It's common knowledge that a forest would soon begin creating magic after some time. This makes it possible for magical creatures and beings to live in it. Some are friendly, some are mischievous, and some are dangerous. Given even more time, tens and thousands of years, the forest might come to host powerful beings; what we would call gods and goddesses.
Now, one of those beings looked at me with curious eyes. It possessed the face of a lovely woman, more beautiful than any I’ve ever met. Its eyes were pure black and glistened like insect eyes, but there was also something else. Like an emptiness, a void that could never be filled. Ridiculous, I know, but taken cared for while not knowing whether it was by mercy or by a flight of fancy did not sit well with me.
I tried to recall the events that led me to this position, only for an awful headache to strike. There were only bits and pieces; of fire, a walking tree, and of solemn resignation. I tried remembering more, but a gentle caress on my cheek stopped me. The deity’s expression remained the same, but I saw glowing energy flowing down its left arm. I assumed that it went to its hand, and then to me, because I felt my mind and body strengthen, growing and thickening like a maturing tree. Before I noticed it, I had stood up.
Overcome by this seeming recovery, I turned to thank the deity, but it was already walking away. A swarm of fireflies and fluttering spirits following it close behind. A breeze picked up, and only then did I become aware that I was completely naked. Panicked by this predicament, I searched around to find my armor and equipment. They were in a haphazard pile on the side of a river. The equipment was a bit wet, but I didn’t care. I put the least amount of clothing I could manage, then set out to make a fire. To my good fortune, the area around had plenty of wood I could use.
The heat was very welcome, and I was almost tempted to strip naked again. Resisting that foolish thought, I hung my equipment atop a makeshift row and waited. While I waited, I decided to recollect my thoughts. My memories had cleared up quite a bit since the forest deity left. I now remember my encounter with the tree monster on Lumber’s Trail. Also how I became cornered and resigned myself to death. But after that, I couldn’t remember.
“It’s amazing how lucky I’ve been these past few days. I escaped from that tree monster, and now tended by a forest deity. Hmm, I seem to have heard of this deity before.” I became lost in my thoughts for quite some time. I finally had a moment of revelation when I checked my equipment, and a small book slipped out of my travel pack. It was wet of course, but the contents were still legible. An impulse made me open a random page. Inside was a rough sketch of a human-like female figure, with the description:
“While gathering information about the demon I’m hunting, I became acquainted with a story. It concerned a certain “Lady of the Woods”. Rumors say it inhabits an unexplored part of the Vien Forest. They also say that this “Lady” was not hostile. Many people have tried proving or disproving this rumor. They either return empty-handed, or not return at all. The entire thing reeks of an old wives’ tale, but I’ve also thought the same about demons. In the end, my true goal is still the extermination of that demon. Whether I will encounter this “Lady” or not, is not my greatest concern.
P.s. a local boy gave me his sketch on what he thinks the “Lady” looks like. It’s quite impressive.”
How quaint. I’ve somehow travelled the distance of two day’s walk while unconscious. To make matters worse, no one mapped this part of the Vien Forest, which means I am completely lost. At least I can still use the sun as reference. I entertain that short-lived thought before realizing that there was no sky. The light that illuminated me came from bizarre, reddish-orange mushrooms on the canopy. What unnerved me was how natural the light felt. The light that shone down was sunset red. It was a bit of a stretch, but I figured that the mushrooms were somehow mimicking the light from the outside. Which means it’ll be night soon. In a forest that no one had ever set foot. With monsters no one have ever encountered, and not a clue how I can find my way out.
I suppose it was fitting that my luck had to run out.
Two hours after this somber realization, I walked with a drudgery gait. I did not even appreciate the magical wonders around me. This attitude carried on for another hour or so. All the while the orange glow above me turns into a brief flash of fiery red. It was then replaced by a cascading descent of the dusking sky. My survival instincts finally overcame my wall of self-pity. It warned me in time to notice a deer staring at me with hostile eyes.
