"I want to know what you've actually been doing here all this time."
The voice of a middle-aged woman resonated, capturing the attention of the six creatures who were focused on the young girl still sound asleep, floating in the air with strands of golden thread woven around her as if cocooned.
"You've all been away from your posts for too long."
She expressed her displeasure firmly, speaking to the entire group of creatures in the meadow, folding her arms as if undaunted by the strong aura emanating from each of the six creatures.
"Ah, you, have you finished repairing the barrier that was damaged in this forest?" asked the white pegasus upon seeing a human figure emerge from the Sanctuary, dressed plainly like a priest without paying heed to the scolding coming from the human's lips.
As if knowing that her words were merely brushed aside by the six unique creatures before her, the middle-aged woman could only sigh heavily.
"I'm done, Phoebe," she said to the pegasus, before continuing, "ah, I've also finished marking those who have been trying to damage the forest recently," she said calmly as she walked towards them.
"Are they from the same people as before? The ones who tried to breach the Eternal Forest in recent years?" asked the small red-feathered bird perched casually on the middle-aged woman's shoulder.
She nodded slightly. "It seems they no longer care about the curse of this land that seeps into their bodies, as long as they can uncover the secrets of Queen Titaia."
Then, the middle-aged woman's voice trembled as if she were holding back her frustration.
"The problem is, it seems that the individuals who have been afflicted by the curse of this land are merely bait or sacrifices. The true orchestrators are secretly hiding and moving as slowly as possible within the forest, throwing many people as distractions to find the blind spots of this land's curse and gather as much information as they can at that moment."
Haben, who had initially closed his eyes due to drowsiness, suddenly opened his mouth wide and let out a burst of loud, booming laughter, even shaking the ground with his colossal body.
"How foolish they are, thinking they can survive through such despicable means," he growled while glancing at the young girl still sound asleep. "They dare to do this while the Queen is still unaware of the power she possesses..."
The serpent with dark blue scales, equally gigantic as Haben's turtle-like form, joined in laughter with her soft voice. "Truly cruel and greedy humans. That's why I refuse to make contracts with anyone other than undine descendants."
The red-feathered bird nodded in agreement with the words of the snake-like giant. "Indeed. That's why I only make contracts with members of the Royal Family. They are fair and wise in their use of power, so I don't have to worry about them abusing the power I give them."
"Lineage is indeed important in contract-making, but what matters most is seeing their heart's content," said the beautiful white-winged pegasus, glancing at Eggy who was still busy focusing on moving the sleeping little girl still cocooned in her golden threads.
The middle-aged woman dressed as a priest also stared at Eggy for a moment before nodding.
"Let's end this conversation and return Her Majesty to her original position."
The woman gazed deeply at the young girl before turning around and walking back into the Sanctuary, her priestly robes billowing before she finally disappeared.
"We must return Her Majesty before nightfall, lest we incur 'her' reprimand."
Eggy nodded in agreement with the human woman's words and released the golden threads, making the golden cocoon surrounding the young girl's body transparent as if it had never been there from the beginning.
"And don't put Her Majesty on your hammock again, Phoebe. Let Her Majesty sleep on the ground instead, rather than making her more suspicious," Eggy added, laying the little girl on the smooth, clean ground.
Phoebe the pegasus nodded reluctantly. "But I don't want to see Her Majesty sleep on the ground...." she murmured softly, almost inaudible to the others.
Even so, Phoebe couldn't help but leave the young girl lying still on the ground and followed the others who began to disappear towards their respective places, causing the tension and various kinds of power that had filled the air to scatter randomly.
The presence of the six of them finally vanished, leaving the vast grassland empty and silent as if no one had ever stepped foot on it.
***
"Meow~"
Elara stirred from her slumber, the familiar sound of a cat's meow rousing her from sleep like a daily alarm.
"Where am I...?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes as she surveyed the dim surroundings with bleary eyes.
'Ah, have I been unconscious on the ground this whole time after being hit by a tornado...?' Elara pondered, noting the dirt smudging her palms and clothes.
Unaware of how many times she had drifted off to sleep today, Elara's hereditary disease had been particularly troublesome lately.
Raising her head slightly, she gazed at the pitch-black sky, secretly relieved to see the moon obscured by clouds, which alleviated her anxiety considerably. Elara felt safer and could see her surroundings more clearly.
Nothing was visible except for the surrounding darkness and the dim light from fireflies, indicating that Elara was still in the Eternal Forest.
