Through the trees, along the dirt road, a line of carriages slowly advanced. Petra hummed a little tune, swaying back and forth on top of the carriage.
These seven carriages were not driven by horses, instead, they were pulled by horse sized ants.
The group moved through the forest, slowly returning home.
Rose couldn't help but ask.
"Was your story about the Ant King true?"
Petra shook her head. "It might be, but it was too long ago to know for sure. As for the war between ants and the high elves, that was the reason they were marked as a 'Calamity Species'."
Wind agreed. "I've heard of Warlord Ants before. They say that they are the descendants of the Warlord Forge, but I've never seen one before."
Rose was suddenly curious. "Are you contracted with the Warlord Forge? How is that possible?"
Petra smiled, looking slightly smug. "I'm just that awesome! Believe it or not, it came to me! It could clearly feel my magnificence!"
Wind and Rose clicked their tongues.
"Brat."
"Shorty."
Petra: ...
Mell couldn't help but ask, "Why do you live so deep in the forest? Isn't it troublesome?"
Petra shook her head. "Did you guys hear about the 'Heavens Chosen' that have appeared around the continent?"
Wind and Rose shook their heads, Nebula remained silent, but Mell raised her hand. "I have. I heard that they are some part of a great prophecy passed down by the high elves."
Petra nodded.
"That's right, they are supposed to combat the nine calamities prophesied by the high elves in the book of calamity. The reason I live so deep in the forest is because I don't want to get sucked into that mess."
"You mean saving the world?"
"You don't want to be a hero?"
Rose sneered. "Don't tell me you think you're one of them?"
Petra laughed. "That's right! How can someone as great as me not be one of the Heavens' Chosen! Not only that, but there is an open slot for the central region and the northern region."
Petra leaned in close. "Actually, I have a secret. Believe it or not, I was raised by one of the Heavens' Chosen! She's my big sister and she left a while ago to travel to the central region! That leaves only the northern region unoccupied!"
Wind and Rose looked at her, not buying it at all. Mell considered it, but couldn't tell. Nebula, however, felt like it was possible. One had to know that her father wouldn't leave her with just anyone.
After the ants took over, the journey home officially began.
* * *
On a certain day, rain began to fall from the sky.
Night had come, and the surrounding forest turned cold.
In an open field, three tents were set up, surrounding a campfire. To the side were seven carriages, all protected by the forest canopy, and in the darkness were countless silent guards.
Under a large tarp, the five girls sat around the campfire, roasting chicken and telling stories.
Petra had learned that Wind was actually from an aristocratic family down south. Although she was accused of 'killing her clansmen', this was just nonsense. Wind had angered a certain brat from the royal family, and then got captured by the black market's slave traders. Nobody asked about her, almost as if her family had forgotten she existed. If it weren't for 'that person' coming personally to taunt her, she wouldn't have even known what had happened.
Rose, on the other hand, was originally a young man from the western region. He wouldn't say much, but he was experimented on when he was a child, causing this very feminine appearance. He said he had trauma, but compared to Petra simply turning him into a woman, his suppressed childhood trauma was nothing.
The Black Lion was the name of a powerful organization from the West. They were an underground organization that had spies in many places around the world. Their influence was just slightly less than the four towers, and they were generally something to watch out for.
The man stationed in Sevensen City was just a small fry, and his bodyguard, the one who was devoured alive, was even more so. This reminded Petra that the next time she left home, she should probably wait until she became a lot stronger.
Nebula didn't talk much, and Mell's story was too sad.
As for Petra, nothing she said could be taken seriously.
-
Late into the night, the five girls were fast asleep. The clouds concealed the moon, and a strange wind slowly began to blow.
From a distance, a light hum began to drift across the wind.
Nebu was the first to wake up.
She stepped out of her tent, looking into the distance. Not long after, Petra, followed by Wind, left their tents and looked towards the source of the sound.
"It sounds like a flute."
Petra shook her head. "That's a plant, a very rare one."
Wind looked at her, "You know what it is?"
Petra nodded her head. "I read about it not too long ago. It's a type of plant called the Moonglow Chime."
Wind: "Do you want to check it out?"
Petra nodded. "It's quite a nice sound."
The three girls followed the sound of the flute, disappearing into the night.
After a while, they stopped upon a small stream. Water fell from above, trickling down the rock wall. There was a large crack in the rocks, releasing wind from an unknown depth. Hanging above the crack was a vine-like plant that grew in the rock wall and hung down like a lantern.
The three holes in the plant caught the wind from the cracks and produced the melodic flute sound.
"The reason the Moonglow Chime is very rare is because its growing conditions are very harsh. Aside from pure water and moonlight, it mainly needs the 'Air of the Ancients'. That just means it needs to be exposed to a tomb."
Wind raised an eyebrow. "You mean that behind these rocks is an ancient tomb?"
Petra shook her head. "It should be deep, very deep. Also, don't forget, the tombs in the northern region are a lot more dangerous than those in other regions." Petra scratched her chin. "A few months ago, there was a massacre during the exploration of the Elfefalein Ruins just west of Evergreen Town."
Nebula stared silently into the cracked wall.
Mell was startled. "Are you talking about the Green Wind Forest Massacre?"
Petra nodded. "That area should have been sealed off. I heard that almost everybody from the original exploration team had died."
Wind complained. "They never announced that it was an exploration team, how did you know?"
Petra smirked. "I heard it from a few survivors!"
