TO MARCHING UP THE PEAK!

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The Present day!

Sparing one last look at the resting cattle, he resumed his walking, getting disappeared behind the morning mist.

The cold wind touched his face as he strode toward the valley where he usually used to take his cattle to graze.

When he got to his all time spot, he did not feel the peace as he used to feel before.

Maybe because the memories of Ramirez flooded his mind and how it ended up tainting his none existent reputation, also trapping him in an unwanted marriage at the same time.

He looked around the vast empty fields and not the presence of one soul could be felt.

He sighed and then decided to keep climbing up the hill. Not often many visited the peak. It had a walkable pathway to reach the top.

And he had seen a few men walk through it while grazing the cattle but never himself went that way.

Today, he thought why not go that way? He had lived his life so far abiding by all the rules and regulations, following all the instructions but so far nothing had ever worked out to be in his return.

As he marched up the hills with the support of his cattle stick, he could not help but feel as if someone was following him behind.

But all he saw was the presence of a white frosty cool breeze blowing everywhere. It even made the view to the down obscure and not easily visible to the naked eye.

The silence and serenity of the entire surrounding could calm down any restless soul's mind and heart.

Halfway in and he finally came to see the thick Mirror forest to his left. The trees dancing to and fro in the tune of the wind was a sight to behold.

Nothing could be seen beyond them or inside the forest as if those trees were the wall sealing any peeking through the forest.

The entire forest was bound by the magic of the witches. Some of the greatest-known witches originated and resided in this magical forest.

It was forbidden to any other being, including the mortals and the ones not. Even the vampires and werewolves were not allowed in.

It could disturb the sanctity of the forest. That was what the witches had claimed to happen if anyone unwelcomed visited the forest.

He very well recalled the time when he was abandoned, a few more miles away from here, into the wetlands, and the howlings coming out from the forest was all too prominent.

How the scavengers were throwing away the bodies of the dead into the forests and the growling of the beasts was in the air...Rafael was one of the scavengers who rescued him.

He resumed walking forward, although his eyes could not part away from gazing at the forest to his left.

The mist coming out through the trees, white and transparent, often made him feel like as if anytime a beast would come out and end his life.

It should have made him hike faster but it did not as his gazes were still transfixed on the large managing trees.

They said that the forest had a hypnotizing effect and perhaps that could be what was making him drawn toward it.

He had heard the whispers calling onto him whenever he would come to graze the cattle.

And he had to restrain himself from not letting it consume him and follow the originator of all these canards inside the forest.

Meanwhile, in the village of the scavengers, the crowd was getting ready, waking up from their houses, and doing away with their morning duties to start off the day.

Cynthira looked for her brother but Ruqui was nowhere to be found. The cattle were on their stable.

It made her question about where could he have gone to but did not seem to disturb her family by breaking the news to them.

"Cynthira? Come and help me here!"

Her mother called out to her and she turned around, paddling back towards their home.

"Mama? I told you I would sew the flowers together. "

She came forward and saw her mother already sewing the pluck-out flowers together for the bride and groom.

"Where were you gone?"

She questioned, getting up, and tilting her head to look at her daughter. Cynthira strode toward her mother and did not say that she went looking for her brother because that could make her mother dwell into worthless worry.

Since marriage was not something he desired, he must have gone for a little walk maybe to clear his head...at least that was what Cynthira liked to believe at that moment.

"Nowhere. But off you go, I will sew them together. It is supposed to be my wedding present to him and Ramirez."

Her mother smiled, softly nudging her daughter's head, she walked away, complaining about the number of chores still left to do and that the time was very limited.

The wedding would begin before eleven in the morning as the priest had planned it to be in the village chapel.

Back to the valley side, Ruqui continued marching forward. He had no inkling about what time it must have been so far.

But he could assume it to be more than an hour because he was panting from all the hiking up and still he had not reached the peak yet.

He looked up and through the periphery of his eyes, he could see that he could be closer than anticipated, and that gave him a boost to continue along the path.

To the unknown path, to the unknown side of the valley, he marched up, not caring to look behind himself.

And the more, he got closer, the more the speed of the wind increased, hitting his face. It was shivering cold but bearable as he had his long coat on and all the walking had made him sweat a lot.

At the peak, the clouds were almost touching below. He felt like walking amongst the clouds.

It was amazing and breathtaking as he roamed around it, touching the white mass but they felt like nothing on the tip of his finger.

His excitement and his eyes looking upwards, made him stumble on the unknown rock and he fell face down on the ground.

Only then he saw a figurine, at the peak, her red hair blowing by the wind, her back facing his eyes.

What could it be?