Return to the Dark Forest
By Jason Granado

Chapter One:

The walls of oak surrounding the trapped seem to close tightly around her. The air giving trees, sucking the breath from her lungs as she slowly wanders through the foliage. No light penetrates the treetops, giving the sense of perpetual night for anyone foolish enough to enter.

Random thoughts surface to her mind, and she wills them to fight through the headache that kept her from moving for hours, or was it days? The thumping at her temples eases as she remembers entering the forest, no... She was running, but from what? And why?

Branches grab hold of her nightgown, tearing it slightly as she passes through a bush. The once lovely pink gown, now covered with dirt and mud from the where she awoke on the forest floor. Bugs had begun to inhabit her long midnight black hair, which caused her to freak from her fear of bugs. In her panic she ran blindly, the branches as if in lust, tore at her gown fiercely until it was nothing but rags around her shapely figure.

The fear that moments before cause her to run blindly, has now slowed her to a crawl as she fearfully roams the forest. Looking around she can't understand why she should be so afraid, she remembers having been to many forest with her family, or maybe it was friends, either way she was in many of them and one forest is the same as any other. Isn't it?

No, this one is definitely different she concludes. She takes a break and stops before sitting on the floor, checking to make sure that there are no bugs, but to her surprise the dirt is bare of any insect life. Sitting down she realizes that she hasn't heard any animal sounds in a while, not when the sound of the leaves as they are pushed by the gentle breeze.

As if in respond to her thoughts, a cold breeze passes over her, and as she huddles beneath what is left of her nightgown, she strains to hear the swaying leaves only to find nothing. She doesn't know which is worse, the darkness hovering over her head, or the lack of sound that is making her feel like she was trapped in a box.

Deciding to move on, she slowly continues her journey through the darkest forest she has ever walked through in her life.

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As she travels down the twisted trail of sharp branches and hollow trees, she comes to a bush, marking the end of this trail. Not knowing where else to go, she pushes aside the branches and wiggles herself through the bush. Her midnight black hair, once straight and shiny is now matted with mud and the frizziest she has ever seen it. After untangling her hair more than once, from the arms of the horny bush, she finally emerges upon a dark pool of water.

Filled with thirst she runs to the edge of the pool and kneels down. Looking down into the dark pool, expecting to see her reflection, but instead sees nothing but darkness so thick that it fills her with a sense of vertigo. Much like the feeling one gets when looking down from someplace too high for comfort, she closes her eyes before the nausea kicks in. And through the darkness of her own mind, she can swear she saw two amber colored eyes staring at her from the water. Opening her eyes again, she looks down and sees nothing, no eyes, no fish, nothing but perpetual darkness like the skies above her.

Something deep inside tells her not to drink the water, and for once in her life she is going to listen to it. Staring out at the pool, she can't help but notice the beauty in its surface. A casual glance would give the impression that the water is actually a hole in the ground, because it goes not shimmer like most pools of water do when light is reflected off of it. But here in the forest, there is very little light, and even that seems to come from the air itself.

Unable to shake the eyes from her mind, she crawls over to the edge of the water and looks within. This time though, the eyes have a face, and it is her own that is reflected on the surface of the water. She sighs as she realized just how dirty she looks. Her appearance has always been her top priority, something that most people teased her about endlessly. Always with a comb running through her hair, she has always taken good care to look her best.. That is until the Dragkins invaded her town and kidnapped the children after killing all their parents.

She gasps not so much from the sudden rush of memories, but from the emotions they inflict on her. Each new memory hits her like the crack of a whip, sharp and sudden. Tears cloud her vision as she realizes that everything she ever loved was taken away from her. The shock of it all is heavy on her, and she can't help but curl up into a fetal position and weep. In the back of her mind all she can think is, "I want to go home! I want to go home!"

Sleep, feeling pity for her, wraps her in its warm motherly arms, and all is still within the forest of perpetual night. Somewhere, beyond the mystical bounders of the forest, a child and an old man enter a different forest, also shrouded by perpetual darkness.

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Chapter Two:

A shrill sound echoing in the night startles her awake, shortly after, fear settles in like an unwelcome houseguest. Clutching the tattered rags of her gown, she kneels by the waters edge, her eyes darting into every dark orifice for the source of that deathly sound. Had she even heard the sound? Or was it a product of her dreams, and the damned memories that she wishes she could forget once again.

