Lysdonè | CPN

Whispers of the Woods

F O R E W A R D

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Cell Phone Novel

Cell phone novels, or mobile phone novels (Japanese: 携帯小説, Hepburn: keitai shōsetsu, Chinese: 手機小說; pinyin: shǒujī xiǎoshuō), were literary works originally written on a cellular phone via text messaging. This type of literature originated in Japan, where it became a popular literary genre. However, its popularity also spread to other countries internationally, especially to China, United States, Germany, Italy and South Africa. Chapters usually consist of about 70–100 words each due to character limitations on cell phones.[1]

*Due to time limit and saving the viewers time (And the fact that Wattpad is AWFUL—and likes to crash when I try to publish more than TEN CHAPTERS), we have condensed this story to ten chapters; making it easier to find where what is.*

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Elara stood at the edge of the forest, her hands brushing the tall grass as the wind sighed through the trees. Lysdonè was a village content in its simplicity-tiny houses with thatched roofs, the smell of fresh bread in the air, and familiar faces everywhere you turned. Yet, for as long as she could remember, Elara felt a hollow space inside her, as though something essential was missing.

It was late afternoon, and golden light spilled over the horizon, casting long shadows across the fields. The village behind her buzzed with its usual rhythm, but Elara's gaze was fixed on the dark line of trees ahead, where the forest beckoned. She'd always found a strange comfort in the woods, as if the rustle of leaves and the distant songs of birds spoke directly to her soul. When she was younger, she had imagined the forest held all kinds of magic, secrets waiting to be found by someone daring enough to seek them.

Today felt different, though. The whisper of the woods seemed louder, more insistent, and Elara couldn't shake the feeling that something was calling her.

Her feet moved almost on their own, carrying her into the trees. The cool shade washed over her as she stepped into the familiar cover of the forest. Here, the world was different-quieter, yet full of life. The path she usually followed curved away to the right, but something pulled her left, toward the deeper, less-explored parts of the woods.

"Maybe it's nothing," she told herself, but her heart quickened, a flutter of curiosity mixing with a thrill of anticipation. The underbrush thickened as she moved deeper into the forest, the sunlight barely reaching through the canopy. Soon, the ground sloped downward, and the trees grew larger, older, their bark twisted as though shaped by time itself. She had never been this far before.

The air changed-cooler, heavier. Then, she saw it.

At first, it looked like just another cluster of boulders covered in moss, but as Elara moved closer, the shape became clearer. Massive stone pillars jutted out from the earth, half-buried in ivy and roots. She stepped closer, and the outline of what looked like a doorway appeared between the stones. Her breath caught in her throat. It was no natural formation-this was a structure. A temple.

Elara approached the entrance, her fingers brushing against the rough stone. Ancient symbols, faded but still visible, adorned the surface. They were unlike anything she had ever seen, and as her hand touched them, a strange warmth spread through her palm, as though the stone itself was alive. A shiver ran down her spine, a mixture of awe and fear.

She hesitated for only a moment before slipping through the narrow opening into the temple's interior.

The air inside was cold, damp, and filled with the scent of earth and decay. Faint light filtered in from cracks in the ceiling, illuminating the space just enough for her to see the outlines of the room. It was small, no more than a few paces across, but every surface was covered in intricate carvings-spirals, lines, and shapes that seemed to dance in the faint light. At the far end of the chamber stood a stone pedestal, and atop it, a small, glowing object.