Lian spun around and walked with excitement, like a child who had just discovered something new. He chose not to run so his older brother wouldn't pay him too much attenskull.
All this time, he had never gone too far, always obeying his father's words that the "outside world" was too dangerous. So, every time he thought about exploring too deep into the forest, he would remember what his father had said.
Actually, there was one time he had disobeyed his father's command. Back then, he was only ten years old. Like most children, he was filled with curiosity regarding his father's words.
So, when he went hunting with his brother, he quietly slowed his pace and walked in another direction, drifting too far from the group. However, he never found the "outside world" his father meant.
All he saw were animals, trees, trees, and more trees. Since then, the curiosity in his heart about the "outside world" began to fade. But now, as he had grown older, that curiosity returned, like a flame reignited after having been extinguished.
After putting a few dozen meters between himself and his brother, Lian began to pick up his pace, cutting through the wind and moving nimbly among the trees. He smiled contentedly as his emerald eyes reflected the sunlight piercing through the gaps in the leaves.
Hahaha. It's been such a long time since I felt happiness like this... It feels so free. I don't know why, but it feels so liberating, even though I'm still near my family. Maybe because I've held back my curiosity for too long...
Lian laughed as he jumped over a large protruding root. Upon landing, he almost stepped on a white rabbit hiding behind the root. He immediately kicked off a nearby tree trunk, launching himself forward to avoid the rabbit. He had no intention of hunting right now, especially not rabbits. The only thing on his mind was reaching the "outside world" his father had mentioned.
He wanted to fulfill the wish he had when he was ten years old: to go further this time.
However, a long journey required sufficient supplies, so Lian decided to pause for a moment when he saw a tree taller than the surrounding ones, with ripe fruits hanging from its trunk.
Lian stared at the tall tree in front of him while frowning. "A tall tree... alright, I'll climb it."
He tilted his head left and right, rubbed his palms on the ground, then gripped the tree trunk tightly before slowly pushing his body upward to reach the Shorea fruits. Once close enough, he stretched out his right hand to pick them. He gathered five fruits and stored them in his arrow quiver.
Although he could have found Shorea fruits along the way, he didn't want to rely on that. The reason was simple: there was no guarantee the fruit he found later would be ripe; it might still be raw, and he wouldn't be able to take it. Shorea fruits usually grew on tree trunks, but most often in high places, so it was better for him to gather a few at once and store them in his quiver.
After comfortably eating one fruit under that tree, Lian continued his journey toward the "outside world."
.....
Thirty minutes later.
Lian was still walking, but this time with a slower pace. Clear sweat flowed down his forehead, glistening like crystals. His entire body was soaked. Never in his life had he felt this exhausted, nor had he ever gone this far into the forest.
Huff... huff... huff... Lian hunched over, exhaling heavily, like an old man about to walk toward the white light.
He took an arrow from his quiver and scratched a mark onto a tree trunk. He did this whenever he felt he no longer recognized the area he was passing through. Not wanting to get lost, Lian decided to mark the tree trunks as he walked.
He took out one of the two remaining Shorea fruits in his quiver and ate it slowly while continuing to step forward. Despite the exhaustion, he still enjoyed this feeling of "freedom."
Nature possesses a melodious voice; she sings with the rustle of the wind piercing through the leaves, with the rippling of water that soothes the soul, and with the patter of rain that cradles the earth in coolness.
Nature possesses a beautiful chant, a song that never ages even as time marches on, a song that teaches the balance between stillness and motion, between life and death, between giving and taking.
Nature, with her captivating flora and fauna, is a symphony of colors and shapes that speaks without language, yet is capable of touching the depths of human conscience.
Every leaf that falls or grows, every flower that blooms, every fruit that ripens, every animal that runs across the field, is part of a long journey about existence and eternity.
And nature, just like life itself, has its own rules and regulations.
The four seasons have their own rules and regulations—shifting between spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Animals have their own rules and regulations—surviving as long as possible from the predators that prey on them.
While eating the Shorea fruit and enjoying the beauty of nature's rules and regulations, Lian's emerald green eyes caught something: clean ground, different from anything he had ever seen before, except at home.
The ground was bare, without grass, smooth as a baby's head. Its surface stretched far ahead, leading to who knows where. The ground was wide and filled with strange objects and foreign creatures Lian had never seen before.
There were also strange beings, shaped like him, but wearing clothes completely different from his own.
Quickly, Lian hid behind a large nearby tree, peeking out to observe the strange things on the road.
What creatures are those? They look like me, but their clothes are so strange and complicated. And what is that giant animal? Why is it tied to that strange object with four round wheels? Is that animal pulling that strange object? I never knew there was a creature that strong... Except maybe a bear.
Lian wondered inwardly while watching about fifteen people emerging from the strange objects tethered to the horses. He narrowed his eyes when he saw a man with one ear talking to another man who clearly looked different from the rest.
"Captain, our supplies are out," said the one-eared man. "Yesterday, when some crew members and I explored this forest, we didn't find any animals, except for insects and mosquitoes that seemed to really like me.
"But, we did see some strange fruits growing on tree trunks. When one of the crew tasted it, he said it was too sour, so we decided not to take it. But this time, maybe we have to take them. The fruit doesn't seem to be poisonous, because the person who ate it didn't experience anything bad."
The man addressed as Captain fell silent for a moment. He reached into his pocket, took out a cigar, and lit it. "Gather those fruits. I will come with you all. We take as much as possible for supplies later. According to the Aurora Compass, this forest is extremely vast. We might need another two to three days to get out of this forest."
The Aurora Compass is a Level 2 Anomaly shaped like an antique compass adorned with gleaming metal resembling the light of an aurora.
This compass needle does not always point to magnetic north; instead, it moves according to the deepest desires of the individual holding it.
Once someone grasps the Aurora Compass, its needle will spin slowly until it stops, pointing toward whatever the user's heart covets most—whether it be a place, an object, or even a person.
The effects of this Anomaly appear to work on a psychological and metaphysical level; the direction indicated cannot always be measured by ordinary maps or coordinates.
In some cases, users may find themselves heading toward locations never geographically recorded, or experiencing visions that lead them to a "destination" that is symbolic rather than physical.
The Aurora Compass is known to have subtle yet significant side effects. Repeated use can cause the user to lose the ability to distinguish between real desires and cravings created by the anomaly itself. Due to its nature of manipulating deep human motivations, this object is classified as high-risk for personal use without the supervision of a psionic or metaphysical expert.
The one-eared man, who had been listening, simply nodded, turned around, and shouted lightly to the crew, "Attention, everyone! We will rest here for thirty minutes. Grab bags or anything that can be used as a container. We're going into the forest to gather the fruits we found yesterday. If we're lucky, maybe we'll also find wild boars, deer, or other animals, and we will hunt."
"Yeah!" shouted the crew, raising their swords as if preparing for battle.
They then entered the cabins of several horse-drawn carriages and brought out wooden crates. After that, they began to descend from the road together.
.....
A few minutes later, after those strange people had disappeared from view, Lian stepped out from his hiding place and slid down the slope until he reached the road.
He stared in amazement at the cabins and the horses. Gently, he touched one of the horses, causing the animal to shift slightly. Startled, Lian immediately pulled his hand back so as not to scare the animal. Then, he shifted his gaze toward the carriage and decided to enter it.
Inside, he saw several strange objects stored in a box.
So interesting and mysterious... Is this what Father meant by the "outside world"? Lian crouched down and examined the box, fascinated by all the foreign objects inside. However, what truly caught his attention was a strange small object, which bore the symbol of a skull.