A Journey Unwanted

[Realm: Uhorus]

[Location: Galadriel]

[Veron City Outskirts]

The transition happened so seamlessly that, for the briefest instant, it felt as though the world had simply changed around them. In one heartbeat they had been standing within the dreary teleportation chamber beneath Galadriel’s castle.

The next woodland air greeted them.

The stale scent of stone vanished, replaced by damp earth and moss. The oppressive silence of the chamber gave way to the rustling of leaves, the chirping of insects, and the occasional creak of towering branches swaying.

Behind them rose the colossal outer walls of Veron, their stone stretching high above the treetops. Beyond those walls lay the city itself.

Before them stretched the western forest.

Its trees reached towards the dark skies, their immense trunks creating natural pillars that disappeared into a thick canopy overhead.

Mirabella slowly placed a hand over her stomach.

She grimaced.

"Ugh..." she groaned, rolling her shoulders as though trying to settle herself. "That teleportation was way too abrupt. I swear it left my stomach somewhere halfway between the capital city and Veron."

Above Agatha’s shoulder, Cor’nella floated comfortably, looking thoroughly entertained.

"I believe," the fairy said with satisfaction, "that particular problem exists solely because you’re being a baby."

Mirabella’s eyebrow twitched.

Normally that alone would have sparked another lengthy argument.

Instead...

"..."

She simply exhaled through her nose.

Agatha blinked once.

("She ignored it?")

That alone was impressive.

Mirabella merely rubbed the back of her neck before looking ahead again, seemingly deciding the effort required to argue simply wasn’t worth it.

Agatha found herself ever so slightly impressed by the rare display of restraint.

Turning her attention elsewhere, she looked towards Astrid.

"So," she asked calmly, emerald eyes scanning the forest beyond the clearing, "the area you discovered lies deeper within these woods?"

Astrid nodded without hesitation.

"Yes." She stepped towards the treeline, her posture naturally shifting into that of someone preparing to lead. "Fortunately, we arrived at the correct entrance. This path leads west of Veron, so if everything is as it was before, we shouldn’t encounter many threats." Her expression grew slightly more serious. "Still, I’d rather not assume anything anymore. We should remain alert regardless."

Mirabella gave a short nod. "So should we."

Agatha silently agreed.

Without another word, Astrid began walking.

The others naturally fell into formation behind her, while Cor’nella lazily hovered overhead, drifting alongside the group with little beats of her wings.

They crossed beneath the forest canopy.

Immediately, the world seemed quieter.

Massive trees surrounded them from every direction, their thick trunks weathered by years of growth. Soft grass blanketed the forest floor, broken only by stones protruding from the earth and clusters of wildflowers blooming.

Despite the darkness consuming the skies...

Life remained here.

Mirabella’s gaze wandered almost absentmindedly.

Movement caught her attention; high upon one of the branches sat a lone crow. The bird tilted its head towards the group, and for several quiet moments, neither moved. Then, with a single flap of its wings, the crow launched itself from the branch, disappearing deeper into the forest.

Mirabella watched it until it vanished from sight.

Her brows slowly knitted together.

("When was the last time I actually saw a bird?")

The realisation settled strangely within her. The world had become so consumed by the Abyss that ordinary sights had quietly disappeared without anyone truly noticing.

She continued staring towards where the crow had flown.

("Guess Sis was right. There really are animals here. Maybe the others are deeper inside, where whatever this place is has reached.")

While Mirabella’s thoughts lingered on the wildlife, Cor’nella’s had shifted elsewhere entirely.

The fairy’s playful demeanour quietly faded.

Her wings slowed.

Her tiny eyes narrowed as she stared deeper into the forest.

"This mana..." She whispered so softly that only Agatha caught it, then came another quiet murmur. "And this energy..."

Agatha immediately turned towards her.

"You’ve sensed something?"

Her question caused the rest of the group to look over as well, though none of them stopped walking just yet.

Cor’nella remained strangely focused ahead.

Her brows furrowed further.

"Divine mana..." She hesitated. "...And divine energy?"

That made everyone stop; the forest fell silent around them.

Mirabella looked between the others before settling her gaze on the fairy.

"Huh?" She tilted her head. "Divine mana?" Her confusion was obvious. "Isn’t that something only Gods use?"

Cor’nella slowly nodded.

"Yes." Her voice lacked its usual smug tone. "I’m sensing it..." She looked farther into the depths of the woodland. "...Much farther ahead."

A thoughtful silence settled over the group; Astrid was the first to speak.

"Then perhaps..." she murmured, eyes drifting towards the forest ahead, "whatever cleared that portion of the sky is also the source of what you’re sensing."

