4 In the middle of nowhere

He decided to roam around the dark and moist cave, and this time with the help of the little light, he can determine the gems outside from there. The gems that he has since then have been in his small pocket. He can see how it also radiates tiny light. “Hmmm. I know! I will try to see if they have the same glow.”

He grabbed it out of his pocket and started looking at it a few meters away from the flower but the light escaped out from the gem the moment he tried comparing them. ‘Is it responding to the flower?’ He thought.

"Are you... eating the light, huh?" he faltered.

Now, all he sees are musty and ordinary rocks. Nothing much. Different from the spectacular and colourful glamour these crystals previously were. From where he is, the only uncommon is the sheen of the glimmering light of the flower. The only light that is shining inside the cave. He rushed towards the blossom that snatched the light from the gems.

"You greedy little flower! How could you steal the flicker of light that these gems have? How can I trade them now? How can it support me to persuade my dreams?! You....!" He angrily pulled the flower but it unexpectedly penetrated his hand, permeating throughout his body.

He suddenly felt pain gushing inside him. He bounced between rapture, pleasure, an increase of energy, sleeplessness, loss of enthusiasm, shivering, a racing heart and accelerated breathing, as well as fear and feelings of anguish. He could feel like his bones were suffering from a violent involuntary contraction of his flesh, extremely being torn apart producing contortion of the body and limbs, that seemed to be rearranged in an unbelievably unexplainable sensation. “My skin. Oh! It hurts! It badly hurt!”

This is uncomfortably disturbing for him. “Oh! It's like my skin is burning and being peeled off at the same time. God damn it!” He is still uncontrollably wiggling like a worm that lost its head. Then, for no apparent reason, he suddenly blacked out.

"Hmmm. Am I now... dead?" Still disorientated, he asked himself.

That unbearable feeling of dying and going through that terror-stricken experience frightened the living daylight out of him. Even so, after all that outrageous sensation, if you ask me, it can be described as relaxing in your spiritual lake of heavens.

It's like 500 large barrels of black salt dissolved in an unrealistic cask of water that has been heated to the warmth of your body. As you stay down in the water, you're going to be pulled, just as if you were in the lake of heavens, feeling satisfied and secured.

The wall is completely strong, providing the single most important environments for your entire body to loosen up. As such conditions, he gave in.

This state of being free from tension and anxiety lasted for a couple of hours, and then all of a sudden, the formerly lake of heavens started shaking. His body struggles like he is drowning, gasping for air, and feeling unable to breathe. Then a very bright light appeared. Gradually decreasing, Twig began to swim towards the light to see if he can still survive. He is truly determined to continue to live, especially in spite of danger waiting for him. Twig continued to swim until he reached the surface.

The place which seemed to be so quiet and serenity is absolutely crammed with plants, a dense green haven. Beneath the trees thrived some kind of lush, wet, bushy vegetation with glowing leaves and huge stems here and there. He walked past them to check if he is still in the East Forest of Krane. Although he hasn't explored the entirety of the forest, he knows this place is different. He can see plenty of enormous animals eating the glimmering leaves of the trees.

These guys are way too huge like dragons without wings. Of course, he didn’t have any idea of how huge those creatures are, after all, he didn’t see even one of them face to face. He only knows that because Sir Lyol brought a book before that tells the tale of the creation of life. One of them is the creature they called dragons. As far as the book depicts them, their behaviour is that they tend to be evasive, secluded in a more peaceful settlement or even in a cave, unlike wyverns.

However, this beast in front of him is entirely different. Long neck and tail, and four sturdy legs, the large size of which may have been a deterrent to predators living in this place, and there is also that long-beaked, winged beast, and like small wyverns, they love flying around the forest. These were creatures of fantastic appearance according to human standards. Some of them are large quadrupedal plant-eaters, with a massive head with two large horns, a smaller horn on the beaked snout, and a bony frill above the neck. Some of them are able to travel long distances, small meat-eating, capable of leaping, with feathers, a flat snout, short forelimbs with large hand like talons, and a large sickle-shaped claw on each foot.

Some smaller creatures are harmless but they are also savage and wild. Thus, he continued his quest to flee from the completely unknown forest.

In the middle of the forest the next day, he saw a hovering black box that was covered with moss, soft and furry to the touch. It's as if the relic stood against the test of time but it exudes an aura that you can feel nostalgic and otherworldly for him. It was impossible to read the things written on it. So, he tried many things and that includes scraping it slowly to see the little glow it emitted on the well-proportioned lines leading to the seven holes in the middle. There are seven holes in the box, which Twig happen to realize that he also has seven crystals that probably can open this thing.

This is such a remarkable concurrence of events for him. First, they were dragged inside the cave with the seven gems, then he was transported to this strange forest of dragon-like existence, and on top of that, the seven gems are now being used to open the apparently prepared beforehand box or whatever. To use it or not doesn't matter anymore. These gems might help him get plenty of bronze or even silver to aid him in getting the life that he wanted but escaping here comes first as he looked at it.

In just a matter of time, after he successfully entered the gems in the hole. The box started to move afloat breaking all the stems that hang on it, erasing all the wet moss it was covered earlier. It lit brightly but enough not to burn his eyes, showing words he didn't expect.

“[Welcome to Agartha]" it says. It's a three-dimensional screen projecting those words, surprisingly letting him read them.

After a while, other words are projected in the air under the first words. "[Kindly place your right hand on the screen to verify]" then another box and an arrow appeared, suggesting that he should put his hands on it. The arrow is pointing to the flickering box.

Suspiciously looking at the screen, he tried poking it with a stick. It didn't react nor did the stick explode. So, he placed his right hand as what the screen told him to do and then a green light started to move up and down. "Scanning user. Please wait." the letters are blinking from left to right, then it begins to prickle my skin. Finally, the result is established just like the blinking letters.

"Energy level detected. Verified: Kalpea's Flower. Initiating selection of pixie species for player support. This will take a moment to match the player's current energy level. Please wait."

“Was the name of the white lady, Kalpea? That's a lovely name, though”. Somehow, he kind of feel that this scene is quite familiar. Selection of species. Introduction to a game. Verifying energy levels. These odd words. Phrases that you don't encounter every day. It feels surreal for him. Later on, symbols are shown across the screen for selection as it says. “Pixie huh.” Pixies are a tiny species of fairies.

Rumour has it that they are adorable children of the forest. They come in considerable subspecies. Similarly elusive but playful creature. Of course, the people in his town believe in spirits and fairies and all of that supernatural things. To believe in a tale of possibilities, magic, and fantasies. To believe in something that can persuade one another. Yet, in front of him is that possibility. What is he getting into? He doesn't even know. Twig stopped thinking about the normal things he learned the moment the blinking dots stopped.

"Notice: The selection has ended. Processing the birth of a Pixie called Spriggan. Hatching the egg of the pixie requires you to proceed to the Castle of Agarath. Furthermore, evolution is possible through the player's mana. Yield it with honour!"

Just like that, it disappeared like it never happened.

“Castle of Agarath? Hmmm. Where will that be? Is there such a place that I could go from this forest?” Twig felt relieved knowing that for a long time he had been running without any idea where to go. Alas, a place where he can go. Probably some people that he can talk to as well. He roamed around to see if there could be a hint on his way to the castle. His attention shifted to the small dark light floating, coming at him. “Well, it says I am given a company and a fairy nonetheless.” On the other hand, he was thinking about what kind of subspecies spriggan is. He only knew a few and it is his first time to know that there is one. “As long as it can help me then that's fine.”