She fidgeted and followed Andrew's steps rigidly.
"Oh! Do not forget to switch on the location and thermal settings on your watch. Might be helpful in case we lose our way," Andrew commented sincerely.
Arella frantically switched on all the necessary indicators. She barely liked this place. It was getting denser and denser. And the sun rays were limited here, appearing sporadically. Most of the forest was dark and quiet.
She held her breath as she kept walking, mindful of her steps.
"We are here!" Andrew stopped suddenly and exclaimed loudly. A few birds got startled and flew away after listening to his voice.
Arella looked ahead and felt awestruck by the beautiful scenery. Unlike the dark, dense, and quiet forest, the sight in front of her was stark opposite.
It was airy, and the sun shone brightly in the sky, lighting every nook and cranny of this part. A few tall trees stood straight in the wind, and many small and medium sized trees were planted here and there. Flowers bloomed, and grass swayed with the wind.
In the middle was a giant tree. Its bark was too thick, and it had many branches. Its roots hung upside down, like the hair of a beautiful maiden. The leaves of this tree reflected the light of the sun, giving them a golden shade. Upon a closer look, Arella realized that the tree was breathing!
Its bark expanded and shrunk alternatively. Its leaves rose and fell with the same frequency. She should have felt terrified, but she did not. Instead, she felt like meeting an elder. As if it was her relative, waiting for her to perch on it with open arms.
A sudden emotion surged in her core. She wanted to hug the tree!
"This is the mother tree. It is said that it was planted by the Beast God himself. It pulsates with energy and is a safe haven for all the bird clan members." Andrew slowly spoke.
He took in her expressions. The emotions in her eyes confirmed that she was a Bird clan member. Only Birds felt a sense of familiarity with the mother tree.
"Should we go closer?" He asked politely. Had he not been with her, he would have shifted into an eagle and flown to the tree. This was the only place he could call his home. This was the closest he could get to the familial love.
Arella nodded, and both of them walked toward the tree. It looked as if they were the only ones in this place, but Andrew denied it.
"A lot of birds are here, perched on this tree. The tree has an inclusive place for all the birds. As long as we are in its proximity, we cannot see the birds, and they cannot see us. The mother tree shields and protects every bird that takes shelter on it." Andrew was full of praise for this unique existence.
But all Arella wanted at this time was to touch it, feel it, and embrace it.
"Madam, when we go there, I might disappear from your field of vision, But fear not, I will still be around. Let's go there and rest for a while. We will step out in an hour, is that okay?" Andrew could not wait to transform and perch on its secure branches. It was like going back into the loving arms of your mother after a hard day.
"Okay." Arella and Andrew matched their watches and went in. After taking a few more steps, Andrew disappeared from her vision. She did not panic and kept walking further. As she walked, a bright blinding light appeared from the middle of the bark.
She squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them once again, she found a gate in the middle of the bark. Astonished, she walked and touched the handle. It opened without any resistance. She looked inside, but it was too bright there. She could not fathom anything.
She walked in and found herself in the middle of a bright place. This place looked familiar to her because this was the scene she saw whenever she cultivated and looked inside herself!
Surprised, she raised her head to find the pulsating energy leaking from the giant pair of wings that should be flapping above her. But as soon as she looked up, her eyes widened with shock.
Because this time, she could see the wings! No blinding light disrupted her vision.
Red, fiery, and huge wings flapped above her head. The wings had a peculiar shape. Unlike normal wings, it was shaped like an inverted flame.
She could not trust her eyes. She blinked multiple times to make sure it was not her illusion. The wings did not disappear and flapped proudly in the air. The winged tattoo at the back of the neck also had red ink now.
She looked up with hope and jumped a little to touch them, but no matter how high she jumped, the wings remained out of her reach. After a few attempts, she even had the intuition that the wings were looking down on her!
Rage filled her chest because of her incompetence and powerlessness. She jumped higher and higher, but the wings remained elusive. After a few unsuccessful attempts, she gave up.
Heaving, she shifted her focus to her surroundings. As she looked around, a red door appeared in front of her eyes. Curious, she walked in its direction and turned the knob.
The knob was hot, but it did not burn her hands. The warmth was comfortable. As she pushed open the door, a cold and chilly wind swept across her face. She shivered a little. She braved her feet and walked in.
A marvelous sight met her eyes. Inside the red flaming door, was a frozen sea of blue ice! Cold winds flew inside, making her tremble. She released a breath, and white wisps appeared in front of her.
She glided on the frozen ice with difficulty. She slipped every now and then. Whenever any part of her exposed skin came in contact with the ice, a numbing, cold seeped into her bones. But she kept on walking.
Because in the center was a giant iceberg. It looked incongruent with the surroundings. She walked and fell. She stood up and kept on walking. She did not know how long it took her to reach the center.
In front of her was a huge iceberg. And inside was a shadow. It appeared as if something was inside the iceberg. She raised her hand to touch the shadow, but as soon as her hand came in contact with the ice, she felt her fingers becoming stiff with cold!
She quickly retraced her hand. The shadow lay limp in the iceberg. She could not make out what exactly lay inside the iceberg. She tried circling the iceberg to find a shallow area. But the iceberg was like an impenetrable fort. She wanted to break the ice, but nothing was around to hit the ice.
The cold was becoming unbearable with every passing second. So, she decided to leave. She looked around. Fortunately, the door was still there. She walked to the door and held its warm knob for comfort.
She opened the door. She expected to re-enter the bright space, but instead, she found herself out of the bark of the tree!
She pursed her lips in annoyance and sat down next to the tree. She checked her watch. An hour was about to be over. So, she decided to wait for Andrew.
As she waited, something fell on her head, hitting her hard.
Confused, she looked ahead, only to find a red plump apple near her leg. She was not hungry, and her bag was full of snacks. But when she looked at the red apple, she felt her stomach growling in hunger.
Having nothing better to do, she picked it up, cleaned it, and bit into it. As soon as her teeth touched the fruit, her eyes squinted because of its juicy sweetness. It was very delicious! She ate it with relish.
"Sweet, isn't it?" A familiar voice jolted her awake.
She looked up, and her eyes widened with surprise at the arrival of this person! She had been looking for him, but she could not find him anywhere. And now, he stood nonchalantly in front of her!
He too, had a fruit in his hand and was casually walking toward her.
For a moment, she could not believe her eyes. Was it really Nicholas who stood in front of her?