With a sigh of relief she calms herself down, allowing her hunger to take the stage as her next annoyance. Her belly making a sound that would probably scare away a bear, a low rumble that sounded way too loud to have come from her. Again the rumble roars through the woods, but this time it wasn't her stomach.

Rising to her feet, too worried to cry, and too scared to run; she stands ready to defend herself if she can. Berating herself for not having thought of it sooner she searches around for a stick or log she can use to defend herself. She finds a staff length branch that could have long ago been used as a walking stick by some ancient wizard. Holding the stick like her father had taught her to, she waits for whatever is out there to attack her.

-----

A pair of eyes watches her from deep within the darkness, calculating eyes that watch every shift in her posture, and every movement of flesh behind the tattered rags of her gown. Curious eyes that seem to peer into her very soul, as she stands white-knuckling the make-shift staff. It has been a long time since these eyes have seen anything of interest within its home, a long time since "he" dared to walk into the forest. Though he wasn't as interesting as she appears to be. Back then, the eyes had peered into his soul as well, and it saw what lay deep within his heart and mind. The curious eyes had found him boring then, and probably still would if it could see him now.

The eyes dare to move closer to her, yes she truly is interesting. Excitement course through the eyes, those curious eyes peering in the darkness. It has been ages since they have felt anything connecting to the world, ages since the last Tarrants, the former co-habitants of the forest, left for other lands. The others of the forest had let the man, that Sirus, go back into the world without so much as a single thought in his head; "though there wasn't much there to begin with," thinks the curious eyes hidden within the darkness.

Unknown to both the girl, and the curious eyes which have not seen anything interesting in ages, there are two more eyes watching them both. These eyes, lie in a deeper darkness, and like the curious eyes, these mysterious eyes find her interesting as well. These eyes, mysterious eyes, we're responsible for letting Sirus, the man who's mind was emptier when he came in, back into the outside world. It was these very eyes that peered into his soul, and forced him to see the hidden demons that were deep in his soul. These eyes, these very mysterious eyes, watch the girl, and feel pity for her past; but most importantly they feel pity for her future. For hers, is a dark future indeed.

-----

Not knowing whether to run, or just stand her ground, she stands ready to fight. Out of the corner of her eye she catches movement, gone by the time she turns her head. Again... movement to her right, she's sure she saw something that time, either that or she's hallucinating from being so damn hungry. Pushing the thoughts of food out her mind for now, she strains to hear a sound that might tell her when the thing might come for her.

A sudden cold chill runs down her spine, along with the strange sensation of being watched from behind her. She starts to turn around but before she can, something slams into her left side, knocking her to the ground. Her vision is covered by a dark figure that seems to smother her body completely, pinning her to the ground.

The make-shift staff lays 3 feet away from her, knocked from her hands when she landed on the ground. She punches the air but her fists connect with nothing at all, as if whatever was on top of her was nothing more than air itself. The heat coming from her attacker is smothering, almost animalistic. Something pins her arms to her sides, harshly holding her down on the cold wet floor.

Her fear turns to anger, as she struggles to fight off this unseen assault. That anger turns to a deadly fear as something begins to creep up her left leg, slowly crawling along her inner thigh. She tries to will her legs to move, to pin whatever is crawling up her thigh so it won't go further, but her legs can not.

Her screams fall on deft ears, or perhaps just uncaring ears, as the eyes hovering above her walk down the length of her body and back up again. The look of hatred that her eyes radiate at her unseen attacker could melt a diamond, but they do nothing at all in her defense. The creature or hand, at least she hopes it’s not a creature, reaches her panty covered crotch. She feels the heat from the creature as it slithers, trying to venture beneath the barrier of clothing which keeps it from entering its goal and claiming her.

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As the curious eyes attack the girl, the mysterious eyes watch intently. They know what the curious eyes plan to do, violate the girl with its seed and condemn her soul to eternally walk the grounds of this forest in service to its master. Each night she will fight it off, but will ultimately loose herself, mind, body and soul, to her attacker. Her ever orifice will be violated until she has nothing left to give, and once her will is broken; she will be his to discard much as a snake sheds its dead skin.

The mysterious eyes watches the tendril worms its way to her crotch, trying to break the line of clothing that prevents it from entering. It will only be moments until it finally penetrates her and begins its slow and painful penetration, then finally fill her womb with its seed.

