The Forbidden Forest

Mystery

He leaned his ears and something mysterious was in the cave. He stood and looked around. Rocks and pebbles were the only things that he could see. He walked closer to the passageway and he saw some woods scattered on the ground. He crouched down and took some of them.

Venom closed his eyes and blown the piece of wood by the used of his Vemomial power to make a fire from it. He opened his eyes and suddenly raised his hands to enlighten the whole place but there was no passageway that he saw to enter the mysterious place.

The cave had bones that scattered around, weeds, and sticks but there were no signs that there would be an elemental being that lived inside.

He had no things to explain and he clenched his fist and knocked the wall of the cave to make sure if there would be a secret passageway down to the deep part of the cave. A moment later but he could not find something that may allowed his curiosity to won out of that mystery.

He looked around, his ears were sharp and his snaked eyes were aims to find out something inside the place where he was.

He suddenly looked back to know if there were a trouble that might happen again against his Halloxian enemy but the darkness outside the mouth of the cave filled the entire place.

Later on and he felt that someone was looking at him from somewhere. The mysterious sound of the unseen one seemed like watching every little thing he have done. He raised his hand to give glanced of lights inside. He blinked his snake eyes suddenly to give a clear image from the outside while his left hand was above his head and handle a piece of wood with fire.

He turned his head backward and walked back to the mouth of the cave. He watched every stepped he made. For a moment of pause, the fire of the woods glitched and even there was no presence of wind, the fire had immediately vanished.

The darkness filled again the entire place so he made a couple of stepped and a moment later he was at the front of the cave again and ready himself to explore another mystery that lies beyond the mountain where he was.

He put his hood back to his head. He flew back to the cold breeze of the surroundings and do not mind about someone who might secretly follow him a moment ago.

The gasped of his clothes was heard along with the dark clouds that filled the sky. His hair was swaying every blew of the wind on his attractive face. His eyes were fierceness looking at the things below him.

His face couldn't seem the mark of being frightened even he flew above the highest peak of the mountain back to Monandria. He began to feel the coldness of the surroundings as he flew higher and higher.

He flew faster to reach the distance that he would take a rest. He did not mind the chilling of his body but the only thing that running out of his mind was the unknown creature that he might encounter who live inside the cave and the unknown one who was following him.

He thought that it was the home of the horrible monster because of the fossil and bones that he saw inside.

"I will come back on that cave " he muttered to himself with excitement.

He continued to fly wearing his deceitful smile because of his plan to the cave. As he continued, he remember the unknown things that always followed him secretly.

'"The day will come and I will be able to know who you are!" His fearless voice heard along and broke the calmness of the surrounding.

A moment later, as he flew above the clouds he reached the unknown place which Venom called the lake of Tarsi. The land that surrounded that lake was dry and dark that made the surface of the water stagnant. Dry bushes and dead trees were standing along the edge of the lake. There were lots of rocks in the muddy part of the water.

Venom looked at the lake carefully then he saw that there was something that swam under it and he flew down. Closer and closer and he gives himself the clear image of the elemental being living under the water. It was half human and half fish.

Venom flew toward that creature which is called a mermaid. He landed at the shore of the lake. The mermaid sang a song sweeter than a lullaby while wetting herself on the water so it could not felt that Venom was closer to her.

For an instant of time, Venom's terrible voice cut the silence of surrounding that made the mermaid felt frightening. The face of the mermaid could not paint as she heard the terrible sound again. Her breath was fast seemed like she swam miles away. Because of that shocking moment, it quickly dive under the water as she heard the voice of Venom.

"I am Venom the prince of Monandria....the creature of Severous.....and...you are?". Venom voice echoed all over the calm lake of Tarsi that made the mermaid hide herself behind the huge rocks.

Slowly, Meranda emerged in the middle of the stagnant lake to looked where the frightening voice came from. She stared at Venom while swaying her tails swimming closer to the shore.

When the mermaid seemed that her distance was enough for Venom to hear every word she say, Meranda stopped and looked at the potent body of Venom which standing at the top of the rocks.

"My prince...Ve...Venom....I-I'm...Meranda....the mermaid of Tarsi lake....the protector of this place.......the home of my ancestors and power." The mermaid's voice was frightened as she spoke toward Venom.

As the mermaid continued, it swam near the huge rocks beyond the dead reefs where Venom standing, her pleasing voice was cut the calmness of the lake. The mermaid burst into tears as he spoke toward Venom.

"Our prince?. But the prince I thought is killed by the Halloxian queen? Are you damn serious about your news? V-venom?."

The mermaid's voice was doubting because of the words that Venom threw toward her. However, she continued to tell the reason that lies behind the situation of the lake that she had now.

"...My lineages are killed by Halloxian....lead by Queen Senophie....they put some poisonous potion that makes this lake stagnant....they turned everything into ashes that caused Tarsis to become stagnant and dark ....A-and some are killed by Halloxian army.....m-..my child and I are the only one who survived."

Venom stared at Meranda's beautiful face and he saw how the tears of the mermaid drenched on her face that drips at the surface of the lake that made a thousand ripples on the surface of the stagnant water. Venom walked closer to Meranda and spoke a voice that could bring back every broken piece of Meranda's heart.

" Meranda! What is the name of the Queen again? Venom's voice was terrible that broke the deafening silence of the place.

" A-ahhm.....she is Senophie.....t-the...Qu-queen of t-the Hallox...the Wizard and witches of the East."

The mermaid's voice was shocking and trembling seemed like she was on the hot seat while telling everything she knew about the Halloxian kingdom.

" Meranda!. Did you ever know where is the kingdom of these elementals?

Venom's words were seemed like investigating the beggar's mermaid.

" Sorry ..gentlemen...but since they won against our prince Severous...I have no news to hear about the Halloxian...I thought that they are preparing for another chaos that they have done after a year that they were silent". The mermaid uttered to him.

Venom wanted to find out where does the Halloxian kingdom was. He threads all things and he finally finds out that those elementals were the reason why he was here. He does not doubt that draw on his perfectly made face about the true enemy that he needed to find.

He felt the sudden warmth of his feeling and the change that happened every time he encountered some trouble and mystery out of his Kingdom.

" I need to prepare myself...I know that it was not the last time that I will encounter the enemy that give me a reason to stay alive......" His voice was fearless and deceitful. As he continued the sound of his powerful voice echoed all over the place.

"Great play Venom. .....find your destiny!".

Then, he stared at Meranda and left a word before he arrived.

" Meranda..as your prince..don't tell anyone that I returned to revenge. .. if you tell it to someone..the planned that I must to do will be nonsense...keep my words as a command ....Meranda"

Meranda vowed her head and swayed her tails three times by the symbol that she agree with what Venom tell on her.

" V-venom I will keep it until your plan has not happened...As my prince...I promise that your secret will remain a secret"

The mermaid left and smiled toward Venom. She turned back and dove again into the deep part of the stagnant water.

Venom watched how Meranda was affected by the situation made by the Halloxian. The lake's surface made huge ripples as Meranda dove and immediately gone to the surface of the water.

Venom stepped back at the edge of the lake and flew back to the cold breeze. Everything that he know was enough to make his plan according to what Severous give to him. He needed to go back again to Monandria and ready himself for the mystery that might happen again.