Chương 44: The Oathrunner and the Confusing Dark Forest

At first, Enel thought he only needed to run deeper. The Dark Forest was strange, yes—but ever since he'd left Widow's Wall, he had been through a lot of forests. And eventually, if he ran enough... they would end. So, he ran. But at first there was sand, and now he was walking on a vast field, with trees as tall as the walls of the barony and ground almost smooth even with blades of grass.

"Lamb! Mother!" His voice moved between the trees, then came back to him. It wasn't an echo, either—it was as if someone had actually said the words back. The tree closest to him shook, its black leaves raining on him. But as soon as they touched him, they all turned into moths. The moths rushed at him, cutting through his cape, but Enel only waved his hand and walked through them. And when the moths still followed and danced around him, he looked at one of them and clapped his hands with the moth in it.

The sound rippled across the field, blasting away all the moths and leaves that threatened to surround him. He looked around and watched as the moths all turned back into leaves, listlessly swaying until they hit the ground. He then heard a small squeak and quickly looked down at his hands. And there, on his palms, was a leaf spirit trembling. It looked corrupted at first, but slowly regained its verdant color as its limbs quivered.

"No..." Enel's breath paused for a moment.

"I did not—" Before he could say anything else, however, the spirit withered away. The ashes of the spirit were blown away by the wind, leaving Enel just standing there. But he did not have time to lament, as soon, he heard Lamb's voice.

"M'lord!" Enel's head snapped toward the voice, and he rushed after it without another thought. He crossed the vast field, which suddenly turned into a swamp after he had leaped over a root. But Enel did not care about the change, and just broke through a curtain of hanging vines that tried to cling to his arms.

"M'lord..." The voice came again, weaker this time. Then stronger.

"M'lord! Help!"

"Lamb! Lamb! I-I'm coming!" He burst into a clearing, but there was no Lamb there. Only a vemon standing on four crooked limbs, its jaw hanging open.

"M'lord..." it said. And as soon as he heard Lamb's voice coming from the corrupted creature, Enel's eyes changed. The vemon sprang to the side before he reached it. Not away, no, but toward a tree that bent open like a door. It slipped through the hollow, and Enel followed, smashing through the trunk with his shoulder. Well, at least he thought he was going to smash it. Instead, he slipped into the tree and came out on the other side. He thought everything would change again—but, no.

It was the same swamp, although now the swamp was also above his head and to his sides. And yet, none of the water fell down. And at the other end of the clearing stood the same vemon, with Lamb's voice still caught inside its throat.

"M'lord..." Enel crossed the clearing in a breath and drove his fist into its chest. The creature folded around his arm, bones and bark cracking together, but when he pulled his fist free, the thing came apart into wet roots that crawled back beneath the murky water.

"Do not use her voice," Enel whispered, only for something to respond behind him. A laugh so gentle his head almost tilted toward it—Mira's laugh. Enel turned so quickly that the roots and water scattered from beneath his boots. He saw her between the trees for one moment. Slightly dark red hair, axe in hand, and the familiar tilt of her head.

"Enel," she called.

"This way." He ran, but his steps soon slowed. This thing... was not his mother. It smiled at him, but it could never truly replicate the warmth that Enel felt. He closed his eyes, then picked up a stone and threw it. The shape burst apart into birds made of black bark. They scattered through the trees, each one laughing with Mira's voice. His fingers curled.

"Enough." He grabbed the nearest tree and tore it from the ground, roots and all. Mud poured from the hole where the roots had been, not down, but upward. Enel did not care. He swung the tree through the others, breaking trunks, branches, vines, and anything that moved. If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. He obliterated the spiraling swamp around him until it completely tore open and pushed him out.

But then, as everything around him changed, he suddenly saw the same crooked warning sign he had passed before everything changed. DO NOT ENTER BEYOND THIS POINT. There were more of them now. Dozens, perhaps. Some hung from branches, some were half buried in the sand, and some had been nailed upside down to trees. Enel stared at it, then sighed.

"I... am beginning to dislike this place." The sign creaked, though there was no wind. He was about to pass through the signs again, but stopped to sigh. He shook his head, slapping both his cheeks before rubbing the inside of his ears. And with a loud breath, he closed his eyes and finally listened with his... god ears. At first, there was too much. The Spirit World had too much... life. The roots were breathing, every individual leaf whispered, and even the rocks moved.

