Chapter 31: Chapter 31- The People Of The Woods (Part 3)
Chapter 31- The People Of The Woods (Part 3)
"I see..." Zen muttered as he looked down at Cipha’s body, which was also wrapped in the same leaves they used on him. He could tell from the size of the leaf that the injury was really bad. However, Cipha was able to hide the pain from her eyes rather well.
’She really put her life at risk to protect me...’ He thought to himself. His heart ached greatly seeing his wife suffer because of him. He had taken an oath to make sure she didn’t get hurt again. He had taken an oath that he would help her achieve her dream and make sure she survives till the end.
Yet, sadly, he had already broken that oath. Deep down, even when he knew that it was impossible to completely avoid dangerous situations, he knew that the future was bound to change. However, Zen didn’t want to see his wife in pain; he hated that more than anything else in the world.
He would rather see himself die a thousand times over than see her face filled with pain. That deep trauma wedged within his mind was never going to leave him, and he knew that if he didn’t do it right this time, he would lose his mind completely.
"I’m really sorry..." He finally spoke in a low voice. "I should’ve handled that situation better. I put your life and mine at risk."
’I was far too overconfident in my ability to fight those wolves, and I ended up suffering several bad injuries. I need to stop thinking like one of the strongest hunters in the world and more like my actual level at the moment. I’m far from strong enough to take on many enemies at the same time.’
Zen knew that he had the skill to back his strength, but the strength he had was completely gone. Until he reaches at least the Mythic Rank or beyond, he was still going to be prone to mistakes... Ones that could cost him everything.
"Why are you apologizing? You didn’t do anything wrong." Cipha replied, a bit taken aback. "We would not have escaped had you not stalled the wolves. We were in danger anyway, and that was the best we could do."
"..." Zen looked down and didn’t reply. Then, he slowly ran his fingers through his hair.
"We survived... And that’s good. We can continue our journey." Cipha added. "I want you focused and not to think too much about what happened. We were bound to face a threat."
"Yeah..." Zen replied. "You’re right."
The two sat in silence for a bit, not knowing what to say. Each had their own conflicting thoughts without realizing that the other was also struggling with something within them. However, their goal was still shared... To gain as much strength as possible as soon as possible even if their reasons differed.
As they were like that, the door to the house opened again, and Garn walked back in holding a wooden tray in his hand.
"I don’t know what humans like to eat, so I gathered some fruits and other things that you might like." The man said as he put the tray next to them. On it, there were all kinds of berries and other fruits from the forest, and there were also what seemed to be small worms, still wiggling as they were alive.
"..." Zen looked down and then at Cipha. Cipha did the same, and the two understood each other without needing to say a word. Then, they just picked some of the fruits and ate them.
’Mmmm, this is pretty good. Very sweet.’ Zen thought to himself. His stomach was grumbling from hunger since he was so low on energy, and he needed it to recover.
"Good, good. Enjoy yourselves." Garn said as he sat down on the other side of the room near the fireplace. After watching the two eat for a while, Garn finally spoke. "So, how did you two end up in this forest all alone?"
"An accident," Cipha replied. "Our plane fell here, and we ended up stranded. We want to head north."
"North, huh? It must be a long journey." Garn said. "This forest doesn’t allow people out very easily. Many humans who get stranded here never really make it, so you two are very lucky."
"We know. But, we still want to get out of here as soon as possible." Zen replied. "We don’t have much time to waste."
"I see..." Garn thought for a moment before he nodded his head. "Well, since you two are the first human visitors we’ve had in many years, I think I can help you with that."
"Really?" Cipha asked, her eyes lighting up as she swallowed the fruit down.
"Of course. I can tell you two are good souls, and I do not like seeing good souls die in vain." Garn said. "I can lead you to the easiest path out. But, I can go so far before you two have to continue on your own."
"We would really appreciate that."
"Hey, Cipha, can you help me up?" Zen asked as he put the berries down. "I want to check something."
’I get the opportunity to explore the Wood Folks’ settlement. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’m curious how they live.’ He thought to himself.
"Are you sure you can move?"
"Yeah, these leaves are easing my pain very quickly," Zen said. ’They’re infused with Essence that accelerates healing a lot. I don’t know if they would let me take some with me, but I would really want some. They would help a lot.’
"Ok, if you say so..." Cipha then stood up slowly and helped Zen up. Surprisingly, he didn’t feel sharp pain as he expected. He was still in great discomfort, but it wasn’t completely unbearable. ’I can move, this is great!’
"Do you want me to show you around our humble village?" Garn asked.
"Please, if you don’t mind."
"No problem, haha. Follow me." The man stood up, easily towering over them, before he walked to the door and opened it. "Come on, let’s go."
Zen and Cipha looked at each other before they followed the Wood man out. Almost immediately, the two were met with a bright, sunny morning. The rays of the sun peeked through the tree leaves, illuminating the world around them.
"Welcome to our humble village. There are 400 of us living here in peace, and we have been here for eons."
"Wow..."
Zen and Cipha were in awe at the sight they witnessed. Everywhere around them were massive trees that seemed to pierce the sky itself; their leaves were big enough to cover an entire house.
Across this entire open space were huts and houses built out of thick wood. Then, above them, hanging from the trees themselves were even more houses, linked by bridges and stairs.
The entire place felt like a maze of interconnected bridges and houses. A sight so majestic, it took their breath away. Then, they saw many Wood Folks walking around, going about their day. Their giant frame makes them appear mystical.
"Do you like it?"
"It looks very beautiful," Cipha replied.
"Hahaha, I’m glad you do. Well, let’s go, there are many places you should see."
The wood man started walking ahead of them.
"Hm, it seems we will be here for a bit longer than expected," Zen muttered. ’I guess it’s a journey for a reason.’
