Chapter 1 - [Moving Forward]
1588 Words
Bloodgrass Woods
...
A lone small girl walked through the dark, foreboding forest. It was dusk. The small rays of sunlight could not penetrate the dark and lush canopy. The girl was a bit anxious. She had faith in her magical abilities. Though the forest looked especially scary in the darkness, it did not have a single magical beast. She could face off any ordinary beast.
But, evident from her anxiousness, her situation wasn't all good. She had completely lost her way. The forest spread over a vast space. If you did not have an experienced guide with you, You would not fare well in the Bloodgrass forest.
The nocturnal animals had wriggled their way out of their nests. She had to move stealthily but, she was not much experienced with traversing in the forests.
She was having a hard time and would often attract the attention of some predatory nocturnals. Most of her fights would end with a single magic spell. But eventually, her [Mana Reserve] was getting depleted.
Soon her mana got exhausted. Panic and fear gripped her heart.
She slowly started jogging towards the direction she found had was better lit. Fifteen minutes had passed but, there were no signs of an exit or even a particle of light.
Now the jog had turned into a full-speed sprint. The fear that once could not shake the girl in the slightest now had brought her to tears. Her eyes started to get blurry as tears spilled from them. She suddenly tripped and fell. Her fragile body rolled over the wrinkly forest floor.
"Uwaa~~."
Her leg had been seriously hurt. She started crying. Seeing her injured leg. Blood trickled down her snow-white thighs. A deep cut from a spiky branch on the forest floor had injured her. She could no longer keep her calm. The piled-up tension and anxiousness subjugated what little rationale she had.
"Howl~~."
"Eeekkk..."
She squeaked meekly. Hearing the howl of a wolf that had come from her vicinity. Sounds of heavy footsteps resonated throughout the soundless forest. The footsteps were heading towards her.
The little girl shuddered at the thought of a wolf beast heading towards her. She started crawling desperately in the opposite direction. She knew that her blood would definitely disclose her whereabouts. But she still had to make an effort towards her own survival.
…
But all of her efforts were for naught.
A wolf with black fur was snarling at her. Its blood-colored eyes looked menacing in this dire forest. Revolting saliva was trickling down from the corner of its maw. The little girl stiffened up at the ghastly sight.
"HELP!!!"
She shouted, to make one last-ditch effort to prevent the inevitable. The black wolf hungrily pounced at her. Its wide maw was so close to her face that she could smell its foul stench. When a sharp glinting stone whizzed past her left cheek.
Then,
SPLAT
The stone entered the black wolf's maw and penetrated out from the back of its head. The once-fear-inducing and deadly wolf was now dead.
The little girl was drenched in nauseous green blood. She blinked at the sight of her dead adversary.
She fainted.
…
[Lucy]
…
I opened my eyes to behold the unfamiliar sight of... a cave. The smooth walls of the cave reflected the crackling bonfire by my side.
This warmth feels good.
I thought.
I suddenly remembered what had happened. I was now sure that someone had saved me. I turned and looked about the cave but found no one except me.
It felt sad and remorseful to not be able to thank the person who had saved your life.
But I could not afford to search for them. I had to find my way out of this wretched forest. I sat up and looked at the serving of soft squirrel meat my savior had left for me. I waited for a second then, I ate it at once. The squirrel meat tasted delicious because of its soft texture. The juices erupted from every bite. This told you it had been cooked stunningly well.
"So Good!~~."
The words unconsciously left my mouth.
But I felt very guilty to have taken so much goodwill from someone I didn't even know. I changed my plans and resolved that first, I would search for my savior. I nodded at my intelligent rationale.
…
After having the sumptuous meal, I got ready to move out. I used a big leaf to cover the wound on my left thigh. I limped and slowly made my way out of the cave. I knew my condition but, I knew that finding the savior was far more necessary.
After fifteen minutes of gallantry effort, I had traversed a distance of...
Err... 100 meters.
I sighed at my slower-than-a-snail speed. But I knew my priorities.
"You can stop now. I will show you the way out of the forest tomorrow. It isn't feasible for you to go out like that. I can't save you every time you end up in trouble."
A soft euphonious voice reached my ears.
I instantly turned to see my savior. But...
There stood a boy dressed in poorly stitched shabby-looking clothes.
But the shabby clothes couldn't conceal his snowy and supple skin. The enchanting turquoise-blue eyes looked straight into my eyes. His long and flowing black hair wafted slightly due to a sudden breeze. He looked like the most perfect human ever created.
I could feel my face getting red. But the boy's eyes showed indifference to my blushing. I was a bit disappointed. But, since he was my savior, I had to repay him.
As if reading my thoughts, he said,
"You don't have to repay me for anything. I just did not want to see anyone get killed near my territory so, I saved you. It was just a selfish act at best. Don't think much of it."
"Nnooo... I need to save you for what you have done for me."
"I won't repeat myself so, you need to get some rest. Tomorrow, I'll send you out of the forest."
I wanted to reply but, his cold and domineering voice made me want to follow whatever he said. So, I simply nodded to his words.
…
"Umm... by the way, what is your name?"
We were back in the cave and sitting by the bonfire. I found it a bit weird that I didn't know the name of my savior. So, I asked him.
"My Name..."
He looked at me absent-mindedly. His eyes were blurry it looked as if they were reminiscing something pleasant. But abruptly, his head jerked violently and, he got out of it. He found me looking at me.
"Oh! My name is Ben."
"Ben..."
I softly tried to memorize his name, the name of my savior.
"Also, Ben, how old are you? You don't look much older than me."
I asked the question that had been on my mind all this time. Though he looked cute. He looked just a little older than me. So, I had the question poking at the back of my head all this time.
"I am five years old."
He replied. His words, brimming with confidence.
"Eee! Five years old!"
I unintentionally let out an exclamation. It was because I was older than the boy.
I was six years old.
It felt shameful to be saved by a boy younger than me and also following them. I wanted to go and hide my face in a corner.
"Oh..oh.. so since you are five years old, you must know how to respect your elders. After all, I am ONE year older than you. So, you will let me repay you. OK?!"
I said in a commanding voice. Why was I acting so meekly in front of someone who was ONE year younger than me? I will have to take charge here to show my superiority. I had to act like the elder here.
"Oh yes. One more thing, My name is Lucy. But since I am ONE year older than you, I'll let you call me 'Big Sis Lucy.' "
I stated the obvious. The boy was apparently stupefied by the glamor and grace of my grateful words. He deeply peered at me. A stunned expression had replaced his stoic face. He continued to stare at me.
"It is n-natural for you to be awed by my beauty. But you can not stare at me like that. It is a tad bit uncomfortable."
It looked like he understood my words. He retracted his piercing gaze. I could tell from the serious look on his face that he was deliberating on something important. I left it at that and went to a darker place in the cave to get some sleep. Or at least pretended to.
I was observed Ben through my half-open eyelids. After ten minutes, he shook his head to either side and softly said.
"Sure, I'll follow you."
The cave was soundless except for the crackling of the fire. I heard the words come out of the boy's mouth clearly.
[I'll follow you.]
I felt giddy. My heart bubbled with excitement as I remembered the boy's words.
Truth be told, I was very anxious about his response but, all that was for naught. He said that he would follow me.
Follow me!
I closed my eyes to calm my heart. Soon, heavy drowsiness and exhaustion from today's events hit me. Slowly, I wafted into the world of my dreams.
…
- Writer
