Chapter 3

“It should be somewhere past here”, the young Grey hushedly thought aloud. He had been following the fluorescent green path for a while already and its color was becoming more vibrant. He knew very little about hunting or tracking, but it was obvious to him that he was getting closer as the color grew in intensity.

He had never seen this kind of color or brightness before with his power, so he wanted to follow it. Although one could say Grey might be more mature than others of his age, he was ultimately still a boy, and curiosity has grasped his reason by its feet. Thankfully he still had enough sense to mark the trees with his axe in order to return safely.

Without knowing, Grey had already begun to approach the fearsome outer region of the Prowling woods. The vegetation inhabiting the area had changed now. The grass that had been silently slumbering under the snow and only occasionally containing the strength to peak out now spread far and wide. Trees had not yet lost their leaves although their colors had changed to a variety of reds, yellows, and browns.

Going further into the clearing, a light crackling sound was heard in the distance. This halted Grey, there had been very few sounds other than the scurrying of tree rodents, and the humming of insects, but this, this sounded like the light roar of thunder before a storm. The sky, however, although dark, was clear, the moon still shining brightly down from the heavens illuminating all existence under it.

Still, his mind was made, Grey proceeded forward still keeping an eye on the light, which had slightly faded from his waning concentration. Now there were no leaves to step on, all of them nestled safely in the trees. There were even golden flowers with centers full of seeds, their aromas filling his nostrils with pleasant scents that he had never experienced before. The clearing was now behind him, and Grey had fully embarked into the outer regions of the Prowling Forest. It almost seemed as if this place was humming, even the fauna seemed to be oscillating with some sort of energy. Grey had only remembered the world as a blur of white, a canvas filled with snow ever falling as if the earth had never known a spring. There were of course four seasons the villagers kept track of, but it hardly affected the temperature in any significant way. They primarily used it to know what crops to grow and what animals to hunt.

Suddenly an explosion sounded, this time much closer, as if there was some sort of barrier preventing him from clearing noticing it before. Like the fury of nature, the explosion reverberated through the world, as if a god's fist had impacted the earth. Even the ground had shook, temporarily halting the gentle humming of the nature around him. Grey now stopped permanently frozen in place due to the earth-shattering cataclysms he had just felt. The green path had now vanished completely, and a cold shiver ran down his spine. In the sky above him, he could see it, a man, that even now when the path had vanished, radiated an eerie green glow.

With a roar that shattered the sky above, the man soared through the canopy, his hand coated with plasma as dozens of bolts stretched out towards the abomination that had frozen Grey in his place.

It loomed above, its molten scales emitting a blinding viridescent aura, its wings vast and leathery, stretched wide, as it cast its arrogant gaze at the creature resembling an ant before its towering snake-like figure. When the bolts dripping with energy finally struck it, a defening howl screamed through to forest. The demonic beast did not fall, however, but instead charged at the man like a torpedo, its cylindrical body allowing its body to reach speeds incomprehensible my most men.

However, a quiet tranquility showed in the man’s eyes. He stood resolute, his body shimmering with a fierce, electric glow, crackling energy swirling around him like a living creature, causing the air to boil around him. A yell came from his core, and the world stood still, a flash flooded the forest and Grey was forced to close his eyes. There was an incorruptible silence momentarily that enveloped the woods, and in the next moment, the light was gone.

When Grey opened his eyes and looked back up, his gaze widened in disbelief. The man who was dwarfed by the gargantuan beasts was left in the air and the vile serpent was nowhere to be seen, all traces of its existence wiped from the world. Then as if a commit trailing an otherworldly light, he plummeted to the forest floor. However, no sound came from his landing. Grey had now regained some of his senses and instinctively ran in the direction of the fallen warrior.

After a few breaths of time, Grey could sense a heat and he quickly crouched down but still, he continued approaching the center of the heat. After several minutes, past a couple of bushes, leaning against a tree was the old man, serene in his composure, his eyes shown with a wisdom not found in these areas. A long beard flowed down his chest, lightly singed from his battle. His weathered hands gently browsed a ring placed on his right pointer finger.

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With a soft shimmering light, the space around the man's hand warped, and from the center of its glow, a small toddler emerged, wrapped in a thick cloth. She could not have been more than three years old. Her eyes sparkled with a pine green depth, contrasting beautifully with her short turquoise hair which reached just past her ears, giving her an otherworldly presence.

