The Knight & The Prince (A SidLink Tale)

Chapter 67:

~~No One's POV~~

It took her a few days on foot, but the closer Dialen got to the the lost forest, the more she realized how screwed she was. The snow covered ground was extremely thick and the dead trees that surrounded the area were frozen. The wind was howling like crazy and nothing was alive in the area.

How did these mortals get through this area? She wondered with curiosity.

If the rumors were true, then they were beyond the maze. Dialen took a deep breath before pressing onwards. Her bare feet were freezing, but that was bound to happen being several days in the snow at once. She shivered as she neared the entrance to her goal. The stone arch way seemed like a dream as she stepped through. Immediately the area changed: the snow was to her ankles, the howling wind had stopped and a single torch and lit fire greeted her eyes.

She put her hands up to it happily, smiling as her body soaked in the warmth. Sure she was a demon, but that didnt mean anything. She could get too hot or too cold, hunger though wasnt much of an issue along with diseases.

She sighed though as she noticed the embers constantly being blown a certain way. She picked up the unused torch and lit it happily. Without any time to spare she began forward. Her kimono was a little heavy from the ice that had made its self home on the ends of the clothe but she didn't mind.

She followed the embers direction, curious as she followed through the winding maze of dead trees. She followed, one ember after the other through the winding eerie setting. The closer she got through the area the more confused she became. The rumor was that demons were not allowed even remotely close to this sacred area, yet here she was following the path the mortals took if they figured the puzzle out.

She swallowed hard as the hairs on her neck stood up. Something was watching her and she could feel it. She looked around confused as she followed the embers. The torch was keeping her warm, but she could tell she was at her limit.

She shuddered, her eyes shifting from purple to yellow slightly as she became a little more uncomfortable. The stare she felt was still lingering, and it was becoming more and more noticable. A shiver crawled down her spine as the snow began to chill her bones.

Man, I wish I would have saved up more energy. Dialen thought as she listened to the crunching of the snow beneath her feet.

Her usually pale skin began to grow even paler the closer she got to her destination. Several torch stations later, she began to notice that the air was a little warmer and there was less snow on the ground.

She sighed, going closer to the next torch station until a cold wind picked up. She shielded her flame with her body before lighting her next check point, hearing what sounded to be wooden bells to jingle. A shiver rolled up her back before she looked behind her seeing a small child like... thing.

She jumped away confused since she couldn't sense its presence. Its straw hat and rough clothing gave her a weird vibe, but it wooden bark skin made her creep vibes sky rocket. Its beddy red eyes stared into her confused and alert amythest ones.

The thing tilted its head," You shouldn't be here..."

"Trust me, I dont want to be in this mess any more than you want me here. Tell me how to get to the great Deku tree and I'll be on my way." Dialen stated taking a few nervous steps back.

"Your kind doesn't belong amongst Deku!" It screeched making Dialen cringe before dodging a lunge. Her feet aching as she slid along the hard snow that was disturbed by her body.

"No you dont understand! I mean no harm!" Dialen begged out as she dodged another attack.

"Lies! The last time your kind was let in Deku was uprooted and nearly killed!" The forest spirit hissed.

Dialen paled as she remembered in the demon lore of the great sacred tree being uprooted for its indestructable roots to make wooden weapons that wouldnt burn. Many great fire demons used them and she could understand why this poor spirit guard was mad.

"Please, I know your angry at my kind, but I dont want to hurt anyone!" Dialen pleaded.

The forest spirit roared at her causing Dialen to pale as it grew to be triple it's own size. Dialen gave a nervous smile, before grabbing the torch and making a dash toward the rest of the maze. The forest spirit roared and as Dialen ran for her life her eyes began to glow a beautiful radiant purple. Her body turned a slight purple before she miraculously split into two individual bodies.

Panic began to flow into her veins as she tried to keep an eye on the embers. The poor demon had never known of the forest spirit and its unnatural abilities. She ran for dear life as it closed in on her and her double. Dialen gasped as the embers flew in a different direction. She slid to a stop and ran quickly picking up her kimonos skirt as she ran. Her lungs began to ache as the chilling air began to make her slower. Her eyes though caught sight of what she was looking for. It was a hollowed tree laying down, but inside the entire way was covered with fog.

Dialen made a dash for it, discarding her torch as she reached toward the icesicle covered entrance. Her fingers barely being swallowed by the veil of fog when she stopped. Pain seared through her stomach as all movement from her hips down stopped. She looked down seeing that the log had priced through her stomach in an x formation pinning her in the center.

Tears brimmed her eyes as the pain slipped up from her waist to the base of her skull. She couldn't and wouldnt be stopped here, not like this. She reached toward the trunk wall as she heard the howl of laughter behind her. Her tears flowed down her face before she felt the rough hand of her opponent take her ponytail.

"Any last words?" The forest spirit hissed.

Dialen smiled and took a sad glance at them, "Longum oblita es, ego hodie expectantes in tempore sedated i. Quamquam tunc oblitus est, ego autem non fui in nebula dissolvetur. Deterioratus est Natura, at hic sum, ut timeant me auxilium mihi."

The forest spirit froze and suddenly began to petrify," How... how do you know those words?"

Dialen smirked and looked at the poor spirit with her glowing eyes," Because I wrote them."

The second the monstrous spirit fully turned to stone, the spears going through her stomach crumbled apart. She hissed feeling her healing seal the deepest parts of her wounds, but sadly her energy ran out leaving her with massive gaping holes still. She panted as she stumbled further into the log, and as she crossed the threshold of the safe heaven she closed her eyes and crumbled to the ground unconscious.