Fly Until You See The Light

Forest - Chapter 4

The sun has been rising for a few minutes now.

Sentinekka is still sleeping. He, however, is awake.

He doesn't usually sees much Light in the Forest, but the early morning is the brightest time of day in that realm. And, what's more, the rain seems to have lessened. This is the right time to continue.

The boy calmly sits next to his friend. He kinda feels displeased about having to wake her up at about six in the morning, but he has his reasons for doing so.

«Uhm... Sen'?» he tries to say. He feels embarrassed as hell.

He shakes her a little and, finally, the little girl wakes up. Still a little asleep, she greets him:«Good morning!».

«Good morning, Sen'» Ojtaro replies. «Did you sleep well?» he continues.

«Yes, I did. What about you?».

«Me too, thanks».

Silence settles between the two Children, until he says:«Sorry for waking you up at this hour, but we have to continue the journey. Not much time remains».

He wishes he could force the girl to follow him without asking her opinion about it, but he feels sick just thinking about it. Also, he must be respectful. Not like the people he has to deal with almost every day or every night in his dreams.

«Don't worry, we can go!» she replies. Oh, thank Megabird she's just a Child and not a tired veteran.

Ojtaro then smiles and extends his right hand towards her, waiting for her to stand up. Sentinekka therefore gives him her left hand and lets herself be carried away by her adventure companion.

«Ojtaro: guide me, my teacher!» Sentinekka exclaims enthusiastically. She just woke up, yet she is already more energetic than ever, unlike the boy, who several times puts his arm out of the dark umbrella to make the water pinch him and keep him awake.

Just to keep a conversation going with her, the fourteen-year-old asks:«How did you know the whole song from yesterday? You said you didn't know it».

He doesn't really care. He just wants that conversation to distract him from the cruel reality of his life. He's inside one of the realms he hates the most. He hates every realm tho.

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«Oh... I wish I knew too. I haven't the foggiest idea!» the girl answers him, confused.

It's a complicated thing.

«You don't even know how you did it?!» the boy exclaims, incredulous. «How cringing. Can't believe you actually know that song even thought you never listened to it».

​​​​​​When she hears those words, Sentinekka bursts into a pretty and embarrassed laughter, reaction that prompts Ojtaro to roll his eyes.

«Trust me, I haven't the slightest idea why that thing happened, I don't know how I did it and I don't want to know. But I could use this talent to my advantage!» the girl specifies, without panicking or worrying about Ojtaro's gesture.

«You're clever».

«I'm not often like this».

«Personal secrets?».

«What are you talking about?».

Ojtaro doesn't even know. «Sometimes... People tend to hide their true character due to secrets or similar. Is this your case?». He doesn't know why he started this speech, so he tries to explain his words to himself... And to the girl. That girl who seems the most confused at that very moment.

«No, that doesn't seem to be my case. I don't think I have many secrets, and they all aren't even important».

«Got it».

Silence rises between them again for a few moments, as fast as a shooting star descending from the sky. You can barely make your wish before the star has already disappeared. So fast is that silence, which goes away when Ojtaro asks the little girl, surprised and lost:«Won't you ask me if I have any secrets?».

«Nope».

«Why?».

«Because it's not my business» the little girl replies, calm and with a smile on her face. Even though she is wearing a mask, you can see it very well when she smiles. Then Sentinekka points to a Spirit wearing a cyan cloak and exclaims:«New friend! Let's go and set him free!».

«That Spirit... He can't stand me. And I reciprocate. Are you sure you want to do this? A fight could also break out» Ojtaro tells her, worried. Well, the fight part is a lie. He would never attack the Spirit, and the Spirit would never do the same to him. Mostly because Ojtaro is a really important person.

«Ojtaro, just be calm. Exhale and Inhale and everything will be fine. You are a good person, and I am sure that, if you behave as you have always behaved towards me, the Spirit will be happy!» she advises him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

As Sentinekka walks towards the Spirit, the boy reflects on the words she said.

Exhale Inhale.

Seriously?

«Oh, are you doing it on purpose?» he asks with a serious expression, but amused by the quote.

But after the first step he takes, something happens.

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Total Darkness. Oh no, come on! Not now! Really?!

No figures. Sentinekka has disappeared as the Hidden Forest and its rain, its plants, its trees and its stones, caves and gazebos did.

Teth hates him for real. She always asks for this reunions in the Darkness that can even last for days! What a shame being close to her and her realm. What a shame...