“You want me to go back? Are you mad?”

When Tenga asked Hiro to go back and enter the mist Hiro couldn’t help but blurt out what came to his mind. “I barely made it out of there! From that…that thing and you want me to go back?!”

“Calm down Hiro. First of all, that ‘thing’ was called a Doppler. They live deep in forests imitating other creatures to capture their prey. They are usually lone hunters and frighten easily, so as long as you don’t panic you will be fine.”

‘…’

“Why didn’t you tell me that earlier?” Feeling all the strength drain from his limbs, Hiro sat down on the stream bed. He thought back to how afraid he was, his legs froze up and he was drenched in cold sweat, with all the hairs on his body standing on end.

“Knowing and doing are two very different things Hiro. When I came to help you, you were already incomprehensible. My only choice at that point was to try and convince you to survive somehow. Now about the mist, this is not a natural occurrence. It seems that someone placed magical wards in place to create the illusion of mist.”

“You’re really intent on me going back there aren’t you?” Surrendering to the demands of the Tenga, Hiro started journeying back to where he met the Doppler. This time Hiro was ready, trying his hardest to believe what Tenga said about Dopplers, Hiro tried to look confident. “These magical wards, what are they?”

“Runes that are infused with magic. The wards are usually linked to some source of power, usually a crystal or a user. Do you know how long this mist has been in place?”

“For as long as I can remember. Stories told by the elders in the village all claim that the mist in the forest was there before they were born. Why did you want to know?”

“Hm…If what you are saying is true then that must mean that either a huge magical source of power is being used or the elves periodically come and replenish the wards. Both of which are highly unlikely.”

“How do you know all these things?”

“A man is bound to have his secrets Hiro. If I deem to share them then I will, for now just help please.”

“…Hah~…Fine, with these uh magical wards all over the place, will it be safe for me to walk around in it like a blind fool?” Although Hiro did promise to help Tenga, he wasn’t ready to walk into a place full of traps that could kill him if he takes a wrong step.

“You should be fine, I’ll guide you along the way. Although I don’t know what these wards do, I can sense the energy emitting from it. As long as you avoid them then you should be fine. Now let’s go.”

---

Following Tenga’s instructions, Hiro was able to safely make his journey through the mist.

‘This is such an eerie feeling. I feel as if I’m the only person left in the world or someone that is cursed to wander the mist for all eternity.’

“Hey! Are you listening?!” Tenga’s tone seemed somewhat impatient, “What you are looking for is a stone structure. I’m not sure how it’ll look like given how much time has passed…Anyways it should be around here.”

‘How am I supposed to find something amongst all this mist…Might as well try I guess.’

Hiro began to look all over the area. All around him were large trees that too big to put his arms around. Sometimes he would confuse the trees for a creature, causing him to panic until Tenga calmed him down. By this point, Hiro was already past his limit. His feet were sore, his eyes were tired, and his water skin was almost empty. The only thing that kept him looking was Tenga’s reassuring tone.

“I think I deserve an explanation. Here I am searching for who knows how long for something that isn’t clear. Right now I’m ready to just turned around and go back the way I came, so if you want me to continue helping you, I need you to tell me what this is all about.”

“Hah~ Fine. Keep looking and I’ll tell you a little bit more about me. Hm…Let’s see…Where I should start. Let’s start at what you are looking for. You see, the stone structure that I’m having you search for is where I currently reside. I used that building as my research lab, where I toil away the years. I’ve spent countless decades experimenting with my craft during that time in order to find the answer to ‘The Question’.”

“What is this ‘Question’ that you are trying to answer?”

“Everybody is always searching for the answer to ‘The Question’ my boy. Some are conscious of it, while others merely let it pass them by. I cannot give you an answer, because it is your decision to be ignorant of ‘The Question’. Enough of that, I’m not sure how much time has passed me by, but a strange event happened which caused me to fall into a peculiar predicament.

I was trapped, my memories began to fail me and I felt myself falling into nothingness. It was my last ditch effort to escape the phenomenon. I forcefully tore out part of my soul and what’s left of my memories and sealed it into an object. That is what’s speaking to you right now.”

While Tenga was explaining his circumstances, Hiro managed to locate the strange structure. Once he went closer to take a better look, the stone seemed as if it was fused together with the nature surrounding it. Runes and inscriptions were carved all over the rocks, however time has already wasted away their usefulness.

“Ah! You should be fine. Nothing is powering the wards that I’ve placed around here anymore. There was a time when they would incinerate anyone with malicious intent when they came within 10 meters of it, but that time is long gone.”

‘*Gulp*’

“The entrance should be around the right side.” The tone in Tenga’s voice became tinged with sorrow, “It seems like it was just yesterday, that I was practicing how to grow a tree through song.”

“Singing to trees to make them grow? How is that possible? As far as I know, most magic today are used for destruction only.”

“Then they are fools. Magic and those who wield them have the potential to become anything, to create everything, and yet they use magic to foster nothing. The ability to sing to plants was invented by a friend of mine, Faerin. By feeding magic energy to a seed, he was able to create the most beautiful forms of art, life. But enough of that. Go inside and have a look around.”

Hiro nodded and walked into the building. Once inside, Hiro could see remnants of corpses littering the floor in the entrance. It seems that there was a time when looters came and tried to seize the treasures hidden within. This sight generated some concern within Hiro, however Tenga’s resolute assurance that none of the magical wards work anymore calmed him down. Pulling a torch from his pack, Hiro decided to shed some light into the dark corners of the room.

“You don’t have to bother looking at any of the rooms, anything of importance should have perished by now. What I need you to do is enter the hallway on the right and proceed up the stone steps. Once you are at top, go down the hall and enter the last room on the left.”

Doing exactly as Tenga commanded, Hiro weaved back and forth through the countless cobwebs that have taken residence in the building. Upon arriving at the door of the mentioned room, the atmosphere began to change. The cold empty feeling that permeated around the building disappeared, replaced with a dreadful imposing feeling. Hiro felt as if some giant being was directly behind him and breathing down his neck.

“Don’t worry, that’s supposed to happen. In that past if you have made it to this point this last trap would’ve sent you into a hellish place. It’s a trap that I specifically designed. It seems the remnants of the portal has a lasting effect…interesting.”

“Please tell me that ahead of time, I don’t like surprises. Especially surprises that happen in the mist.”

Slowly pushing open the door and bracing himself for anything that might jump out at him, Hiro finally saw it. As the door was opening, a soft blue glow as bright as the afternoon sky shined from the room. Hiro became mesmerized immediately, how could such a calming light come from a room that felt like death?

“Wow…”

Inside the room there was a bed, a wardrobe, a wall full of books, and a desk. The first thing Hiro investigated was the strange light which was coming from beside the bed. Hiro made sure not to knock any of the piles of books that are around the room when he made his way to the bed.

“What is this Tenga?” Hiro had picked up a pulsating orb, “It seems this was the thing that was creating the strange light.”

“…”

“Tenga?” Sensing something was wrong, Hiro paused his examination of the orb and addressed Tenga.

“Be careful with that.” The next thing Tenga said was doused heavily with pain and sorrow, “That is me.”