Arrive at the Audoran Forest

BAM!

As soon as Kenneth's feet entered the dark tunnel that Neil had pointed out, the ground above him shook again and slowly closed the only entrance that Kenneth knew. Darkness immediately enveloped Kenneth after that. However, not long after, Kenneth could see that the crystals scattered around the place were slowly starting to light up. The pitch-black place quickly became bright, so Kenneth didn't need light magic as he walked there.

When Kenneth was no longer enveloped by darkness, the man could finally see what the long tunnel he had to pass through looked like.

Although Kenneth called the secret path a tunnel, in truth, it was more like a cave filled with beautiful glowing crystals. No matter where Kenneth looked, all the prince could see were those strange crystals.

Without a doubt, from their appearance alone, Kenneth could already tell that the crystals were expensive stones that contained mana that could light up on their own. If sold, their price would be expensive. However, Kenneth did not want to damage the beautiful scenery. Kenneth knew that there must be a reason why no one dared to disturb the crystals. 

The prince continued walking without paying any more attention to the crystals. In the cave that seemed like it would never end, Kenneth kept trying to find his way out.

'Dengarlah tangisan angin itu

Dengarlah ceritanya

Cerita mereka yang terpisah

Terpisahkan oleh waktu'

Kenneth didn't know how long he had been walking. But at one point, the prince suddenly stopped walking. Kenneth looked in all directions to find the source of the melodious song he faintly heard.

The prince unconsciously touched his chest. Kenneth couldn't see or know who was suddenly singing in the quiet cave. But for some reason, the prince felt more and more suffocated the more he listened to the mysterious song.

'Dengarlah jeritan pohon itu

Dengarlah ceritanya

Cerita legenda yang menghilang

Tertelan keserakahan'

Every time Kenneth took a step, the voice remained as quiet as before. The soft voice seemed neither far nor near. A feeling of unease began to envelop Kenneth's heart. Kenneth didn't know if someone singing in the cave or if he had just been hallucinating all the time.

'Ah... dia menangis

Menangis karena kesepian

Ah... dia menjerit

Menyerit karena penyesalan'

Kenneth could no longer hold back the tightness and strange emotions that overwhelmed him when the song reached its end. His emotions seemed to have been controlled by someone, and Kenneth began to cry without knowing what caused his tears. The prince felt that the place was starting to destroy his mind. So, with the remaining consciousness that Kenneth still had, the prince began to run to leave the mysterious cave.

After Kenneth had run for several hours, the prince finally began to feel the wind coming from the same direction. At first, Kenneth thought the wind was part of another illusion. However, when the wind felt stronger after Kenneth ran for some time, the prince finally realized that the way out that he had been waiting for was visible.

"Ah!"

After running for several minutes, Kenneth finally came out of the cave he had been exploring. The fresh air and the blowing wind made Kenneth finally sure that he was free from the painful feelings that he had continued to feel while in the cave. Kenneth also no longer heard the mysterious singing voice after he left the cave. Of course, that made Kenneth even more convinced that the singing voice he had heard before was an illusion.

Kenneth took a deep breath and then began to observe the conditions around him. Unlike the cave filled with beautiful crystals, the place he was standing was surrounded by large trees that could reach the sky. Seeing that Kenneth could not see the sun from that place, the prince finally became certain that he was now in the deepest part of the Audoran Forest. From the information he had obtained, the deepest part of the Audoran Forest was marked by tall trees that covered the sky.

The lack of light made that place seem mysterious and scary. Kenneth was lucky that he did not encounter any dangerous animals that were rumored to inhabit the deepest part of the Audoran Forest. However, if he continued to stay in the same place without doing anything, there was no guarantee that he would be okay when he was alone in that vast place.

Kenneth knew he had to move immediately. But, Kenneth did not have a map, and Neil also did not tell Kenneth any information other than the secret path that allowed the prince to reach the deepest part of the Audoran Forest safely. Kenneth could not rely on the sky to determine where he should go. So, Kenneth could only rely on his instincts to survive in that place.

First of all, Kenneth tried to find a water source so that he would not run out of water while he was in this strange place. The prince walked while continuously looking at the surrounding area. All of Kenneth's senses were working harder than usual. Even if it was just the sound of the wind blowing, Kenneth could hear it very clearly when he was concentrating.

Kenneth spent several more hours walking but still did not find the sound of water or changing scenery. The prince let out a long sigh and finally stopped walking. He had been walking and running for so long when he was in the cave before. After spending several more hours walking non-stop, Kenneth finally started to feel tired.

After Kenneth found a place that was relatively safer than the others, the man finally opened the backpack on his shoulder. From inside the backpack, Kenneth took out a water jug ​​that could quench his thirst a little. Kenneth drank the drink slowly. Even as he rested, the prince could not completely let go of his vigilance in this mysterious place.

Kenneth had just finished closing the lid of his water jug ​​when his head suddenly turned in another direction. Although it was faint, Kenneth could hear someone crying and asking for help. Kenneth quickly got up and packed up his things. The prince did not know whether the crying sound was another illusion or not. But one thing was for sure. He couldn't just ignore that voice.

The prince was just about to leave when a strong wind suddenly blew towards him. The strong wind surprised Kenneth. Kenneth had just thought he would be carried away by the strong tornado vortex when the tornado suddenly disappeared, accompanied by the loud sound of an object falling to the ground afterward.

Ah, calling it an object didn't seem right. What had just fallen to the ground was a creature the size of an adult's palm. The creature looked like a human, with an alluring appearance and pointed ears. The creature was more like an elf that humans often described. Only, it was small and had butterfly-like wings that sparkled with beautiful colors.

A fairy. Just a glance and Kenneth knew that he had seen a magical creature that was said to have disappeared from their land hundreds of years ago. The stunning-looking creature didn't look well when Kenneth found it. One of its beautiful wings looked slightly burned, while its body had suffered wounds in several places.

The fairy seemed to be unconscious due to the severe injuries it had received and could only groan in pain the entire time. As soon as Kenneth heard its voice, the prince finally realized it was the same voice that had been screaming for help. The fairy's slightly red eyes also proved that the fairy had been crying earlier. Its pitiful appearance made Kenneth immediately recover from his shock, and he rushed to approach the poor creature.

Even though Kenneth couldn't guarantee that the creature wouldn't attack him once he was conscious, Kenneth still couldn't let a creature that was supposed to be extinct die just like that. The prince took out some medicines that he knew from his bag. After Kenneth observed the fairy's injuries, the prince finally began to apply the medicine to the wounds.

After finishing treating what he could, Kenneth knew he could only leave the rest to the fairy herself. Kenneth still felt that staying in one place was a bad choice. So, even though he didn't know where to start looking for the monster of Audoran Forest, Kenneth confidently carried the unconscious fairy with him.

To do so, Kenneth first had to make sure that the position he was carrying Kenneth in wouldn't hurt the fairy any further. Fortunately, the Audoran Forest had a dense concentration of mana, so Kenneth could use magic more often without draining too much of his mana capacity. The man ended up using a magic shield that had been converted into a bed to carry the poor fairy. Only when Kenneth was sure that the fairy was comfortable in her position did he finally continue his journey again.