In the pool water, Noctis sat at edge with his body almost limp as he sat inclined on the wall.
His eyes were out of focus as if he was sleeping with eyes open.
His face was slowly turning clock-wise, it didn't look like it was voluntary however.
Directly behind was a strange shadow. It wasn't Noctis's as the place was wholly overcast with the dense mist and no sunlight coming through.
As his head moved slowly and surely the shadow got darker and darker as if void itself emerged behind him.
As soon as his head reached midway however, it freezed, his eyes became clear as he bit his lip with excruciating force, forcing blood to flow out of the tear.
•••
Noctis was woken up from his reverie by a strange sight. In the forest ahead, a pure white stag with golden horns stood with his gaze locked with him.
Even from the vast distance, Noctis could see the stag very clearly as well as it's strangely intelligent emerald eyes.
But it wasn't the sight that woke him up, it was a voice. A voice in his own mind.
A commanding but melodic voice.
The moment he realised his position, he bit his lips to force himself to awareness.
"Still think pain will help you get through?"
The voice came from his back once again. It wasn't so sheepish now. It was still soft but it had a grating edge to it that made his head hurt.
Noctis once again looked towards the far distance. He met the emerald pair of eyes once again unconsciously imploring for it's help.
He heard a sigh in his mind as he was pulled into the ethereal forest inside him.
The distance between him and the silver stag vanished as Noctis found himself seated in the ethereal forest floor and the stag just a meter ahead of him with the plant that was the source of the energy in his body stood in between them.
The stag was looking at the plant attentively.
[You are weak]
He heard the voice. Instantly smitting his concious.
"..."
The stag looked up into his eyes.
[You do not understand the forest.]
The voice was feminine divinity itself. It attracted his attention like nothing ever did.
[You need to shed your human soul.]
Noctis swallowed his saliva as he looked at the majestic stag with awe.
The suddenness of the situation coupled with the voice was the source of his overwhelmed expression. The succession of event did not allow him any reflection.
[I will help you this once, but She will punish you for taking my help. Take this lesson to realise your current self]
[You are one of forest. You are a forest]
Noctis slowly nodded his head unable to say anything at the moment.
The stag took in his expression as if looking through his soul for the truthfulness of his acceptance.
Afterwhich it brought down his head and… ate the plant.
Noctis' eyes went wide, his mouth fell open as he gasped.
'Did it just-'
His expression went to incredulous as the majestic stag thereafter, disintegrated into silver particles and got assimilated throughout the ethereal forest.
It caused the forest to go under a change.
Noctis looked on as the forest underwent this.
The truck of the trees became almost solid, bit still whitish pink of the ethereal clouds as the canopy took a beautiful emerald sheen.
The forest floor he was sitting on gave the feeling of sitting on a real grass now.
The very atmosphere changed. He felt a breeze on his face. He could smell the scent of leaves and even flowers in the distance.
It not for the void and the silky erthreal clouds expanding outwards, he would be mistaken into thinking he was transported to a real forest.
At that very moment he was pulled out his ethereal forest and found himself submerged in a glade in the middle of a forest.
Normal forest with blue and bright sky overhead.
Thinking he had been freed form the strange spell, Noctis moved out of the water in order to leave the place.
However when he took in his surroundings, he realised he didn't know how to.
Noctis looked around and around even climbing a talk tree but no sense of familiarity overcame him.
He didn't know this location. He had never been here before.
While he was thinking of what he should do to find his path to home, his eyes fell on a peculiar tree.
The tree trunk was carved with some letters.
Noctis moved towards the tree to take a closer look.
He had been taught to read and write the language that was carved by his mother so he had no trouble deciphering.
Since he thought he was still in the vicinity of his village, he didn't think anythings strange of it.
It read,
{For the sin of trespassing, desecrating and violating the sanctity of the lair, you shall endure Her punishment for the next fortnight to be freed.
Survive with whatever you can. Learn from it and the lord of #-#;!; shall take pity on you and grant you forgiveness.}
'what- [but She will punish you for my help] aaaah… am I f*cked?'
As Noctis stood there thinking about the implications of the warning by the stag and the carving, he heard a very faint growling in the distance.
Noctis focused to listen better.
Soft sounds of footsteps thumping the ground came. A lot of foots. He heard a low gluttaral sound from time to time.
As the sounds became louder and louder Noctis' instincts screamed at him to run.
Without waiting Noctis bolted towards the other side of the glade.
While he was running the sounds became clearer as the footsteps slapped against mud and sounds of teeth grinding became louder and louder.
Noctis took a little peek at his back, and saw something that chilled him to his bones.
A pack of hounds was making their way towards him.
Noctis' back became damp form the sweat, his eyes went so wide it threatened to come out his sockets as Noctis hypercharged his body and ran away with all his might.