Sorry for being late. I wanted to post 2 chapters last week, but there is a lot of reasons stopped me
1) This chapter is damn huge. Way over anything i posted, with more than 4k. Look like i bite more than i can chew
2) My HDD broken. I spent 3 days just to crack it to get back my data.
Enough moaning, enjoy
There wont be any chaps anytime soon, i have midterm next month
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“What should we do with her?She is cursed”
“I… I don’t know. But we can’t let other people found out about this.”
Anna was just a normal elf living peacefully with her parents in Valencia Wood, near the Forest of Sleeping Tree. But when she turned 5, everything changed. Her left eye’s color gradually turned white and she can’t see anything with that eye. Her parent’s attitude toward her changed too. They spent less time with her, and when they do, they tried to avoid looking at her face. Sometimes, Anna can hear her mother’s crying voice from her room while her father look more and more worn out every passing day. He also spent more time outside, and when he returned, he tried to make Anna drinks lots of weird potions.
Anna was young, but she understood all of this was because of her left eye. One day, she tried to braid her hair so that it can cover her left eye completely. When she tried to show that to her mother, her mother burst out with tears, hugging her and saying “I’m sorry, I’m sorry” all night.
When Anna’s eye completely turned white, she was prohibited to go outside.
“Anna… she has to go” her father hardly said
“I won’t allow you to kill her. Cursed or not, she’s still my daughter” her mother’s face contorted in anger, with a little desperately in her voice.
“Calm down, she has my blood too. But It will be a matter of time before everyone found out about this. The sickness excuse won’t last long”
“Should we ask our Goddess Artemis for a Revelation?”
“I… don’t want to risk it. You know how our Goddess thinking. If she take a liking to her, our daughter will have to follow her with the rest of her life. I don’t want our daughter to be a virgin forever just because of our decision.”
“What did you think of?”
“I… want to send her to the Keeper. She live alone and trustworthy. We can even visit her twice a year. And who know, maybe living in that forest may cure this curse”
A Keeper is the protector of the sacred forest. Their main job is to cater some valuable trees and inform the village if something happened inside forest. Every sacred forest has one or two Keepers.
“The Keeper? Is she okay?”
“It will be fine. I’d known her since I was a kid. She know how to keep her words. We can let Anna live with her until she can make decision for her own, then she can decide if she want to follow our Goddess Artemis or not. Personally, I don’t like her to do that”
“What’s your problems with the Amazoness? I think they are kind of cool.”
“Their whole existence is the problem. Woman shouldn’t play with bow and sword, then belittle man. They even said that man’s existence is not necessary. What a joke! Like they can make baby on their own”
“Well, I know that they are a little too extreme. But if that can help our daughter…”
“I said no. Anna can decide on that when she grow up. But as long as I still walking in this forest, I won’t put my daughter on those crazy-battle maniac- sorry excuse of a woman’s hands. “
And thus, Anna was sent to live with the Keeper, who is a gentle-looking old lady. Everything went smoothly and the Keeper agreed to keep quiet about this.
At first, Anna was very quiet. As a young girl, the thought of being abandoned by her parents really wound her up deeply and hurt the already low of her self-esteem. Unknowingly, Anna has built a cage to block herself from getting hurt from outside world.
“Anna, can you pass me the watering can”
“Here”
“Anna, would you mind …?
“Anna…”
However, the Keeper doesn’t seem to mind her cold attitude. She interacted with Anna like she is her own child and didn’t hesitate to look straight at her face when talking. Anna felt … annoying at first. She just wanted to be left alone reading her books, but she can’t disobey the Keeper. She’s just a guest in this house after all. Anna wasn’t aware that just by talking and doing works together with the Keeper, their distance had slowly become closer.
Time passed, Anna had lived with the Keeper for more than 3 years. She had grown a lot and can water the old trees on her own. She got used to live with the Keeper, and sometimes, initiate the conversation on her own. However, she still refused to change her hairstyle to unhide the eye, no matter how many times the Keeper insisted.
“Anna, will you listen to me? Let untie your hair. It such a waste to cover your cute face”
“… No”
“Why?”
