of the shimmering reflection.

‘This is a freaking treasure vault.’