Encounters and Discoveries in the Forest (19)

Slowly opening my eyes, I took a deep breath and exhaled for a long time.

The sky was painted in various shades of blue, without a single cloud in sight. The sun shone down on my skin, warming me up in a way that felt like an embrace.

The trees were tall and majestic, reaching up towards the heavens with their branches adorned with vibrant leaves. Each leaf was so large that they could easily cover my entire body. The sound of rustling leaves in the gentle breeze was soothing to my ears.

The forest floor was covered in a carpet of lush greenery, with colorful flowers peeking out from between the leaves. The sweet scent of nature filled my senses, and I closed my eyes for a moment, taking it all in.

Touched by such a sight, I felt the warm liquid flowing down my fingers, and realized that it was blood from my wounds, mixing with my sweat. I wiped it off, feeling the heat and pain from my wounds.

Swishing my tail, I mentally sent a hopeless question to the emptiness:

"What am I supposed to do now?"

A mechanical voice replied, "Participant 137, you have been selected from the destroyed world as an ideal fighter in all parameters of the Tenth Layer. Zone 60 welcomes you with open arms. We hope for mutually beneficial cooperation."

"Mutually beneficial?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Yes, if you are the first to master the Emperor's Icy Heart, you will be able to restore your world and live to old age without incident."

"But I don't remember anything about my world," I protested. "And why would I destroy cities? And what is the 60 zone?"

"Your memories will gradually return to you as you progress through the game. Your task is to conquer the Icy Heart of the Emperor, which can only be achieved by destroying cities within the Empire. This is the only way to save your solar system from imminent destruction. However, be warned you're currently weak at the initial 3rd rank..."

The mechanical voice was interrupted by the intermittent signal of a broken walkie-talkie. Birds perched on the branches of the trees, unfolding their giant feathered bodies, stared at me with black eyes. Like a mix of crows and pterodactyls, they betrayed the anomaly of nature, preventing me from calming my nerves.

I cursed under my breath as I flapped my wings and retreated back into the cave, which was now devoid of the tunnel that had led me here. The small space of 5 meters by 4 gave me some respite from potential predators.

As I leaned dejectedly against the wall, I couldn't help but clench my fists in frustration. The wounds were slowly healing.

The scorching sun beat down on me mercilessly, turning my blood to steam at the slightest touch of the ground. My stomach growled loudly, reminding me of my hunger, but I knew that going out to look for food now would be suicide.

I shook my head in disbelief. Destroying cities to save my Solar System? What kind of ancient world was this?

The night was long and quiet, and I waited patiently to avoid attracting unwanted attention. With my sharp vision, I could see clearly in the dark, and I took the opportunity to observe my surroundings. The lack of a bright sun made it easier to focus on the details.

As I gazed up at the sky, I was amazed by the sight of two moons, one gray and the other burgundy, shining dimly in the dark sky. The purple clouds in the sky resembled my own blood, and the bright stars turned the sky into a breathtaking masterpiece.

The forest around me was coming to life, and the colors of the plants were changing as the inhabitants of the forest woke up from their slumber. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

My heart raced with excitement as I made my way to the cliff to explore my surroundings. Suddenly, the strong metallic smell of blood hit me, taking me by surprise. I tried to take off, but my body refused to obey, and I fell off the cliff.

As I fell, I flapped my wings and managed to grab onto the branches and leaves of the trees, stopping myself just a meter away from the sharp rocks below.

I carefully climbed down from the branch and landed on the blue stones that emitted a blue glow. It was a surreal experience, and I couldn't help but wonder what kind of world I had landed in.

I was stunned by the sight before me and couldn't take my eyes off it. Suddenly, I heard a cough nearby, and I immediately stopped making noise, realizing that I may have already been detected by the sound of breaking branches.

Pushing aside some bushes and walking along a path covered in walking mushrooms with barely perceptible faces, I came to a small clearing. There, lying face down on the ground, was a vague figure in a black, blood-stained robe. Red liquid gathered on the sides, and more and more predators were attracted to the smell.

As I approached, the creature coughed and whispered in a voice quieter than the squeak of a mosquito, "If... if... I knew then... I would not have destroyed... I am sorry... Please forgive me..."

Squatting down, I pulled back the hood to reveal short gray hair stained with drops of blood. The shapely face was completely unfamiliar to me, without fangs or an exoskeleton. There was nothing repulsive about its appearance, yet I felt some kind of discomfort inside.

The creature, realizing that it had been reached, interrupted its words with the last phrase, "Now... I'm here... Back to the beginning... Forgive me, I grant... to you... My body..."

There was sadness and guilt in the tone of its voice, but I couldn't understand what it was talking about. A trail of tears mixed with blood on its pale face, but its mouth was distorted in a deathly animal grin.

The creature was silenced forever, and forest beasts with hungry growls rushed at the corpse. At the last moment, I grabbed its mantle, removed its clothes with a light movement, and a small bag fell to the ground next to the blood.

Taking the brown bag and black wet clothes, I headed back to my cave, listening to the slurping of blood and the crunching of bones behind me. At least the creature died without the pain of sharp fangs.

According to my memories, the path was supposed to be short, but I had forgotten an important detail.

As I approached the rocky cliff, I realized that the waterfall was not the only obstacle in my way.

Monstrous creatures of all shapes and sizes lay on the rocks, crawled on the grass and flew in the bright light of the two moons.

My wings were useless in this dense forest, so I crumpled the cloak and continued on foot.

With each step, I felt smaller and more insignificant, like an ant in comparison to these massive beasts.

After a much-needed rest, I settled on a sturdy tree trunk with pink bark and remembered a disturbing sight from a previous cave. Had I seen a plant that used living beings as fertilizer? I shook off the memory and turned my attention to the brown bag tied with a golden rope.

Carefully slicing the thread with my sharp claws, I peered inside and saw gold of different shapes and sizes. Was this money? I scoffed at the idea, knowing that my appearance would never allow me to fit into any society here.

I shrugged, gazed at the waterfall, and yawned before drifting off into a peaceful slumber.

A sudden gust of icy wind rustled the leaves and woke me up, and I cautiously stood up on the branch, draping the dirty cloak over my shoulders.

A young girl's voice calling out a name echoed through the forest, and I listened intently.

"Justaf, is that you?" she called out.

Silently, I observed the area, wondering who this Justaf was.

"Justaf, come out," she pleaded, her voice turning hoarse with desperation.

I raised an eyebrow and ran along the high branches in the direction of her voice.

The luminous lake glittered ahead of me, and the sight of it was breathtaking. The bottom was adorned with the most beautiful flowers, and the shimmering water droplets beckoned me to come closer.

I approached the water's edge and was about to dip my claws in when the nymph emerged from the depths.

"Justaf, dear, you're back," she greeted me with a warm smile.

Her beauty was striking, with her luscious hair cascading down her delicate shoulders and her plump lips painted red with allure. Her playful blue eyes were bottomless, and I could have drowned in them.

She stood waist-deep in the water, playfully splashing me with her delicate hands.

Without backing away from the bone-chilling cold, I sat down on the nearest patch of grass.

Clearing my throat, I spoke with a low growl, "My name is not Justaf."