"Gairma, we should probably head back now," Mana whispered loudly at her sister as she watched her walk further from the makeshift door they came from. She felt like she was suffocating from fear, not for herself, but with the idea her sister was heading deeper into danger.
Mana was more hesitant to wonder, but she did so slowly to keep her eyes on her sister; she wanted to go back home more than anything, but she needed to be sure Gairma was safe.
"It's fine, Mana," she laughed, "for as long as the city can remember, the woods have acted as a perfect barrier to our..." she paused, "barrier. But I was also recently trained in stealth," she added, referencing her recent schooling and acceptance into the adventurer's guild.
"If mom-"
"When have you really cared what she had to say, Mana," she turned around to look at her sister, placing her right palm onto the thick trunk of one of the numerous species of trees the forest had nurtured. "We're 20, it's about time we start our own lives." She sat down onto the mixture of grass and dirt, leaning back to rest against the tree, and closed her eyes. "Sitting somewhere that doesn't seem fake is so..." she inhaled deeply, holding it in before letting it out slow, "...refreshing."
She opened her right eye into a squint when she heard Mana getting closer to her, sliding over to give her sister room to join her before closing her eye again. The pink-haired sister plopped down so close to her black-haired counterpart that their hips touched. "It is nice," Mana replied softly with a slight smile as she raised her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
The ground was littered with a thick blanket of crunchy leaves, appearing to be undisturbed by anything except an occasional breeze. As she leaned forward to rest her head onto her knees, she studied the leaves around her brown, mid-calf, boots in an attempt to find any hint of life. But she couldn't find anything. No ants, worms, spiders. It felt like a peaceful dream.
It was midday, but the forest was dark; the trees were all joined at the tops, their branches intertwining with twists, looping together like they were holding hands.
"Are you going to be staying in Koro?" Mana finally asked, breaking the serene silence, but unmoving.
Gairma opened her eyes and turned her head to look at her sister, "no."
"I figured as much," Mana groaned, straightening her legs back out, and placing her hands onto the ground on either side of her. "So where are you going?"
The new adventurer grunted quietly as she propped herself up into a standing position, brushing the dirt off her hands by swiping them together. She offered a hand to Mana, "let's walk some more," she said with a smile. Mana looked up at her sister, her expression calming her nerves, and she took her offer and stood up to join her once more.
"I want to go to Midflora," she told Mana as they began their stroll, the leaves crunching beneath their feet.
"The capital country?" Mana was impressed by her ambitions. "Don't tell me you want to work out of the Adventurers' Capital Guild?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"I didn't mean it in a bad way," she laughed, "I meant, that's an amazing goal!"
"Thanks," Gairma smirked, "but there's also someone that works at one of the head guilds I need to speak to." Her smirk disappeared as the person filled her thoughts, turning her expression to a look of seriousness.
"Who's that?" She nudged.
"I'm not sure myself, but it's someone that has some information for me," she stopped in her tracks, turning her entire body to face her sister directly. "I know it sounds weird, but a few days before I decided to go to the academy to try out for the adventurer's guild, I had received an extremely weird letter." She pulled her backpack out from behind her and shuffled it around onto her chest as she frantically unzipped it. She quickly began to rummage through it trying to find something; "Here, here, here!" She shouted, dropping her backpack with a loud, thud against the ground while she brought out a neatly folded, off-white letter.
She handed it to Mana, who then immediately unfolded it to read it:
Dearest Gairma,
You don't know who I am, but I know who you are.
I have important information for you, but unfortunately cannot meet you until certain circumstances are met.
Please, if you wish to know the information that I offer, join a guild, any guild, and make your way to Midflora. Transfer to one of the Capital Guilds, and when you do, I will know, and I will find you then.
Sincerely,
H.T
"H.T?" Mana questioned, with Gairma only shrugging.
"This is why I need to go." She took the letter back then shoved it into her backpack before mounting it over her shoulders once more."
"This is some creepy stuff, Gairma," Mana remarked, "didn't mother ever teach you not to trust strangers?"
"I know, and I had multiple moms," she laughed dryly.
"We should really get back, Gairy," Mana reiterated, turning towards the direction of the wall while trying to get her to follow.
Gairma hesitated for a moment, looking at the direction that led further out, and then at the path they had created travelling to their current position. "I suppose," she reluctantly agreed, beginning to walk with Mana back towards their personal entrance. "Can't be too hasty, right?" she added, trying to cheer herself up with the fact she couldn't go further.
"You'll be out here, and further, soon enough," Mana grabbed her sister's hand with hers, "but at least we know peace..." she used her other hand to motion showing off the entire forest, "...still exists." Gairma lit up. "Oh! And I feel like I want to join you now; being in the guild."
"That...would...be...AMAZING!" She squealed in excitement.
"Quite," a strange, raspy voice, whispered from directly behind them, causing the girls' blood to run cold. It was neither male nor female, but it was obviously someone talking to them.
The two spun around with a quickness neither of them realized they had, only to see that no one was there. They both laughed nervously, realizing they weren't fully relaxed like they had thought they were after sitting at the base of the tree.
"Let's hurry," Mana whispered, her voice so low that Gairma had to think about what she had just told her to do.
Prepared to run, they twisted themselves back around, but were stopped from proceeding before they even began.
A slim, dark figure stood before them; its eyes were glowing red with a small white circle in the middle of each that was pointed right at them. Its hair was unkept, long, and black, nearly touching the ground like the ripped dress it had on, which, in itself, was elegant if the grim was looked past.
Two horns protruded from either side of its head, curling out slightly, before making their way back in, while flesh hung from them; like molting antlers. The figure smiled, revealing a row of sharp teeth lining its gums. "Hello," it greeted in its demonic voice.