Boy In The Woods(4)

(At the center of the Greenery, dozens of miles away from the Hollow Grove)

A man was looking around in the green thickets and bushes. He was of average height, his age between the ages of middle-age and elderly. A pure white priest outfit adorned with gold was draped upon his body. However, upon closer inspection, the gold embroidery was much more intricate, showing this man was not your average priest.

" AURORA, CHILD WHERE ARE YOU" the man called. He felt stifled. The man who had many years of experience in this world was adept at knowing when uncertain situations could spring about at any moment's notice. In this very forest, he felt an unusual sense of dread. The forest was dead quiet, not an ounce of movement, not even a wind blow.

The Moon Forest was foretold in stories and legends, a place teeming with powerful monsters at every nook and cranny. This very forest was as silent as a still lake. The poignant stench of decaying flesh made the man even more anxious as he frantically called for the young girl.

' It was only supposed to be a short meeting…. So how did two young children end up going missing! I've gotten negligent in my old age. Please child….be safe' He thought. " Aurora!" Once more he called out the child's name, but immediately stopped once he heard a rustle in the nearby bushes.

Though the man was old, he used to be a first-rate warrior in his prime. He sharpened his senses and went on guard. However, he soon relaxed his guard as a small child fell through the bushes on their knees. Relief coursed its way into the man's body as he ran to her.

"My goodness, Aurora! Are you alright?" He asked, inspecting her body. Dirt and grime were on her face and hands, even her pure white robe was laced with specks of bluegrass as if she rolled in the bushes.

" Child, do you know how long I've been looking for you! This is not someplace for you to play around. I've told you seamlessly to stay near my side. What if a monster had come by? I wouldn't have been there to protect you!" an endless stream of beratement flooded out of the man's mouth.

Aurora flinched and hung her head guiltily. " I-I'm sorry...I just wanted to help find the boy…" at her innocent query, the man's heart softened. Though the child was small, she was quite fearless even in this dangerous forest. He couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Haaaah, I know you meant well, but it's still dangerous. Running without a plan warrants danger" he said, his voice softening.

Aurora nodded meekly, she peeked her head a little at the man's face, monitoring his mood. Although he had slight wrinkles that made him seem grumpy, he was still kind.

" Though we had some issues, it seems we'll have to come back another day to get the her-"

Suddenly, the man felt a wide array of magi-toms shift. It felt foul and revolting. He could feel his skin crawl, like a myriad of insects were making their way through his skin, biting and ripping off flesh. 'W-what the….what is this? '' Sweat dripped from his forehead, his pupils constricting. The feeling of utter fear permeated through him.

Innocent crystal blue eyes peered up at him, not grasping the tension at hand. "Father, what's wrong? She asked. The man quickly grabbed her hand. It was unfortunate that they couldn't get what they came for, but it was better to leave now with both of their lives and limbs intact.

'I don't know, whatever that was, it's coming, and quickly' he thought. The man drew a cross symbol in the air, golden light enveloped both of them, gradually brightening the surroundings in light. "B-But what about the boy?" Aurora cried, she quickly glanced back at the forest.

"I'm sure that lad is fine, he has a strong mother with him, but we need to leave now.'' He tightened his hold on Aurora's hand. Aurora glanced once more at the forest 'I was sure...he was right at that small cliff-edge, with the broken tree….where did he go…'

Soon the duo disappeared in an array of light particles, her thoughts only heard amongst herself.

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*Splash*

I dipped my hand in the cool water. The moonlight was slowly dimming, causing the once glowing pond to dim as well. It was really sad, this phenomenon happens pretty rarely, not always when the moon is full.

The boy mimicked what I was doing and dipped his hands in as well. I glanced at his wounds, they were clearing up nicely, the swelling was a little stubborn but soon they will be fully healed. I nodded in satisfaction and looked back at the pond. Then, I noticed something bright shining at the bottom of the pond. It shone a brilliant light green, it was a crystal.

'Hmm? Ooh, that's so pretty, it kinda reminds me of the cutie protagonist's eyes. I wonder if I could take one.' I thought.

[Mono 1]: Isn't this something sacred? It seems important….

[Mono 4]: Awww, he seems bored...maybe some entertainment could do him good if I give it to him.

[Mono 3]: FINDERS KEEPERS LOSERS WEEPERS HAHAHAHA

[Mono 5]: What if he doesn't like it, what if he hates it, then we wasted our time and clothes…. FOR NOTHING!!!! Ohno Ohno Ohno!

'AAAAGH, I'll just wing it!!' I immediately jumped into the pond.

The sound of water rushed in my ears, as I quickly swam towards the light. I didn't really have to hold my breath, turns out Saphiras are adept at swimming in water for long periods of time, pretty convenient huh.

'I wonder, were we secretly fish or some aquatic animal that evolved….oh my gosh….maybe I am part turtle, that's why I'm so good at swimming!!!

Mono 1: FOCUS ON THE TASK YUIJI!!!!

'Oh right!! pretty crystal'

After a bit, I was at the bottom, large crystals embedded in the ground surrounded me. Some were big, others were small. My eyes scanned the crystals until they landed on a very unusual crystal. It shone the brightest and was thin at the top, but going down it gradually widened, making it appear thicker than others. The bottom of the pond was brightened with green light. I plucked a small chunk of the crystal.

*Fwoosh*

I then dashed to the surface, the water splashing like a small wave. The boy looked frightened and quickly made his way towards me. Ooh, guess he's all healed? "A-ARE YOU OK" The boy cried. I shook my body, water flinging off me. The boy covered his face as droplets of water splashed on him. Oopsy.

