Thick fog enveloped the towering trees. It was so dense that Sir Cedric couldn't see anything around him, not even within a one-meter radius. "Where are we?" Sir Cedric asked, panic rising in his voice. He worried that Aria might be trying to trap him.
"Relax. I would never harm you," Aria said, her hand feeling around a hole in front of a large tree root.
"What are you doing?" Sir Cedric knew that holes beneath trees like that were usually home to crawling or rodent creatures of the forest.
Sir Cedric observed closely what Aria was doing. Before long, Aria stood up with a small lantern in her hand. Swiftly, she lit the lantern without Sir Cedric's assistance.
"Done. Let's go!" Aria guided their way, holding the lantern high. It was truly astonishing; the fog immediately retreated as far as the lantern's light shone. "Stay close to me if you want to safely navigate this foggy forest," Aria commanded, making Sir Cedric feel as though he were being played. Why did it seem like his powers were useless in Aria's eyes? Normally, as a king, he was the one giving orders. But now, he had to follow the commands of a girl he once considered a brave little girl.
He wanted to get out of this place, but his arm hurt. Furthermore, behind Sir Cedric, the fog had thickened once more. It was nearly impossible for the brown-haired man to turn back.
They walked for quite a while, and Sir Cedric even felt like their journey was going in circles. He paid close attention to every tree they passed, and they all looked the same, down to the placement of every branch.
Just as Sir Cedric was about to comment, he suddenly marveled at the sight ahead.
A vast expanse of flat land, with neon lights visible from the porches of several simple houses, neatly constructed from wooden logs, adorned with beautiful, colorful flowers. Each roof was covered in green grass, forming a carpet deliberately spread over the rooftops.
Pine trees were neatly planted in the yard, and there were even special flower arrangements along the roadside. The place was surrounded by a crystal-clear river, seemingly quite shallow. It was so clear that even at night, Sir Cedric could see small fish swimming joyfully. It happened to be a bright moonlit night.
There was a neatly constructed wooden bridge, forming an arch connecting the unique village to the misty forest road and overgrown path they had traversed earlier.
"Wow! Incredible! What place is this?" Sir Cedric asked, his expression one of bewilderment. "Is this still the real world? Or have I actually died?" Sir Cedric mumbled, looking at Aria, who responded with nothing but a smile. He thought, 'There couldn't possibly be such a place in the middle of a swampy forest.'
Aria felt amused seeing Sir Cedric busy slapping his own face. "Hey! Stop hurting yourself! Of course, you're still alive."
Aria deliberately walked slowly so that Sir Cedric could enjoy the journey a bit longer before they reached a small house that Aria called home.
"This is where I live. There are about four more survivors, remnants of those who lived through the warwolf massacre ten years ago. This village is called Minerva. Its native people are known as Nervana. Most of them possess mystical powers beyond ordinary humans. However, the Nervana people are deeply peaceful and distinct from other living beings."
"At that time, some Nervana folks came to our aid when the warwolf group let their guard down." Aria glanced at Sir Cedric, who had been listening to her story. "More precisely, when you escaped." Aria smiled bitterly, recalling the events of ten years ago when she lost her entire family and nearly the entire population in Sir Cedric's kingdom, which he led at the time.
Aria's words deeply touched Sir Cedric's feelings, though he knew that was what she had done. He felt ashamed and like a coward. However, he was also thinking that if he had died, no one would have been able to seek vengeance on the warwolf group on behalf of his people.
Sir Cedric never expected that there were still survivors from his kingdom. He had believed he was the sole survivor of the sudden attack.
He briefly reminisced about the past, when he first met Aria. With determination and strong will, she had trained in martial arts in his kingdom. Aria had even disguised herself as a boy just to be able to train physically, even though she was only around eight years old at the time.
"Ahem! What have you been thinking about since earlier? Have you been thinking about me?" Aria's stern reprimand snapped Sir Cedric out of his reverie. He didn't know whether to answer truthfully or lie.
"Ah, never mind. This is my home. Come in."
Behind him, Sir Cedric still glanced around and stole glances at Aria, feeling embarrassed. In his heart, he wondered, "Can she read minds now too?" The increasing strangeness of it all made it hard for Sir Cedric to focus. He repeatedly bumped into the furniture, even though it was neatly arranged.
"Come on. I'm not as great as you think. So, just relax." Aria said, while carrying a tray with an empty glass and a ceramic pitcher.
Aria's recent words certainly made Sir Cedric more convinced that she now possessed supernatural abilities like the native people of this village she had talked about earlier.
Quickly, Sir Cedric drank the water in the glass until it was empty.
"You must be very tired; rest in that room. I'll sleep in the other one." "Or, if you want to freshen up first, you can use the bathroom at the back."
Sir Cedric didn't pay much attention to Aria's interruptions. What was on his mind was the extreme dryness in his throat and the sudden rise in his body temperature. "Very well. I understand," he said as he poured more water from the pitcher into his glass.
It was only then that he realized Aria had been observing him since earlier. Nervously, he raised the nearly empty pitcher. "This water is truly refreshing and delightful."