Wind huffed, not fully believing her.
Petra threw this to the back of her mind and turned her attention back to the Moonglow Chime.
The group of girls sat around the lantern, listening quietly under the moonlight.
"There was once a legend that said the sound of the Moonglow Chime reflected the spirits of the tomb. It means that the sound of the Moonglow Chime can be used to interpret what can be found in a tomb."
Wind asked, "Then what does this Moonglow Chime tell you?"
Petra stuck out her tongue. "I have no idea..."
Wind grumbled to herself.
After an unknown period of time, the girls left.
Swaying in the wind, hidden from the moon, the Moonglow Chime played gently.
If any of the girls were a little more patient, then maybe they would have realised something. Although the sound was beautiful, although it was minimal, there was actually something odd about it.
The attention span of humans was very short.
If one were to listen to this sound over the course of many nights, then perhaps one might notice that hidden behind that rhythmic hum, there was actually a very long and very deep breath. Like a living mountain, yet to wake, something slumbered beneath the moonlit stream.
The surrounding villages called this place the living mountain.
For Petra, this was just another mystery of the Green Wind Forest.
-
The next morning.
Petra returned to the road.
The journey was long, but with the ants leading the way, things were much easier.
When Petra reached the halfway mark, the forest started turning into a jungle.
The number of trees increased, the canopy thickened, and the road became rougher.
The ants helped clear a road through the jungle.
18 days into the journey, the skies began to rain again. Although the treetops were thick, the road became muddier, making it harder to move forward.
On the 19th day of the journey, Petra ran into a massive wolf pack. The battle between the ants and the wolves was long, but after that, the girls had a great lunch.
On the 20th day, Petra encountered her sixth poisonous Insect king. A Night Sapphire Demon Snake. This black and blue snake was the length of Petra's arm. Although small, it was the most poisonous beast she had contracted so far, even more poisonous than the dart frog. That morning, Petra woke up to an extra belt. When the girls saw it, they all screamed in terror, before receiving a disdainful snort from the black snake.
That was also the first time the four girls had seen Petra's taming method.
Although Petra felt very bloated after making the contract, Petra felt like she could take it. Her physique seemed to make adjustments, forming the connection but not the soul contract. It would wait until Petra became a little stronger before quietly finishing the contract.
For the next week, each day was more eventful than the last. As they went deeper, humans disappeared, and ferocious beasts became prevalent.
When Petra first walked this path, the green tide drove most of the local wildlife into a short hibernation. As for the insects, her physique protected her from that.
Time passed, and the natural road completely disappeared.
Petra had reached the stretch of the forest where natural skylight became scarce. Luminous insects and glowing plants filled the forest, leaving them in a complete fairyland.
Wind couldn't help but exclaim, "I never knew that the Green Wind Forest was so beautiful."
Mell was also in awe. "This is like a different world."
Even Nebula gave her input, "I can't imagine what the heart of the forest looks like."
The entire time, Rose was watching quietly, immersing herself in the sheer beauty of the forest.
Petra led them forward, making sure to keep the carriages safe.
When they finally arrived at their destination, Mell, Wind, Rose, and Nebu were all confused. Although Petra had declared that they had arrived, they didn't see anything except an infinite expanse of green forest.
Petra smirked.
She pointed behind them.
When they turned around, they realised that both the ants and the carriages had disappeared.
"Where did the carriages go!"
Mell was shocked, she immediately assumed something went wrong, only to realise something a moment later, then she became very confused.
Nebula suddenly asked, "Is it some kind of barrier?"
Wind looked around closely but couldn't see anything.
Petra smiled, "Welcome to my home! From now on, this will be yours too!" The little girl took a step forward, blurring into space, then disappeared from her spot as if she never existed.
The other three girls were confused, but Nebula seemed to sense something. Her cold and emotionless face showed genuine surprise for the first time.
While the three girls were still standing there like idiots, Nebula took a step forward, not seeming to follow actual space. She moved at an odd angle, but disappeared soon after, following Petra through the barrier.
Rose, not wanting to be outdone, recklessly rushed forward to follow Nebula. When she rushed through the same path Nebu disappeared through, she tripped on a rock and smashed her face into the ground.
She pushed herself up, looking around in confusion.
Mell and Wind looked at each other, equally confused.
Just as they were not sure what to do, Petra's small childish claw came from an inexplicable angle and pulled them through the barrier.
Rose, left alone, became flustered.
A moment later, the same hand grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her in.
The four girls stood together, looking at the awe-inspiring sight before them.
From above, this area was a perfect circle, cut out from the forest.
In the center of this phenomenon was a massive tree.
The base of the tree was very thick, and the trunk of the tree curved and bent like a complex and artistic bonsai. Upon closer inspection, one would find that the trunk of this tree seemed to resemble many smaller trees intertwining to create one massive tree trunk. Its leaves hung down like the branches of a wisteria. Its color was a mixture of blue and green, transitioning from green at the top to blue at the bottom. Countless glowing lanterns danced beneath its crown, circling the tree like will-o'-whisps. The crown of the tree was a vibrant green, and its thick foliage completely cut off any intruding sunlight.
As the girls approached, they found themselves fascinated.
The distance from the forest's edge to the center of the tree was about a kilometer. It took a normal person about 12 minutes to walk.
The ants had already taken the carriage a quarter of the way through the grassy plains.
Petra and the girls followed, reaching the small wooden cottage shortly after.