Into the woods

3

Arriving outside the door, there is a corridor leading both left and right. Nook is slowly walking down the right one and I don’t hesitate to follow her.

I walk beside the wolf in silence and after a few turns, she stops in front of an inconspicuous door.

Nook nudges her nose against the door which then swings open, revealing a large room designed with a big pool of water in the middle. Water is flowing from the roof in some places and in front of the wall opposite us, is a shelf full of towels as well as a fancy-looking bell.

“How can the room be so big?” I ask in wonder as I look between the corridor and the gigantic bathhouse.

“Space magic. Rin is in fact, one of the most powerful demons in this region so creating another dimension isn’t that hard for him.” Nook explains.

“Demon?!” I exclaim in surprise. From what I learned when I was growing up in the village, there are four intelligent races currently fighting for power in our world. There are Fae, shapeshifters like Nook, humans and demons. Since our village is placed so deep in the forest, we are not affected by the war, but we know that demons are naturally evil. The elders described them as hideous beings filled with malicious thoughts and an appearance worse than a troll. That is why I have a hard time believing Rin is a demon.

“He doesn’t look like a demon.” Although, the “malicious thoughts” part is correct, I add to myself. “They are supposed to be ugly.”

Nook let’s out, what I think is a laugh. “That’s just something you humans made up to make yourself feel less inferior. Demons are in fact more beautiful than most of us. They are also the ones most likely to win the war.”

I stare at the wolf and try to digest this new revelation.

As we stand there, a new person dressed in a black uniform soon arrives in the same corridor. She looks like a human, her hair done in a bun and eyes lowered to the floor. As she gets closer I notice a bundle of clothes in her arms.

“Master asked me to give you these and inform you that dinner will be ready once you are done cleaning up.” The girl states as she hands me the clothes before continuing down the corridor. I look at Nook, confused by the strange encounter.

“You heard her, now go clean up. Once you are done, just ring the bell inside and a servant will arrive to show you the way.” Nooks voice resounds in my head. “Oh, and don’t forget to behave.”

I hesitate for a second before nodding and turning around to walk into the humid room.

Once inside, I hear the door close behind me and I take a moment to look around. There is another door to my left which I immediately try to open.

To my surprise, it swings open without a problem, revealing a toilet and a sink inside.

When chosen to become a sacrifice, you are required to not eat or drink anything one day before being sent away. Because of this, a toilet wasn’t really a problem back in the woods. Now however, when seeing a toilet in front of me, I decide to use it before doing anything else.

When I’m done, I walk back to the door from which I came. A few tugs on the handle reveals it to be locked.

“Didn’t think it would work anyway. Guess I’ll just do as they say for now.” I tell myself.

Crossing the room, I put the clothes I got beside the shelf and grab a towel before going back to the pool.

Quickly pulling the nightgown over my head and kicking off my underwear, I then dip my toes into the water. It is a comfortable, warm temperature.