Silence enveloped Violet and Renji as they just walked around the forest. After the incident, Violet kept her cellphone inside her pocket for safekeeping, while Renji took a few glances at the girl beside her. Birds chirping, leaves rustling in the wind, and scrunching of dead leaves beneath their feet are the only noises around.
Violet has had enough of the sound of nature.
"Do you know where are we going?" Violet asked.
"Oh, so now you are talking to me? Why?" Renji asked.
"Because I want answers for the question that only you could answer, dumb fox."
"If I am so dumb, then maybe I shouldn't answer. I don't want to risk giving Princess Pants here a wrong answer."
"Fine," Violet said and folded her arms.
The two continued walking. It felt like there is a dark and heavy rain cloud over them. It did not take long until Renji this time crashed the silence after a heavy sigh.
"My clan," he simply said.
"What about it?" Violet asked.
"We are heading towards my clan," Renji cleared.
Then, he pointed ahead of them. A full-grown ash tree is standing firmly in the middle of the forest. Violet found this unusual since the Suzuki Forest is filled with cedar trees.
The ash tree is standing in the middle of the cedar trees but none is near it but a batch of fresh green grass. Violet even thought that this looks like a perfect spot for a picnic or a place where one would want to go when that person wants to be just left alone.
"What is an ash tree doing here?" Violet asked.
"So you do know what kind of tree that is. You must be smarter than I thought," Renji joked.
"Stop underestimating me," Violet said and lightly punched Renji on his left arm. "Just answer the question."
Renji walked over to the tree and sat under its shade. He patted the space beside him, inviting Violet to sit beside him to which she obliged.
"There are a lot of kinds of spirits living here in the Suzuki Forest," Renji began. "Each clan is hiding from another clan. The day was remembered as Mienai. The day that started where a clan is invisible to another clan. Each clan took a portion of the forest and using their leader's magic, grew a specific tree for a specific spirit clan. Each tree is not just a normal tree. Those trees are actually portals to each clan's area in the forest."
"I don't get it," Violet said. "Why is a portal needed? Isn't the forest just the same as it is?"
"You think that this world is just one part," Renji said. "But actually, there are two parts of this one world."
"The human realm and the spirit realm?" Violet guessed.
"Exactly," Renji said.
"So, what I am seeing right now is the Suzuki Forest in the human realm," Violet said.
"Mhm," Renji nodded with a smile.
"But when I go through this tree, I will see the portion of this forest in the spirit realm?" Violet continued.
"Exactly right," Renji said as he stood up. "For safety measures of each clan, no one can enter the portal unless it is the same as the clan. For example, I am a fox spirit so I can only enter this portal since this leads to the fox clan, where I belong."
"What if someone different wants to go inside?" Violet asked. "Like a cat spirit or a mouse or-"
"A human?" Renji finished with a side grin.
"Yeah," Violet said hesitantly. "A human."
"Is this human a girl?" Renji teased.
Violet gave him an angry look and another punch on the arm.
"Ow," Renji complained as he rubbed the punched area.
"Just answer the question, please," Violet said.
"Geez... fine," Renji said. "If another kind wants to go, he or she needs to have someone from the species' portal that he wants to go to to accompany him. Like, if you want to go to our clan, you need someone from our clan to get in with you. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to get in. The ancient magic will only allow someone of the same kind to enter. It will allow someone from a different kind as long as there is someone with the same kind going in. Now you got it? You don't have to punch me for it."
"You seem strong enough to take a punch from a girl," Violet teased.
"Yeah. I was just joking," Renji said and stood up straighter.
"Sure you were," Violet continued to tease.
"Do you want to see what the Fox Clan looks like or what?" Renji asked.
Violet thought about it for a moment. "Am I allowed?"
"As long as you stick with me," Renji said and offered his hand to Violet.
Violet stared at Renji's hand for a moment, then eventually took it. Hand in hand, the two went inside the portal.
"Welcome back," is what Renji wanted to tell her.