“Human, what are you doing in the domain of beasts? Your answer will determine whether you escape alive, or die by nature’s fury. Speak!” The deer’s mind-speak was so loud that for a second I thought that it actually talked. But its lips remained still, and the only sound was the distant eerie chirpings of what I hoped were birds. I stopped moving and took a closer look at the deer.
The coat were interloping waves of red and golden brown shades. White-silver stripes crisscrossed its legs. Its horns branched out three directions. One branch followed its jawline. Another pointed straight ahead. The last one twisted into itself to become a short, dense knob. It's most prominent features, though, were its eyes. A pair of purplish-black circles atop a light blue base, filled with killing intent.
“I-I’m a lost adventurer. I don’t know how I got here. I’m trying to find a way out. D-Would you happen to know of such a passage?” I asked as calm as I could without betraying the growing anxiety hidden an inch deeper. The deer snorted. I almost jumped at the sound. Time passes with a crawl, before the deer mind-spoke to me again.
“You speak no lies, human. I do know the place you speak of, but it is a guarded secret of this realm. And though I say that you spoke no lies, there is a dark secret in your heart. It would be wise to share this before I will help you further." The word “secret” tugged at my heart like an old wound. I know what the beast meant.
“That is-I…” I opened my mouth, then closed it again, biting my lower lip as if it’d help me calm down.
Before I could react, the deer turned around and walked away. It did not mind-speak again. I could somehow sense its disappointment at my indecisiveness. This realization made me angry. I became angry at the deer, for daring to ask me about my buried past.
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I then became angry at the world, for throwing me into the circumstances I’ve found myself in. The last, I was angry at myself, for being angry at all. For feeling anguish at the mention on that dark chapter of my life. I swore myself I would not give that demon the satisfaction of knowing. Even as remote it seems, that what he did had dealt me a mortal blow. That the man once known as Alex Square died on that fateful night.
That man was me.
Reinvigorated by the rush of emotions, I focused my mind on the task at hand: getting out of this magical forest. The thought came as I felt hot air upon my neck. A monster had crept up on me from the twilight darkness. My eyes had adapted somewhat to the dim atmosphere, and I could make out roughly the layout of the forest before me.
I heard it licking its lips. I moved my left hand to my travel pack. I wanted to retrieve a Stamina Potion, and grab some Devil’s Kiss. The Devil's Kiss was the name of the twine balls I used the day before. I managed to grab the Stamina Potion, transferring it to my right hand. But when I only had two Devil’s Kiss, the monster leaned closer, its hot breath now so close it scalded.
I crushed the twine balls in my hand by reflex and threw the remains at the monster. The remains blazed into a fireball in mid-air. Picking up momentum, it consumed the monster in a large blaze. Not stopping to see if it caused damage, I ran.
My flight did not last long when something grabbed ahold of my shoulder. The grip was firm, but not something I can’t shake off. But I stopped, abandoned all thoughts of escaping, and turned around. What I saw was the same deity that healed me, the one with the beautiful features. It-She was curious and wanted to talk. It was my misunderstanding all along. How foolish.
“What in the world?! What did you do to me?” T-She had gotten into my head somehow, and I can’t resist. The sensation of defeat was…liberating. I should release all my worries, and follow her fore-No! I CAN’T FORGET THEM! ANYTHING BUT THEM! I fought back the subduing tendrils of lovely thoughts and tried to take out my sword and shield. But I decided not to since it was unnecessary to do so.
I-Her lovely eyes looked at me with inhuman beauty and desire. I immediately decided to follow her back into her home, which I had left. As it turns out, I wasn’t allowed to go out into the dangerous woods. Which was why-
”GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!” I shouted as hard as I could. T-The deity seemed surprised that I was able to resist its mind invasion. Rather than becoming displeased, it-she smiled.
“You’re different from the others. I knew I was right in saving you.” She spoke, with my voice! But it was also not my voice. My mouth formed the words, and my throat supplied the sound. But something else added to the final result. A vague quality which I can only describe as an eerie “wrongness”. This Lady was not supposed to speak human words.
“You know me as the Lady of the Woods. This is correct, yet also wrong. I am that image, but I am more. But what would interest you more, is knowledge about the foe you seek, Alex Square?” She made a wry smile on seeing me react.