I grinned and showed him the small crystal. "Is that what you saw down there….it's green, but why did you," I pointed towards him, 'doesn't it look like your eye color' I conveyed. The boy took a while to get it before his face flushed red.

"A-AH!?" He waved his hands around wildly, his eyes darting around. I tilted my head, confused. 'Does he want it that badly?'. I looked around and saw an abandoned Arachna( Ah - Rac -Nah) web on a bush. I snipped a piece of the sticky web. Though it seems thin, it was as tough as metal, any normal person wouldn't be able to break it or cut through it.

I wrapped the crystal up, forming a necklace. I held it out to the boy, he shook his head, he seemed too embarrassed to take it, but I insisted and forc-ahem gently draped it on the boy's neck.

'Hee hee, am I awesome or what? I have good taste! Who has good taste, YUIJI!!! HAHA'

it fit him quite nicely, it matched the whole "young protagonist" aesthetic!

"T-t-thank you very much,'' he said as he hung his head down, but his neck was red like a tomato.

`I wonder if tomatoes exist here or…'

I nodded my head. 'I should be taking the boy back, I think there is a village nearby, maybe his mother could still be alive-' As I was thinking about what to do with the boy, my attention was caught by the bluish flutter of wings in my peripheral.

*Gasp* CHRYSALIS FLIES!!

Small thin butterflies began to swarm the glowing pond, their wings fluttering. A trail of bluish-purple glitter mist disappeared as soon as it came. I ran towards them and began to twirl around. A swarm fluttered over to me, following my movements. Soon an entire tornado of these glowing butterflies surrounded me.

Chrysalis Flies are butterflies that only come at midnight. They're not like normal butterflies, their diets are also not normal. What they eat is essentially energy and magi-toms. Energy being your movement, let's say you run a marathon, these butterflies would feed off the energy you drive out of your body. The more energy you have, the larger the swarm.

They get their name "Chrysalis", from their defense mechanism, where they harden their bodies in the form of a crystal and temporarily hibernate. This protects them from the danger of predators.

The boy, who was watching me, decided to take part and began to spin as well. Though not as big as mine, a good amount surrounded the boy, and eventually we both were laughing. The pond's glowing light dwindled and soon returned to normal. The blue hue also faded. The boy suddenly collapsed, the small swarm of butterflies dispersing.

"O-OH NO" I ran to the boy and checked his condition. Though it wasn't a big swarm, they still sucked quite a bit out of him, he must have had a bit of energy. Luckily, he was just asleep. I sighed with relief. Can't have the protagonist dying on me when he has to save the world soon ya know.

*ZIIING*

I flinched.

I felt a horrific force swat through the air. It was a disgusting, dreadful feeling. Whatever it was, it was close. I sharpened my eyes and looked around, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

'For now, Let's take the boy back' I carried the sleeping boy bridal style and hopped in the trees. I sniffed the air, trying to find the earlier faint scent from before. I realize through my years in this world, that the sweet scent that my father harbored was the smell of humans. Mom would tell me that every living thing has a particular scent that identifies as its own. Although humans have a sweet scent, each of them has differences.

The boy's scent was akin to a sweet flower field. It was very refreshing. However, the scent that I was looking for smelled of herbs and medicine. ``We're almost there, I think they're nearby!' I thought. Passing through the blue trees, I followed the smell in the direction of the Greenery.

I stopped where the smell was most strong. Gently, I laid the boy at the base of a tree. 'Oooh crap, the smell's getting closer' I hid in the thickness of the trees and watched.

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" SOREN!" a voice frantically called out. A woman, who looked very young, thrashed through the bushes. " I knew it, this is all my fault, I never should have brought him here. '' She mumbled to herself. Her body felt incredibly fatigued, her breathing rough, yet she still moved on, searching for her lost child.

She felt as if she was walking in circles. No matter where she walked, everything looked uniform. Brown trees...green bushes. Despite this being the Moon Forest, not a single monster was around, and that gave her endless chills.

Her weakened body and loss of stamina caused her to stumble on a thick branch, she fell forward ripping through bushes, and fell to her knees. "Ouch" She inspected her hands and body, small cuts on her hand and a scraped knee. She winced as she tried to move.

When she stood up, a small cry left her mouth, her eyes trained on the small boy lying at the base of a bluish-looking tree. "OH MY GOSH, SORREN!" She ran towards him and hugged him tightly. She checked every ounce of the boy's body, from head to toe.

The boy had no scrapes or cuts, but he did have signs of bruising. However, they were almost gone. A faint smell wafted from his body. 'It smells like medicine….did someone treat his wounds..but who could be in this dangerous place to have done that?' She looked around and picked the boy up.

*Snap*

The woman whirled around at the source of the sound, she then stiffened. She saw a pair of golden eyes staring at her. They reminded her of dragon eyes she once read in books, those reptilian slits watching her, as if seeing if she's a threat.

For a while, they stared at each other, though the woman could not see the figure in the trees, she saw bits of pink hair if she peered closely.

Soon the eyes disappeared, and the woman let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

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Monster: Chrysalis Flies

Habitat: Found at the heart of the Hollow Grove, primarily near sources of water and vegetation.

Rank: F

Affinity: None

Info: Chrysalis Flies appear only at midnight. Their wings vary in colors some purple and others blue some having both. Some say that in their chrysalis forms, they can stay that way for hundreds of years and still be alive.

Key Facts: They are as harmless as ladybugs on Earth!!- Yuiji