'Lost again... What should I do now?' Elara thought anxiously. She had no idea how much time had passed, but she knew her mother must be extremely worried by now.
"I wanted to go home and ask my mother a lot of things about 4 years ago..." Elara murmured barely audibly.
Hungry and exhausted, Elara held her small belly, realizing she had missed both lunch and dinner. She had only eaten dried fruits while trapped in the forest.
"Meow." The sweet sound of a cat's meow rang out again, sparking a flicker of hope in Elara's heart.
Despite the darkness, a cluster of fireflies gathered around her, casting enough light to reveal a brown-furred cat sitting on a medium-sized rock nearby.
"Aha, that's it! The cat I saw before!" Elara's round eyes lit up as she recognized the plump creature, which was also looking back at her.
With a mix of nerves and anticipation, Elara rose and slowly made her way towards the cat. She gently picked up the brown-furred cat, holding it tightly in her arms. The soft, warm fur brought instant comfort to Elara amidst the uncertainty of her situation.
Elara continued to stroke the chubby, soft, brown fur of the cat in her arms to ensure that she wasn't alone in this dark forest.
But before a minute had passed, the chubby cat immediately leaped out of Elara's embrace and sat between her short legs, its yellow eyes staring straight at Elara.
"... What's up, cat?" Elara asked unconsciously as the cat's gaze seemed peculiar.
"Meow." The brown-furred cat meowed once again, and its head turned towards the darkness ahead, as if telling Elara something. Even its cute little paws were raised, pointing forward.
Trying to decipher what the brown-furred cat was doing in front of her, after a few seconds, Elara's eyes widened slightly.
Elara swallowed hard. "... Do you want me to follow you somewhere?"
"Meow." The cat meowed quickly as if eagerly awaiting Elara to ask just that.
Without waiting for Elara to think further, the chubby brown-furred cat began to move forward, walking into the dark road with its long tail swaying playfully.
"..." Elara successfully restrained herself from screaming as the situation unfolded beyond her expectations.
'Enough, instead of getting lost without doing anything and resigning myself, I better follow this chubby cat...' Elara thought to herself, closing her eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath.
After mustering her courage, Elara carefully started walking, following the chubby brown-furred cat that was leading the way. Her round brown eyes were solely focused on the cat's long, winding tail, completely ignoring the surrounding darkness.
"..."
Silence enveloped them both as Elara was too tired, and on one hand, she still felt a bit hesitant to engage in conversation with an animal capable of understanding human language.
Fortunately, or magically, a swarm of fireflies kindly flew along with Elara, as if intending to help illuminate her surroundings with their dim light. It was quite helpful as it significantly reduced Elara's nervousness, allowing her to muster a small smile.
Elara's round eyes focused on the chubby cat in front of her, and she suddenly felt curious about where the cat had been when she was asleep in the hammock and swept away by the mysterious tornado.
Fortunately and unfortunately, because Elara was too hesitant to ask, in the end, the question could only be kept in her mind.
After less than five minutes of walking, Elara's eyes, which initially could only see dimly lit surroundings, now began to see more clearly. Even from a distance, she could see a source of light shining brightly from the direction she and the brown-furred cat were heading.
"Are we going towards that light source?" Elara couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
"Meow."
Elara's round eyes sparkled beautifully in the dimness as if a cluster of stars had been sprinkled into her pupils. "What is that exactly?"
Instead of explaining, the cat started running towards the source of light, and Elara followed, unwilling to be left behind, eager to uncover the source of such brightness.
"... A portal...?"
Elara's feet halted as she beheld the wide expanse of air, gracefully forming into a large, radiant portal, mysterious amidst the dark forest.
"But which way does this portal lead...?"
Before Elara could investigate the origin of the portal, the brown-furred cat casually leaped into it.
"Hey, wait!" Elara moved instinctively to stop the cat, but her foot stumbled on a small rock, causing her to tumble into the large portal.
"NO!" Elara screamed hysterically moments before her body fully entered the portal and disappeared into the midst of the dark forest.
Yes, even the large, brightly glowing portal in the middle of the dark forest, impossible for any living creature outside the Eternal Forest to ignore, miraculously vanished as if its sole purpose was to transport Elara.
The spot where the portal had once gleamed was now occupied by a colossal footprint, unmistakably belonging to a sizable tiger. The footprints shimmered in a stunning golden hue for a few minutes before vanishing without a trace, leaving the Eternal Forest engulfed in utter darkness once more.