She folded one arm beneath the other thoughtfully.

"But that’s rather odd." Her brows drew together. "I don’t sense anything at all." She smiled towards the tiny fairy. "I suppose the stories were right after all." She spoke with genuine admiration. "Fairies truly possess extraordinarily keen senses."

Ordinarily those words alone would have made Cor’nella puff out her chest, boast about fairy superiority for several uninterrupted minutes, and graciously accept the praise she undoubtedly believed she deserved.

Instead of nothing, she remained unusually quiet.

Her tiny face stayed fixed upon the distance beyond the trees. There was something in that divine presence that she couldn’t quite identify, and there was something that made even a fairy hesitate.

The others failed to notice the small change.

Believing only that Cor’nella had become unusually focused, Astrid resumed walking.

The rest quietly followed.

As they ventured deeper into the forest, something changed.

It was not the scenery or the air.

It was a sound.

A melody.

Someone was singing.

The entire group instinctively slowed before coming to a complete stop.

The song drifted through the trees, carried by a breeze so gently that it almost felt unreal. It did not rise above the forest; it went through trunks and leaves with softness. Every note sat in their minds for just a heartbeat before giving way to the next, forming a melody that was unfamiliar in language.

"Singing...?" Agatha murmured, her emerald eyes narrowing as she instinctively searched ahead before lifting towards the sky.

Her expression, ordinarily so composed, shifted almost imperceptibly.

"That’s..."

The surprise in her voice was enough for the others to follow her gaze.

Mirabella looked first.

Cor’nella immediately after.

Both froze; above the distant forest, there it was. The gap, a perfect circular opening carved into the oppressive skies. The endless blanket of Abyssal darkness simply ended there. No black tears hung suspended overhead, nor rivers of dark liquid bled from the sky. There was no writhing corruption that stained the air.

Instead, there was only the night, a true night. Countless stars shimmered peacefully overhead, scattered across an endless expanse that none of them had properly seen in what felt like an eternity. Moonlight spilt gently through the opening, bathing that section of forest in pale silver instead of the Abyss’ oppressive gloom.

Because the opening rested so far away, and because the surrounding darkness swallowed almost everything beyond it, none of them had noticed it immediately.

Now that they had it, it became impossible to look away. Yet somehow even that breathtaking sight struggled to steal their attention from the voice.

The singing continued; it was gentle and graceful, but above all else it was impossibly pure. The words belonged to no language any of them recognised, each lyric flowing seamlessly into the next without hesitation. None of them could decipher what was being said.

But the emotion carried within the melody spoke clearly enough.

An inexplicable sense of peace settled over the clearing, washing across each of them with every passing verse. The tension they had unknowingly carried since stepping into the forest eased ever so slightly. Even the dreadful weight pressing constantly against their hearts seemed lighter.

Astrid felt herself quietly staring ahead.

("Someone...") Her thoughts slowed as the song continued. ("Someone can still sing something this beautiful... in a world that’s become so horribly twisted.")

Her gaze drifted from the opening in the heavens towards the forest below; only then did she notice movement.

Not monsters, but rather animals, a family of deer stepped quietly between the trees. Several wolves emerged from another direction, their movements calm, their ears forward rather than flattened. Farther back lumbered a pair of bears, immense enough that under ordinary circumstances most would have instinctively reached for their weapons.

But none of the animals showed the slightest hint of aggression.

Birds descended from the branches above, and smaller woodland creatures emerged cautiously from bushes and undergrowth. One after another, they all moved in exactly the same direction. Towards the source of the song.

There was something almost reverent about their movements. As though they had found a place where they no longer needed to fear the world outside. As though they understood this melody promised safety.

This was where they had come for comfort.

The realisation came over Astrid easily; whatever awaited them ahead, it had already changed this forest.

"Let’s move." Astrid’s calm voice finally broke the silence, soft enough not to disturb the melody, but it was firm enough to bring everyone back to themselves.

The others blinked almost in unison.

Only then did they realise how completely the song had captured their attention.

Agatha gave a small nod as Mirabella silently tore her eyes away from the sky. Even Cor’nella remained unusually quiet, her tiny brows still knit together in thought.

Without another word, they followed behind Astrid; the melody steadily grew clearer with every careful step.

Branches became thinner, and the dense wall of trees slowly began to part. Moonlight poured between widening gaps in the forest, illuminating patches of grass and flowers that somehow still flourished beneath an uncorrupted sky.

The air itself felt much cleaner.

None of them spoke; they wished not to interrupt the voice that continued echoing peacefully ahead. It was not long before the last line of trees finally gave way.

The forest opened into a wide clearing.

And there beyond it they saw it.