Continuation of the Lost Forest Arc – Part Two: To the Destination
.....
Years later, on a snowy land covered like a white coat,
Toki stood tall and imposing.
A gentle wind and light flurries toyed with his fine clothes,
while a heavy coat rested on his shoulders,
golden chains dangling from his waist with quiet majesty.
Beside him, his marble-colored sword was planted firmly in the frozen ground,
as he gazed with his slanted eyes, a faint, mature green gleam,
at a deer lying before him, immersed in warm blood.
Behind him, a man with sharp eyes, smooth blue hair, and prominent horns,
knelt with his right knee and hand on the ground,
a large paper fan on his back,
silent in a way that conveyed more than words could.
Toki spoke quietly, humbly:
"Do you see this deer?"
The man followed the animal with his eyes, keeping his posture:
"Yes, my lord. I see it clearly."
"Then, how would you describe it?" Toki asked.
"I see it struggling to survive, despite its deep wound,"
the young man replied, his tone serious.
"Right… that is what I was once like, before I met you."
Toki responded, lifting his gaze toward a distant place,
where fire sparked and died anew between two battling caravans.
The man lowered his head at his leader's words, as if reflecting on every sentence.
Toki continued, stepping confidently toward the edge:
"Lift your head, and stand beside me."
As the man approached, Toki said:
"Look at that plague."
"That… is what fate will bring upon us.
Yet, are you satisfied following me?
Even with the harsh path I tread?"
"I do not know what you are thinking, nor what you wish to convey to me,"
the man replied with resolute authority, as if he understood Toki's intent,
"but… I know the results stem from a decision I made,
and I do not regret it."
A chilling silence settled, sending shivers down spines in the icy air.
Toki said warmly:
"Since you insist on your decisions and convictions… that is fine.
But let me tell you something…"
He placed his hand on the man's shoulder without turning to him.
The young man wondered silently,
as a pitch-black feather swayed,
then fell beside Toki's right side.
"Try listening sometimes to your inner voice,
for relying solely on decisions
may blind you to the truth you seek."
A graceful young girl appeared where the feather had landed.
She wore a coat filled with dark purple feathers,
resting on her shoulders,
her long black hair waving in the wind,
a front section falling to cover her eyes.
Toki turned and lifted his sword, speaking to the young girl at the same time:
"Tell everyone to prepare,
for what lies ahead is unbearable."
As his steps carved through the hard, wet snow,
the girl turned toward the two battling caravans.
She raised her hand near her mouth,
wearing the black glove that matched her suit.
She clenched her fist.
Then she slowly opened her palm,
beginning from her pinky to her middle finger.
And in that moment…
A black-purple dandelion bloomed,
swirling with dense particles of darkness.
Before disappearing from her spot,
after a feather twirled through the air,
she gently blew…
and the flower floated lightly toward that place.
No explosion occurred.
No screams were heard.
The black flower of hope slowly expanded,
as if the world had forgotten how to resist.
And when it extinguished…
nothing remained.
— Years before… —
—
To be continued…