The tendril finds the seam of her panties and triumphantly rips them off as if they were made of paper. Without hesitation it plunges into her roughly, she screams a horrific scream as her hymen is ripped apart. The head of the tendril reaches the farthest regions deep within her, brushing against her cervix. Without remorse, the tendril pulls out almost completely, and thrusts in with equal force as before. Deep within her womanhood the tendril swells and stretches her painfully. The tendril continues its assault on her, when the darkness lifts her from the ground. Suspending her body off the ground like a puppet, the creature drives its tendril harder into her now very violated body.

Other tendrils begin to caress her body, venturing beneath her nightgown to find the supple flesh of her breasts. The tendrils wrap themselves around her nipples and roughly pull on them, kneading the flesh. Another tendril well lubricated with the wetness pouring from her violated womanhood, slowly worms its way into her anus. The two tendrils worm in a demonic yet timely rhythm.

Thrust after the thrust, the two tendrils drill into her. Her screams have long ago been cut off by a tendril snaking down her throat. All time seems to stop as she is raped over and over again in every orifice, her young body hugging each tendril. The creature laughs as it comes close to claiming her for its own sick pleasures. It has been so long since it has felt anything like this; this is a true moment to savor.

It is in that moment of bliss that the creature with the curious eyes is caught off guard. The tendrils are slice by another unseen force, without the tendrils to support her she drops limply to the ground; her hands fumbling to remove the now lifeless tendrils from inside of her. With her attacker off of her and a rage that has she didn't know she was capable of feeling, she reaches for the make-shift staff and stands on weak, almost useless legs. The pains of her body and nothing compared to the rage in her heart. Seeing the thing lying on the floor, she doesn't think, just stabs the sharp pointed end into the ground. In her blind rage she never notices the soft light coming from the end that is now impaled into the creature.

Stumbling backwards she watches as the creature whither away into nothing. Her strength suddenly gone, she collapses onto the ground, and with heavy breaths she yells the loudest obscenity that she has ever uttered in her entire life. Long after she has stopped yelling, the sounds continue to echo off the trees, followed behind it are the giggles of laughter than have seem to infect her. Shaking her in disbelief, she sits on the ground laughing.

When her giggles have subsided, she crawls to the water and dips her head in the water to wash her face of the dirt, mud, but most important to wash away the foul feeling left behind by the hideous creature with the curious eyes. Her hair, heavy with wetness, hangs limp over her eyes and face. The drops cascading down each strand of hair causing ripples on the surface of the water as it drops back to whence it came.

With a shuddered breath she opens her eyes and stares at her reflection on the water. Her thoughts running a mile a minute in a feeble attempt to understand what the hell was it that attacked her and tried to rape her. Staring at her reflection, she sees the eyes blink when she did not. She raises an eyebrow as the reflection in the water, a reflection that is her own but moves of its own will, the reflection looking back at her with a smile says "Hello"

All she can think to say at the moment are three words. Three words that her father would have smacked her square in the mouth for saying, right before washing her mouth out with soap. A simple, three worded question...

"What the fuck?"

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Chapter Three:

Just when things couldn't get any worse, the weary girl watches as her own reflection winks and says Hello. Knowing that her make-shift staff is still impaled on the ground, where moments before the Dark figure with the curious eyes withered away to nothingness, she searches the ground for a rock or something she can use to defend herself.

The reflection in the water wavers for a moment, then disappears as if it were never there to begin with. Edging towards the dark pool of water she sees a light begin to glow from the bottom, bubbles slowly rising to the surface. The adrenaline gone from her body, her legs seem to weigh a ton as she tries to stand. Giving up she crawls away from the pool as the waters start to boil, splaying everywhere.

Four yards from the pool, she watches as the waters calm with slight ripples cascading across the surface, each jumping happily until finally crashing against the shore. When the waters calm completely, something emerges from the depths of the water. Gripping the rock in her hand with a defiance that comes from both fear and anger, she waits for the figure to emerge so she can crack its head open with the rock and dance in its blood... assuming it even has a head of course.

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The air is chill but not unpleasantly so. If this had been a normal forest, the woods would have been filled with the sounds of life and vitality, but this is no ordinary forest. This forest is dark, cold and silent, the only sound being heard coming from the heavy breathing of the girl in the tattered clothes and blood seeping down her thighs.

The figure rises completely out of the water, and seemly hovers on the surface. Through the dim lighting, the girl with the rock can see a robed figure that appears to be human. He is covered from head to toe beneath a white heavy robe, the hood covering his head in both cloth and shadow.