Aria smiled faintly. "Of course. I fetched it directly from the spring source." After responding to Sir Cedric's remark, Aria's figure disappeared behind the wooden door.
Sir Cedric was taken aback by Aria's explanation. He almost spit out the water he had just swallowed because at the same time, he felt something moving in his mouth. When he removed it, he found a small fish that had entered the pitcher.
The next morning, Sir Cedric woke up with a bruised and aching body. It was likely the result of his battle against the warwolf last night. What was even more surprising was that he woke up shirtless, with his right hand in a cast.
Sir Cedric thought hard about what had happened to him last night. He couldn't remember anything at all. As far as he could recall, he hadn't been injured when facing the warwolf. Perhaps, in the heat of the moment, Sir Cedric had been too overwhelmed to feel the pain.
Carefully, Sir Cedric descended from the sofa. It seemed that he had been extremely exhausted last night, to the point where he had fallen asleep right there.
The loud clashing of stones truly disturbed Sir Cedric. His gaze immediately turned to the kitchen, separated only by neatly arranged ornamental dividers.
There, a woman with high, white hair was grinding medicinal herbs. Unfortunately, Sir Cedric could only see her from behind. "You're awake?" she greeted without turning toward Sir Cedric.
Sir Cedric was both surprised and anxious. How could she know that he had woken up? After all, the athletic man had made no noise when he woke up earlier. Furthermore, Sir Cedric noticed something peculiar about the old woman. Her ears seemed long and pointed at the tips. "Could she be a fairy?" Sir Cedric wondered.
Sir Cedric had been observing the woman's back for a while. He was quite curious about her face. Until he was startled by Aria's reprimand as she was about to leave. "What are you imagine daydreaming about?"
He saw Aria carrying a woven bamboo basket. "Where are you going?"
"To the garden," Aria replied briefly.
"I... I'll come along." Sir Cedric quickly stood up, ignoring the pain in his hand. There were so many questions he needed to ask Aria right now.
"Are you sure?" Aria asked again, glancing at the cast on Sir Cedric's hand.
The woman walked towards them. Then she said, "Walking when the dew falls is also good for healing wounds." She glanced at Aria, as if the woman was giving Aria a direct lesson in medical knowledge.
Sir Cedric was captivated by the color of the woman's eyes. They looked very soothing because her eyes were a light shade of blue.
During their journey, the two of them remained silent, enjoying the misty atmosphere, but it wasn't the usual forest mist, it was dew. The sun had yet to arrive. The woman was right; there was indeed an abundance of dew right now. The budding flowers proudly displayed crowns of various colors.
Sir Cedric could see the movement of every bud and young leaves emerging from each stem. So, all the questions he wanted to ask Aria vanished from his mind.
The distinctive aroma of the countryside, combined with the scent of damp grass and various blooming flowers, was very calming. The woman was right. But it wasn't really the dew that calmed the mind; it was these dew-drenched plants that served as a good therapy for healing.
"Should I address you as 'Your Majesty'?" Aria's very strange question diverted Sir Cedric's attention.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you used to be a king. Even though the kingdom has now fallen, should I still address you that way, Your Majesty?" Aria glanced at Sir Cedric, who was busy adjusting his deliberately half-draped robe.
"It feels rather impolite if I call you by your name directly."
Sir Cedric looked Aria up and down for a moment, thinking that the girl had now changed 180 degrees from their first meeting. "Are you really the little child who used to act strong but has now become this beautiful, brave, and mysterious girl?"
Sir Cedric's question seemed to touch Aria's heart. Her face immediately turned red, and she felt embarrassed. "Um, okay then. I'll just call you by your name. After all, you're no longer a king, right?" After saying that, Aria quickened her pace, leaving Sir Cedric far behind.
"Hey! wait for me"
The mist from the morning dew still covered the place, so Sir Cedric began to walk faster to catch up with Aria.
"Wait at the pavilion. I'm going to pick some fruits and vegetables," Aria left Sir Cedric behind without any further explanation.
The sun began to rise in the clear morning. The village of Minerva instantly became warm. The flower buds and small leaves stopped moving but began to release droplets that resembled drizzling rain.
This view was truly rare anywhere. Butterflies also began to arrive to welcome the warming sun.
Sir Cedric was startled by a shadow flying across the sky. The flying creature looked very different from other birds. Its plumage resembled a rainbow, with wide wings that almost blocked out the morning sun's light.
Sir Cedric couldn't look away until the strange bird flew further away. "What kind of bird was that?" Because the bird had flown so fast, Sir Cedric couldn't see its shape in detail.
Aria rushed over from a distance, looking very anxious and frightened. The basket she had carried earlier was only partially filled with fruits. "Hey, Aria! I saw a strange bird flying over this place earlier," said Sir Cedric, full of enthusiasm.
Aria seemed to ignore Sir Cedric's words. "Come on, hurry! We need to get back immediately!" She ordered, without giving Sir Cedric a chance to ask again.