The shadow unfolded as the ground shook beneath them to reveal the anchor sinking into the forest. It sent pulses of mana throughout the land, seeking the trees and the surrounding plants. As the vibrations touched them, the trees started shaking before retreating.
“I don’t expect this to be normal in this forest,” said Oren as his armor finished forming. His Sword of Conviction was drawn, and Oren jumped toward the anchor.
“Wait!” shouted a voice from the forest, but it was too late. Oren was already swinging his sword toward the anchor, and it split the giant metal in two. Then, it sent pulses of mana before the blinding light exploded.
p-a- n-d-a-n-0-v-e-l、(c)om Marvi rushed forward to raise shadows and protect Oren, granting him the absolute defense necessary. But, as the swordsman rolled down the shadow folds, the light started sinking into the shadows.
“Agh,” grunted Marvi as the light harmed him, but the shadow’s defense was absolute. As it started to die, all that was left was the cracked shadow dome with several patches in it. As it dissolved, it revealed the dried trees as if they had been sucked dry.
“Are you hurt, Marvi?” asked Oren as he rushed toward the shadow, but the man raised his hand to stop him. “We should get away from here. That light killed the trees by merely touching them.”
As Oren supported the shadow warrior to stand, sirens suddenly rang through the forest. It was akin to doomsday’s siren to alert someone that might not be them. There were others here.
Oren knew he needed to flee, so he pulled Marvi and started rushing away. The trees around them turned into thin, dried branches, which broke as soon as they were touched. Sounds came from above them as if things were flying toward them.
“Come here!” shouted a voice from the end of the dried zone, and it was the horned child from earlier. Oren had no time to think before rushing toward him and entering the small hole that went underground.
The two men rolled into the soil, and the hole closed behind them. Rustling sounds intensified above them before crying came from within the trees. Oren pushed himself upward as his eyes adjusted to the light.
“Marvi, are you there?” asked Oren, and the shadow moved. “You should rest since this place barely has any light. Enter my shadow,” said Oren, and the warrior was too weak to oppose.
Oren could feel something tickling his spine as the shadow warrior entered his body as if he was carrying a small creature on his back. The child witnessed all these events, whose eyes glowed green in the dark underground tunnel.
“Thank you for saving us, but can you explain what that was?” asked Oren as the child kept staring at them, but it didn’t answer. Instead, it started walking down the tunnel, leaving Oren standing there. “I guess I have to follow him.”
Oren walked down the tunnel, which was too small for him. However, if he lowers his head, he can walk around freely. Although he thought the tunnel was made of soil, he soon realized that the earth was merely a coating of the great branches underneath.
“Where are we going, child?”
“I am older than you are, human,” said the horned child, whose leaves kept glowing to show them the path. “Although it goes against our sacred rules, I am taking you toward our village.”
“There’s a village around here?” admired Oren as he rushed to walk beside him. “And you don’t look much older than I am. How old are you?”
“I lived for forty years and will live another forty.”
“…forty…” muttered Oren with shock before shaking his head. “How can you tell how many years you have left? Is that the average lifespan of your race?”
“Each leaf represents a year of my natural lifespan. If not killed, I will live for another forty years before withering back into mother nature,” the child answered as it led the way further down. “I wanted you to leave this forest, but you came across our enemies.”
“Who are your enemies?” questioned Oren with confusion. After all, he saw no one other than the giant anchor that landed from the sky.
“Humans,” said the child with a hateful attitude. “Do not worry. I understand that humans can be enemies, and you can speak our tongue. You are, however, foolish enough to attack that life-sucking anomaly.”
Oren was quiet as he listened and realized that he had been conversing with this child even though their language was weird. Thanks to the bracelet that Arthur gifted them, it translated all speech from and to them.
“I have no idea what that thing was, but I thought it was a weapon. But, of course, it’s better to strike first and think later in such cases. You warned me, though, didn’t you? You called for me to wait.”
“That proved useless,” said the child as the two reached a dead end. “This is the entrance to our village. The rest of my people are not so understanding, so be careful. I will do the talking.”
“Why are you helping me?”
“The sword that you used to cut our trees, the one that looked like water,” said the child as it turned toward Oren. “It sang a song of friendship, not hate. Although it separated our trees, it did not harm them.”
Oren indeed used his Sword of Benevolence, but his intentions were random. He thought that the best sword to pass through the forest was one that did not harm it or leave traces behind.
The horned child didn’t need to know that, so Oren nodded. Then, the tiny creature raised its hand toward the dead end, and the roots began to pull apart, revealing a path before them.
The tunnel ended and was replaced by a giant basin. Somehow, sunlight shone down on them, and Oren entered a massive bowl of green trees dancing in the wind.
As the child entered the basin, it seemed to welcome him. The trees reached out to him, and the plants flowered below his feet. Oren followed after him with an awe-struck expression he didn’t hide.
“This is my house, and only I know how to enter it,” said the child before pointing toward a table-looking root. “Sit there and wait for my return. But, first, I must convince the elder that we shouldn’t turn you into tree food.”
Oren glanced back and forth, wondering if he had made the wrong decision following after them. However, this place was rich with life, making it perfect for Marvi to heal himself. While the shadow was brought from the dead, it was still a living creature.
Thus, he nodded, and the child left. Oren sat on the table and waited. He soon began to notice that he wasn’t alone. One of the green leaves turned into a small creature with wings, which flew toward him while hiding behind the branches.
“Are you the ones watching us earlier?” asked Oren with interest as the creature could turned into a leaf. “Is that child your master?”
“…we serve the Children out of our desire,” said the winged creature as it flew closer to Oren, examining him. “Why did Reynor bring a human to our village? Elder will not be happy!”
Although seeming wary, the tiny creature inched closer toward Oren, touching his white hair with interest. Oren did not hesitate to return the favor and stroke its head with his finger.
The small head was as big as Oren’s index finger, while the body was no bigger than a wasp. It had legs and arms but no features other than being made of green light.
“I don’t know why he brought me here, but he saved me from the giant anchor,” said Oren with interest as the small creature hugged his finger. “Do you know what those are, little fella?”
“I know,” said the creature as it rubbed its head to Oren’s finger. “Those are the vile humans who have been stealing our land. You are not vile, are you?”
“I hope not,” said Oren with a smile. “When did those vile humans appear?”
“A thousand suns ago!” said the creature with confidence. “I was there when they first appeared. If Reynor didn’t fight them, I would have turned into a dry leaf!”
“Reynor seems like a brave hero,” said Oren, and the creature nodded before flying around. Green lights began to draw an image above Oren, and the little creature became a storyteller.
“Reynor is our bravest, even if he is not the strongest. He survived countless battles against the vile humans, making him indispensable to our village.”
The lights showed what seemed like Reynor, with horns on his head, fighting against giant ships. Reynor used trees to destroy the vessels, but there were too many. In the end, Reynor ran, and so did the rest of the children.
“We lost our homes on that sun and every sun since,” said the creature with sadness. “If we keep losing, then the Children will go extinct.”
