The dark murky woods that surrounded him seemed to never end. No matter how far of a distance he walked in the darkness, the dreary forest had continued on, the ethereal silence of this place threatening to envelop his small form in its equally unearthly mist.
All sense of time was lost here; the pale light of the sparkling stars and the waning moon being never allowed to pierce through the dense foliage of the rustling leaves made it impossible for one to tell the exact time.
It was, for all intents and purposes, a perfect place for a person like him.
The boy wistfully thought as he stopped to look up towards the overhanging branches with his half lidded eyes. He barely registered the cold night's breeze as it kissed the bare skin of his outstretched arms- the fluttering silky garments that he wore doing little to stop the chill from settling in on his lithe body.
A place of solace. This was where he came to whenever he needed to collect his jumbled thoughts. He was safe here, safe from the chaos that was the outside world.
But no matter much he wished, this place could not give him the answers he sought.
And that simple fact gave him a single unending agony in which he would never be able to erase.
~...~
Several long moments of tranquility passed for the boy and his uplifted arms soon grew weary with the unrelenting cold. Obeying the demands of his aching limbs, the boy dropped his hands to the sides of his chilled body, the long blades of grass tickling his worn knuckles as he did so, and breathed a slow sigh of relief.
However, although the body had been relieved, the burden within his heart still seem to yet linger.
After taking a moment to rub his sore arms, the boy finally looked down from the dark forest canopy for what seemed like the first time in ages and stared at scenery around him. Only to be surprised to see that forest were not as dark as they used to be. The eerie mists had disappeared and the woods were slowly starting to regain their colorful hues.
After letting his surprise wear off and taking a few minutes to drink in the sight, the boy turned his body around to search for the source of this change; only to see a gap within the forest in which a warm light spilled in from the outside. It only took a split second for the boy to realize what had happened and the parched lips on his face stretched into a thin helpless smile with a touch of bitterness.
It seems that he had wandered near the edge of the forest without noticing and had stood at this spot til dawn arrived. But then again, it couldn't be helped considering the namesake and nature of this forest. One couldn't help but get lost within these forsaken woods.
Shaking his head in mild amusement, the boy started to move towards the light and his sandals crunched through the many dead branches and leaves that were littered on the forest ground; emitting an echo of cacophonies that resounded throughout the forest with each soft step he took- breaking the silence in which he was so immersed in not too long ago.
Once the boy arrived at the very edge of the forest, he stopped and closed his heavy eye lids as he felt the warmth of the rising sun comfort him. His bones, which had been chilled to the core, slowly grew warm as the shining brilliance of the sun pierced through his silken robes and gave life to his petrified body.
It were as if he were enveloped within his mother's loving arms once more.
Tears threatened to spring up from the boy's eyes as he remembered the far off memory of his dead mother and father living happily with his brother and himself.
But those memories where just that; far-off and impossible to go back to. They were nothing but dreams now.
No matter how much he wished.
No matter how much he wanted to.
No matter how much dreamed.
No matter how much....
He could not have, what he wanted most.
The boy tasted salt as numerous tears spilled out uncontrollably from his stinging eyes and streaked his face with his sorrow. His heart bursting with pain anew and his mind reminding him of why he was here in the first place.
He had to stop him.
Stop him from making the same mistakes as their parents did.
He had to save him.
Save him from the beliefs that had killed their parents.
He would show him.
That the path that he walked was not the correct way.
The boy looked around as he slowly started to regain his senses and the pain in his chest started to dull. The trees looked completely different now; it were as if the cold and dark had been peeled away by the warm golden light, revealing behind a myriad of rotting rust and crimson colored leaves.
That's right. Why did he hesitate? All he had to do was show him the right path, show him that he was wrong. That way, he wouldn't end up like their parent's did. He wouldn't end up betrayed and lifeless on the cold stone floor of his own bedroom.
He would help him, the boy promised to himself.
"....After all, he is my little brother isn't he?" The boy whispered. "I should take care of him as the elder brother."
And with that small declaration, the boy chose no longer to be himself and became a broken vessel of something else entirely.
The moment of truth passing, deciding within his heart of hearts, the boy closed his eyes with a sense of finality and not a moment too soon a soft sound filled his ear.
A gentle fluttering of wings, accompanied by a soft alto voice that spoke alluringly within the deepest and darkest recesses of his broken mind.
Have you chosen, child of man?
The boy slowly opened his eyes, only to see hundreds of beautiful bird feathers, white and pure as snow, fluttering around him like dancing butterflies. It were as if the boy were witnessing a multitude of angels descending from the sky.
However, the boy knew better than to believe such a foolish thought.
"Yes."
