Chapter 1

Mondays am I right? You leave the comfort of your lovely warm home to go foraging. Then before you know it you’re being chased by a 5 foot tall machine built of pure muscle, clad in nut-brown fur armour, fit with black racing stripes along its body and one thought on its mind - “Breakfast!” Or in simpler terms – a tiger.

You see, the thing about tigers is that they have a very acute sense of smell. Unfortunately, this also means they can track their prey across very long distances. Now this wouldn’t normally be an issue. However, if the prey is... let’s say... me. Then this does become a very large problem.

“Just screw off already!” I shout over my shoulder.

Another problem with tigers is that they tend not to understand Human. God, I wished I stayed in bed.

Each second my breathes grow more ragged, beads of sweat crawling down my face. My eyes stinging from having to wipe the sweat from them with my arm. Trees fly by, my mind too panicked to focus on my surroundings.

Now you must be thinking ‘how the hell did you get in this situation?’ Well let me tell you. Let’s set the scene. This story all begins in the outskirts of the wonderful town of Evergreen where there lay a humble log cabin. There a pitiful young boy was painstakingly awoken and sent to what the locals dub ‘The Forbidden Forest’ by his demon of a mother. Getting the idea? I’ll carry on. So this boy then ventures into this forest where none dare set foot, but alas it is not his first time there. He is regularly sent to restock his family’s herbal supplies. However, luck is not on our protagonist’s side. His go-to patch of herbs have perished to the hands of some form of woodland creature. That did not stop him though. He continued to go deeper and deeper, until he found what he was looking for. Now imagine this boy’s shock when he is in the process of harvesting the berries he worked so damn hard to find to see a set of eyes appear from within the bush he stood before. Unfortunately for our brave hero, this bush did not become sapient. Instead what arose, whilst stretching and performing a yawn-like gesture, was the very same tiger chasing him to this current moment. The beast could’ve caught up to him but instead the thing was toying with him. Perfect.

I’ve lost track of how long I’ve been running now. However, it can’t have been that long as I haven’t collapsed yet. I’m not particularly well known for my stamina. Now... where was it... there! Do you know what the benefit of being the son of a herbalist is? A mental map of the entire local area of course! And once again it proved handy as before me lay a field of Vibrana. A sky-blue flower whose ball-like characteristics accompanied with its colour scheme make it hard to miss among the sea of green. I had unconsciously slowed down as I admired the plant, but quickly resumed my pace as an unhelpful growl called out from behind me. Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about you. Here goes nothing.

I hastily lift the cloth wrapped around my neck to cover my mouth and nose to form a makeshift mask. Then increase my pace and charge through the flowers squeezing my eyes shut. With my arms in front of me to stop me running head first into a tree, I continue to run through the darkness. Come on, Jonas. It can’t be too hard to find a tree in a bloody forest, come on. My hands hit something solid and I desperately grab hold. Thank god, it’s bark. I swiftly slide my hands along the surface of the trunk until I find appropriate foot holds then begin to work my way up. Reach, grab, lift. After an almost endless repetition of those actions, my hand touches what I make out to be branches. I then consider it safe enough to open one of my eyes, to assess the situation. No tiger. Good. After confirming it’s safe, I open my other eye then push myself onto a branch which I deem suitable for my weight.

Before me, countless specks of blue are gradually falling from the sky. This sight never ceases to amaze me. You see, a Vibrana plant is a very delicate plant which carries its seeds on its exterior. So delicate in fact that it launches those seeds upwards from its petals when it detects vibrations nearby. The result is the scene before me. Each individual seed dancing through the air, following the gentle melody of the wind. The only comparable thing I’ve heard about is this snow the Northerners talk about to no end when they visit. Although, these seeds are slightly more dangerous than snow. A blanket gradually wraps itself around the earth below me, the seeds painting an image as if the sky is being reflected against it. Perhaps it’s because I’ve never seen it, but how can snow even begin to compare to a sight like this?

Looking to the right, I see a flash of brown roaming the perimeter of blue.

“It seems I underestimated your intelligence” I remark. What creature in their right mind would willingly run through a field of anaesthetic flowers after all? Apart from me that is.

