Quest of Automata King

Whisper From the Forest

Mui still lying on the ground, even after Challender, Julius, and Boris leave the training ground. He looked up to the sky, and observing the night sky full of stars and clouds.

“I... Have to back...” said Mui, but when he move his body, sharp pain striking at every corner of his body, especially the spot where Julius hurt him. Mui flinched, he looked at his right arm, and blood dripping from the scar that closed after Challender make him drink the healing potion.

He have heard it from conversation and class, that healing potions are only good as first aid. When the wound is too severe, the patient still have to going through proper medical treatment.

Back to Mui, he grunt and trying to close that wound by taking off his cloack, and roll it around his forearm.

“Damn it...” sitting in the middle of empty field, Mui muttering. He remember those two, Challender and Julius, One is a cocky noble with disgusting behaviour. While the other one is just cruel and scary person.

“Why? What I even did to any of you?” said Mui, although he knows that no one is listening to him. “I don’t even remember anything that has happened ten years ago... War? Invasion? Isn’t it all already over? Why did I still have to feel the pain for what is already happened!?”

Mui almost shout. Maybe it is better this way, to pour everything that he have bottled inside his heart.

He remember that every weird gaze, snarl, and scorn from other races throughout the way. While his fellow Devils, almost never seems appeared in the same level as anyone else. Thinking about it making his chest hurt, and his mind filled with anger and sadness.

“I... I want to go home...” said Mui. His eyes got teary, until he can’t hold his tear anymore. Water dripping down from his eye, as he keep imagine the orphanage and small village that he used to live in.

Surge of feeling bursting off from his chest. He want to go back. He want to run away from the pain that Challender and Julius inflict to him, and he don’t want to hear those insult and scorn from public again.

He wanted that humilition to end.

For the last time Mui looked up to the sky, feeling the wind blow as if carressing him. His eyes then turned to the side, precisely, to the direction of academy’s tower.

The middle, is the highest tower of the building, It even have the windmill to harvest the source of energy for every facilities in the academy. He also heard that the tower is where headmaster Oliver’s room is.

It have been a while since they talk. Maybe two or three weeks, since he meet him in the infrimary. Mui doesn’t want to have any weird ideas. He feel grateful that someone is caring enough to give him free education... But why only him?

As the only Devil in this school, Mui is trapped between other races, especialy the nobles and rich kids. Naturally he will be the one to left out, even his roommate eventually will have their own circle that exclude him from anything else.

His mind also recalling back to Karas, Raul, and Robert. Why did they treat him differently in the first place? Is that only coincidence that they board the same carriage, or are they really are kind people at heart?

But what would happen months or years from now? Are they still going to be friends? Especially after all treatment that Mui will receive because he is a demon. He know too that Challender and Julius probably won’t stop to make him suffer.

“Maybe it’s for the best to leave this place,” said Mui. When he said that, it feels like his chest is getting hurt again. He wanted to learn and improve the life of his family, but with how people are treating him, Mui feels like he does not and will never have place among the students of Grand Magusica.

“Tomorrow... I’ll tell him tomorrow...” said Mui. He grunting and trying to get up on his feet, but again, his body is hurting all over the place.

Mui is just going back to the academy, where he feel... something.

He didn’t know what that is, or what kind of feeling that makes him have to turn away. It may be someone that calling his name... or something that smell enticing for him? He does not sure, but the only thing that he could think is that he have to turn that way.

“W-What...?” he mumble, a little bit scared of what he actually feeling.

In front of him is the Great Gehenna Forest. Usually, this place is forbidden for the first year, and only accessible with certain condition after students reached second grade. The entrance of the forest seems bigger than Mui used to see.

It’s true that every physical activites are being held outside of the academy, especially at the open field that lead right through the forest. But the distance between the training area and the forest still pretty far, making the instructors have time to catch any curious first year that wandering into the woods.

“Wait, are the forest are usually this big?” thought Mui. In front of him, the trees are high above, and cold aura are flowing outside of the forest.

Mui looked downward, and notices that the root of the trees also strangely big.

“Wait... No, it’s not the forest...” suddenly, Mui turn his body and find that the training ground have located feets away from where he is standing now. Proven by the leather armor and sword that he left away from the fight, Mui swear that second earlier, he still right beside those equipments.

“It’s not the forest that grow bigger... It’s just me that getting closer...” said Mui. He does not since when that he walked to the entrance. The only thing that he can recall is that feeling of being pulled into something.

Then once again, his head throb. Mui feels that there is something that invading his head, but he does not sure what it is.

Blood inside his body started to boil, and his breath getting hastier. For some reason he feels a deep desire to went inside that forest. His common sense scream and warn him that none of this phenomenon seems normal.

But as if he turned back into beast with no self control, Mui keep walking into the forest.

Stars and moon might be bright outside but as he venture deeper, it’s getting harder to get the light due to how the trees are blocking the sky. Mui turn his head to left and right, paying attention for whatever will come after him.

This forest is forbidden not without a reason. At the very least, you will found beast such as wolf and bear wandering around searching for foods. Even worse when you found monsters such as goblins and kobolds, but they are still first grade monsters that can be dealt with proper knowledge.

Second and third year have a whole years to learn self defense either by weapon or magic, while first are just vulnerable hatchlings. Letting them go into the forest are basically same as throwing the rabbits as bait for the wolves.

Yet, here he is now. Alone with no weapon to protect himself. Mui keep walking to the direction that he oddly follow along.

Cricket of small animals and bugs can be heard, it startled Mui for a little and he even imagined what it will be when it was big beast instead. His tension eventually reduced when fireflies are popping around, they become the subtitute for stars and moon light, and helping Mui to walk into the direction that he is still don’t know where.

And then, he reached the end of his path.

“Is this... A ruin?” he mumble. In front him is a cliff wall with height of tens meter. Any living thing that walking from that up above will fall to their death right away.

When he thinks above that, Mui sees the skeletons of dogs and wolves on the ground, validating his theory.

But something that is more interesting is right in front of his eyes. The entranse that lead inside the wall is made out stone that have been aligned perfectly, there is no way that this is a natural cave, someone must have buid this place intentionaly.

Once again, that curious feeling is flowing to his head. It told Mui to get into the cave, and quick.

“This is as far as i can go...” Mui said to himself, trying to think it all with cold head. “I don’t know what will happen if I went further. Not to mention that no one ever told me about ruin inside the forest... What could happen if...” Mui stopping his monologue.

“Get in!” suddenly something is screaming.

“What!?” Mui shakes his head, that scream is literally making his head dizzy. He kneel and grab his forehead.

“Get in! Get in! Get in!” again, that voice echoes numerous time inside his head.

“Who are you!? Stop it! Stop it!” Mui scream to no one, he don’t know that as he said that, his body are moving inside of the ruin.

“Argh!” he keep growling, but his body does not listening to him. Mui glued his hand to the wall and keep walking. He even tripped over a rock and fell to the ground, only for his body to push himself even further inside the cave.

Eventualy he reached the end. The sound is disapear, and his head no longer hurt. Mui slowly get up on his feet, and notice the bright red light in front of him.

“Is that... A book?” said Mui. In front of him, there is a book chained by the wall. The book leting out a red glow and heat as if it was on fire.