Awakening

Chapter 12: Destination

Chapter 12: Destination

“Where are you taking me…?” Lale asked suspiciously as he and the black cloak were jumping from tree branch to tree branch. “This forest seems endless… I have travelled this forest many times… and it was never like this before!”

“The forest in the night becomes thick with darkness… there is a reason why many travelers and animals alike do not wander into the forest… alone.” It replied slyly, “Trust that I will take you to a secure place. I wouldn’t… want you to get consumed by the darkness…”

Being consumed by the darkness was probably the last thing that Lale could ever to wish for, so he didn’t reply to what the dark cloak said to him. It did, however, spark a thought. Why has the forest grown to be so dark lately? During the night raids back at the Guild, there was always some type of lighting or at least something that was visible from a distance! He stopped for a quick second to look at his surroundings.

Everything was pitch black, as if he was locked in a dungeon without a window. His vision was useless and thankfully his memory of the forest along with his hearing were still in good shape. When did this all happen? Could it perhaps be a cloudy night where the moon and stars are being hidden?  His curiosity made him look into the skies. The trees were vast and the branches stretched out to the night sky as if it were hugging it, but Lale could see openings between the trees to see the night sky. He gave a confused look after studying the skies for a bit.

The night sky… there are no stars… and the moon isn’t present… why? He was perplexed at that thought because normally on a clear night sky such as tonight, there was something up there to light up the night skies… but something was up. He didn’t know what it was, but he did know that finding out the main reason would be something that he would feel extremely uncomfortable about…

“What’s the hold up…?” the black cloak asked, “The shadows will consume you if you don’t move!”

Lale stared suspiciously at the black cloak, which was only visible by it’s pale white skin it’s chin and mouth were showing. “Why are you so worried about me?” he asked, “Shouldn’t you be a little concern about your safety too…?

The black cloak responded by laughing, as if he asked a really stupid question. “I don’t fear the shadows… and therefore I don’t need to be concerned!”  it then lifted up what it seemed to be its arm and Lale felt something pointing at him. I hope it’s the black cloak that’s pointing at me… and not something else! “You, however, seem to be emitting this fear. The shadows like that… and since my master has something to ask of you, I need you to live.”

It jumped to another tree. “Come, I can tell you that we are almost out of the forest. So you don’t need to worry much longer.”

Lale had no choice but to follow. It was true that he scared of the shadows that the black cloak was talking about… but maybe that shouldn’t be the thing he should be fearful of. He looked straight ahead and assumed that it was the black cloak in front of him. Maybe… it should be… this thing that I should be afraid of? He was remembering the encounter he had with this… thing. It lifted him off the ground only using one hand and had this… aura that didn’t make him feel comfortable. What the hell am I getting myself into? I seriously hope this decision won’t be a big mistake…

Approximately five minutes had passed until Lale had spotted some type of light at the edge of the forest. It was the spark of hope that he was searching for ever since he encountered this thing. They travelled to the light and finally, was out of the forest. Both Lale and the black cloak landed safely on the ground. Seeing that there was some type of lighting on the ground, Lale looked up to the skies.