The woman's eyes widened with awe as she took in the majesty of Aphthonia's sacred lands. It was her first time stepping foot in the forest, and she could feel the weight of its ancient beauty pressing in on her.
She had many tales about its wonders from her fellow huntsmen, and she could finally understand what all the fuss was about. The forest was beautiful in all its natural glory, it felt alive in a way she hadn't imagined, its vibrant greenery stretching endlessly, the air thick with the scent of earth and leaves. As she took in a breath, she inhaled some of the purest air she'd ever encountered. She could feel all her worries and anxieties melting away, and the distant sounds of birds chirping around her made the woman feel at ease. Even if her trip proved to be fruitless, at least she got to gaze at the beauty of the forest.
As she ventured further inside the forest, a path seemed to open up to her, and without realizing it, she was walking closer towards the manbeast she was supposed to fight—negotiate with. Her eyes were peeled and she kept her guard up the entire time as she looked around her surroundings. Even if the forest was beautiful, she wasn't going to let it distract her. She knew she was here for a purpose and wouldn't leave until she had accomplished that purpose.
The man she was looking for was nowhere to be found, so she figured he probably resided further into the forest. "Whoever this guy or beast is, he truly is living the life." She whispered to herself.
Hael who had been observing the woman the entire time finally had enough of being an onlooker and decided to step out, making his presence shown. Suddenly, the young woman felt a tremendous amount of pressure—a strong and intimidating energy that made her take a step back. She felt her body freeze for a moment, and she had to force herself to move by controlling her breathing.
As she was left gasping for air, she couldn't help but wonder what that sudden burst of power was. Perhaps she had imagined it considering how the heavy and imposing energy was so strong it made her knees buckled, something she hadn't experienced since the first time she was put face-to-face with the King of Trojas—Ceremus. She had to look up and make sure that vile man wasn't actually in front of her.
Despite the intimidating energy, she felt no malice or ill intent from it. As she took a cautious step back, trying to put some distance between herself and the oppressive weight of Hael's presence, her foot caught on something solid. She stumbled, the ground shifting beneath her, and instinctively reached out to steady herself. Looking up, she was amazed to see a tall man who towered over her with caramel coloured skin, long white silvery hair that had a few strands braided neatly and tied behind him. The man had the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. They reassembled the still ocean waters she used to visit with her father when she was a child.
The man was enchanting in every aspect of the word, and as she looked into those still waters, she momentarily forgot herself. The manbeast—Hael, looked down at her, his gaze swirling with inquisitiveness and wariness. It was only when the man lifted one of his arms that she regained her bearings and jumped back, taking a fighting stance as she clutched the hilt of her sword.
The only reason Anthanasia hadn't taken her sword out of its sheath was because she didn't sense any killing intent from the man standing before her. She was puzzled as the man made no effort to approach her nor fight her. He simply stood there staring, as if waiting for her to speak.
The young woman blinked. She wasn't at all expecting this kind of reaction or situation when she had walked into the forest. She stared back, suddenly not knowing what to do. The man seemed to be looking at her expectantly, and so, she began to speak.
"...Uh…Hi?" She said, her voice tinged with uncertainty.
The man didn't respond so she decided to speak up once more, thinking he hadn't heard her the first time, at least until Hael stepped forward, reaching out his hand to touch Anthanasia's head.
It was the first time he'd ever seen a human woman in his life, and he didn't know what to make of it. He thought she was strange, but he didn't feel any ill will towards her either. She was different from those humans he had fought before, not just in terms of looks, but in demeanor as well as temperament.
The young woman flinched, surprised by his touch, but she didn't pull away from him either.
She too found herself curious about the man. Her fellow huntsmen had failed to describe the man before her. Not only was he strong, but he was almost comparable to the King in terms of looks and charms. There was a certain appeal to the manbeast she couldn't quite put her finger on. Every desire she had to fight this man had since left her body. She still wished to duel with him if she could, but she knew there was no way she could win against him in a fight.
Even in his relaxed state, she couldn't see any openings. It was like he was constantly on guard without even realizing it, or perhaps he was just too strong. Either way, she would leave dueling with the manbeast for another time. For now, she wished to converse with this mysterious man of the forest who had still remained quiet even now. As she was about to ask for his name, a large white bird bird swooped in, flying around them before landing on the man's shoulder.
The bird was the size of an hawk but didn't resemble the ferocious bird one bit. In fact, it closely resembled a cockatoo. It greeted the man as it nuzzled its head in the crook of the mysterious man's neck, and for the first time since she saw him, the man smiled, greeting the bird back.
His deep voice resounded in her ears causing the young woman to shiver, not from fear, but out of profound reverence towards the man. His smooth baritone voice spoke to the bird, referring to it as Loki.
The bird spoke back to the man, and it seemed like they were having an actual conversation amongst themselves. Anthanasia watched with confusion as they spoke back and forth.
The bird, as if feeling her eyes, directed its attention to the young huntress as he regarded her with extreme distaste. She couldn't help but wonder if she had offended the bird somehow.
"Does he not want me here or something?" She asked herself.
The man could sense his friend's hostility towards the woman and quickly told the bird to leave. Loki gave Anthanasia one last look before leaving.
Hael turned to look at the huntress and gestured with his head for her to follow him. The path to the inside of the forest opened up to her, and she was able to venture further thanks to Hael. As she followed closely behind him, she couldn't help wondering if he had warmed up to her a little bit. Maybe it was because she was a woman that he didn't see her as a threat, or even worse, the fact that she was too weak to even be considered a threat. That thought alone made her face darken.
They walked into a clearing that had a large waterfall as well as two big pieces of stone that made for a perfect seating arrangement. The man sat down on one of the rocks, and Athanasia followed suit. He glanced over at the waterfall, his eyes glued to its strong waters before looking back at her. He opened his mouth to speak.
"Who are you? And why are you here?" He asked.
The huntress was surprised that he addressed her, thinking that perhaps he didn't speak the human tongue. She was glad to know that he could understand her since it would've been difficult if they couldn't communicate with each other. She shook her head in order to get out of her momentarily daze and cleared her throat.
"My name is Anthanasia… of Trojas. I am a huntsman of the royal guild…actually one of the best. I'm here because I was sent by the kingdom to investigate the happenings in the forest. No one has been able to hunt in this part of the land for months now and we wanted to know why." She explained.
The man stared at her but didn't say anything for a long time. Anthanasia could feel herself growing nervous the longer he went without speaking. As she was about to speak up again, the man beat her to the punch.
"Humans are not allowed to hunt here anymore." He plainly said. .
Anthanasia frowned. "But you're a human…from the looks of things. Why can you stay here and we cannot?" She asked.
"I was born in the forest, therefore it recognizes me. I protect the animals in the forest."
Her frown deepened. "I thought the forest deity protected the forest…Don't tell me you're the deity?!"