Amanda opened her eyes and found herself in a different area of the forest. Apparently, Dimitri took a break and decided to rest somewhere. Amanda could not see him anywhere but he might be close, looking after her while she slept. At least he gives her some privacy to do so. Amanda looked around and realized that the area of the forest is quite familiar. In fact, it was too eerily familiar: it was the place by the lake, the area where she would go with her parents.
“Amanda?” Amanda froze as she heard a familiar voice, one that she did not think she would hear again ever, “There you are, come here. What are you doing here?”
“Mother?” Amanda is confused, the person standing in front of her is definitely her mother, and she is too real to be just a phantom, “What are you doing here mother? I thought you were”
“What are you talking about, you silly,” Amanda’s mother continued to speak as she did back
There was an awkward silence. Amanda could not believe what she just heard. She did not expect Dimitri to feel that kind of insecurity. She thought that he was always sure of himself, that he always believed that people would choose to be with him no matter what. The unexpected gap in personality made Amanda’s heart skip a bit even for a little. Her face started to flush again.“So,” Dimitri continued, “If you had no choice but to choose between the two of us. Who will you choose?” Amanda could not answer. She could not even speak. She hates being put in a spot like this. She has always been asked this question even back in the village. The boys who liked her would all ask her to choose someone from them. But she knew that most of those were just superficial. She understood that not all of those boys liked her for who she really is, they only liked her because she was pretty.“As I said,” Amanda replied. “I could not choo
Amanda woke up from the sound of the food trolley being wheeled in. Half expecting that it was the centaur that is bringing her breakfast in, Amanda jolted up as she realized that it was the Harpy. Her friend silently prepared the meal. She is trying not to meet Amanda’s gaze and is just putting all her attention into preparing their meal.Amanda took the breakfast with the Harpy silently. She understands how her friend feels and does not want to put her on the spot by asking her about the issue out of the blue.Amanda finished her meal and placed her tray on top of the trolley, making enough noise to get the attention of the Harpy who is eating at a distance. The Harpy jerked and looked at Amanda, she seemed to have finished eating before Amanda did but did not move an inch from where she is sitting down. Amanda and the Harpy looked at each other, trying to wait for whoever would give in and break the silence. Being the more mature between them, Amanda gave way an
The Dark Forest is a vast area of woodlands so thick that the sunlight ever hardly penetrates through the canopy. Even when the sun is high up in the sky at noon, the heart of the Dark Forest is only ever as bright as the dawn breaking and never really fully committing to a full morning. Because sunlight barely gets through, the forest gets colder the deeper one goes inside. Because of this and some other reasons, the forest has become home to various creatures that are barely seen outside. Creatures that could only be known in books and are considered to be merely created by fantasy.Towering on the north of the forest is a ragged mountain that is hardly accessible. An old castles sits at its peak. It had been said that the castle is home to an evil lord that was vanquished by the hero 500 years ago. When one stands at the terrace of the castle overlooking the forest, one see a stone altar surrounded by a circular column of large stones and slabs deep in the he
“A long time ago, the world was at peace. All the creatures have been living alongside each other. Humans, demi-humans, beastkin and even ancient creatures like fairies and dragons cooperate with each other to make the lands fertile and life easier. The gods were so proud of the races that they send their bounties to them. Every year, there would be a tournament where representatives from the various races would compete. The Champion will be provided with powers from each of the gods. For 5 years, there was only one person who held the championship spot. A human that was called “The Hero”. The gods did not mind this, he wins fair and square all the time; he was a benevolent and kind-hearted hero and he would give half of his prize money to an orphanage where he grew up. Everyone was glad about this, even the leaders of the different races and those who fought against him in the tournament. He was the pride of every god, except one. The god of games has grown bored. He has be
There is not child in the village that is not fascinated by the story of The Hero and the Demon King. Even some of the grown-ups are still fantasizing about the tale – men still think about defeating a Demon King and being a hero while women think about marrying a Hero who has defeated the Demon King. Among the villagers, there was one who was the most fascinated about the tale not because she wants to be the Hero or meet one, she just loves the twists and turns in the story itself. This person is none other than the village chief’s only child: Amanda. Ever since she could remember, she had repeatedly heard about the story from the Village Elders and different adults. Even her mother would read the children’s version of the tale before bedtime. She was amazed at how the Hero returned and gained friends to defeat the Demon King. How the gods supported the Hero, and the fact that her ancestors directly came from the Mage who created their village. Having a close historical tie
The Village of the Mage has been prosperous ever since it was established by the Mage herself. All the leaders the followed her had been kind, generous, and wise. They made sure to keep the village running well and even made improvements; the village could practically be called a town. The village has experienced its Golden Age for 500 years and it would have continued on if not for the previous chief and his son, Felipe. Felipe’s father was a wise leader but her wisdom was not directed towards the improvement of the village, he used it for his own gain. Having seen for himself how healthy the village is, Felipe’s father started to want it for himself and his family. He started to device ways to subtly increase taxation from the villagers. He would make up building projects and other activities that would require quite a bit if funding but in reality would only need very little. He started to fill his personal coffers using the money from the citizens. And when the cit
“Every year, we have been blessed by bountiful harvest that would fill out coffers with gold and our bellies with food and wine!” the Village Chief began his speech as he addressed the villagers for the Harvest Festival.“More than 30 years ago, I have prayed and prayed, alone on the forest, begging the goddess of the earth to aid us,” Felipe continued, “and soon enough she has heard our calls and gave us a bountiful harvest. And so we celebrate this Festival every year to honor the goddess of the earth and her blessing!”The village chief paused and looked around, there seems to be less and less females, they need to invite more from other villages and towns. He looked at his daughter and then continued, “We have spared no expense for this joyous event. We also welcome our valued guests – the nobles and merchants – who supported us through thick and thin. And so, without further ado. Let us all have a great festiva
It took some time for Amanda’s eyes to adjust to the dim lighting inside the palace. She looked around as soon as she was able to see clearly and realized that the whole place is lit up by candle chandeliers from the ceiling and flaming torches on the walls. The interior was vast. It was only the first floor but it seemed like it was the whole building already. The walls are made of stone and Amanda could see that some areas are darker. They seemed to be scorched. The floor that they were stopping on was covered by a thick carpet all over and only a small portion near the walls are exposed.Despite the interior’s rustic and dinky look, there was no sign of disorder nor of form of dirt or slime. The places looks well cleaned and well maintained. It is quite obvious that someone is living in this place and that the maids are doing their jobs well. Amanda could not help but commend them for that, no matter what kind of god-forsaken creatures they may be. When she loo