Chapter 21: To Where?

Shu stood up from where he was sitting, barely standing on the ground. The pain he inflicted on his body were not healed and his flesh were battered so poorly that his body could not keep up with the damages. Big scars remained painted by blood on his wrists, a reminder that he wasn't like any other human who simply dies over a stab, or even loses his life even if he wanted to. An ability that he so despised to have.

His throat that was cut open by the sharpened wood when moving was so painful that he could only wince and draw a sharp breath, with an only option to look up to the skies and tear up a little.

'Let's roam the lands, walk these two feet till they are covered with bruise and dirt, blood and worms. I won't stop walking the earth until this body are to be swallowed back inside the soil. A thief who stole souls shall also repent. To walk for eternity shall be my punishment. For mother. For Dan. And for the people i slaughtered with my own hands. May the heavens accept my repentance..'

*

It was gray. Living all alone.

Three weeks ago, both my mother and dearest friend died. My friend Dan was stabbed several times and his delicate condition caused him to lose consciousness and die shortly. My mother was abused and was eventually discarded by my enemy, Jirobu. The news was passed on to the royal guards as a result of numerous stories circulating across my town, and they are currently scouring the streets for my shadow, unknown what they even want for a monster covered in filth like me, i don't even know how they altered the news so terribly that the money-mouthed kingdom wanted to catch a notorious murderer like me.

All that was left for me was to live on the streets like a criminal, scavenging for food and being treated like an animal. I was nothing but filth in the streets. Living in the dark alleys for the rest of my life, hiding from the guards who were hunting me.

I wasn't attempting to flee because I was guilty; I'm hiding because I'm too tired to explain things to them that they won't understand, things that will never reach their deaf ears.

While I'm supposed to be silent to the unfairness.

Like the stillness of the wind.

But what i found was a paradise of colors i never expected to see.

*

Shu's chin hung up as he walked, slightly trying to avoid the painful drawback whenever his skin touches the wound inflicted on his throat, jerking back up in pain if he tilts his head down.

He was walking right in the daylight, advancing away from the towns and people and only following the sun's direction. He dragged his body with him, his chest full of stab wounds that was not completely healed which sometimes open up in result of moving too much.

The civilization was already far from him, and yet he hasn't stopped walking just yet. He won't. Bypassing many rivers, flower fields, villages; for so many days he only followed the sun and breathed through the kind breeze.

Shu never took his eyes off the sky, always watching the birds, and the bright blue blue sky with the sun at the center of it, glaring on him with such intense blinding light. 'I'm looking so much that I can see the sun.' Said Shu inside his head, his eyes seeing a slight circle behind the sun's rays. His skin was already terribly burning from the heat of the sun, as well as his ash hair that felt like melting on his scalp. Still walking blindly with his bleeding bare feet while following the red blazing sun.

He smiled, thinking of Dan and his mother. 'I wonder when I'll die?'

Ah, its so gray to live alone.

He stared up in the sun, squinting hard then looking in front of him. A tear fell down from his eyes, his vision fully tinted green, the light corrupting his eyes. 'Its funny how the world changes color after you experience such intense radiance of light.'

It has been several days since Shu started walking. His feet had now started numbing and trembling, his muscles failed to walk, but the muscle memory continued to drag his body to walk even more. More and more.. just more distance away. One step more, just another step. His stomach grumbled in pain, and his eyes fluttered, in the brink of closing with sleepless nights. He was a blank sheet, with the only purpose to walk and eventually die.

The sun is now setting. Its golden rays bidding goodbye as it sunk on the horizon of huge trees. Shu exhaled the pain existing at the sides of his waists, gazing at a very mystical forest in front of him. The green farm behind him disappeared as he entered the strange forest filled with alluring colors, the tall trees were fully bloomed to violet, its purple and rose colored leaves draped over the branches, swaying to the gentle breeze.

The whole forest was indeed different to any other forests Shu had walked through. This forest was beautiful within every inch, its colors so unique and eye catching it would feel like you are in a different world. The nature so magically soothing, the atmosphere was different and blissful.

Shu was gazing on the divine like trees, the sun had set, and the night has came once again. Shu still kept walking, following the flower path that extended up to his knee, his feet buried with the comforting blue colored grass on the ground. Shu felt heavenly, at least once in a moment, he never felt the aching pain of his body.

