The mist of the Silent Forest had finally thinned, giving way to daylight as Yumina and the little girl walked side by side. The child's golden hair glowed brightly under the sun.
"What's your name?" Yumina finally asked.
The girl blinked a few times before answering, "Alice."
Yumina studied her expression. "Alice, huh? You look around…thirteen."
Alice tilted her head, as if trying to recall something. "I… think so," she murmured.
Yumina sighed softly, turning her gaze forward once more. "Great. A child with amnesia. Just what I needed."
Alice continued to walk beside her, fingers wrapped tightly around Yumina's hand.
I'm really not built to take care of a child, Yumina thought, glancing down at the small figure clinging to her arm.
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They soon left the Silent Forest. Ahead stretched an entirely different world, a vast plain covered with red roses, their petals glowing faintly. Between the sea of roses stood scattered trees, tall and filled with fruits in shades of gold and crimson.
Yumina plucked one of the fruits, turning it in her hand before taking a cautious bite. The taste was oddly refreshing, like a blend of honey and frost. She waited a few seconds, assessing any strange effects. When none came, she took another bite and nodded.
"Seems safe," she said. She broke the fruit in half and handed a piece to Alice. "Here."
Alice's eyes lit up. "Thank you!" she said, taking the fruit eagerly and eating it with delight.
As they walked further across the plain, they spotted strange things. A massive centipede hovered through the air with translucent wings, flying between flowers. A hyena with three heads snarled playfully in the distance, rolling in the grass. A frog with ten eyes croaked from the side of a pond.
Then there was a tree, perfectly shaped like a human eye, watching them as the wind passed through its branches.
Alice tugged on Yumina's hand. "Miss Yumina…this place is weird."
"You're not wrong," Yumina replied dryly.
But she couldn't ignore the peculiarity that none of the beasts attacked. The flying centipede circled once, almost curious, before drifting away. Even the hyena, whose breath alone could melt ice, simply watched and turned its gaze elsewhere.
"They should've attacked by now," Yumina thought, eyes narrowing slightly. "Something's off."
Her gaze shifted to Alice. Yumina thought that if she was alone the beasts would have attacked. Her intuition told her that it must have to do with Alice.
"…Is it you?" Yumina wondered silently.
By late afternoon, they could see in the horizon a faint mirage, walls, rooftops, and smoke from chimneys.
"There," Yumina said, pointing ahead. "A town. Must be the closest to Eldara, according to the map."
Alice's eyes widened. "We're going there?"
"Yes. The people there might have information I need," Yumina said. "And with luck, a form of transport."
They quickened their pace.
But just as the town's outline became clearer, the ground beneath them trembled. A loud *crack* echoed as something massive rose from the soil, blocking their path.
Dust and petals swirled in the air as Yumina instinctively pulled Alice behind her.
"What now?" she muttered, raising her guard.
Before them stood a massive trunk, bark twisted and blackened, and roots coiled like serpents. It resembled a tree at first, but then, it began to move. The trunk bent forward, branches twitching and splitting until a roughly humanoid figure took shape.
Two hollows opened where eyes should have been, glowing faintly green. A crooked mouth formed, stretching unnaturally as the sound of laughter came from it.
"Kekekeke… oh my, what do we have here…"
The voice was dry, like creaking wood and snapping twigs.
Yumina frowned. "A tree?"
The creature grinned wider. "If you wish to call me that, so be it. Though, my kind knows me as the Old Tree Demon."
Alice clung tighter to Yumina's arm, trembling.
Yumina's crimson eyes glowed faintly. "What do you want?"
The creature leaned closer, while its gnarled limbs cracked. "You tread upon one of my territories, little woman. Everything that moves or breathes here owes me tribute. Pay me something of value…or become my meal."
"And what would this 'value' be?", Yumina asks.
The tree demon holds his chin, then points at Alice. "Hmm, that little girl there looks pretty delicious. Hand her over and I'll spare your life. Or...you can go in her place, kekeke."
Yumina replied with a cold tone. "I refuse both options."
The tree chuckled. "I see you have chosen death, then"
"I'm warning you," Yumina said. "Try to attack me, and you'll die."
The Old Tree Demon's grin widened. "I am very well aware of your capabilities. I've been watching you from afar, ever since you stepped into the Silent Forest. As such, I made preparations."
"Preparations?"
The tree's hollow eyes flared bright pink.
Suddenly, the air shimmered. From beneath the rose petals, thin roots pulsed and released a strange mist, a soft, sweet scent that filled the air around them.
Yumina frowned. "Gas…?"
Her head began to spin. The world blurred.
*THUD*
Yumina looks at Alice only to realize she already fell on the ground with eyes closed. It seems whatever this pink mist was, it acted fast.
Yumina's strength faded away quickly. The scent was overwhelming, pressing into her lungs like poison. She then falls on the ground as well, losing consciousness.
The last thing Yumina saw before her body hit the ground was the looming figure of the Tree Demon bending closer.
Then, the Tree Demon laughed. "Sweet dreams…"