noveldrama
Chapter 114 : Is the forest alive?
Chapter 114 : Is the forest alive?
The forest stretched majestically before my eyes, a green mantle rising towards the blue sky like a monument to nature itself. The trees, towering in height, stood like giant pillars, their robust and dark trunks ascending towards the canopies, where a dense foliage of green leaves swayed gently in the breeze.
The whisper of the leaves, like a choir singing the eternal song of plant life. On the ground, a carpet of fallen and withered leaves crunched beneath my feet with each step, crackling as if they held ancient secrets within their folds. Small mountains rose in the distance, their peaks shrouded in a bluish mist that seemed to blend with the clear sky.
The sun shone upon us with a warm and welcoming light, illuminating the forest with golden hues and casting shadows that danced among the trees. At first glance, the forest emanated a sense of safety and tranquility, as if it were a natural refuge amidst the tumultuous world.
However, that feeling was only an illusion, a facade that concealed the forest's deepest truth. In the depths of its being, in every nook and cranny, lurked a palpable darkness, like a lurking shadow patiently awaiting its moment to emerge.
Though the sky was blue and clear, a sense of oppression hung over us, as if the tree branches were closing in above our heads, forming an invisible roof that trapped us in its cold embrace. Every whisper of the wind, every creak of the branches, seemed to carry with it a sinister message, a silent warning of the dangers lurking in the shadows.
As we ventured deeper into the forest, that sense of unease intensified, as if the forest itself were alive and watchful, observing us with invisible eyes from the shadows. Though we tried to ignore that feeling, it was impossible to escape the certainty that something dark and malign lurked among the trees, patiently waiting for its opportunity to reveal itself.
After nearly four days of uninterrupted walking, nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. However, a strange sense of unease enveloped us as we progressed. We usually tried to keep silent, but the atmosphere of the forest seemed charged with palpable energy, as if it were alive and pulsating.
I glanced at Lysandra with curiosity, unable to shake the feeling that the forest was watching us intently. "Why do I feel like the forest is alive?" I asked her, voicing the concern that had been growing within me for days. "All this time, I've had the strange impression that even the ground is staring at us. The trees, the leaves... everything seems to vibrate with a life of its own.
Don't you feel it too?" I asked, turning my gaze to Elsa, who nodded silently, confirming my own sensations.
Lysandra pursed her lips, sinking into a brief silence as she pondered my words. Her eyes reflected a mixture of deep thought and concern, as if she were trying to recall something important. After a few moments, her brow furrowed slightly as she spoke. "I don't remember clearly, but someone once told me about the nature of this forest," she began, her tone laden with seriousness.
"According to what I was told, this entire area is imbued with life in a unique way. Every nook, every zone, has its own vital essence, nourished by ancient beings that have existed here for countless eras. Apparently, each part of the forest is different because it was torn from its original environment in ancient times. In this way, each piece of land becomes a world unto itself."
She paused, as if trying to grasp the magnitude of her own words before continuing. "As you know, our world is vast, occupying only a fraction of 20 percent of the entire planet. Despite our explorations, we have only scratched the surface of the vastness of this place," she concluded, her gaze lost in the density of the forest that stretched before us.
Lysandra's words still echoed in my mind when I heard Elsa's voice, who shared an equally intriguing perspective.
Her words hung in the air, adding another layer of mystery to the already enigmatic forest surrounding us. "My dad told me something similar," Elsa began, her voice tinged with seriousness as she spoke. "According to him, this forest acts as a seal, a barrier that prevents us from accessing the rest of the world.
Beyond this seal, according to him, there exists a much more advanced and powerful civilization. However, he also mentioned the possibility that everything beyond may simply be an endless forest spanning the entire world."
Her words left a tense silence among us, each of us reflecting on the implications of what we had just heard. The forest, once again, seemed shrouded in a cloak of mystery and secrets, whispers of forgotten stories floating in the air charged with energy.
As we walked, Lysandra suddenly seemed to freeze, her gaze fixed ahead on the path, the air around us became extremely cold, everything around fell into a sepulchral silence, Lysandra surrounded her body with her red aura thus transforming her hair into an intense red, feeling the change of atmosphere, my gaze met hers.
Behind a tree, lay a creature of impressive height. Its enormous contours were barely distinguishable amidst the dense vegetation, but its presence was undeniable. With a height of approximately 10 meters, its imposing figure stood like an ominous shadow among the trees.
The creature seemed to blend into its surroundings, its massive body barely visible behind the tree trunk. However, its head, wrapped in twisted green vines, was the only detail that stood out clearly. The vines intertwined around its skull, forming a crown of dark foliage that obscured much of its face.
Behind this thick layer of vegetation, its red eyes glowed with an unsettling intensity. They were two burning spheres of deep crimson, flashing with a brilliance that denoted a sinister intelligence and lethal intent.
Although they emanated an aura of madness and ferocity, in the deepest depths of those red orbs, there seemed to be a glimmer of clarity, as if within the darkness there was a spark of consciousness.
The creature remained motionless, silently observing from its hiding place behind the tree. Its presence was palpable, a latent threat that filled the air with electric tension.