The Blood Forest

#(3)

Aera's POV :

I opened my eyes as the sun rays hit them with it's warmth & brightness.
It's been two days since I came here & meet Jimin. In this past two days I only got to roam around a few areas near this castle. That's because of Jimin , who would come at morning around 10 & show me some areas then send me here again. He doesn't listen if I ask him to go further or search for The Blood Castle.
He said that it's really far & dangerous so going alone would be a reckless action. He told me that he has called his friends to join us so that it would be less dangerous. Until then I should wait.

But there's something that seems off about him. Why is he caring about me so much & not letting me go ? Like I came here alone & I'm capable of taking care of myself. It's my work which I have to complete & that also soon. I've only 12 days left from my 15 days leave. I can't sit in this room or wait for Jimin to come everyday.

Jimin had a point if that place is really that dangerous. I shouldn't go there alone but there's no harm in roaming around this area without him , right ?

I thought as I finished my morning routine & ate the bread I brought. Jimin has asked me several times about food but I don't want to bother him so much.

After breakfast I got ready for today & waited for Jimin to come but it never happened. So I took my notebook & decided to write about my last two days .
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I frowned looking out of the window. It was almost after noon yet no sign of Jimin. " Should I go alone? " I asked myself. " Maybe he's busy with something. " I muttered as I closed my notebook & freshen up .

As I finished getting ready, there was a knock on my door. " Yes ?" I responded as the door opened & Jimin's head popped in .

" Oh ! Were you planning to go out ? " He asked.

" Yeah....as you didn't come , thought I'll roam around a bit by myself. But why are you dressed like that today? " I asked looking at his fancy attire. It's true that he wears a bit weird clothes but I thought it's some kind of tradition of the people who lives near this forest. Today he was wearing a dark blue long coat over a off white turtleneck . His coat had golden designs printed on it & he paired it with dark blue fitting pants & short length black leather boots. His light brown hair was combed upwards & he actually looked like a prince from the ancient tales with those rings, ear rings & necklace .

" Uh ... Actually I came here to say sorry. I can't take you out today as there's a function going on in our village. Um... Will you look at my eyes please? " He asked . For some reason he often asks me to look at his eyes when he wants me to do something.

" Sure. " I looked directly at his eyes.

" As I won't be here today, you won't go out of this room at any cost. You'll stay here until I come back. " He said looking at my eyes. I just nodded lightly.

" Ok then , I'll be going. Take care. " With that he rushed out.

" Weird" I muttered. He could've simply said that . Why creating such an aura as if he's hypnotizing me ? I thought as I checked my back pack . While doing so my eyes spotted something. My phone. Well I haven't used it since I figured out there's no network. Now it's dead due to lack of charging.

Once I made sure I had everything I needed , I did the thing Jimin had dramatically forbidden me to do. I sneaked out of the room . Walking through the corridor, I came near the big door. " It's huge ! " I muttered & pushed it in an attempt to open it . " And heavy too . " I said as it took a lot of strength to open it. I jumped down the stairs & started my way towards the jungle.

The gate / The back side of Jimin's castle.

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It's been almost an hour & I'm still walking. Looking around the area. Though this forest is dark & has a mysterious aura , I for some reason find it beautiful. It has its own beauty. And something that attracts me.

Walking further I heard sound of water. It wasn't rushed & loud but calm . That means either there's a pond near by or a small river. I followed the sound & soon I was in front of a beautiful scenario.

The tomb like architecture caught my attention. There were designs made on it's walls & some sculptures decorating the area. I walked towards it & observed every design & every sculpture . Copying some of the designs & drawing some figures of the statues . I was so in it that I lost track of time . My hands halted when the light around me started to fade indicating it's almost dusk. But I was almost done with the last structure drawing so I decided to finish it first ignoring the lack of light. As I finished, it was late evening. I quickly packed my stuff but then I felt as if someone was watching me . I frowned & looked around but nothing was there . " Maybe some animal. " I muttered as I finished packing & started my way back.

As I was walking through the forest , I felt a gush of wind pass by me . For some reason my heart skipped a bit & I started feeling a bit uneasy. My heart started beating faster as the warm & woody smell of Sweet marjoram hit my nostrils. I felt a bit  disquieted yet comforted . I know it's weird but I don't know how to describe this feeling. As if every nerve of my body wanted to go near the source of the smell. It was attracting me so much that my mind was stuck in continuously telling me to find the source. I looked around to find  it but couldn't find anything but large trees surrounding me. It felt like it's mixed everywhere. So near me yet so far.

I closed my eyes in order to calm my mind but in vain . " What's happening with me ?" I questioned myself while frowning. But then suddenly it vanished. I opened my eyes only to find myself standing alone in the middle of the jungle. I sniffed a bit but no trace of the previous smell . " Weird." I muttered as I continued my journey.