Ishihara // ATEEZ ✔

5 Woods

Akira studies the map in her hands intently as she considers the direction from where they came from. She lost sight on which direction the hooded figure went to, so still she can't determine which kingdom he came from. The piece of mainland they're on is divided into four kingdoms: Lucida, Nyla, Estar and Fyrae. Almost conveniently, each kingdom is situated close to one of the four corners of the mainland. They mark their territory by planting tall walls to surround their own kingdom. People from outside can only officially enter any of the kingdoms by the main gate that is heavily guarded; trespassers usually scale the walls and if they're lucky, they won't be caught. If they're not so lucky, they would be executed. Usually, she is the one who carries out the job, and sometimes Yunho helps when there are many of them. To date, she doesn't know how many people she has killed due to trespassing.

As she refers to her compass, she heads north-west, where Nyla is located. She holds her luggage with her right hand and keeps the compass on her left. The topography has started to become more repetitive; canopy trees and shrubs fill her view. She can hear the sounds of insects calling to each other, and she is grateful that so far, she hasn't come across any wild animals that could harm her. Treading along the faded path, she looks for any sign of her destination. She keeps trekking, and she has started to feel thirsty. She has forgotten to bring a bottle of water in her haste to depart on time. As she mulls over her uncertain fate, her ears catch the sound of leaves rustling.

Her eyes quickly scan the black and white forest in front of her and she almost steps back. The sight in front of her is somewhat ludicrous; she sees a snake with its eyes looking straight to a man, who is seemingly talking to the snake. The man smiles at the snake before tilting his head to the side. The snake drops its body to the ground and slithers away. A snake charmer?

She must have made a sound when she's surprised because the man looks up and rises. They stay looking at each other, wordless, before he breaks the silence. "Are you perhaps lost?"

Her eyes travel to the ground as she tries to look for the snake. Distracted, she mentions, "No." She doesn't give any indication on where she's going because she doesn't know whether it's wise to trust him yet.

"What is a lady doing in the middle of the forest alone?" As he sees her eyes wandering, "Don't worry about the snake. I told it to go away so he won't bother us."

"You... told it?"

"Ah." Realization clouds his face as he hurriedly adds, "I have this small gift where I can talk to animals."

"Hmm... interesting. I better get going." She picks up her luggage and continues to walk.

She knows she's not imagining it so she stops in her tracks and spins around. True enough, he's only a few steps behind her. "Stop following me."

He chuckles before pointing in the distance. "I left my horse there. If you may excuse me." He walks past an embarrased Akira and as he looks over his shoulder, he sees her biting her lips in embarrassment. "Are you sure you don't need any help? The luggage looks pretty heavy."

"I can handle it. You don't have to worry about this 'lady'."

He heaves onto his horse, speaks something into its ears before it starts moving. She tries to avoid it, but it appears that they are headed in the same direction too. Is he a resident of Nyla?

The horse plods beside her, as if trying to match her pace. Annoyed, she turns to him. "Do you really have to do that?"

"Do what?"

"This."

"I can't help it since we're headed in the same direction. You can't expect me to head south-west when I'm heading for Nyla, can you?"