Chapter 18: Twilight Forest

A boy heaved on the mildewed terrain, surrounded by coniferous evergreen. Short, quick breaths became the bulwark of his form as he grasped at the moldy soil, gasping for air.

A consequence of his ill-prepared descent. And of all things that she could confuse him for, the will o’ wisp had mistaken him for a bird. It was the ravens that led to this.

★[Huff... Huff...]

He wheezed and panted, making it obvious that the plunge was indeed a bad idea. Particularly so when accompanied by an incompetent guide. An extremely inept one at that.

The perpetrator of his fall, Willow, watched the boy with worried eyes.

In her excitement, the birds had tricked the naïve flame, much to the boy’s chagrin. And, seeing the boy’s condition, she could only ask for forgiveness. If she didn’t, the boy may as well run for the damn hills because of her mistake.

And it was quite clear how angry Nonary was.

☼[U-uh um... I’m sorry!] She trembled, apologizing over what the boy had gone through. Such an error was avoidable, yet she failed him.

And, with that knowledge, she could only atone for her mistakes.

☼[I’m really-really-really sorry for what I did!]

★[Get... *cough* away from me...] He snarled, begging the wisp to leave him, his words followed by countless coughs. ★[You... *cough* *cough* crazy bitch...]

Though obviously, words weren’t enough. The boy crawled away from her, a pronounced event of her failure. Nonary, the pact bearer, was trying to flee from the wisp.

One would expect the pair to become closer with time, as with most contracted beings. But that wasn’t the case with them as their relations strained.

While it wasn’t his first time experiencing an unexpected drop, he subsequently realized just how scary the experience was. The trauma of falling down such heights affected the boy, and it became a black mark on the wisp’s record to raise his fears further.

His impression of the wisp was gradually softening, only to plummet down again. They were irreconcilable at the moment.

The boy propped himself on a piece of timber, moldy and blighted. Acting as his support, Nonary sat down on the log, catching a proper whiff of air. Much needed oxygen that his body firmly lacked after screaming for ages.

He only shrieked during the entire fall, the will o’ wisp humming a tune at his plight. She didn’t notice the boy’s shrieks within the frigid air.

And that wasn’t the end of his anguish; Willow, a few seconds after hearing his screams, confused the not-so-merry sounds of agony for joyful screams.

And while it may have been logical to assume so, if she’d taken a proper glance at his plummeting form, the image of a dark figure that screamed in terror would be apparent to her.

But alas, it was too late for her to make amends.

As Nonary recovered his breath, he glared at the flickering wisp who, sensing his resentment, profusely apologized in response.

★[How the heck did you even confuse me for a fricking bird?!]

He unloaded on the poor flame, each word ingrained with a singular desire to pummel her. It was his singular wish to do so, and he currently held a blade in hand, as the boy pointed it towards her.

★[My voice isn’t even that fucking hoarse, you stupid blaze!]

☼[I’m sorry...] She could only apologize in response, her mood sombre from his lecture. ☼[I’ll try to make it up somehow!]

★[Make it up how?]

He sounded unconvinced, wincing at her words. This was the creature who made a rather noticeable mistake of confusing him with the raspy, husky tone of a bird.

★[How do I know that you’re not going to mess it up again?]

☼[You still need a guide, correct?]

The wisp tried to prove his worth, as the boy direly needed an advisor. He lacked knowledge of their world, and she could provide the information that he needed.

☼[You’ll find that there is no better alternative than me!]

Though not an accurate representation of his expression, the vertical slits that served as his eyes narrowed in response to the will o’ wisp’s words.

Indeed, the will o’ wisp possessed the prerequisite to become his companion. Her knowledge spanned countless topics, and the breadth of what she knew seemed to be in-depth with what she claimed.

However, there came a single slight with Willow. Her jolliness clashed with his temperament. It was awful, combined with wit and emotion.

But the boy knew just how terrifying she was when angered, seeing that he threatened to kill him once, the current predicament of which he found himself somewhat tilted the balance towards leaving her side.

She was too cheerful.

‘What in the world am I supposed to do with this person?’

He had been facing countless mental hurdles as of late, usually related to whatever choice he had to make regarding his newfound ally.

While the contract seemed to bind them in place, there must be a way to breach their contract now that he’d escaped. Then again, the ‘lifelong’ detail of their pact would have none of that.

In the end, he would need to rely on her again.

★[Goddamit, fine!]

He gave in to the appeal of his flickering companion. It was just a single mistake, one that he could forgive her for since she kept her word.

They arrived at the ground, albeit he was unsafe and unsound.

★[Next time, just do your job properly, you preposterous fire...]

☼[Thank you Nonary!]

Willow rejoiced at his merciful choice, and it caused her to bubble up with joy. At this point, the boy only cringed in response, though she was far too happy to be concerned of his actions.

☼[I’ll be sure to meet your expectations, so you can ask away!]

‘Ask away huh... Hmm...’