Grey couldn’t help but gasp, a human had appeared from literally nowhere, and one with such an odd appearance. Not that he was one to talk with hair that closer resembled the old man's beard in color rather than the brown and black most people had in the village.

“Who's there!” The old man exclaimed.

“Ah.” Grey tried to get up to run, but with a wave of the old man’s hand, the air shifted around Grey and he was helplessly lifted from the dirt, his body floating towards the old man as if being pulled by an invisible force.

Grey arrived in front of the old man who had forced himself to stand up.

“What clan have you come from, Why can’t you leave us in peace!” The old man shouted at Grey, who could only look in fear back. “Speak!” commanded the man.

A pressure lifted off Grey who forced himself through the terror to cry out, “I don’t know what you mean, I live here in the woods with my village.”

“Lies!” The old man grabbed Grey by the head with one hand, containing immeasurable force, and forced Grey to look him in the eyes.

A brutal invasive force pierced through Gray’s mind, all memories and secrets forcefully snatched and dragged to the surface, leaving his head in agony as if his consciousness was being shattered open with a hammer.

“Aahh! Please stop, I’m sorry, please just stop!” Tears were cascading down from his eyes, facing such unbearable pain was truly impossible for such a child.

Then suddenly, the pain ceased and Grey slumped to the ground, curling into a ball and sobbing.

“How can such a place exist out here,” the man exclaimed with disbelief, disregarding Grey’s present condition.

He glanced down at Grey and finally revealed pity and a hint of regret in his eyes. “You may not understand, but I had to do this. There are too many dangers chasing us for me to be merciful just based on your appearance.”

While he gave his reasons to Grey who had calmed to a light sniffle now, he responded through a short occasional gasp, “You’re going to let me go?”

“I will,” the man nodded. “But I need something from you.” He removed his wring placing it in the bundle with the girl and held his arm out with the sleeping girl who had not stirred awake all this time. “Take her and protect her, in your village, she will be safe. If you do, I will send you safely back, and give you my ring.”

“I don’t understand, why do you need me to take her, and what do you mean ‘send me back?’ I can just walk. Just leave me here alone please, I don’t want anything.” Fear had taken its hold on Grey, his only goal was to get away from this man as soon as he could.

“No, it is already a miracle you arrived through these woods safely. Had I not been battling the Serpent King, other beasts would have been present and certainly devoured you. If you head back now, you will die without a doubt.” There was no deceit in his eyes as he stared holes into Grey.

Grey had still not yet realized how far he had wandered, but seeing the grave look in the eyes gazing at him, a shiver ran down his spine.

The old man suddenly stumbled a bit and fell to his knees.

“There is no time. Do as I say and protect her. I beg of you.” With that, he shoved the girl into the chest of Grey. The man stared at her lovingly for the last time, then stood back up. He lifted his arms and began moving them in strange formations.

Grey watched stunned as the air violently cycled around him, bending to the old man’s will, and then a force once again grabbed Grey and lifted him.

“Hold onto her well!” The man shouted at Grey.

Grey held onto the bundled child closely on instinct and was then launched backward. His consciousness faded more and more as he hurtled through the forest at high speed, twisting and turning through the path he had taken on his way here. The cold wind whistled through his ears biting at his skin, and finally, just as he couldn’t take anymore, he slowed then halted.

He stood and looked around, “No way.” With great shock, Grey realized he had returned to the clearing separating the border between the inner forest and outer woods. He looked behind him and shivered, then ran back towards the village.

It only took some minutes to hear shouting from a few men.

“Grey! Where are you?”

It was Bark’s voice, Grey recognized it from the visits Bark frequently made to Elder’s home.

“Here, I’m over here!”

Grey stopped moving so that Bark could reach him without having to adjust, and soon he did just that.

The hulking figure of Bark came through some trees as he called with great relief, “Gods, you know how much trouble you’re in, the elder is fur-” He stopped as he saw the bundle in Grey’s arms. He stared stunned for a moment, before picking them both up, “Let’s head to grandfather quickly.”

—

“To meet such a place right before my end is truly great fortune.” The old man stared in the distance towards the direction he sent Grey. However, he could not see past the strange barrier separating the village and the dangerous woods. This was a place of no return, and yet, he found sanctuary here.

“Please live your life here in peace, this world despised us for what we are, but they will never find you here.” The old man’s fingers had turned a charcoal black as he spoke. With a soft noise, his skin began to crumble, and from his fingertips, the first wisps of ash escaped, spreading slowly until his entire form dissolved into the wind, leaving nothing behind but his robes which soon were swept away.