Suta POV
The air felt thinner the closer they made their way up the winding footpath leading to the summit. Upon their arrival, Suta found it strange that another small forest suddenly bloomed around them. Scaling his eyes towards the starry heavens above, he only just realized they were halfway along this behemoth-sized oak tree covered with heavy blue leaves.
This strange forest floor layered beneath his feet had also caught his attention; unlike the crunchy ground, layered against the bed of the jungle below the ascending trail, beneath his feet lay a carpet of evenly matted soft bluegrass. The fairies had also noticeably shortened their distance towards him. Suta could already sense something about this place was bothering the little guys.
'I guess there's another unexpected problem awaiting me then, isn't there?' he sighed to himself.
Just as he conjured the worst possible case scenario, he first noticed the three fairies had stopped advancing. Besides the incessant twinkle of their thin wings, they were strangely quiet.
'Hm? What are they looking at now?' he wondered, following their gazes where his attention was drawn towards a peculiar shadow presented against the side of the giant tree ahead.
Suta squinted his eyes, unsure of what he was looking at. The shadow seemed to be moving ever so slightly as if it were alive. It was an unsettling sight to say the least, and the fairies' strange reaction only added to the growing sense of unease.
"Is that... is that the accursed one?" Suta asked, his voice barely above a whisper, still unable to remove his gaze away from the odd ghostly shadow.
The red-braided fairy nodded, its tiny body trembling in the process. "Y-yes... that's him. He's always s-sitting there, watching... waiting..."
"Waiting for what?" Suta inquired,
"N-no one knows," the chubby fairy replied this time, adjusting its bamboo frames with shaking hands.
"Some say he's waiting for someone to break his curse, others say he's waiting for the right moment to strike."
The green-haired fairy huddled closer to Suta's neck, seeking comfort in his presence. "I-I don't like this... maybe we should go back?"
Suta took a deep breath, steeling himself for what lay ahead. "No, we've come too far to turn back now. If this accursed one can cure me, then I have to take the chance." With a gentle motion, he plucked the green-haired fairy from his shoulder and held it against the air, waiting for its tiny wings to flutter into life.
"You three stay here. I don't want you getting caught in the middle of this if things go wrong."
The fairies exchanged worried glances but nodded in agreement. "Be careful, mister," the green-haired fairy whispered, its large eyes brimming with concern.
Suta gave them a reassuring smile before turning to face the shadowy figure. With cautious steps, he began to approach the towering oak tree, with each cautious step he felt his heart pounding in his chest.
He tilted his helm to one side, observing the strange shadowy substance slowly unearthing itself away from the rigid bark. It was slender, with a strange, impish appearance from afar. Or was it draconian? Suta couldn't decide. Around 100 or so feet away, he decided to steady the pace of his walk. Despite the heightened euphoric feeling surging through his body, mostly because of the fairies sprinkling that strange golden dust against his wound, He still felt the need to remain incredibly cautious at this point.
'Something is off about all of this, something is...w-wait what is'
Two sparkling gems of red flashed from the hazy shadow, before Suta could process the frightening sight, a silvery mist stirred, and an outline of a slenderly tall figure peeled itself away from the oak. Fear tightened its claw around his neck, as he felt that euphoric high he was feeling being draining away from his bones. He took a step away but found his body anchored to the ground like lead. A hiss of pain grimaced as that familiar sharp pain returned twice fold against his side.
The fairies' powers had worn off.
"Shit! The feeling is coming back... but heh-what kind of crazy sensation is this?" A self-mocking smile creased against his face, watching this strange shadowy figure unearthing itself into the twilight.
The silvery shadow was a very slenderly tall figure. His skin was a greyish pale, bony, and slightly chiseled with a defined and almost sculpted torso on show. The cascade of bright blonde falling past his stomach was as straight as silk. He wore dark trousers but was barefooted. He first saw his snow-white feet stepping into the twilight. The first step he took sent a baleful wind moving passed him. Cold sweat poured down the side of Suta's face. His eyes unsteadily observed the horror approaching without any real idea what he should do.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
'C-come on now... what kind of pressure is that?' He asked himself,
The slender fellow was around 7 feet tall. He walked with a slightly hunched form, his two long arms loosely drooped forward. Suta tried to remain poised, but every fiber within his body was screaming out to him to flee at once.
