Aeipathy's A Memory

25: The Favor

The two searched and searched, but eventually they found it.

*Warnings have been updated. Return to the first part before reading.*

____~*+*~____

We walked for what must have been hours. The night passed us by, not waiting for anybody. The trees grew denser, which only made navigating it harder since the trunks were already wide.

I looked around as one of my hands clung to the back of Darryl's vest so I wouldn't lose him. I realized that the forest was almost pitch black. The moon was gone from where we stalked. I clenched my fist tighter into the material and scooted closer.

"We're almost there." Darryl assured. I only nodded and kept moving.

But the weirdest thing began to happen. I almost didn't realize what it was. Light. There was a faint, growing light originating from ahead. The trees almost looked like they were merged into one thick wall of bark. Despite this Darryl continued to move forward.

When we came face to face with the wall of wood Darryl finally stopped. I stood a little behind him. Then he began to knock. A specific pattern practiced to be precise.

We waited. And waited. And waited. I started to think Darryl did the pattern wrong. That was until the wood sprang to life. It creaked and it cracked as it separated into a spike riddled doorway. Darryl looked back at me and motioned with a nod of his head.

We stepped through the threshold into an area I wasn't expecting. It was a lush grove, complete with moss covered logs sprouting fungi of all kinds, some kind of vine with flowers and glowing orbs growing on it that ran across the entire ceiling. There were bushes of flowers scattered around, and dead in the center was an unidentifiable silhouette.

It was vaguely human shaped, minus the arms and legs. On top there was a patch of ground growing from it with grass and a few small flowers in its soil. The bottom half of it was attached into the floor with light grey roots. The aura it gave off was worlds apart from its surroundings. It felt questionable.

I waited for Darryl to say something as I kept my eyes on that thing in front of us. It was like a statue.

"It's rude to stare." Darryl whispered softly.

I shifted my head very slightly. "That thing is alive?"

Darryl nodded. "Very."

I only nodded. When I turned my head back to the figure it was half facing us. It only showed us its profile.

It didn't have eyes, or a mouth, or really anything other than a bump in the middle of its face that I assumed was meant to be a nose. But somehow, some way it spoke.

"State your name and purpose."

It's voice sounded... young? I tried to wrap my head around the whole situation when Darryl responded.

"Darryl Eden, royal advisor of the current prince of the Mycenia-Inter kingdom. My purpose is to seek help from the ones rumored as the ⏚⊬☌⍜⋏⟒."

The slightest hint of surprise read across its features when it heard Darryl. Then he looked at me. They both did. I choked out an answer.