“This eye … cursed. Don’t want … hurt you”
“I have lived long enough to know it’s not a curse, Anna. Just trust me and untie your hair”
“…No”
“Sigh, what a stubborn child. Could you hold this vase for me instead?”
“…Like this?”
“Yeah, be careful not to drop it. Now then …”
Before Anna can react, the Keeper already got behind her and untie her hair.
“As expected, you look much cuter like this”
“You … tricked me”
Anna looked up to the Keeper with widening eye, can not comprehensive what just happened. Then, she realized this is wrong and quickly turn her face down, tried to hide the eye.
“It’s too late now, Anna. If it was really a curse, I should be affected by now”
“…Why?”
“I wonder. Maybe because I like you”
She cheerfully smiling like it’s nothing to worry about.
“ARE YOU STUPID!!! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT I FEELING RIGHT NOW !!!”
“Anna…”
“My mom cried everytime she see me, my dad doesn’t even look at me. I can’t even meet my friend and have to hide in this forest like a rat. AND NOW YOU DONE IT”
“…”
The Keeper didn’t say anything, she just slowly wrap her arms around Anna and gently hug her from behind.
"You are the only one who i can talk normally. If something happened to you because of me ...I... I "
The rest, she can not say it as it was overwhelming with sobbing, the crying voice she hold in her heart ever since her eye transform.
"Good girl, Anna.You are a good girl. Just let it out like this"
"Umu.."
The two hugging each other for a while, until the Keeper find it the right time to talk.
"Anna, can you listen to me for a bit?"
"Umu..." She responsed softly as her head still in cloud after the cry.
"Anna, you are still young, too young. You have a whole future waiting for you. Don’t let this eye block that future from you”
She touched Anna’s cheek softly and look deep into her eye.
“One day, people will find a cure for this. One day, someone that care about you despite this eye will come in your life. Until that day come, promised me this, Anna, never lose hope.”
“Umu…”
“Good girl…”
“Keeper…”
“Yes…?”
“Can you hold me like this … longer”
“Anytime you want”
“…….”
“…grandma”
“Hmm?”
“Can I call you… grandma”
“Ohh Anna”
After that incident, Anna has become more lively. She spent more time outside with the Keeper and doesn’t tie her hair anymore. She still tied it whenever she met with her parents though, as to avoid causing unnecessary dismay.
However, when the two has become closer, Anna has noticed something strange.
The Keeper is old, too old to live out here alone. She doesn’t even remember what she had done just one moment before, and she even dozed off on chair while talking.
And another thing is, they are not alone in this forest.
Sometimes, Anna can catch sigh of a wolf, a beautiful white wolf looking into their hut from afar. It was just a moment before it disappeared, but Anna can see a shred of intelligent in his eye.
“Grandma, I want to ask you something”
“What’s it, little Anna?”
“Grandma, why do you still staying in this forest?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“A Keeper only obliged to stay in the sacred forest in the span of 1 to 3 years. After that, another Keeper will take turn to stay. But you have stayed here for more than 10 years, even my parents can’t tell how long you were here. Why?”
“Oh my, you did your homework well. I’m impressed, little Anna. But I can’t leave this forest now, is it? Now that my Anna is staying with me”
“Muu, grandma, you are dodging the subject”
“ Ha ha, my bad. But really, why did you suddenly want to know that? Or do you want to chase this poor, old woman out of this forest and become the new Keeper?” The Keeper teasingly said it with a joking smile on her face.
“Grandma!!!”
“Gehh, there is no way to stopping you now, is it. But this will be a long story. Very long”
“Grandma, I’m prepared” Anna bring out a seat for the Keeper.
“Sigh, what a stubborn child” She slowly sit down on the chair with her eye looking faraway into the forest.
“Long time ago, when I was just as small as you are right now, little Anna, I traveled to this forest everyday like it is my backyard”
“This forest was not forbidden back then?”