'Shit-I can't move a single inch.'
Suta blinked and burning sweat rolled down his eyes, forcing him to blink a few times. The slender figure stopped its ghoulish movements. Its slenderly long neck craned back, then side to side. The sounds of bones cracking made Suta flinch. He calmed himself down and swallowed harshly, his gaze narrowed in wait whilst he watched with feverish anticipation as the figure finally revealed the face hidden beneath its sunken head. Sucking in large mouthfuls of air, a clear mist rose away from its loud exhale.
Much to his surprise, a very handsome and unblemished pale face beheld him, but it was its expressionless scarlet eyes that sent waves of chill rushing through his body. Once its lips parted aside, Suta suddenly gasped as a rogue wind swept through him so quickly. He merely blinked and found the towering fellow standing right in front of him. He had an arm placed around his shoulder, his body bent slightly so his head rested between the space over his shoulders.
Suta's eyes were glaring wide, his heart had already fell into his stomach at this point . And a single feeling numbed his bones, leaving his body as stiff as ice. Fear. In it's most truest and purest form.
"So-so fast." He beathed in soft hushes. Still very much trying to figure out if his life was about to end. And within that moment, Suta surrendered himself to whatever power was before him right now. One false move, and he understood it would spell his end.
"I still remember... the smell of those born from the mercy of dawn," a watery and surprisingly gentle voice crept into his ears.
Suta's gaze remained a stiffened mask of shock. He feared that even moving a single muscle might bring about unexpected trouble. He could hear this fellow sniffing around him, his touch softly landing against his shoulders. Fingertips as cold as ice delicately brushed him, causing him to squirm a little.
"Hm? Does it bother you? My intent, if so, then perhaps you should fall... to your knees."
A high pitched screech sounded across the air, Suta took a single deep gasp before feeling an overwhelming force suddenly descending upon his standing body. His eyes were left bulging wide, as his knees buckled and his shoulders dropped, he was sent crashing towards the ground before he found himself pinned to the soft grass, his eyes level with the pure snow-white feet standing above the blue grass. The entire scene happened so quickly he couldn't gather any thoughts quick enough. But amidst the tyrannical wave, a single thought managed to surface amongst the chaos around him.
'Strong...too strong.'
In the midst of the overwhelming disaster, the cogs started to rapidly turn. His mind which he prized so much had always bailed him out of tough situations. And today was a dire situation,. Whilst he struggled desperately against the overwhelming pressure, a sudden realization struck him. The fairies had mentioned that this accursed one had helped their tribes in the past, teaching them about his world. Perhaps, if he could appeal to that side of the mysterious being, he might stand a chance.
With great effort, Suta managed to lift his head just enough to meet the accursed one's glowing red eyes bearing down coldly from above.
"P-please..." Suta managed to somehow say, his voice was heavily strained and barely audible.
"I... I come...se-ek-ing your help. The fa-fa-fairies... they said... you might be able to c-c-cu-re me..." The accursed one tilted his head, his expressionless face betraying no emotion.
"Cure you? And why should I do that? What value does your life hold to me?"Suta swallowed hard, his mind racing to find the right words.
"I... I can offer you know-l-ledge. Knowledge... of my world, j-just as you have shared with the fairies... I am a... traveler, one who has seen many strange and wondrous things..." For a moment, the slender figure remained silent, his blood soaked eyes continued to pierce into Suta's soul.
Then, slowly, the oppressive force gently started to lift away, allowing Suta to finally take a shaky breath.
"Very well," the grey skinned fellow said, his voice was subtle like a cold whisper but there was a slight bit of life to his voice now.
"I will hear what you have to say. But know this, traveler! if your words fail to capture my intrigue, your life ...will be forfeited."
Suta finally exhaled the breath he had trapped within his lungs for what felt like an eternity. He needed a few minutes to gather himself, he hated how his chest was heaving so quickly. A glimmer of hope had appeared. It was a chance, however slim, and he was determined to make the most of it.
'Alright, Suta... time to put that silver tongue of yours to the test. Your life depends on it.'
With a deep breath, he began to speak, weaving tales of his adventures and the wonders he had witnessed, all the while praying that his words would be enough to save him from whatever trouble was currently glaring down upon him, with the most fascinating and yet equally terrifying pair of scarlet eyes he had ever seen.