The boy turned his head and looked straight into those beautiful crystalline azure gems that seem to stare into his soul.
"I have chosen truth."
All sense of time was lost here; the pale light of the sparkling stars and the waning moon being never allowed to pierce through the dense foliage of the rustling leaves made it impossible for one to tell the exact time.
It was, for all intents and purposes, a perfect place for a person like him.
The boy wistfully thought as he stopped to look up towards the overhanging branches with his half lidded eyes. He barely registered the cold night's breeze as it kissed the bare skin of his outstretched arms- the fluttering silky garments that he wore doing little to stop the chill from settling in on his lithe body.
A place of solace. This was where he came to whenever he needed to collect his jumbled thoughts. He was safe here, safe from the chaos that was the outside world.
But no matter much he wished, this place could not give him the answers he sought.
And that simple fact gave him a single unending agony in which he would never be able to erase.
~...~
Several long moments of tranquility passed for the boy and his uplifted arms soon grew weary with the unrelenting cold. Obeying the demands of his aching limbs, the boy dropped his hands to the sides of his chilled body, the long blades of grass tickling his worn knuckles as he did so, and breathed a slow sigh of relief.
However, although the body had been relieved, the burden within his heart still seem to yet linger.
After taking a moment to rub his sore arms, the boy finally looked down from the dark forest canopy for what seemed like the first time in ages and stared at scenery around him. Only to be surprised to see that forest were not as dark as they used to be. The eerie mists had disappeared and the woods were slowly starting to regain their colorful hues.
After letting his surprise wear off and taking a few minutes to drink in the sight, the boy turned his body around to search for the source of this change; only to see a gap within the forest in which a warm light spilled in from the outside. It only took a split second for the boy to realize what had happened and the parched lips on his face stretched into a thin helpless smile with a touch of bitterness.
It seems that he had wandered near the edge of the forest without noticing and had stood at this spot til dawn arrived. But then again, it couldn't be helped considering the namesake and nature of this forest. One couldn't help but get lost within these forsaken woods.
Shaking his head in mild amusement, the boy started to move towards the light and his sandals crunched through the many dead branches and leaves that were littered on the forest ground; emitting an echo of cacophonies that resounded throughout the forest with each soft step he took- breaking the silence in which he was so immersed in not too long ago.
Once the boy arrived at the very edge of the forest, he stopped and closed his heavy eye lids as he felt the warmth of the rising sun comfort him. His bones, which had been chilled to the core, slowly grew warm as the shining brilliance of the sun pierced through his silken robes and gave life to his petrified body.
It were as if he were enveloped within his mother's loving arms once more.
Tears threatened to spring up from the boy's eyes as he remembered the far off memory of his dead mother and father living happily with his brother and himself.
But those memories where just that; far-off and impossible to go back to. They were nothing but dreams now.
No matter how much he wished.
No matter how much he wanted to.
No matter how much dreamed.
No matter how much....
He could not have, what he wanted most.
The boy tasted salt as numerous tears spilled out uncontrollably from his stinging eyes and streaked his face with his sorrow. His heart bursting with pain anew and his mind reminding him of why he was here in the first place.
He had to stop him.
Stop him from making the same mistakes as their parents did.
He had to save him.
Save him from the beliefs that had killed their parents.
He would show him.
That the path that he walked was not the correct way.
The boy looked around as he slowly started to regain his senses and the pain in his chest started to dull. The trees looked completely different now; it were as if the cold and dark had been peeled away by the warm golden light, revealing behind a myriad of rotting rust and crimson colored leaves.
That's right. Why did he hesitate? All he had to do was show him the right path, show him that he was wrong. That way, he wouldn't end up like their parent's did. He wouldn't end up betrayed and lifeless on the cold stone floor of his own bedroom.
He would help him, the boy promised to himself.
"....After all, he is my little brother isn't he?" The boy whispered. "I should take care of him as the elder brother."
And with that small declaration, the boy chose no longer to be himself and became a broken vessel of something else entirely.
The moment of truth passing, deciding within his heart of hearts, the boy closed his eyes with a sense of finality and not a moment too soon a soft sound filled his ear.
A gentle fluttering of wings, accompanied by a soft alto voice that spoke alluringly within the deepest and darkest recesses of his broken mind.
Have you chosen, child of man?
The boy slowly opened his eyes, only to see hundreds of beautiful bird feathers, white and pure as snow, fluttering around him like dancing butterflies. It were as if the boy were witnessing a multitude of angels descending from the sky.
However, the boy knew better than to believe such a foolish thought.
"Yes."
The boy turned his head and looked straight into those beautiful crystalline azure gems that seem to stare into his soul.
"I have chosen truth."