Heartbeats pass slowly as the only two persons present stare at each other. The girl with the rock preparing to use every ounce of strength she has to leap at the robed figure, and bring the rock to a crashing halt within the confines of the person’s skull. The robed figure reading her expression finds humor in the situation and waits a few moments more before finally speaking a word. In a voice that seems to be both male, and female, utters a simple word of greeting; "Hello" The girl holding the now sweat covered rock rises to her feet, long forgotten are the pains deep within her womb and the weariness of her body. "You get any closer and I'll kill you."

The white-robed figure extends its arms outward, palms resting up, in a show of peace and neutrality. "You don't need to fear me, child. It was I that helped you moments ago. If I had wanted to harm you, I would have simply needed to drag you down into my waters and there would have been nothing you could do to stop me. Sit and rest, I won't move, you have my word... and by the way, if you don't wish to attract anymore unwelcome company, you might want to do something about your hand there."

Looking down at her hand she realizes that the rock had a jagged edge that was digging into her hand, a trickle of blood running down her hand and forming a small saturated spot on the soil beneath her. Cursing herself for being tricked into taking her eyes off the other figure, she grips the rock and braces herself for the attack that she knew she brought upon herself. An attack that never came, the robed figure remains in the exact same spot that it was moments before.

"As I said before, my dear, I do not mean to harm you. You are weak and need to rest, please sit down before you fall over and crack that lovely skull of yours on the ground. I can help you against one demon, but not a horde of them. So for both our sakes, please sit."

Feeling tired she plants her sore behind on the ground, wishing for all the world that the bastard demon has at least spit on her before raping her ass. As if reading her thought and finding amusement, the robed figure laughs softly beneath its shadowed hood. "I'm sorry, I know there is nothing funny about any of this, but in some ways there truly are things to laugh about. I should introduce myself, my name is Luzia, I don't suppose you recall who you are, Do you?"

A look of both disappointment and anger creeps over her face as she tries desperately to remember who she is, only to come up with nothing but anger. "It's okay, my dear, I wasn't expecting you to remember, but you gotta hope for the best and expect the worst sometimes right?"

Not having heard a single thing he said, the girl with the bloody hands and wobbly legs stares intently at the floor, inwardly searching the depths of her mind for any random thought that might jog her memory. "My dear, what you are experiencing is a trap, placed long ago by the Tarrants, long since residents of these woods. In their haste to leave, the left behind many secrets and wonders, that if fell into evil hands, would have meant the destruction of the world as we know it. They safeguarded the land, rendering anyone who dares enter, completely devoid of memory, and in some extreme cases, madness followed by death. The creature that attacked you is one of the many that was sent in search of those secrets, but even evil is effected by this powerful spell. So here they have remained for countless years, never to leave the Dark Forest again. Not that they'd like what they would find out there anyway, their masters have long since been destroyed, their legions disbanded or killed, or worse exiled."

Not knowing what Luzia is talking about, a look of both puzzlement and annoyance passes before her face. "Look, Luzia, its really nice to meet you, honestly. And thanks a lot for helping me with that demon, I really appreciate it and all but, I don't give a rats ass about your history, just tell me where the nearest exit is and I’ll be on my way."

"I'm sorry, but I can not do that just yet. Please, calm down I shall explain in due time, and only then if you are strong willed, will you be able to leave here. The amount of time you spend here is completely up to you, I can not force you to listen nor understand, but only when you do, will the path be opened for your release."

Filled with anger at being told she wouldn't be release "just yet", she threw the blood stained rock at Luzia's head. Not surprised at all was she, when the rock stopped and hovered just inches from his face, finally falling softly to the waters where it sank to the bottom. Her blood forever mixing with the murky waters of the dark pool.

"My dear, I feel very rude for not knowing your name, so why don't we pick one for you? I've always loved 'Hannah', no? Ok, how about Candy? Well jeez you don't need to look at me that way!, alright, alright how about... Mirage?"

Frustrated she looks deep into the dark hood and spins her words into thin needles aiming straight for his head. "Look damn it! I don't care what you fucking call me ok? You want to call me Mirage, well fine, nice to fucking meet you ok? Now can we get on with the whole "Listen and understand" bullshit so I can get the hell out of here? And by the way, do you have anything to eat under that robe?"