“You saw my memories, even… that day?” I almost choked myself from the sudden tension I felt remembering that event. I searched for something firm to steady myself. I unsheathed my sword and equipped my shield. I gripped both tight until my fingers became numb with pain. The pain calmed down my turbulent thoughts. With several deep breaths, I composed myself.
“The minute details escapes me, but I know enough. The name of the demon you seek is Azeol, Purifier of Life. If you want to know more, we will have to return to my abode. Or would you prefer to return to your own realm empty-handed?” She seemed to derive some pleasure from teasing me with bits and pieces of the whole truth. My heart shouted at me to abandon this temptress, and to trust only myself. But my mind and instincts told me that if I leave now, my quest for vengeance will be an endless one. So I swallowed my pride and replied with as much courtesy I could muster.
“This humble one accepts your gracious offer, Lady of the Woods. Please lead the way.”
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“Tell me Alex Square, how many places have you passed through in your quest for vengeance?” The Lady asked in a rather carefree tone while walking at my side. My anxiety from before had disappeared, but it resurfaced on seeing her behavior. She was too relaxed, too calm, and too eager. I could almost mistake her for a normal person, but a quick look at her eyes fixes that doubt.
To avoid talking, I focused my gaze on examining the Lady. I did not notice it before due to the confusion and fear of the unknown, but the Lady had an excellent figure. A covering of furs, scales, and bark covered her. Their arrangement mimicked some form of clothing I’ve never seen before. It had a high-necked collar that dropped low around the chest area. A sort of “tail” part split inward in a curve. The most striking part was what seemed to be a pair of bracelets, with strange glowing markings. The entire appearance altogether created a very surreal atmosphere around her.
“Hmm? Are you interested in this body? I never could understand why humans seemed to like this form so much. Well, it does make turning them into my servants so much easier. Want to take a closer look?” Faster than I could react, the Lady was inside my personal space. One of her delicate-looking hands caressed my face. For a moment, passion and lust filed her eyes, so much so that I felt my body react on its own with excitement.
Tendrils of her thoughts prodded the edge of my conscious mind. They whispered sweet promises and ecstasy beyond my wildest dreams. The lullaby marched onward with little resistance until it reached my memories. A strong backlash of strong emotions and pain ensued, giving me an intense headache. Her thought tendrils halted. I could still feel them, though, while I tried to endure the unfortunate experience. It took me two whole minutes to compose myself again, all under the Lady’s inquisitive gaze.
“Never do that again!” My voice came out harsher than I expected, the brief burst of anger smothered by a blanket of fear and anxiety. But when I looked at the Lady’s expression, the fear abated, because she had a wide grin on her face.
“Intriguing, Alex Square. I didn’t think that you can fan my curiosity even further, and to be wrong so soon. I like you.” The lady spoke no further and hastened her pace. I followed as fast as I could. Two hours of uneventful trekking later, the Lady stopped walking. In front of us was an ancient, moss-covered cliff face.
“... … … … …” She started uttering something incomprehensible to my ears. The spirits around the Lady became agitated and then flew off towards the cliff face. I didn't know what they were doing for a couple minutes before I noticed a clue: the sound of groaning rock.
“They’re … pushing the cliff face apart?” I exclaimed with incredulity at the event that was unfolding before me. I did not miss the brief smirk on the Lady’s face before she resumed her chanting. After a few minutes, a path lay where the middle of the cliff face used to be. The Lady whistled an eerie tune, and the spirits returned to her.
“Go. I have something I must do before we can have a proper talk, Alex Square.” She took three steps forward and was gone. The longer I stay around her, the more it feels like I’m going crazy. Almost without thought, I relaxed once I knew I was alone again. But a new thought stirred me from my brief complacency.
What if she’s never coming back? It’s a staple of stories which concerns such beings. Tales of foolish mortals believing gods and surprised when the gods betray them. The world is not for the weak, the kind, and the idealistic.
It seems the only way through is forward.
Doubting myself all the while, I entered the path.