Fading Cinders

Chapter 1

It was dark. I woke up to a gentle rain over my whole body. My mind was fuzzy, my body numb, and my eyes blurry. Once I had finally adjusted, I pushed myself out of the mud which I was face down in. Looking around myself brought me a confusing sight. A dense fog covered the area, and what seemed to be an endless forest of bamboo towered above me. It took a few seconds for it to set in, but I quickly realized where I was. It was a place where humans didn't belong, a place where I was told so many times not to go. The Bamboo Forest of the Lost. I felt myself start to panic, my hands began to shake and I scrambled to my feet. I didn't know where I was running, but my thoughts drowned out any sense of direction I could have. What was I doing here? Was I kidnapped? Was it someone from that hellish laboratory that's in the center of this forest? My mind was scrambled, I just kept running through the bamboo and the fog, trying to find a way out.

But I knew that there was no way I could find it. My legs gave out as I was running, and I fell back into the mud. I was gasping for breath from running so long. All I could do was lay on the ground and watch the rain fall onto me. I doubt I'll ever find a way out of here. The people from the village say that once someone goes in they never come out. I heard my stomach growl, I guess I'm hungry on top of everything else. It was so hopeless that it was almost funny. I wasn't just going to lay down and die here. I got back on my feet and started aimlessly walking again. Who knows how much time passed. It was still pitch black out, I couldn't even see the moon through the bamboo above me. I just continued walking on the dirt path in front of me, but suddenly the wind became still. I heard a noise nearby, a rustling sound from the bamboo. I froze. Was it an animal? No... there's only one thing that could live in this forest. A youkai.

"Hey." A voice rang out from the forest. I couldn't move. I was too scared to look. "You're a human aren't you?" The voice got closer, I finally turned to look. Out of the bamboo came a ragged-looking white haired girl. Her clothes were worn and ripped, and her eyes looked tired.

"Y-yeah, I am." I somehow managed to speak. For some reason seeing another person has calmed me down, even if she asked me if I was a human. That could only mean... "...are you a youkai?"

"Hm? Oh, no, I'm human. Well, not exactly... It's complicated." She nervously smiled while she said this. I had no clue what that could have meant. Maybe a magician or something? She could also be lying to me, I don't know if I can trust her. "Oh yeah, you're lost in here aren't you?" She spoke up again. "I can show you the way out."

"Really?" My head perked up when she said that, but I quickly went back on the defensive. What if she's from that lab, and just wants to lure me into it? I was going to ask more questions but my stomach loudly growled. The girl noticed this.

"Ah, you're hungry aren't you? You must have been here for a while, sorry I couldn't find you faster. Come on, I have some food at my house. You can eat some before I show you the way out." She put out her hand to me. Everything in my mind said I shouldn't trust this random girl i met in this forest of all places but...

"...sure." I took her hand and began to follow her.