Deep within the robes, Luzia smiles softly before he lowers himself into the murky water. "No! Wait! Look, i'm sorry don't... damn it! I should have said I liked the damn name..." Tears begin to sting her eyes as frustration overwhelms her to the point of insanity. Through the tears she sees the blur of Luzia as he begins to rise out of the waters again, this time walking towards her with something in his arms.

Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she watches as he calmly stands next to her, offering his hand to help her up. As she accepts his hand of assistance, she suddenly feels just how naked she truly is. Her panties having been ripped off by the creature tendril, and the majority of her clothing shredded to ribbons by the thorny bushes and tendrils. Luzia seems not to notice the flushing of her face as she meagerly tries to cover her exposed breasts and crotch. Carefully he hands her a bundle of clothing and without so much as a word turns to walk away from her while she dresses, perching upon a large rock with his back to her.

Watching as he sits on the rock, Mirage quickly unfolds the clothing that she was handed, not even caring to know why it isn't wet at all from the pools water. The quickly puts on the airy gray shirt, which is slightly too tight around her breasts, straining with the effort but amazed at how expandable the material truly is. The pants she found in the bundle appear to be elfish, made of a soft material that feels almost like skin when she placed her legs into them. The last article of clothing being a simple white traveler’s cloak made of the same material as the shirt. After dipping her feet into the murky waters to wash them of dirt, she dries them on the shreds of her night gown and puts on the walking boots she was given.

Looking at her reflection in the waters surface, she realizes that she could possibly pass for a half-assed magician or party-stripper. With a sigh she walks over to where Luzia has been patiently waiting for her to get dressed. "Thank you, and I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier, I'm just so confused and don't know how to feel."

Turning his dark hood towards her, Luzia looks at her with those mysterious eyes and wonders why she looks familiar to him. "You are very welcome, my dear. Though I do prefer what you were wearing earlier, You'd make a great Priestess." Smiling as she sudden blushes at the mention of her tattered and very revealing nightgown she wore just moments before.

"Now, if you'll follow me for a bit, I'll make sure you are fed while we get to know each other more." Beginning to protest, Mirage realizes that it would probably be a waste of time anyway, so she gets up to follow him, picking up the make-shift staff on the way out of the clearing with the dark pool of now reflection less waters.

-----

The two walk quietly through the woods so they won't attract any unwanted attention. In the distance, Mirage can hear twigs break and leaves rustle from movement; but she spots nothing. Holding her staff at the ready, she and Luzia walk through the seemly endless forest until they reach yet another clearing, this time guarding a small cabin of wood.

Leading her inside, she cautiously looks around for any signs of movement, deep in the back of her mind the word "TRAP!" rings loudly. But thinking it would be safer indoors then walking around aimlessly, she decides to quiet the voice and enter the cabin.

The cabin is a one room styled dwelling, a fireplace on the Eastern wall which appears to have been used recently, perhaps by Luzia. In the center of the room is a plush couch which seems to be completely out of place in such a place as this cabin. Behind the couch on the northern wall, lies a table full of food and drink. Being a mouth breather, Mirage had not noticed until now, the rich smell of freshly baked bread that seems almost familiar.

Ushering her to a seat at the table, Mirage looks at the most delicious collection of she has seen in... well probably her whole life. Smoked meats line one tray, fruits and cheeses cover another tray right beside the breads. A mug of fruit juice is filled by Luzia and handed to her, and before he could tell her to drink slowly, she always guzzles half of the mug before she begins to cough. A few pats on the back and a smile from Luzia, and she's back to drinking.

Luzia is amazed to see her pack away so much food. Like an animal that hasn't eaten in weeks, Mirage tears into the bread and cheeses with no manners what so ever. Pieces of meat fly across the room as she rips into the cooked flesh. He grabs a few pieces of bread and meat, too afraid to reach a hand out and get caught in the black hole surrounding her mouth.

The meal is eaten quietly, with the exception of a burp of two from Mirage, who giggles softly and excuses herself. Luzia thinks to himself, "Well at least she has SOME manners."

Filled and satisfied, Mirage leans back into her chair and breaths a happy shuddered sigh. "Okay tall dark and mysterious, we ate, now can we discuss the conditions of my release?" Her lower lips curls outward into a hurt pout as Luzia laughs a deep soulful laugh. "How rude! It’s not polite to laugh at your guest you know!"

