chapter 8: a new life ?

Finn woke up to the smell of medicinal herbs. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the sun's rays entering through the window and landing on his eyes. He felt that. Finn got to his feet and felt a little pain but didn't pay any attention to it. He tried to walk until he reached a place that smelled of herbs.

He looked and saw the old man grinding some herbs and mixing them with other herbs. The old man sensed Fen behind him and turned his head.

"Oh. Good morning. You're already awake."

"Yes, good morning... What are you doing?"

Curiosity grew within Finn as he saw the herbs. He definitely knew that it wouldn't be natural herbs like the ones in his world, so he had some curiosity.

"Oh that, I'm researching some types of herbs to combine with other types of herbs to make a new type of herbs."

Finn could not imagine a lesser answer than what he heard. He was always one of the people who hated plants the most because they were the only food available to him in the slums before he started stealing, so his curiosity was extinguished in the blink of an eye.

"In general, wait a little while and I will prepare breakfast."

Finn felt something inside his heart, as if he was longing for something. But he did not care about him and sat on the wooden chair in front of the small table and waited.

...

After Randolph finished preparing the food, the two sat at the small table and began to eat. After it was over, Randolph began tending to Finn's foot injury. He didn't feel pain anymore, but he was more than an expert in these injury matters, so he knew that it was important to take care of the injury even after it was relatively healed. Finn looked around as he saw this small wooden house and the sound of the air and the trees outside. He felt calm and it made him think

"Mm.. Mr. Randolph, do you live here alone?"

Randolph laughed a little after hearing Finn's question, as if he knew what he was going to say.

"I know what you're going to say. Yes, I've been living here alone for a few years. And no, I don't feel lonely."

Finn wasn't too surprised. In fact, he admired old Randolph's way of life. He wished that he could live in an isolated place away from the disturbance of living creatures for the rest of his life.

"Oh, that's right... He didn't say what caused this injury."

Randolph raised his head and looked halfway into Finn's eyes as if trying to study his expression.

Finn felt something wrong, and immediately understood what was wrong.

"I mean, my memory is a little fuzzy after I had that injury. And you also seem like you know what caused it, so if you could please tell me?"

Finn was a smart boy. Although he did not receive treatment or good nutrition, his mind developed in a healthy way, and also with the way he lived in the slums and the danger that it was possible to die from hunger or from people who were so desperate that they would eat anything, the person should have thought about... Solutions in the blink of an eye to survive in a place like this. Therefore, Finn's mind was always working so quickly that he noticed things that were difficult for an ordinary person to notice. Just like now, when Finn saw Randolph's expression, he immediately understood that what he said was illogical.

"Hmm... You're a smart boy I must say. And yes I know what's wrong with you, but before that, did you come from outside the forest?"

Finn did not expect you to ask like this, but he answered anyway, using the information he took from the memories of the original body owner.

"Yes, I came from outside the forest, and when I woke up I found myself in a cave-like place and my foot was injured and was oozing this sticky liquid."

"Hmm... It seems that the injury has really affected your mind. It doesn't matter, we are now in the North Moon Forest. It is a magical forest, the likes of which are not seen very often. On the border of the forest there is a forest. We, the residents of the North Moon Forest, call it the Border Forest, because it is the dividing line." Between the rest of the continent of Isforth and the North Moon Forest, a few years ago, small creatures appeared that feed on the organs of living organisms so that they lay their eggs inside them, and when these eggs mature, more of these small creatures emerge. We call these creatures Cedar organisms, and this wound results from an attempt to lay one egg "One of these creatures is in your foot, and it seems that it succeeded in laying eggs, so this sticky fluid comes out of your foot."

Randolph spoke comfortably, still placing the medicinal herbs around the injury and wrapping it with new bandages.

"W-what? So what happens now?"

Finn shuddered slightly when Randolph finished speaking.

"Don't worry, fortunately for you, I have a way to kill those nests before they spread throughout the body, so there is no danger to you, little one."

Finn's body and heart relaxed a little after what Randolph said. He thought that his end would be like animal filth while those Cedar creatures devoured him. But his fears seem to be of no use. But what did he call him, "Little One?"

"Hey. Do you have a mirror?"

"Mirror, of course, it's on your right."

Randolph was a little surprised by Finn's question, but he answered it anyway.

Finn stood up and headed towards the mirror. The mirror was a little dirty, but he could see himself. He looked at himself in the mirror. His hair was black as night, slightly curly, and stinking because it had not been brushed in a while. He had sharp features and big eyes, and his jaw was relatively sharp. His features were slightly different from what he knew, because it was not his body, of course. His height was one meter and fifty centimeters, meaning that it was close to his previous height, which was one meter and forty-three centimeters. This was due to malnutrition to the point that his body did not grow well. His features were somewhat childish, "What is this? Was the owner of the body a young boy? That explains the small height and features."

Finn was a little confused. He was in the body of a young boy and in a magical world.

He didn't know what he would do, even if he was in his original body, which wouldn't cause that change. But suddenly Finn remembered something

"Old Randolph, can you tell me how to get out of North Moon Forest?"