“No, it was still forbidden and there was a very old Keeper living in it. But I was a problem child back then, the more they forbid me from entering, the more I want to come in just to prove that they were wrong”
“Somehow, that is hard to imagine”
“Hehe, I know. It doesn’t fit with my image now. I was so young back then, compare to you now, I was just a fool who think she can do whatever she wanted without consequences. But moving on, I bet you don’t want to hear this old woman’s ramble do you”
“It was just a normal day like any others. Some kids didn’t believe that I can go to this forest alone, so this time I go deep inside, to the part I never visited before to find something amazing. I walked around aimlessly for hours but found nothing impressive. Just about time I was about to give up and turn back, I saw it, a seven-colored flower on the edge of a hill. At that time, there was only one thought in my head, I have to get it”
She paused for a moment, trying to find the words to describe it.
“Then, I don’t know how, it took me a while to get there, but I finally reach the flower. However, when my hand reached to flower, I let my guard down and lost balance. My body fell from that hill while my hand still holding the flower, it was short and my brain can’t even comprehend what just happened”
“Luckily ,my body fell to something soft. When I regained my consciousness, I realized I fell right in the back of a monstrous 3-headed black dog. We looked into each other for a while, then one of the head talked to me”
“Watch your step, little girl”
“And then? Did you talk back to him?”
“Haha,no. I screamed as loud as I can and run like my life depend on it. When I get back to the village, everyone was seeing like a ghost just appear. And the funny part is, I still hold that flower, but all of it petal was teared off during my escape”
“Have you comeback after that?”
“No. I swear to my life back then I will never come back to this forest. Sometimes, I do miss it but fear consumed me and I gave up that idea”
“Then, why do live here?”
“When you get old, Anna, your life’s view point changed too. It was around when I was 60 that I want to live in this forest. It was just a thought at that point, but it came back stronger and more frequently. This forest is my childhood, a part of my life and just think I will never come back here is like betraying my friend. And so, I decided to move here as a new Keeper”
“But Grandma, what about that dog?”
“Well, he is part of the reason too. Thinking back now, I believe that dog has intelligent and never mean harm to me. That’s why I was looking for him in here to say “thank you” to him properly”
“But how can you know if he still here? It’s been a long time”
“Call that a woman’s instinct. I just had a feeling he still living here. Beside, you must have noticed it now, Anna, there is a white wolf sometimes appear in this forest”
“I just saw it the other day. Is it his son?”
“I believe so. They sort of look similar and he has the same eye as the dog back then. If you ever meet him, greeting him properly will you, Anna? I believe you two will become good friend”
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“I will, grandma”
After that talk, Anna was looking forward to meeting that wolf again. She believed they can become good friend with each other, be it because of grandma’s story or just a little girl’s delusion about a mystery being. However, the wolf didn’t appear again, instead of it, someone from the village came.
Anna has to hide, because according to his parent’s story, she’s still out in another country living with a close relative. The elf came in seem to be in rush, he tried to tell grandma to come back to the village in the meantime. According to his, humans will have some kind of monsters hunting in this forest in the next few days, and the forest is not safe anymore. However, grandma easily brush out the subject
“Sorry son, but I can’t leave this forest now. If the humans came, who know what will they do to this beautiful forest, to our holy tress that dwell in here. I need to be here at crisis time, that’s part of a Keeper’s job.”
“But… your life is more important than this …” He seems frustrated to get the word out, but grandma stop it before he can finish.
“When you get older like me, you get pretty stubborn sometime. If Hades want to welcome me to his realm, then so be it.” She smiled gently like it’s no big deal “Send my regards to the village chief for his consideration, and tell him, if he doesn’t receive any words from me after the humans left, he should consider finding a new Keeper”
The elf reluctantly left, doesn’t achieve what he come here for. After made sure he gone, Anna come out of her hiding place to inquire the Keeper, who is looking gloomy outside.
“Grandma”
“Oh, little Anna, you surprised me. Do you want some tea”
“Grandma, did you reject returning to the village… because of me”
She looked at me a while with a surprise eye, before returning to her usually cheerful smile
“Anna, you think too deep about this. A kid like you should be more bright. Now, come here, let grandma brush your hair for you”
“Grandma, you tried to change the subject again”
“Sigh, what am I going to do with you. I don’t remember how many time I said it, but you are a stubborn child”
“Grandma!!!”
I gave her a meaningful look, the kind that me her give up every time she is trying to hide something.