Better get a move on before the seeds settle. It would be a shame to have risked my life only to get caught again. I begin by grasping the chestnut coloured branch above and standing. Then I slowly trudge along until I reach another branch. Pulling myself up onto it, I begin to shuffle along. After reaching the neighbouring tree’s branches, I slowly work my way onto it, only stopping when the branch begins to creak. Nope, no thank you. After finding a safer branch I shift my entire weight to it and leave my perch. I continue to repeat this process for quite some time. As I’ve discovered, climbing from tree to tree gets quite repetitive. Therefore, to occupy my mind from thoughts of getting eaten, I begin to hum. A light melody at first. However, that melody slowly turns richer and richer and even my own footing begins to follow it. No tiger below waiting for me to fall. Everything is going great so far. That is until something had the bright idea of interrupting me by chewing. As I turn my head in the direction, I notice a bundle of mud-brown fur laying upon one of the branches with a half eaten banana in its hand. It stops chewing and glares at me with wide eyes practically screaming ‘why did you stop human?’ I smile warily and resume humming. I don’t know what the hell that creature was but it seems harmless enough. The chewing sounds resume behind me. Louder this time.

“Do you mind?!” I turn my head, to see two this time. Both staring intensely with bright emerald eyes. Not pausing to blink. Not once. The one to the left, shakes his head and beckons with his hand for me to carry on. These cocky...

It turns out it is much harder to hum or do anything for that matter, when you have an audience. Especially when that audience are of a species you cannot recognise and also obnoxiously gnawing as loud as they can. I swear they’re doing it on purpose. Humming may not work, but how about singing. Smiling smugly, I clear my throat and begin to sing.

“The man whose heart held no open doors,

His might so great,

His name known from ancient wars,

His was such a fate.

A life full of constant hate.

Not a man of people was he,

The being who slew beasts from every land,

That was until he met a she,

And took her loving hand.

A tale for all to know,

A song which shall forever show,

Something of which the likes you’ve never seen before!

Let me tell the life of Sir Iramoore!

Such a-“

Something dark falls across my face, almost causing me to fall. That was close. Clasping my right arm around the trunk of the tree I currently resided, I used my spare to observe the object which fell on my face. Skin. Banana skin. I swing my head to my audience behind me and prepare to shout. However, what I see erases all thoughts of doing... well anything. I fear that if I move. I may regret it dearly. What lay before my eyes was more than a mere audience. I may have accidently called the entire population of the banana loving fur... creatures. These creatures at best stood up to the height of my hips, but that wasn’t the scary thing. It was their numbers and their staring... Each one of them. In the dozens. They took up every branch and each acting as if they were staring into my soul. Completed with 4 limbs much like humans, this only added to the creepiness. Their resemblance to humans. If I were to compare anatomies, the only difference would be the tail which was easily the size of their entire bodies if not longer. That accompanied by their furs which were not only brown. Among them I could see those with black fur, dark green and even a few white ones. Their eyes were not all emerald either, some being sapphire and some being just plain matt-brown as well. However, it was the white ones which terrified me the most. They all possessed ruby coloured eyes which is never a good sign may I say. Perhaps singing was not such a great idea after all.

“Quite a turn up hey?” I laugh awkwardly. The ones who possess bananas are starting to eat them menacingly, all the while continuing to stare at me. How do you even manage to eat a banana menacingly?

A bestial roar echoes in the distance. If that isn’t a signal to get a move on, I don’t know what is.

“Lovely chatting with you all, but I must really get going now...” I give them my best smile then slowly begin to turn my head.

‘Thunk’

Something collides with the back of my head very heavily. I move to rub the back of my head, but only result in getting hit in the hand. Turning my head to the attention of the creatures’ stares, I suspiciously look to see which one of them threw something. I’m in a tree’s canopy, I doubt much else but these guys could have hit my head. Much less downwards.

“You guys-“ midsentence something is shot towards my mouth. Dear gods, they have good aim. Not being fast enough it catches in my throat. I crouch down on my branch and look downwards to cough up whatever the hell I was choking on. Luckily I managed to dislodge the... acorn. However, I’m once again reminded of how high I am and heights don't particularly agree with me. Especially after the accident... Tossing my acorn to the forest below, I can’t even see it when it hits the ground. Yikes. I stand back up to the safety of the trunk but freeze midway. If I ever said that these creatures seemed 'harmless enough' please scrap that statement. I’ve never been so terrified in my life. Not only have they all now occupied the entirety of the branches I faced before but they’re smiling. Not a nice one either. The kind which shows all your teeth and reaches your ears. The kind they use in fiction. Yep that kind. Blood drains from my face when I see what each of them hold as well. Each of them possess a handful of acorns in their arsenal and even the rare banana skin. But they mainly held stones. Small ones, but stones nevertheless. Well I’ll be damned. Then they begin to pelt them at me. This is going to really hurt.

