Mizuki, woke up because of the pain he felt inside his head. It was already seven years ago since that incident had happened. However, those memories are still fresh inside his head. They were still clear that he wants to forget but he couldn't.
After all those years, he became an outcast and resides at the Forest of White Secrets where water nymphs that live in the nearby Lake Xanthior found and raised him.
He's far from the Mizuki, whom he was seven years ago. He's face shows empty emotions unlike from who he is before, a cheerful child and full of laugh.
He had grown his hair longer that makes him look more feminine with his slim and lean body. His charcoal colored hair, just like his mother's dazzled through the rays of sun.
It was almost noon and Mizuki decided to pick some fruits since he had not eaten yet. He ventures to the north western side of the forest where various berries are bearing fruits, while carrying his violin on his back. Since then, the violin is the only thing that keeps him close to his family.
As he arrives in the area, he heard footsteps. He immediately jumps on top of one of the trees to hide and wait for the person to pass by.
Surprisingly, a man just came out of nowhere. The man was around his forties with a mustache and bulky body. He's wearing a long blue coat, black pants and a bag full of goodies. Aside from that, the man was full of wounds and bruises.
It was like someone is chasing him judging from his appearance. He ran faster and deeper into the forest without thinking what danger could be waiting for him.
Mizuki sensed a large group coming after the man and he immediately jumps and maneuvers from tree top to tree top to check what was going on.
Upon arriving at the border, he saw a group of Nethilorian soldiers approaching his way. His eyes filled with rage as he saw the Nethilorian emblem on the armor of the soldiers. He still clearly remembers the symbol from that day, a phoenix.
"Halt!" The man in the front who is fully covered with metal armor ordered.
They've stopped and had a debate whether to go after the man or leave.
"I think it is best for us to let him go and let him die inside this haunted forest, besides he won't last long, he's covered in wounds and bruises." Their leader said.
The soldiers began to move away from the forest. Mizuki watches them as their horses marched. However, a soldier found something on the ground. It was geodes scattered all over the area that certainly belong to the forest.
"Sire! Look what I found!" He called their leader as he picks up one of the geodes from the ground.
"The king would be glad with our discovery." Another man said as he picks up another from the ground.
"Gather all the crystals you can, we'll take them all back to the empire." The leader ordered his men.
Upon hearing this, Mizuki burst into anger. He took out his violin and start creating a tune. The soldiers were flustered by the music and wondered where it's coming from. The leader quickly ordered to look for the origin of the tune. Suddenly, vines came grabbing each one of them. The surrounding was filled with melodramatic aura. The plants start moving as if they have minds on their own and the trees are closing in.
"The spirits of this forest must be behind this. Fall back! Fall back!" Shouted their leader.
Unfortunately, before he could run away a vine grabbed his foot and pulled him deeper into the forest. Trees opened up as if they have mouths and the vines looks like as if it is the tongue. One by one they have been devoured by the trees as if it were an animal craving for food. In no time, the place was clear and quiet as if nothing happens and the trees returned to normal. However, a soldier managed to escape, Mizuki did not mind as long as the forest is safe.
"May your souls rest in peace." Mizuki muttered with sincerity as he felt sorry for the lives he had took away.
The child who is once innocent was now filled with hatred and vengeance. His innocence had been eaten away by chaos and evil. Since that day had happened, he's been living in sorrow resenting those who do harm and was tainted with evil.
Meanwhile deep in the forest, the man arrived at a lagoon. He was so thirsty and tried to drink some water. As he dips his hands on the lagoon, he watches as reflections dance on the rippling water. The water goes oddly still, until a hand that appears to be made out of water seems to emerge out of the surface of the lagoon. He collapsed and as his vision slowly disappears, he caught figures emerging from the water in a shape of a woman's body.
Mizuki came after any minute as water nymphs surround the man. The nymphs told Mizuki that they could not sense any danger from the intruder so he immediately took him to his own-built house just a few steps from the lagoon.
Water nymphs are entities that appears to be made completely out of water and will often take the form of a human female, though they has also been taking on other forms like basic geometric shapes. When it enters a body of water, it will become indistinguishable from the surrounding water, and it appears that it must fully submerged itself on occasion in order to replenish its full volume, which is constantly being reduced through normal evaporation. They often have a playful manner and has the ability to sense the emotion of anything it touches.
As Mizuki arrived in his house made completely of a whole tree, he placed the man on his bed made of cotton extracted from a silk cotton tree. He cleaned his wounds, wiped his body with warm damp cloth and do some extra healing magic.
Later in the evening, the man woke up and confused by how he ends up inside a house. He looks around and notice that everything is purely made of tree barks. He got up and walks outside of the house which appears to be a single tree with a door carved just above its roots.
As he got out of the house, he roams his eyes on the dazzling waters of the lagoon as the reflection of the moon dances with the water. In the water, a group of water nymphs are gleefully playing and splashing with each other.
Suddenly, a harmonious melody covered the place. On a cliff, adjacent to the lagoon, it was Mizuki playing with his violin as he faced towards the moon's serene figure. His hair drifted with the cold breeze of the night. More water nymphs emerged and gathered on the surface as soon as they heard the melody. They were astonished by the beauty and the composition of the music. However, the man felt something different as if the music was grieving or calling for help. He sits by the bonfire beneath the rays of moon as he closely listen to the music that embraced the coldness of the night.
A few more moments and Mizuki climbed down the cliff and approached the man.
"I'm glad that you've woken up." He said with a cold voice. "You can leave tomorrow when the sun rises, humans are not allowed in this forest."
The man was surprised by the cold welcome. "Aren't you human?" The man asked.
"One human is enough, too much will suffocate the forest." He said sternly.
Mizuki sits beside the bonfire that he had prepared a while ago before the man had woken up.
"I just want to say thank you before I have to go tomorrow." He said. "I'm Balthazar, by the way." He introduced.
However, Mizuki did not respond.
"And you are?" The man asked.
"The name's Mizuki. So, why are they after you?" Mizuki asked the man while his shoving wood into the fire.
"I was a member the revolutionary army against the kingdom of Nethilor and was task to spy inside the kingdom. However, someone found out and the king put a reward on my head." The man explained. "I sneaked out of the empire but they've followed and managed to land some hit on me." He added.
"You've got that serious bruises by those weak pathetic soldiers?" Mizuki asked. "And how come your revolutionary group send someone who don't have any sort of magic?"
Balthazar just closed his eyes and smiled. "That soldier's back there, they're nothing. They are not the one whom I battled before I got here."
"Then how come they are the one chasing you?" Mizuki asked.
"Knowing that I'm wounded and may fall down any time soon, they've send a weaker troops after me."
"Too bad for them, you live." Mizuki said in a sarcastic way.