“Okay okay, you win. Remember this Anna, boys don’t like suborn girl”
“Grandma!!!!!!!”
More meaningful look.
“Okay,you are right. You are part of the reason I can’t leave this forest now. How can I leave it in a few days while little Anna still living here? What kind of grandma am i? But, you are not the only reason”
She returned to the gloomy look a while ago and looking outside again.
“This is the first time humans set foot in this sacred forest, in my life time. I can feel it, something big is incoming, something that can shake this peaceful era. And it related to the pair of wolves that live in this forest with us”
“If … something was going to happen to “him”, even if I can’t help it, I want to make sure about it”
She went to a grave state while murmuring something inconsistent. Anna know full well that she shouldn’t disturb her this time.
Few days later, the forest’s atmosphere completely change. You can’t see it physically, but Anna can feel it. Wood elves always have a special bond with natural. The tree is anger.
Grandma has lost her usually cheerful mood. Often, Anna found her looking at the South west with a grave look that she hardly showed it on her face
“How dare they …”
“Unacceptable…”
At one time, she called out to Anna and give her a package
“Anna, this package has enough food and medicine for you to last in 3 days. If something were going to happen to me, then you take this and run to your parent’s house”
“Grandma, don’t scare me like that”
“Silly girl, I only say this just in case” She smiled softly, there was some sadness when she said it.
That night, too people forced the door open. Grandma came out to greet them, but
*Stab*
(Grandma)
Anna’s eye was draw in as grandma’s body slowly collapsed and fall to the ground, in a pool of blood. She wanted to scream, she wanted to hurried toward her, but Anna was scared.
She was my only friend, the only one I can talk to, the only one understand me.
This… can not be real. This can’t be happening.
Her brain refused to accept the things happening right before her eye and believe in a desperate hope that all of this was just a dream. She scared that if she come over, the illusion will gone, reveal the despairing truth.
“Oi, George. Are you sure about this?”
“Stop being a dick, Max. They want a bait, right? What’s better for a bait to lure a wild dog than a little blood”
“But, this is elves’s sacred forest”
“Listen, we complete the task, we get the rewards, and we gone. Nobody will never EVER hear anything about things in this forest”
“Sigh, you just want an excuse for your killing hobby”
“Yeah, so what? You have a problem with that? Get your lazy ass outside and prove to be useful, for once”
*Walking sound*
“Damn, why do I have such a small dick friend? 3 years in bandit camp and he still can’t do shit. Oh well, back to busi… Lookie here. A small elf. Is this God’s reward for all of my effort fuwahhaaaaa”
Anna completely ignore the greedy look from the baldy or when he tried to tie her. Her brain had stopped malfunction. There is only one thing in her mind.
Grandma.
Stand up
Please… tell me
This is all a dream.
What happen after that, Anna can’t tell. Her mind is completely blank. She just watched the Keeper’s motionless body in silence, with the whole area surrounding become blurred, nothing more than complete void.
That’s, until someone whole body covered in blood stand next to her.
“Please … take … care… of … her”
The Keeper looked at Anna for a last time, she gave her the usual gently smile and tried to say something. However, she was too weak to make any noise and before long, her eye became empty, like a doll, pretty but completely deny of life.
After that, the world came back to Anna, bring along the unwanted emotion with it.
Sadness.
Despair.
Anna doesn’t know how to call that, but it was familiar, the same as when her left eye became completely blind.
Anna want to cry.
She knew crying will make her feel better, but she can’t. Her body refused listening to her, same as last time.
When Anna come to her sense, she realized this house, her home, the place she’s been living for 3 years, was painted in blood. Her grandma’s body was nowhere to be found, instead of it, 2 strange male body lay on the floor. Anna walked outside to find a boy stand next to a new hole, with grandma’s body placed near it.
Grandma
Why
Don’t leave me alone, please
At least, bring me with you
“Any last words”
“…Yes”
Anna move slowly, with the hope all of this is a prank and grandma will wake up and hug her, like usual
At close range, grandma’s face looked peaceful. She has the same face when she sleep but the wound on her chest and the coldness from her skin tell a different story.