"Polite? And I suppose burping, slurping, biting into a whole loaf of bread while grabbing a handful of meats is being polite? I've seen deer with more manners than you, my dear." Her face turning to a deep crimson red, she replies in a small voice much like a child who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar, "I was just very hungry, this stupid forest doesn't even have any berries. I'm sorry."

"Its quite alright, it was interesting watching a woman with such an interesting appetite as yours. I'm glad you enjoyed the meal. Now if you are finished, I would like a smoke in my chair, feel free to plop yourself on the couch, assuming your legs can hold your added weight."

With a look that could melt steel, she glares at Luzia as he sits down on the plush chair that she didn't even notice was there when she walked into the cabin. Sighing from the effort, she begins to walk over to the couch when she stops mid stride, "Shouldn't we clear the tab..." Looking behind her she sees neither a crumb, nor plate from the huge meal she just ate. Wanting to ask what the hell just happened, she decides it's too much to deal with and just shrugs her shoulders. "Never mind then."

Plopping down on the very comfy couch she wonders what types of feathers are used in the padding, but doesn't really care at the moment. Sitting to her right with a window open behind him, Luzia puffs on a cigarette he rolled while waiting for her to finally sit down on the couch.

With a yawn, she stretches her tired legs and sits grateful to finally rest her behind on something besides rocks and dirt for once. Watching Luzia puff away at his cigarette strangely reminds her of someone she used to enjoy watching, someone she cared about deeply but can't remember whom. Not wanting to frustrate herself again and break her content mood, she pushes those thoughts to the back of her mind and focuses on the present.

"If you feel yourself start to get tired, feel free to lay down and take a nap. We have plenty of time to answer your questions later." A small ball of smoke puffing out with each word he spoke.

Her eyes suddenly feeling heavier than lead, she leans her head against the cushion and without hesitation drifts to sleep. Somewhere in the back of her mind she could have sworn she heard someone speak to her, but too tired to care. The words echo in her mind while the warm arms of sleep surround her, comforting her like her father would when she would cry out in the night as the sounds of thunder rolled over the fields of wheat behind their small house.

"Listen closely my dear, our time here is short..."

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The walk from the cabin to the exit of the woods was a long and extremely boring one. After hours of seeing the same scenery pass by them, and the ever present feeling that someone was watching them from the shadows, they finally reached a place where sunlight could be seen from behind the bushes.

"My dear, this is where we part. Remember what I have told you, and be weary on your travels. This forest is not the only place where demons roam freely, the world is full of evils that you can not begin to imagine."

Confusion clouds her mind; her last thoughts before exiting the cabin were of her meal and taking a nap. She tries to question Luzia asking him about who she is, and what's going on but is paused by his raised hand. "Mirage, you are who you desire to be in life. The questions of your past will all be answered in due time, but for now you must go to the place I have indicated on this map. Travel swiftly, and try not to eat all the food I packed for you in one sitting. I wish I could travel with you on this journey but it is one that you must travel alone. We will meet again someday, and I look forward to seeing what type of woman you turn out as."

Leaning forward he kisses her softly, the cloth of his hood wrapping around her, leaving them both in privacy. Though the kiss is very brief, its touch will linger upon her lips for long after, revisiting her in her dreams. And on those nights, she will wake and wonder why she feels this way about this stranger, and one day find an answer. But that is a long way from now as they stand at the exit to the dark forest.

"Go now, while you still can, Daughter of Alestro. And have faith in what I have told you. May the Light of Obsidian guide you on your journey" Not really sure what the hell he's talking about, but happy to be finally leaving this accursed place, she steps through the bushes and shields her eyes from the brightness of the sun. After a few moments, allowing her eyes to adjust to the new light, she turns to wave goodbye to Luzia, but sees nothing but dense bush. Her eyes search for the parting of the bushes that she stepped through, but can not distinguish one bush from another.

Giving up she removes the map from the pouch given to her by Luzia, and begins on her journey, alone in both her mind, and in body.

-----

As she walks away, down the road to the nearest town, Luzia watches her with both pity and wonder. It has been ages since he has had the pleasure of being in such company as hers, a pleasure that he has long since forgotten. With the warmth of her skin still on his lips, he smiles and watches her stride long after she has descended down her path. Watching her, anxious for the day when he will once again lay eyes on her.

Watching her, with two cobalt blue eyes... Two curious eyes.

The Beginning