The center of the Forest of the Lost came alive as the sun set.
At night, the darkness was lit by a myriad of colors that seemed to dance in the air. Bright, flickering lights, like little fireflies, floated between the trees, leaving a trail of magical sparks in their wake.
The trees, tall and majestic, seemed to reach up into the dark sky, their leaves forming a dense canopy that blocked out most of the stars. Only a few rays of moonlight could penetrate the thick layer of leaves, creating a magical and mysterious scene.
Kaizen had to return to the second floor alone after leaving the cave through a secret exit shown to him by the yellow-eyed woman named Dhetha.
As he walked through the dense forest, he could once again feel the humidity in the air, mixed with the sweet smell of exotic flowers and the fresh scent of green vegetation. The plants seemed to be breathing in unison. It was relieving to be in this place after visiting the sewers of the City of Tears, which was ironic considering that the Forest of the Lost was theoretically the garbage dump of the other floors.
The nocturnal animals of this forest moved silently about. Kaizen could hear the call of nocturnal birds such as owls, the buzzing of noisy insects such as crickets, and the rustling of leaves in the treetops.
As Kaizen walked deeper into the forest, he continued to think about how he could convince the Forest Guardian to help him. In fact, he had had the idea ever since he had talked about the shaman and discovered Adohorn's plans on the surface, but he had no way to tell the Keeper for sure, so he was looking for more information lest he be punished with death by this Legendary Rank creature.
"I hope he's at least willing to listen to me. Shit, it's embarrassing to have to ask for help, I just don't have a choice, Adohorn seems too strong to take on alone." Kaizen spoke to himself aloud.
As he moved on, the density of the forest seemed to increase, and he needed to use some fire to light his way. The light of the fire revealed and scared away many magical creatures that lurked in the shadows, watching Kaizen with curious eyes.
Suddenly, Kaizen stopped running. He was once again facing the Forest Guardian's home. In front of him, there was a large stone circle on the ground, which seemed to be practically overgrown with low grass. In the center of the circle stood this figure, dressed in rusty armor and with an owl perched on his helmet.
Kaizen approached, and before he could say anything, the voice from inside the armor said:
"You have returned. That means you survived longer than I thought you would. However, you do not look like you have achieved your goal. You haven't found your friend.
"That's right, I still haven't. By the way, you didn't put any hope in the person who withstood a blow from you, did you? How could you not imagine that I would survive this place? I can't tell if that's high self-esteem or low self-esteem."
"Don't get me wrong, kid. I don't usually see many people return after venturing through this place. This is a hectic and dangerous forest, but lucky for you, you are strong enough to keep the monsters away from you."
"Wait, there are monsters in this forest? I mean, of course I knew that! And I think you'd like to know that I went far beyond this forest. I made it to the City of Tears."
"Hmm." The Forest Guardian's eyes shone on his helmet. "That's not very surprising, you only made it to the second level of three, but for an ordinary human, that's acceptable. Is this place still as rainy as before?"
"You bet it is. There's a huge lake there."
"A lake? That explains why it rains here sometimes. Okay, man, why are you back here if you came all this way to find your friend?"
"Remember when you told me that you could only act if Olaynore's current form was threatened? Right now, that is no longer a doubt, but an imminent reality."
The Forest Guardian remained silent, which seemed to Kaizen to be an approval for him to continue.
"There is a possibility of a great conflict between a powerful mage from the City of Tears and the mages who now command the Citadel of Mages. This conflict will not only be about power or influence, but also about how much Olaynore will change."
"That is impossible. The other Guardians would have told me about such a risk by now."
"What if all this is happening out of their sight?"
"Even then, all three of us Guardians can sense the changes in the lands under our protection. They would already be aware of it."
Kaizen paused for a moment to think and then asked:
"And if Adohorn is thinking of using the power of the Book of Legends to change everything from one second to the next, the Guardians couldn't sense that in time to prevent it, could they?"
The Guardian of the Forest watched Kaizen carefully, pondering the possibilities. "You are right, we could not do that if it came true. However, the Book has been safe for as long as I can remember, it is sealed in the soul of the elder of an important family of the Citadel, and the seal of the Book is passed down from generation to generation, always among the oldest members of that family. Only we Guardians know this because the Founders told us. Adohorn seems to be a powerful man, no doubt. But even the Book of the Founder is not an infallible tool and is not completely safe, he will not be able to find it easily.
Kaizen frowned. "The family you speak of is the Sylly family?"
"Yes, just so you know. Wait, what are you like, human?"
"Shit, so Adohorn already has everything he wants. The last descendant of the Sylly family is Alina, she is the elder and she is the one who was captured before you, idiot! We must act now, before the situation gets out of control".
After the shock of the discovery, the Guardian replied:
"You're right, I was a fool. But I cannot make this decision alone, and while I am grateful for your warning, I don't want any human to interfere. I will go after the other Guardians, and you must stay out of it."
Kaizen looked at him hesitantly. "What if I don't?"
The Guardian sighed. "Then pray that you will not be there when we decide to use brute force against anyone who threatens Olaynore. And if that means killing the last descendant of the Syllys, we will not hesitate."
"You know I won't let that happen."
"Then you will die with your friend, if necessary." The forest guardian affirmed, and then thunder struck down upon him, burning away all the green layers that had covered his armor and restoring the rusty armor, leaving him looking like a legendary knight in golden armor.
In the next instant, a second bolt of lightning struck the legendary creature, but when Kaizen opened his eyes after the intense flash of light, the Guardian of the Forest was no longer there.
...
Edited by: DrHitsuji
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