“…Grandma”
Thank you for always listen to me.
Thank you for always make me laugh.
Thank you for always give up when I give you a meaningful look.
Thank you for giving me courage to untie my hair.
“Grandma … thank you … for being my grandma”
……….
After everything finish, the outside of the house looked exactly the same, except the place she buried grandma and marked it with a stone.
The same old tree that Anna sit next to while listening to grandma’s story, the same flower garden that the 2 take turn to water.
Everything is the same.
But why is my chest tighten every time I look at it
“Grab whatever you want, we will depart shortly”
Now that Anna have a closer look, the boy looked pretty “strange”. He has white fur covered his body, with no clothes or armor on it. With dog ears and tail, he’s not a race she can recognize. For some strange reason, Anna firmly believe he is the white wolf she was looking forward to meet.
The boy has a fierce eye, wild and free, like an animal. But Anna can sense a bit of sadness and loneliness in that eye.
Grabbing the package grandma showed her this morning, when Anna get out, the boy was already on his way. She tried to follow him, but thinking for a minute, then use a branch to cover both his and her tracks before going with him to the depth of the forest. All of that action was not missed, by the boy.
“You are brave, little girl” The boy said while walking
(No, I’m not)
Anna knowing full well
She’s just a coward, can’t even get out of her shell.
……………………………………….
The place he went to, is cave well hidden in the forest.
The boy reverted to the wolf form shortly and fell asleep right after.
But Anna can’t.
She missed the softness in her bed.
She missed the warmness from her blanket.
And most of all, she missed grandma’s smell in that house.
After lots of attempt to sleep, Anna failed. The only thing she can do is watching the wolf sleep.
He looked… innocent, nothing resembled the ferocious boys who was covered in blood that time. His body curled up in a cute gesture with his ears down and his body shifting in a slow motion with each of his breath.
Having nothing else to do, Anna slowly get close to him, to the point that her hand can reach him.
She doesn’t know where did she get that courage, but she slowly snugged to his body, with her hand wrap around him.
(As I thought, this is… comfortable).
The warm from his body, and his scent, she doesn’t know how to describe it, but it has a calm effect on her mind.
Slowly, Anna fell asleep while hugging the wolf.
…………..
(Grandma, I miss you)
Anna remembers, the first time she met the Keeper.
“Keeper, please. Can you take care of this child? Her eye is a little … weird. We fear she can’t live in the forest”
“Don’t worry about it. Anna, is it? Nice to meet you”
The first time they met, the Keeper greeted her with a cheerful smile. Honestly, it annoyed Anna.
Go away
Leave me alone
Don’t show me that smile
Do you even know how I feel
Anna kept silent, while staring at her. The atmosphere became awkward and her parent tried to cover it.
“I’m so sorry. She usually such a nice girl. Must be shy. Say hi, Anna”
“…”
“Never mind that. I’m sure we can get along. After all, we have such a long time ahead of us”
Go spend that time with yourselves
Don’t even get near me
I will pretend I was deaf.
(Grandma)
(I was such a spoiled child back then)
(But you never reject me)
“One day, people will find a cure for this. One day, someone that care about you despite this eye will come in your life. Until that day come, promised me this, Anna, never lose hope.”
“Okay,you are right. You are part of the reason I can’t leave this forest now. How can I leave it in a few days while little Anna still living here? What kind of grandma am i?”
“I believe so. They sort of look similar and he has the same eye as the dog back then. If you ever meet him, greeting him properly will you, Anna? I believe you two will become good friend”
“Anna, this package has enough food and medicine for you to last in 3 days. If something were going to happen to me, then you take this and run to your parent’s house”
“Little Anna…”
“Please … take … care… of … her”
“Grandma”
Anna woke up, with cold sweats all over her body. Before her eyes, the white wolf is looking at her curiously.
(Grandma)
(I don’t know why you trusted him, I still don’t know)
(But … I trust you, grandma. Forever and always.)
(I will try)
Anna inhaled a deep breath, before introducing
“Good morning, Onii-chan”
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On a site note, i will change big brother to Onii-chan now.
Why? because Onii-chan is more Moe and this is a damn fantasy world
Bear with it