Jerome's mouth turned dry, and muscles locked him in place. All of his senses told him he was in extreme danger, but his body refused to move an inch.

The woman he was now looking at was about average height, with long black hair that was braided on one side with some adornments.

Her eyes were an intense purple and almost seemed to glow. She smiled at Jerome and spoke softly while locking eyes with him.

"Who are you, little bean? Are you lost?" She smiled widely and then looked at Nicholas, who still had not turned his head to look.

"It is rude to ignore me; why do you not even acknowledge my presence?" She said it with a bit more of an edge to her soft voice.

"Jerome, eyes front and move quickly," Nicholas said, reaching over and patting Jerome's shoulder, bringing Jerome's attention back to Nicholas.

Jerome looked at Nicholas, confused and scared, and said, "But she—" but was cut off by Nicholas, who pressed a finger to his lips and spoke in a reassuring tone. "She is not real, at least not in the way you think. I will explain back in town. Just trust me and follow my lead."

Jerome nods and resists the urge to look over his shoulder again as he rises to his feet and begins walking behind Nicholas.

"Are you going to leave me too? Why? You are just like the rest of these people, aren't you, Jerome? I thought you may be different." The woman's voice squeaked from behind them.

Jerome felt a tingle of guilt swell up inside him; he did not understand the situation, but even though he could feel she was extremely dangerous, something was telling him that she was truly hurt by what just happened.

Jerome stopped walking and placed a hand on Nicholas' back. "I think I should talk with her. I understand you know far more than I do about this situation; however, something tells me that I really should, even if it is dangerous." He felt Nicholas's back tensing up listening to his words as he continued. "You continue to Nesk; I know the way from here, and tell the others what happened. If I do not return by morning, then do what you must, but give me a chance to find out what's truly happening here." Jerome removed his hand from his back and waited for a response.

"You do not even realise how insane this is, do you? That thing is something from our legends; the stories say it murdered all of the previous inhabitants of this forest." Nicholas shook his head and chuckled softly. "Though I suppose you are not from around here, I do worry for your safety but will let you do as you please. I hope to see you again, Jerome." As Nicholas finishes speaking, he begins walking immediately.

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"Thank you for everything," Jerome called after him before turning around to face the woman, who was now seated on a log and watching him with a curious gaze.

"You wish to speak with me?" She speaks softly, and the confusion can be heard in her voice.

"As you probably overheard, I am not from here. I do not understand how this world works or what is really happening at any given moment, but I have always learned to trust my instincts." Jerome sits down on the grass a few feet in front of her. "My instincts tell me that you are very dangerous, or at least very powerful. But I also feel something like loneliness and some kind of misunderstanding. So if you would be willing, I would like to hear what you have to say."

She looks at him stunned for a few seconds. No one had spoken so directly, and she could feel he truly wanted to know; he did care in some way.

"What would you like to know, little bean?" She said, seeming to relax a little into her log.

"Whatever you are willing to share, of course you must have overheard what Nicholas said about you supposedly killing countless that have lived within these trees. But we shouldn't start there. May I first ask you to tell me about yourself? Then we can work up to how you ended up here talking to me." Jerome smiled and leant back, placing his hands in the grass, trying to show he was relaxed to hopefully make her more comfortable and not feel as if he was still terrified, which to a degree he was.

"First may I ask you a question?", She asked in a soft meek voice that was laced with curiosity.

"Of course," he said, smiling at her.

"You do realise I am not like you or that Nicholas?" She locked eyes with him and held them, trying to read his face.

"I had my suspicions, but if you were to ask me if I knew exactly what you are, the answer would be no; I have no clue. I am very new to this world, so you may be an old god forgotten by time, you may be some form of monster species within these lands, or you may even be a race thought extinct and few remain." "I do not know, but yes, I do know that you feel different from myself and Nicholas, and if you are curious, no, that doesn't bother me at all."

"You still see me as a person, though, don't you?" She said she was still watching his face.

"I do not know if person is the correct way to say it, but yes, I accept you for you." "You are speaking with me right now, so as far as I am concerned, you are not a bloodthirsty monster." "You can think and feel, so in that sense, yes, I do see you as a person, or at least someone I can relate to."

She lowers her head and stares at her hands for a moment before looking back at Jerome and smiling. Tears can be seen forming in her eyes.

"Thank you," she says, placing her hands on her legs. "My name is Aaerina; I was born in this forest many generations ago. And I will say that I did in fact kill thousands of the inhabitants that resided here." Her eyes shot up to Jerome's, worried she may have just confirmed some horrible thought he had, but he sat smiling and listening. "I did that, but it's far more complicated than what the people here say; there was a war between the inhabitants of the past, and they tried to drag us into it, and when we refused, they started to kill us as well." She looks away, with tears freely flowing down her cheeks.

"Take your time, Rina." Jerome said instinctively.