He contemplated on what to ask the wisp who kept staring at him. For someone who was a threat to Nonary, she was lively and joyful, a juxtaposed character for his pessimistic state.

★[Willow, give me a basic rundown of: Whether we are in a country or nation, the region we are in, and any underlying problems that might come up with my appearance. I’ll probably stick out like a sore thumb because of this... weird and edgy look.]

He put her skills to the test. Hopefully, she could answer the rest of his inquiries as he skipped a lot of crucial information in favor of confusing the wisp earlier.

★[And also, assuming that society exists, what’s the closest settlement to our location? If you know how close it is, tell me that, too.]

These were questions he planned on asking earlier, before he forfeited them for shallow knowledge regarding a variety of bizarre ideas. If he were to supplement his previous findings with a baseline of sorts, only then would they be useful to him.

At the moment, his knowledge was far too scattered, so the wisp’s help was much appreciated. At least she served a purpose, as he’d yet to comprehend how her temporal powers would assist him.

☼[Alright! For the first few questions, here’s what I know: This is the fabled Twilight Forest, a dangerous region found within the borders of Elkira, a member of the sovereign country Philosophiofantasia, of which two other states belong to.]

Willow described the geographical aspects of the world they lived in, concise in her remarks. And she provided the details quite accurately, of which the boy found to be quite professional.

She wasn't lying, apparently. The wisp was efficient with her words.

☼[The closest settlement would be the Town of Tarrin, a grasslands settlement found near this forest, focused on mining and agriculture. It should be about 45 miles from our location, so it’s quite close to us.]

☼[And um, you don’t need to worry about any disputes with your appearance as long as you stay by my side. My presence as a will o’ wisp should be able to vouch for you.] She continued, quite confident in herself.

Her race seemed to carry prestige from the world’s purview.

★[I see...]

With the terrestrial details revealed, Nonary mused upon what he learned. To head for civilization was a priority, though most details they could discuss along the way.

★[So, it's about a day's worth of travel, assuming that we don’t get bogged down by any unfavorable terrain. About this ‘dangerous forest’, are there any details I need to worry about?]

These woodlands, dubbed the ‘Twilight’ Forest, must have a reason to be named so. A namesake is usually given to any region in relation to the respective phenomena that it exhibits, or perhaps its underlying history had a hand in its title.

The same logic should apply to their location, which Willow determined to be a hazardous zone.

Perhaps it didn’t pose as much of a threat when she was much more powerful, but the contract had reduced her strength, which left her in a weakened state compared to when she first met Nonary.

These were the conjectures that Nonary formed, sound in theory and speculation. But in the end, Willow was the only one who could authenticate his arguments.

☼[This place is...]

A poignant charm occupied her voice, hiding sorrows she had no will to say. It was distress that arose from her murmurs, with the flickering flame she held come to a dim, before resuming its fiery blaze.

The entire event lasted only a few seconds.

☼[The dangers surrounding this place number in thousands, so it’s best that you follow my commands when the need arises. I’ll tell you when... just, please listen to me, okay?]

If there was one quality that the boy admired, it was her capacity for kindness. When they first met, the wisp unveiled her concern for him. No darker purpose presented, only good will.

Though that was the really the only thing he really liked about her. Her remaining traits were a bit too much for him.

She was far too naïve.

★[Fine, fine...]

He acknowledged Willow’s words, knowing that they were only to their benefit. He set them to be within reason.

★[As long as your demands aren’t ridiculous, just say the word and I’ll follow them.]

☼[Well then, just follow me!] She declared, leading the way towards civilization. But before that, they would pass through half-lit throes, where the forest awaited them.

A forlorn castle hung in the evening sky, eternal in its keep. Ever watching the woodlands from its frame, a dark shadow eternally towards the evergreen.

It obscured the vast expanse of verdant green, bringing their viridian hue to a darker tone. The shadows brought their color to black.

Still, the afterglow resumed.

A pillar of trees, bespeckled in twilit glow. Phospor lights that danced in ethereal winds, blinding travelers with vivid radiance, only to be consumed by the eventide prison.

Monstrous beings driven by magic, like a plague enslaved by the coppice grove. This was the Twilight Forest, where countless dangers roamed.

Oft, where monsters made their abode.

Bestial characters, a testament to the cruelty of this forbidden thicket. Scales and fangs, fur and claws, divisive fauna that stood as the guardians of the mystical grove.

They loomed towards people, both predator and prey, striking at each other as blood spilled onto each other’s necks. Leaving the sole victor to propagate, spreading a hive of fiends to slay.

Pale verdure of perennial shrubbery and mushrooms of fungal origins, the only flora that proliferated within the enigmatic forest.

Flowers bloomed and blossoms grew, a common occurrence in its bowels. Such plants were useless to all but the most prolific of alchemists, for they carried poison that could fell people, though the monsters remained immune to their toxic sap.

Swallowed by evening scenery, two beings of flame and dusk became witness to its terrifying depths. The creature of flames, a will o’ wisp that guarded its companion and lead the way.

