I decided that exploring around the lake would be a good idea to try to find clues about what I could do or where I could hide in case my end was closer than I thought.
There was a forest next to the lake. I walked through it and saw some women as beautiful as me. I knew that nymphs didn't just inhabit water; they existed everywhere and in various forms. They waved at me, and I couldn't refuse their invitation to come closer.
I counted them; there were eight in total. They were without any clothing, their hair adorned with flowers in lovely green crowns.
"You must be Daphen. We saw your birth." One of the nymphs smiled, offering me a place to sit.
"Yes, that's me." The stiff trunk of a felled tree seemed fresh; perhaps a lumberjack had been here recently. They passed flowers among themselves until they reached the nymph who had invited me to sit.
"My name is Syce, and these are my seven sisters. We are the daughters of the marriage between Oxylus, son of Oreas, and Hamadryas. Our names are: Carya, Balanos, Crania, Morea, Aigeiros, Ptelea, and Ampelos," she said as she introduced me to each of her sisters. "Each of us is the protector of a different type of tree."
"It's a pleasure to meet you all. It looks like we're neighbors. I'll be staying at that lake." Syce laughed as she began braiding my hair.
"It seems so, though we travel a lot. We have many trees and plants to protect. It was a miracle that you found us here."
"Do people come here often?" I asked.
The hamadryads exchanged glances, and a cold shiver ran down my spine. One of the sisters, who I believed was Morea, nodded affirmatively while Balanos began to speak.
"Yes, many times. You'll receive visits from women who want to drink from your lake to be granted fertility, and many men—warriors, poets, or simply curious travelers—will come to visit you once they hear of your existence."
On one of my many visits to the museum in my past life, I had heard how nymphs were sources of inspiration for poets and even granted blessings to those who drank their water. It seemed that the Daphen from the original story could have had such a good life... but now, that Daphen was me... I could help.
"At first, your role in this world may seem confusing, but remember where you come from, and everything will become easier," Morea said with a kind smile.
Syce finished braiding white flowers into my hair, and I stood up from the tree trunk as if I had just left a hairdresser's salon.
"Is it good?" I asked, just like I would ask my usual hairdresser when I was alive.
The hamadryads smiled, pleased, and clapped for Syce's work, who blushed slightly and turned away shyly. They seemed so happy with their roles as protectors, and they seemed so content together, as if they were all they had. It was sad that, both in my past life and in this one, I was alone.
"I'm going to continue walking through the forest. Maybe I'll see you again when I return home." I smiled and waved as I resumed my walk.
"Be careful with the centaurs and satyrs. We've lost many sisters and brothers to those violent creatures."
A cold sweat ran down my spine, leaving goosebumps on my skin. Yet, I continued deeper into the forest. I needed to find something I could use—whether against Eros' arrow or against Apollo's suffocating obsession.
My steps were light and barely audible, but I felt I moved with more grace in the water. It took a while for me to realize that I had strayed too far from the eight sisters. I could no longer see or hear their cheerful songs or laughter.
A deer suddenly leapt from behind a bush. I thought it would be startled by my presence, but it simply looked at me and continued grazing as if I wasn't there. I believe, just like the fish in the lake, it saw me as part of its world. After all, I was no longer human; it had no reason to fear me, knowing I would never harm it.
I approached it, and it allowed me to touch it. Its fur, though short, had a certain roughness to the touch. It raised its head when we both heard a loud noise—like hurried, heavy footsteps. I saw its ears perk up and its hooves stomp the ground. The deer was panicking about something ahead of us.
I tried to see what it was, but it was impossible. Suddenly, the deer knocked me over and fled when a massive, violent being appeared before me—a centaur.
I had only seen them in drawings or sculptures. Did I think they were terrifying and frightening before? Yes. Did I think so now? More than ever.
The centaur didn't seem pleased to see me, scraping his hooves on the ground, preparing to charge at me. I quickly turned on my heels and ran as fast as I could, zigzagging between the trees, trying to lose the centaur or make him crash into something.
But just like me, the centaur was fast, and though he seemed heavy, he was already close to my back. When I looked behind and saw his raised hoof about to crush my spine, an arrow whistled through the air, striking the centaur in the chest. It didn't kill him, but it wounded him. Scared and bleeding, the centaur fled.
I searched around me for the source of the arrow. I looked for some of the eight sisters, but none were visible. The arrow had come from above. I raised my head, but all I could see was the shining sun. So bright that it wouldn't let me gaze at the sky.
The first thing that came to mind was Apollo—the name of the God of the Sun was as clear in my mind as his light. Could Apollo have shot the centaur to save me? Could Eros have already struck Apollo with his arrow?
I looked down at my chest as if expecting to see a lead arrow firmly embedded in my heart. But I saw and felt nothing. Could Apollo have met Daphen even before Eros' arrows?