When the moon extended its light, a sound made Shu come back to his senses, a rustling on the ground by footsteps. Shu noted; there's someone here. One person?

A hunter suddenly appeared behind a tree trunk, carrying huge wild berries in his pockets, and holding a bloody bunny on his hand with a knife on the other. The man looked tall and was cladded with leather, he didn't looked like he was lost either. The man noticed the limping Shu who ignored him and was walking away with his back faced on him.

"Hey pal, you should turn back, thats not a good ideaAHH!?—"

When Shu turned back his head to catch what he was saying, the man looked immediately pale and ready to fly. The hunter trembled, seeing a thin, heavily walking, creepy man walking down the forest.

"..?" Shu's glowing eyes met the man's, the hunter witnessing the frightening mess on his throat, the wonderer's bloody clothes, and his wrecked wrists.

The sight sucked the life out of the hunter, he quickly turned around and started fleeing fastly, screaming; "AAAH!! A FAIRY'S GHOST!!— IM SORRY!!!!!!" The hunter's voice echoed through the whole forest, enough to awaken every single being inside it.

Shu furrowed his brows, opening his mouth. "....wha— ?" Yet his voice never came out, he reached for his throat, gulping.

'Huh? My voice is also gone. Right, i destroyed my own throat.'

Shu felt for himself the effect of the long travel from the west, despite his muscles being sore and his lack of breath from walking, he kept walking deeper in the mysterious yet aesthetically pleasing forest, his body growing weaker and weaker each second from not eating nor stopping on walking. The forest's strange powers made his body very warm and comfortable that made him feel the tiredness of wanting to rest, yet instead of stopping, looked up to the black starry skies full of sparkling stars, exhaling the soft tears i his eyes from exhaustion.

In the corner of his eyes emerged a fragment of blue floating light that immediately caught his eyes. A tiny blue wisp floating under the moonlight.

Shu, nearly stumbling down immediately fixated his eyes to the fleeting blue light that was going further inside the forests. In the feeling that the wisp was trying to make him follow, he decided to catch up to it by running, but when he was about go grab the blue floating light, it vanished and seemed to...

Giggle?

Another blue light appeared not far, and so, Shu in immersion, followed it down to a hill full of red grass, this blue wisp floating around had disappeared, yet hundreds of different colored orbs of light emerged, lined across the hill erected wih white tall rocks. While Shu followed each of the vibrant orbs that vanished to air when he touches it, he hears joyous laughs and mumblings beside his ear, as if cheering him on, or sometimes giving him a bit of warmth. This line of orbs from the upper hill extended down to another forest with purple coloured leaves connected by another batch of hundreds of colorful orbs inside the forest.

Shu was amused by each of the orbs, he felt soothed and comforted warmly, he somehow felt, home.

The ash colored boy grabbed on his aching sides, wanting to follow the orbs until the very end, until the line finally came to an end, and none of them seemed to emerged from any directions. But rather a loving voice echoed around him, it sounded like his mother's voice, Mayumi.

"Son, Im leaving him to you!"

Shu's ears perked, immediately recognizing the voice and looking around like crazy, his neck surely would even turn three-sixty by now. But rather, he felt the weight on his feet and his system began to fail and miserably suffer, he felt dizzy and his thighs pulsated, he cannot even feel his dirty feet now nor if he does even wanna see how damaged his feet is by now.

I feel so dizzy.

My head is spinning around, i want to vomit.

Hm? the skies looks so much brighter.

But, why are those stars moving? Stars... Stars...

No.. are they fireflies?

The clouds slowly unclothed the moon as it glowed even harder, its rays landing on Shu's face and on his surroundings when the kind wind blew its gentle breeze. Shu tried to look forward, noticing fireflies from every direction, their luminous glow swirled in circles and arrived to accompany him, its yellow light was so warm and so divine, Shu witnessed another beautiful scene to unfold. The purple trees rustled against the wind, and the fireflies happily danced.

The vast forest sung a serene and soft melody as a god-like figure appeared and stood after him.

The radiance of light was so bright, and the wind introduced a heavenly figure in front of him, so white and angelic.

