Chapter XXIV - The Memory of the Luminous

From the dust of a fallen deity, blooms a single flower, and from the tears of a nature spirit, grows a magical forest. With the roots of its trees on the boundary of reality, it is the passing gate between the living world and those of the dead. The trail of bright red petals guiding ghosts to their destination, to say their final goodbyes.

Once a full moon, the fog that always shrouded the trees will lift just for the night, and the flowers of this magical grove will illuminate with an ethereal glow as they bloom, lighting up every tree in the night, so it was given its name- the Luminous Forest.

Though its internal secrets remained undiscovered by humanity, it was still a wonder of nature. But of course, those of a greedy or careless heart looked to cut down its branches for their glowing properties to profit on, and whole trees for lumber.

But the guardian that dwelled in its premises, did not sit by idly. The foresters usually will be met with a giant that stood higher than even the trees, a pair of glowing green eyes baring into their soul through the blurry mist, then only to be chased back home with nothing to carry.

When the war began, like everything else, it was thrown into the midst of the chaos. Its boundaries were devastated, disorder raged, and the majority of the spirits of the dead that could not find their way to the next world, roamed the mortal space aimlessly, some became dark spirits themselves, others continued to seek out their unfinished business, most never made it to the afterlife for the centuries to come.

The guardian was furious, but it soon succumbed to the curse a demon general bestowed upon it, fighting armies, stomping camps, till its last breath, until it could restore its strength once again.

The land was lost to chaos, the balance was in disarray, not even a god or deity will come to save them. But eventually, lawfulness could be restored. With the help of the Hero, the Luminous Forest could be preserved and at last, the discord was slowly resolved, and the dead can move on.

Around the time, some can say they have caught a glimpse of a doe standing on the edge of the forest, with antlers that bore glowing flowers of its own. They said it was an enchanting sight, some have even said they saw a girl, but they were always too dazed to recall anything correctly.

Whatever happens within the eternal fog, always stays.

...

"...Did you sleep well?"

I open my eyes with a blink, my head a haze. The blades of grass tickle the back of my neck, brushing the side of my face. Minuet's face blurs into focus in my vision as she stands above me, a small smile on her face.

"I...where are we?" I sit up, taking in my surroundings.

The sky was tinged orange with the setting sun, the sound of leaves rustles in the quiet breeze. With some greenery at my back, I glance toward the storehouses in front of me, completely abandoned and lost to the wear of time.

"We were taking some fresh air from the crowd, I suppose the scene was so relaxing you fell asleep," said Minuet, her eyes shining warmly in the light, a seemingly amused smirk tilted on her face, "Did you dream of me?"

My eyes widen in surprise, and I feel the blood rush to my ears.

"Oh...no, though I dreamt of..." I frown, suddenly drawing a blank, "...I can't remember for some reason. But I feel like I witnessed a history book and a half."

She smiles again, but it seemed distracted, her eyes flit over my shoulder briefly, then back, "At least it was enlightening then, well since you slept off the rest of the day, time for us to head back." She turns, already starting to walk off without me.

"W..wait a moment..! Agh," I scramble onto my feet, quickly making my way after her.

As I caught up to her pace, we walk along in easy silence, observing the hues of orange and yellow the sunset splashes across the road and buildings, and the darkness that edges forward as night starts to take in.

My head feels like it had been stuffed with clouds, everything we did after the crepes was an indistinguishable blur. But one thing stood out clearly from the back of my head- a bright crimson flower.

Unsure where and when I have seen it, and why it stands out so prominently in my memory, I just file it away into the 'I have no idea but I will find out later' folder of my brain. Not wishing to ponder on it further.

The president walks silently beside me, her expression preoccupied as she twists her bracelet absent-mindedly.

"Hey...is this really the way back to the school?" I ask, looking around the unfamiliar path we have been walking.

Minuet stops in her tracks, blinking, "Hm? Oh, I suppose we have strayed a little from the main road..." She glances around, before pointing to a bench on the side of the road, "How about a little break before we continue? The trail back is still a ways to go."

I didn't oppose, so we take a seat on the bench, after getting a drink from a vending machine nearby. The sound of lively chatter still drifting in and out of the stores and food stalls, providing a nice distraction from our thoughts.

I open my can of fizzy water, taking a sip as I enjoy the cool refreshing taste after a day without hydration.

"It's the peak of the moon phrase tonight! The Luminous Forest is ought to bloom anytime now, as a local I will say the sight is truly magnificent," said the owner of the stall we were sitting next to, he nods his head over towards the trees, "It always begins when the first of the full moon's light touches the sky, so keep an eye out, or you just might miss it!"

"Ah, the full moon..." Minuet tilts her head up towards the sky, "...The night bloom."

We both turn to watch as the leaves of the trees start to glow, lighting up like an thousand fireflies in the night. The branches almost dancing as they sway in a sudden burst of wind, briefly illuminating the skyline. As fast as it started, it fades back to the dark woods it was.

But, at the edge of the forest, I catch sight of a deer's outlined form in the remnants of the glow, its head turned in our direction for just a moment. Then it turns and trots into the trees, vanishing into the dark, the blossoms on its white crystalline-like antlers leaving behind a trail of glowing petals adrift in the air as the doe disappears.