Bombarded, I can do nothing but fall to the branch and hold on for dear life. However, those devils then start targeting my hands. I have to endure the pain. Come on Jonas...

Laughter. They’re laughing.

I’m losing the feeling of my hands. At least my face is protected by the branch. Oh god, I’m slipping. Everything stinks of iron. Blood.

I cannot hold on any longer.

Please if anyone is out there... anything...

Look after my mother. She may be strict at times but I love her and she loves me back. Heh. She never fails to remind me of that. Every day. After all, she’s the only one who put up with my until the end.

Please hear me...

Just let me know that you hear me. A sign is all I need...

Please...

I never told you how sorry I really am...

Isaac...

I guess this is the world’s way of returning what I did...

My only friend,

I should’ve held on...

To think I’d receive the same fate you did that day...

To fall.

Hah. The devils are still laughing.

Can you hear them?

I turn as I fall.

It must be the blood loss.

But their eyes are red.

Blood red.

Darkness.

If I could...

Another.

I wish...

Darkness

Then light.

Huh? Light? I’m lying down. I cannot move. My eyes are closed. Yet I see light. Is this the afterlife? In that case, I would at least appreciate a change in scenery.

Feeling is returning to my body slowly. Ever so slowly. To think I survived that fall... How did I survive that fall? It shouldn't be possible...

I turn my head ever so slightly. I open my eyes just a slit. More red. Hooray.

Am I dying?

Or am I already dead?

Footsteps.

Someone is there.

“h....e...” I muster all the strength I can, but cannot finish my sentence. I mean I’m a bloody pile on the ground and the only two letters I say are ‘h’ and ‘e’. It’s pretty self-explanatory that I meant ‘help’ right?

I’m being dragged. Oh yes. My favourite mode of transport.

Now I’m being lifted. It’s definitely an improvement from being dragged though. I’m not complaining. Do carry on.

We’re going down. Very down. How can I tell? Because my body keeps jerking upwards whenever the person carrying me takes a step. My damn head hit the wall. Can’t blame him though. Probably thinks I’m corpse at this point.

Then I’m dropped. We’ve been walking for long enough that maybe we arrived at the home of the healer of “The Forbidden Forest.” One who lives deep underground... Who am I kidding. This forest isn’t actually forbidden but people are just too scared to enter I guess. It has another name, although I can’t recall it for the life of me. Isaac would know. He always knew about these kind of useless things...

A feeling of fur brushes against my face as I’m dropped and left. Fur?

I try to open my eyes, desperate to see my fate. A wall. A plain grey stone wall... how boring.

So the last thing I’ll ever see is a wall. Great.

I shift my eyes up the wall. Oh now we’re talking. Some markings. What do they say? No clue. I’ve never seen that language before in my entire life. That letter... word? Kind of looks like a spade.

I’m hallucinating now. The letters are moving. If it weren’t the fall, it must have been when I hit my head on the way down here. They’re settling down now it seems. Oh, I can read it this time. How convenient.

‘Within all things,

Yet few fulfil,

What has a start,

But not for all ends.

What many seek,

But soon regret.

I am all around you,

Can’t you see?

Before me bring,

The chosen key.’

I know these. Mother used to do them with me... Riddles. My head may be killing me, but at least I’m not bored anymore.

I’ve thought for a while now and nothing comes to mind. If everything has it, then I must have it too. What have I got?

A body? Doesn’t match... My mother always used to say I was stubborn, perhaps it’s that? However, I guess not everyone is stubborn.

The letters are getting unfocused now. Eyes, you have one job. At least do it right. I need a closer look at it now. Can my hand move? Just barely.

I reach out to touch the markings. Is it vandalism if I get my blood on them? Who cares.

I place my hand beside the picture and prepare to lift myself up slightly but I’m interrupted rudely by a sudden rumbling. Nothing is going right today is it?

Suddenly the wall opens. Literally. It splits in two and then moves inwards. I want one.

Then a wave of Darkness erupts and fills the area where I lie engulfing everything until there’s nothing left. How disappointing, I just had to trigger some trap before I answered the riddle. That’s typical. I’ve heard enough stories to have expected that.

“Ugh.”

Someone needs to give this place a good clean. Dust’s everywhere.

A noise. I freeze.

“H-he..llo?”

No answer.

No response.

Nothing.