'What is he?'

He was clothed entirely in white with some of his very pale skin shown. His beauty was out of this world when Shu witnessed his face in front of him. This person wore a crystal diadem wrapped around his forehead, and his hair was so white and long like whips flowing at the air. He was carrying an exceptional air, a perfect, and alluring beauty of a merciful god.

Along with the fireflies that emitted bright soft yellow light, a person so ethereal, standing tiptoed on top of the flowers, walked to his direction with a soft yet troubled expression. Shu's body had given up. The feet he so forcefully tried to move was bleeding so much that it finally fell down, his battered body slumping on the ground with the flower's petal flying around him. But then the beauty appeared in front of him and crouched down so gracefully that his clothes softly plodded against the flowers, holding Shu's poor and dirty hand, frowning over it before standing up again, trying to pull the collapsed body up.

Is he trying to help me?

No.. don't..

Im so near on dying! So don't help me!

Then he held both of my hands and squeezed my palm earnestly. "Let me save you.." he said those words to me so gently, too gentle that i felt my tears running on my cheeks, the resemblance of his voice to my mother's tone was enough for me to hiccup and break down once again.

'Please..'

I looked down at the ground, avoiding to see his persistent golden eyes like my caring mother's.

'You shouldn't save a person like me..' i tried to mumble.

He slowly stretched his hand out, wearing a sincere smile that can persuade you that you only need his smile as the only proof enough for you to give your whole trust to this person.

I looked up to his face, wondering how he could smile to a suspicious and blood covered man like me. I gazed up on his godly face till i saw his eyes, as my voice not working anymore, i mouthed words to him silently;

'You're making a big mistake.'

And yet he faced me with a smile so warm; mouthing back to me his answer;

'Then be my mistake.'

When i saw him, the time felt like it stopped and stood for this moment for a while, my mother's image stood beside this person's shoulder, giving me a sweet smile i longed to see for so long. Maybe it was because that i missed them so much that i was starting to put up illusions.. maybe.. maybe.. i don't know anymore...

I just want to be with them.. with Dan.. mother..

Please..

I am not a good soul.

You shouldn't help me.

Don't..

"Hold my hand?" He spoke to me, putting both of his palms together, trying to see if I'll put my hand on top of it.

Yet somehow, the voice of my late mother's last words came back to me:

' "In time, you will find a person, someone who will save you from this world. And when that time comes, you must protect them as if your life depended on it. So you will not experience great pain ever again." '

Shu shivered at the sight in front of him, someone was trying to save him, someone who was standing beside his mother and Dan's souls.

Was this the person who will give me reason to continue on living once more? Is he the person my mother was talking about?

The man still held up his palm to Shu, offering it to him with a weak smile. "I can't have another person dying on me."

He's trying to save me.

Mother, Dan.. What should i do? I should atone for my sins, i should pay for the lives i took, i shouldn't be selfish to live.. i should die—

Then his mother's voice echoed in his mind:

' "Always love and cherish them, Shu.." '

Shu stared at the heavens, looking up to the bright stars sparkling above. Then he sighed in defeat, he lifted his right hand off the ground and looked up to this breathtaking person in front of him, he extended his tired arms and gripped the palm of the beautiful white haired man in front of him.

' "We will always love you.." '

What i found in the east was a paradise of colors i never expected to see.

A person as salvation to live.

Him.

Shu watched the person blissfully smile to him, pulling his body up. Shu admired the entire person, on how different he felt this stranger are, how he feels a very familiar connection to him.

"Now! Shall i treat your wounds then?" Laughed the white haired man, smiling so brightly, offering his arms' support for Shu.

Shu felt like this person would understand his pain through his eyes. He was a lost man in the time of his youth, who blindfully decided to follow this person, to trust him only because of this unfamiliar feeling of warmth. In the dark place inside his mind, lit up one firefly. A stroke of light entwined with hope.

'Mother, i vow,'

'Wherever i am, whenever time it is, i promise upon the rest of my life, even in my dreams, it will be always him that i will protect. Even if the world comes to an end, i will commit to you.'

"I am called Estes, the Prince of the forest."

I am enchanted to meet you, Estes.

With his smiles, I think it will not be gray to live anymore.