Mystical Realm

Chapter 16 : The Forest's Mercy

The forest responded to Zuri's plea and brutally attacked the man. After smashing him to the ground unconscious, the earth started to open up, burying him alive. Zuri couldn't watch any longer and yelled,

"Stop! Stop! Don't kill him!"

However, the forest didn't stop and kept swallowing him. Zuri crawled across the ground, pushing her body toward the man. As she reached him, she looked into his eyes under the mask and saw the horror on his face as he struggled to breathe.

With all her might, she tried to release him from the branches. With no luck, she looked up at the towering trees and said quietly,

"I forgive the man, please stop it!"

The trees immediately stopped, slowly releasing the man, who was barely breathing. The branches gently lifted Zuri off the ground, and one of the branches touched her back. She turned to look and saw a glowing light flowing from the tree into her body. As it filled her, her body grew warm, and her back felt light with no pain.

Under the man's terrified gaze, the branches gently dropped Zuri to the ground and then became still, as if nothing had happened. Zuri stood up quickly and rushed to his side.

"Are you okay?" she asked urgently.

The man remained silent, unable to move or respond, still in shock. Noticing he was bleeding from his arms, Zuri quickly ran to her backpack and searched for bandages. She stopped the bleeding, feeling guilty about the man's condition, thinking it was because of her that the trees attacked him. After silently watching her, the man finally spoke,

"C.. Can you please bring me my jacket? I.. It's over there," he stammered, barely lifting his hand to point to a distant tree.

Zuri ran to grab his leather jacket and handed it to him. He opened one pocket and took out a potion, drinking it in one gulp. Zuri stepped back as the man rose into the air, encircled by a green bubble. After what felt like minutes, the bubble burst, and the man emerged from it fully healed.

As he touched the ground, Zuri could now see his face. He was strikingly handsome yet stern, with piercing black eyes and thick eyebrows. His short, dark hair was neatly trimmed. He kneeled and grabbed her hand,

"I am sorry for the pain that I caused you." Zuri embarrassed, kneels as well, facing him. She said,

"It's okay! I forgive you."

Looking at her face, she felt weird. It had been a long time since the ranking ceremony that anyone looked at her so closely. She could see his guilty expression, and he said,

"I am sorry for what happened to your face." With a sad expression, he continued,

"You have a beautiful soul." They both stood up and then Zuri told him,

"I need to go." Looking down at her feet, he replied,

"I am a core guardian. I know every inch of this forest. I can take you to your destination." Zuri hesitated about accepting his offer, but he insisted,

"Let me return the favor! Please," the man pleaded. Zuri met his gaze, noticing how close he was, his eyes imploring her to accept. She hesitated for a moment before stating,

"I have one condition." Quickly, the man responded,

"Anything!" Zuri continued,

"Don't ask me why I want to get there." The man nodded earnestly,

"Sure! You do your thing. I won't bother you. I'll just be your guide."

Zuri smiled, signaling her acceptance. The man introduced himself as Zyrian. Zuri then inquired about the underground maze, and he mentioned he had access to one of the tunnels that could lead them straight to the underground.