Chapter 42: Magical Forest

"Even its name is beautiful," Camille squealed. "I wanna hurry up and explore this!"

"Ah, wait! Camille!" Haru called out to her, staying alert and on his feet, but the young lady just rushed and bolted away, clearly pleased with the environment's ambiance.

It couldn't be helped, Haru thought. The magical forest was a work of art.

There were a lot of unfamiliar plants, trees, and flowers around that seemed to be beguiling. It's fascinating and fresh.

And it didn't seem like these magical plants and flowers were as ephemeral as the little ones from their original world. The species here looked strong, ethereal, and immortal.

"I wonder… if I'd grow sick of these plants and flowers," Haru whispered. He could feel Ali's tiny hands letting go of his shirt. "I mean, the appeal of life and flowers has always been because they're fragile and mortal, right? If everything here doesn't die easily and doesn't immediately fade, I wonder if I'd take it for granted at some point. And then, I'll cut it and decorate it and then throw it away."

"It's okay."

"Hmm?"

"It's okay if you get sick of them and then throw them away. If that's the purpose of these flowers, then so be it."

Haru patted the little boy's head, "Let me in your secret someday, Ali. If that's alright to you."

Ali looked up innocently with a blank expression. "Haru…"

"I know I can be confusing sometimes. But I do hope you remember the things I say."

"I'll remember."

"Thank you."

--

In the Tale Park World…

Alicia entered one of the small circus tents near the center and finally found in it the old man, Mr. Wang.

"The kids left for the next world," She informed me with a calm voice. "You should get going too. They might need some kind of assistance."

The old man looked away. "Haru's there. He's dependable and responsible enough. Camille has great intuition and compassion. The little kid has some strong ethical core too. There's nothing to worry about."

"But we're in a foreign world, Mr. Wang," Alicia sat on the bedside beside the old man. "You never know what'll happen. Everything's unpredictable even if the world so far has never shown signs of hostility. Don't you want to guide them, at least?"

Mr. Wang's thumbs fumbled, feeling uneasy. "I'm… actually afraid of something, Alicia."

"I know. It has been very obvious. You always seem to be on edge."

"I can't let anyone see my memories."

"You've been doing fine all this time. What's wrong now? You think you'll spill your memories to us?"

"I will. I definitely will, Alicia. I've just been holding back all this time, but as soon as I step into the next world, whatever it has to offer, I'm sure I'll lose all control. I'm afraid of that. I acted cold and distant, but I'm actually just a lame and pathetic old man. I'm among the dying people who were unsatisfied with their lives."