Chereads / Cassia Nora / Chapter 5 - Chapter 4 - The Enchanted forest

Chapter 5 - Chapter 4 - The Enchanted forest

• لَآ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهٗ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهٗ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَ لَهُ الْحَمْدُ يُحْىٖ وَ يُمِيْتُ وَ هُوَحَیٌّ لَّا يَمُوْتُ اَبَدًا اَبَدًاؕ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْاِكْرَامِؕ بِيَدِهِ الْخَيْرُؕ وَهُوَ عَلٰى كُلِّ شیْ ٍٔ قَدِیْرٌؕ •

"There is none worthy of worship except Allah. He is only One. There are no partners for Him. For Him is the Kingdom. And for Him is the Praise. He gives life and causes death. And He is Alive. He will not die, never, ever. Possessor of Majesty and Reverence. In His hand is the goodness. And He is the goodness. And He is on everything powerful.."

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Long story short: I survived. As I fell into the spinning water I accepted my fate and thought, this is it. Instead the water whirlwind opened a portal, a gateway to another location.

"Where are we?" Cassia asks nearly stumbling but catching herself. "This is the enchanted forest. It's like our home" answers Killian, exhausted, "it's a dangerous place so I'm confident you'll stay close by until we've found a safe passage through the forest." I nod in agreement, holding onto the wooden railings tightly. Killian and Smee dismiss themselves and retreat to the captains headquarters. I'm feeling a little nauseous from the trip here, but nothing serious. I head toward the edge of the ship, pulling myself up from the railings and off the ship. The weather looks nice, the sun is up, it should be warm. But it's not. My arms begins trembling, my body unable to stop shuttering from this chilly, frosty air. I felt as if there's an ice growing inside of me, immobilizing me. The air was thick, the grounds were deserted. The trees hid their leaves as if there was someone watching them. Hurting them. I close my eyes, my hands are crossed along my head, my knees bend on the ground.

"Oh don't fret dearie, I'm sure the crispy air will settle soon" a voice says from behind.

I stand to my feet, looking around for the host of the voice." Out of the corner of my eye I see a 6' ft creature, two hands, two legs, one head. The skin. It had rigid, plate-shaped scales with thick, leathery green skin. It stepped closer and closer until we were standing one breath apart. Everything about him was unsettling. With one swing of my arm he was gone. I step backward and start running down the forest. Determined to get the hell away from this cryptic place. Trees come into view, circling around me with fog filling the forest floor. My vision gets hazy because of the dense vapour. Obscurity overflows my brain and the trees change from the rich green leaves to golden orange. As the leaves start spiralling all around, the strong breeze slowly dies leaving the autumn leaves positioned toward a path. Unsure of where else to go I tread forward, keeping to the trail. Thump. "Ow," I fall to the ground as a soldier dressed in armour bumps into me. "What are you doing here?" questions the soldier, staring at me. "Ha, right no need to apologize. I'm fine." I say harshly. The soldier takes off the armour mask, revealing a women with shoulder length brown coloured hair. "My apologies, most people aren't seen down this road." She offers me a hand, helping me up. "Might I ask what business you have in the Infinite Forest." "The Infinite Forest?" I asked, demanding to know more. "This path leads you to the Infinite Forest. Once you enter…there's no way out" the soldier replied gravely. I hold my breath, looking around frantically. "Sorry for prying but, I've never seen you here before. Are you lost?" I clear my throat to find my voice; "Uh yes. No. I mean no. You haven't seen me before because I'm not from here, I'm from London. I just want to go back." The soldier holds my hand and offers a ride to safety, "I don't know where London is but I have a plan to get you back. My names Mulan by the way" she smiles. "I'm Cassia."