The sun is sinking lower on the horizon. I’m running out of time. My legs ache, I’m thirsty, my clothes are soaked in sweat, my stomach growls with hunger, but the worst part…
“Where the hell are the goblins!?”
I shouted as loud as I could, my voice echoing across the desert. Still…
Not a single one showed up.
The desert, described in books as one of the most dangerous places to explore alone due to the sheer number of goblins that inhabit it, was eerily empty. Much to my frustration, no enemies had appeared along my journey.
“Haa…” I sighed and sat down to watch the sunset.
Honestly, I’m not a big fan of tanning, but I have to admit…
I’ve gotten more handsome, haven’t I?
Before I knew it, I was striking poses…
In the middle of the desert.
No, no! I’m not going crazy, right? This is normal! I mean, bodybuilders do it! And if they can… what’s wrong with me doing it too?
There’s nothing wrong with it!
Absolutely nothing wrong at all!
‘Goblins, please… just show up already so I can finish this damn mission and head home,’ I thought as I leaned on a cactus to get up.
[Human.]
“AAAHHH!!”
Did I just hear a voice in my head? No, wait a second…
“My hand! MY HAND!!” I screamed in pain, realizing I had stuck myself with several cactus spines. I tried to remove them with my other hand.
[...Are you listening to me?]
They say one of the side effects of wandering in the desert for too long is hallucinations. The best thing to do in this case is to ignore it and deal with my hand. Yes! That’s the most important thing: ignore it and deal with my hand!
I heard the voice in my head sigh deeply. Strange, I started to feel a bit of irritation coming from it.
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[Fine… I suppose I can forgive such a… creature.]
Ignoring the insults my hallucination started throwing at me, I focused on removing the spines.
◇◆◇
‘Should I head back?’
Night had fallen. The cold was becoming unbearable, and the sand, once warm, began to freeze, forming small icy fragments that hurt to walk on.
“Did they give me the wrong location?” I muttered under my breath, blowing on my hands to keep them warm.
I’m heading toward a forest that radiates a certain aura of danger. It may seem illogical, but I have my reasons.
First, the unusual light emanating from the leaves of the trees is incredibly strange. I’ve never seen anything like it, and even from this distance, its beauty is mesmerizing.
Second, do I really need another reason? I just want to go!
My body is screaming for mercy, but my instincts refuse to let me stop.
‘Should I try again another day?’
The goblin activity has been really odd today…
Should I report it?
No, they’d probably think I’m lying. After all, why on earth would all the goblins in the desert disappear?
It’s absurd! All of this is absurd and ridiculous! But the worst part…
[Why are you ignoring me!?]
‘Mmmhh…’
How strange.
The voice I’ve been hearing throughout my journey was growing louder and clearer.
Does this mean I’m not crazy? Hearing voices like this is completely normal, isn’t it?
“HELLO, MYSTERIOUS VOICE! I’d love to know what you want and where you’re coming from!” I shouted with all the strength I had left, in every direction, trying to reach the mysterious entity.
…
For some reason, the entity went silent.
Coughing to mask my embarrassment, I hurried toward the forest.
‘All or nothing. I’ll definitely find those goblins!’
◇◆◇
Normally, I’d already be on my way home, but this forest…
It’s strange.
“What the…?”
I was stunned by the warmth of the air, the purple glow of the trees’ leaves, and the shimmering dust they emitted. It left me speechless.
Lost in the scenery, an exasperated voice snapped at me:
[Hey! Do you have a problem? Why aren’t you answering me!?]
THAT VOICE!
How hard is it to understand that I’m giving it the silent treatment?
That’s what you get for ignoring me! Doesn’t it know what karma is? Clearly, it doesn’t.
Sitting beneath one of the glowing trees, I listened as the voice started to give up.
[Are you seriously going to keep this up all day? Ugh… And here I thought I found a decent candidate.]
My ears perked up at that last word.
Candidate.
How many times have I read that word in stories about the Chosen?
Countless tales have been written about it, and all of them are amazing!
I couldn’t hide the grin spreading across my face.
[Well… Sorry for the bother. I’ll wait for another candida–]
“WAIT A MINUTE!!” I tried to shout as loud as I could, but my dry throat made me cough instead.
The mission is important, yes, undoubtedly important.
[W-wow. You actually responded…]
But becoming a candidate doesn’t hurt anyone, right?
The voice, which had been harsh until now, suddenly sounded a little cheerful.
“Yes. So, please… could you explain this ‘candidate’ thing to me?”
…
For some reason, the voice went quiet again.
“Huh?”
I glanced over my shoulder, feeling as if multiple eyes were watching me.
Unsettled, I decided to move forward, but something stopped me.
Growls.
Halting in my tracks, I noticed, thanks to the glowing trees, dozens of hungry wolves.
‘Wait. A pack of 35 wolves!?’
Instinctively, I stepped back to put some distance between us.
My hands trembled, my mind went blank, and the wolves drew closer.