A figure of dusk, a dark form who followed the blaze and observed the path. An unlikely pair, if only because of their unique circumstances.

No danger arrived at their doorstep, with both cautious of their surroundings. The former, aware of what might happen at any mistake, and the latter, shaped by the former’s fears.

For hours they walked, uninterrupted in their journey. It was overwhelming silence, one that breeds fear among men, that they had to confront. If not, then dread would fester from their thoughts.

★[This place is a threat to my mental health.] He engaged in cautioned banter towards the wisp, aware that using in witty speech would not help.

This place was far too dangerous for that.

★[I am already compromised as is, and this place only magnifies it further]

☼[...] Willow was steadfast in leading their pace, disregarding Nonary’s words. Her attention, affixed on any danger that might greet the two.

★[I guess you’re not interested then?]

He attempted to catch Willow’s attention, only to fail in that manner. He understood why she acted, for she was fulfilling her duty as his guardian.

★[Sigh, nevermind...]

☼[...] She remained silent.

Through the recesses of the forest, the pair resumed their travels. The trees became dense in their clusters, the terrain no longer workable for their brisk pace. It was becoming harder for them to move around, with countless obstacles in their path.

Reducing their speed would be the best if they were to avoid any mishaps along the way. So they slowed down.

Fallen logs fell among rotting wood, an image of decay and death. Sparsely scattered rocks slowly grew in size, dotting their path with frightful slabs of stone; boulders taller than his meager figure.

Something awaited them from beyond this place. The woodlands harbored more than greenery, that much they were sure of.

Before silence became her answer, when the atmosphere wasn’t as tense, he asked about the dangers of this forest.

What terrified the wisp to such a degree? It was his first time seeing his companion with such dread, though it was more of a metaphor than anything. Her quandar state concerned him. The Twilight forest became a cause for concern when she answered.

☼[I once lead an expedition within this accursed forest...]

Her words condemned their location, one that fanned flames of anger. She was reminiscing about the past. One that she did not want to remember.

☼[Alongside other will-o’-the-wisps...]

‘This isn’t the first time she travelled here and yet... she’s this furious.’

This wasn’t the type of anger drew to a stop in a quick moment. Nay, hers had festered for quite some time, and she had yet to recover from the events that transpired here.

‘Note to self: do not joke about this place.’

☼[There were 12 of us? Or 14?, I can’t quite remember as centuries had passed since then...]

The extent to which she described the memory baffled him. She was a lot older than Nonary assumed. He would have to rethink her interactions with Willow while taking her age into account if they were to continue with their relations.

☼[We wanted to see what hid deep within the Twilight Forest. It was curiosity that drove us here...]

Willow mourned the loss of her friends. Though subtle in her way of doing so, the will o’ wisp, she grieved. From what he knew of their kind, fostered kindness towards each other, with Willow talking fondly of her kin.

Losing one of them may have affected her more than he thought, as her flames flickered and flared, depicting her sorrows.

☼[And in we went, probing deeper into the forest until we met a certain veil...] She paused, her voice quivering in fear. To evoke such painful memories hurt her.

☼[It was a black fog... And it swallowed everyone up]

‘A black... fog?’

He had seen something similar before. From when the stage had been set for his battle with the Guardian Automata. The recollection remained vivid in his mind, with the fog seeping from below, as it became a boundary he could not breach.

Willow was describing the same haze that remained a memory to him.

‘Is she referring to the same thing?’

He contemplated on the fog’s existence, only for Willow to interrupt him.

☼[I was the first to enter, noting what it hid. I couldn’t see beyond a few meters before me, yet I remained unharmed, so I returned to my friends...]

She lamented on her foolish choice, as if she had led them to their deaths.

☼[And we went inside... only for everyone else to disappear...]

☼[No screams... no voices... just good ol’ me...]

She could not cry out her sorrows, nor weep at the outcome of her decision. If only to be redeemed for what she’d done, the will o’ wisp aimed its contempt for herself.

☼[I’m the only one who left that place, you see?]

☼[So Nonary, once we arrive in that place, and I ask you to close your eyes, please do so. I only want to keep you safe, alright?]

And after a meaningful pause, once that seemed to last for eternity, she spoke out a single request.

☼[... please?]

Their conversation had been a few hours past. Yet deeply, it ingrained itself into his mind. Her plea troubled him, as if she was begging him to listen.

Nonary already followed the wisp’s order, but her pitiful request removed any thoughts of dissent. From her reverie, she had left many details unsaid, but her words were enough to placate him.

And now, the same fog of ebony, painted in ink-black dye. An onyx haze that permitted none but obsidian as its perverse color.

There it stood, obscuring the trees that might exist beyond the veil, as it swallowed up any luminous glow that originated from the forest. It was an anathema to its namesake, where dwindling lights scattered.

It swallowed up the afterglow.

★[Is... is this the place?] He couldn’t help but ask.

It’s likeness to what he first saw, from when the curtains went up as the buzzer resounded. A void-black curtain that engulfed the ever-trees.