Spirit Forest
Past the Stars' Haven, I crossed the Hairan Plateau.
The sun that had beaten down so fiercely gradually softened into a gentle warmth, and the wind that once carried grit and sand became a soft breeze that carefully brushed my cheeks.
Pru-ruk—
I wandered with Nightmare, training my swordsmanship every night. The seven stars etched into the blade taught me how to wield it. Seven continuous motions flowed without pause, and wherever the sword passed, a vivid constellation rose in its wake.
When we finally left the Hairan Plateau behind, a lush forest of deep greenery unfolded before us. Cool winds stirred the dense trees, shaking their branches and scattering shards of sunlight in every direction. As the light along the forest path swayed gently with the breeze, Nightmare seemed to brighten as well. He wagged his tail furiously and trotted ahead with light, eager steps.
Along the path, small animals would occasionally poke their heads out. I watched white-furred creatures like squirrels scramble up the trees when a bright sphere of light drifted toward me on the wind. It carried the same cozy mana as the forest itself.
Who on earth is sending these spheres of mana floating on the breeze?
I lifted my gaze toward the direction the light had come from and saw even more of them slowly spreading outward in every direction. I tugged Nightmare's reins and turned us toward the source of the mana.
The path was uneven, as if no human foot had ever trodden it, yet Nightmare navigated the undergrowth with easy skill. Then, in the moment when the shifting sunlight filtered through the wind and settled upon my face, the narrow forest trail ended and my view opened wide.
The first thing I registered was a colossal tree growing from the center of a broad lake. The lake's calm ripples flowed toward the lower reaches of the forest, and around the wide expanse of water a small village had formed.
"Whoa..."
While I stood there murmuring in awe, a warm sphere of mana brushed past my cheek on the breeze. The spheres were being born from the tree that stood in the middle of the lake.
In that instant a small silhouette rose from the tree within the water. Because it soared into the sky, I could make out its form clearly: a woman with green hair streaming on the wind and eyes of an even softer shade. Long-limbed and graceful, she stepped lightly through the air as if flying, then alighted softly before me and spoke.
"How did you come to this place?"
The scent that rode the wind with her strangely resembled the forest itself. I blinked and opened my mouth.
"I followed the light."
"The light...?"
"Yes. The light that tree is scattering."
She studied me with a curious gaze. Her vividly glowing pale-green eyes were as gentle as a soft breeze. A woman who carried the very aura of the forest—could she be an elf? I tilted my head and glanced at her ears. But the ears that peeked slightly from her green hair were rounded, just like those of an ordinary human.
"It seems you were guided by the spirits."
"Spirits?"
She nodded at my question. Was she calling that enormous tree a spirit? As I stared at it in puzzlement, she spoke again.
"For now, welcome to our village."
She welcomed me, then started walking ahead as if to lead the way. When I simply stood there blankly, she turned back.
"Do you intend to remain here forever?"
"You want me to follow?"
"You are a guest guided by the spirits. It is only natural that we offer hospitality."
Long nights of camping had left my body weary. Resting a while in this village did not seem a bad choice. Casting one last strange look up at the great tree, I followed her.
The combination of a large horse and a small girl must have been a novelty even here. As we walked the path, villagers peered out from their houses to stare. There were no children at all—only adult men and women. At a rough count, about twenty people.
"You may rest here. I shall bring meals at the proper times."
She led me to a small cabin. Traces of previous habitation remained, yet it now stood empty. After showing me the vacant house she turned at once, as if her duty were finished. I hurried to call after her.
"Ah, um..."
"What is it?"
"May I ask your name?"
"Hmm..."
A brief look of fluster crossed her face at so simple a question. After a long moment of thought she finally spoke.
"Galad. Call me that."
With those words Galad departed as lightly as she had arrived, stepping upon the winds of the air. I watched her go in a daze. The way she flew through the sky on the wind made her look exactly like a fairy.
Pru-ruk—
Just then Nightmare sidled up and rested his chin on my head. Clearly he wanted the reins and saddle removed.
"You won't cause any trouble, will you?"
He wagged his tail wildly and nodded. A horse that understood human speech... Were all Hairan horses this intelligent? I tilted my head even as I unfastened the reins and saddle. Freed at last, he circled me once, then bounded off with light steps around the lakeshore.
What a strange village. After surveying the surroundings once more, I stepped inside the cabin.
True to her word, Galad brought food whenever the time came—fresh fruit rinsed clean in the lake water.
"Don't you eat meat or anything?"
It might have been a bit bold for someone living on free meals, but I was craving a good piece of meat. I was even willing to pay in gold if she wished. Galad only shook her head.
"My apologies. The people of this village do not eat meat."
"Ah... Then would it be all right if I hunted animals nearby for meat?"
"If that is your wish, by all means."
Leaving those words behind, she vanished once more. I walked slowly down to the lakeshore. The water was so clear I could see the bottom. While I gazed blankly at the fish swimming within, Nightmare approached. The scent of blood on him told me he had slipped out of the village alone and hunted some monster or beast for himself.
"Was it tasty?"
Pru-ruk—
He snorted as if answering and settled down beside me. I began training my sword at his side. The quiet, open space free of monster attacks was perfect for focusing on swordsmanship.
The stars engraved on the blade taught only simple motions. How much strength to put into each, what breath to maintain—that was entirely up to my own skill.
"Huu..."
I exhaled low and focused mana into the blade; seven stars rose. Following their light I swung the sword. How should I move? How should I link one motion to the next? My mind never stopped questioning while my body never stopped moving. The tip of the blade, cutting through the air, burst into clear starlight and flowed into the next form.
On the second day of my stay in the village, I was dangling my feet in the lake and splashing when Galad appeared. She carried a small basket woven of twigs, once again filled with fruit. After taking the basket I asked her,
"Galad."
"What is it?"
"How long am I allowed to stay?"
At my question she shifted her gaze to the great tree. Whenever I asked something, she would look at that tree from time to time, as if listening for an answer from it.
"As long as you desire."
With that she stepped upon the wind and withdrew. I watched her go, tilting my head.
How does she fly through the sky like that? No wings, and she isn't even using mana...
I splashed the calm water and spread my own mana. Mana that held the quiet yet majestic power of the sea met the lake's surface and produced a faint resistance. Similar, yet different. Still tilting my head, I kept replaying Galad's movements in my mind.
The third day since my arrival in the village. I looked at Nightmare lying contentedly on the grass. He was sprawled on his side, snoring. The fact that a horse who normally only dozed lightly to guard me was now snoring without a care meant he judged this place thoroughly safe. I smiled silently and walked past him.
I was in the middle of my usual sword practice when I suddenly realized the forest's calm atmosphere had grown restless. The wind that had always blown so gently now shook countless trees with violence, and the thrashing branches produced a noise like screams.
The forest was screaming.
I was not the only one who felt it. Galad, who always stayed near the tree, moved in urgent haste, and the villagers who never left their houses came rushing out. Then Galad, who had been flying about the forest, stepped on the wind and came to me. With a grave expression I had never seen before, she spoke.
"Leave this place at once."
"What's going on?"
"Something ill is about to occur."
The moment her words ended, a wind utterly unlike the forest's gentle breeze swept in—an unpleasant wind. The mana it carried glowed violet, just like the black mage's mana I had seen in Calvein's forest.
Clack-clack—
My ominous premonition proved correct. The instant the wind heavy with wicked mana vanished, soldiers of pure white bone appeared from the far side of the forest. Their eyes burned with a sinister light, and they advanced upon the peaceful lakeside village with clear hostility.
Skeleton soldiers had arrived.