Hundreds upon hundreds of them with life of their own—but beneath all the voices, beneath their tiny little movements, he heard it... their cries. These spirits, all corrupted by the Veil. He tilted his head, choosing not to hear the tiny whispers. But then, Lamb laughed to his left, Mira called from behind, and then a child cried ahead. Enel closed his eyes tighter and tried to push them away, but the forest only made more. Then, beneath all the voices, he heard something... normal. A rope creaked.

Then it was followed by the sound of water sloshing, and a broom scraping softly across the dirt. He also heard chickens. He recognized all of this because it was what he heard in Widow's Wall every single day. But... there should not be a village here. He opened his eyes, hesitating for a moment before following the sound. He walked toward the creaking rope, ignoring any other noise or voices along the way. The trees thinned after a while, and the sky became pale and empty. But soon, Enel found a village.

It was small, smaller than Widow's Wall and smaller even than some of the roadside settlements he had passed on his way home. But it had houses, fences, a well, and an actual road running through the center. The first thing Enel noticed was that none of the houses seemed to belong beside each other. Some houses resembled the houses of Widow's Wall, yes. But most looked... older, like in the sketches he'd seen in books.

One of the houses had no door at all, there was only a shadow that made it impossible to look inside, and the smoke from its chimney drifted down into the roof instead of rising. But perhaps most important of all, there were people. Well, Enel knew they were not people at all. But still, this was the first time things had been calm around him. Perhaps... too calm. A woman swept sand from a porch that had no dust on it. A man sat beside a fence, mending a net made from... hair.

Two children rolled a woven ball back and forth, but the ball floated like it was on top of water.

"Good day," he called, but the woman sweeping did not look at him. Neither did the man with the net, and the children only continued rolling their ball in the air. Enel walked farther into the village, one hand near his sword.

"I am looking for two people. A woman with red hair and an axe, and a girl with a sword. Did either of them pass through here?" There were several more people there, but none of them answered or even looked at him. And so, Enel continued walking deeper into the weird town. He passed the first house, and something suddenly clicked behind him. He turned. But the woman was still sweeping, the man still mended his net, and the children still played with their ball.

None of them looked at him, and for a moment, Enel wondered if he imagined the noise—but he soon realized something. The woman, the man, the children... they were all closer to him now.

"Uh..." He blinked, but continued on. But then, as soon as he turned, there was another click. This time, he did not turn immediately. He listened, and another click followed. Then another. Then another. And when the noise became louder, Enel finally slowly looked over his shoulder. Every villager was staring at him. The woman by the porch had turned her head too far without moving her shoulders, and the man at the fence had twisted his neck around while his hands continued to mend the net.

The two children were no longer playing, their heads tilted toward Enel. And all of them... were smiling. Enel stared back at them for a while.

"... Good day?" he said again, but they still did not respond. He faced forward and continued walking, but now he could hear them behind him. They... were following him. Enel stopped, and the village stopped with him. He took one step, and the village took one step after him. Enel's hand tightened near his sword.

"Please do not come closer," he whispered, choosing not to look back. The villagers did not answer, but when he took another step, so did they. Enel turned fully this time, and the villagers froze where they stood. All of them were standing close to him now, still with a wide smile on their faces. Their eyes were wide, too. He stared at them for a while before the two children started waving at him. Enel narrowed his eyes.

"I am in a hurry." The child continued to wave, but Enel had already turned back around and quickened his pace toward the center of the village. And soon, he reached the well, and beside it sat the only figure in the village who had not turned to look at him. The figure wore a long coat that had rotted at the edges. Grass grew through one sleeve, and his hands rested on his knees. He approached the figure, but the noise behind him became too loud to ignore. He could hear them doing... something.

And so, with a sigh, he looked back once more. The villagers were all now pressed together. Their shoulders overlapped, and their heads were twisted, leaning under someone else's arm. Their limbs twisted around another, and yet the smiles on their faces did not disappear. Their excitement seemed to grow even wider as Enel looked at them. He curled his hands for a moment, then turned back to the figure beside the well.

"Excuse me," he said, because he could think of nothing else to say. The figure lifted its head... and he had no face at all. But, unlike the people behind him, for some reason, Enel felt like he could talk with him.

"I am looking for my mother," Enel said.

"Mira Blackwood. And my friend, Lamb. Please... did they pass through here?" The faceless figure tilted its head, and behind Enel, the knot of smiling villagers clicked all at once. He ignored them, focusing solely on the entity in front of him. The faceless figure did not do anything else for a while. But as Enel was about to open his mouth again, it finally moved. It pointed toward the empty sky. Enel looked up, and he saw something move and glow above the clouds.

"A... night arrow?"