˗ˏˋChoosing The Villainess As My Mother ࿐ྂ
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Althea Melody (POV)
(Alright, I'm going inside now.)
(I still gotta find that big dragon and make it my friend.)
(I thought the female lead already had the dragon...)
(But I guess I was mistaken.)
(And, like I said, this forest wasn't in the book, and the dragon, Keilbuss, grew up here.)
(But that doesn't matter for now...)
(I'm here to meet Keilbuss!)
"You can come out now, little one," the first guy says, making space for me.
(How much time did I spend chatting with them?)
(Those couples over there must have been waiting for me for a few minutes.)
(Since I was talking to these two talking guardian trees, also known as Treants.)
"Thank you," I said, bowing my head to them before heading towards the Black Lagoon Forest.
I'm feeling quite nervous... It's just human nature.
(Stay calm and think positively.)
(Isn't this better than being eaten by some soul-eating creature?)
(But it would be great if I didn't get devoured in an instant by these two Treant guardians.)
"Here goes nothing..." I muttered, closing my eyes as I crossed the border of the Black Lagoon Forest.
(I've got this!)
(Just keep walking straight!)
(Walk straight and think positive thoughts, you'll be fine! Focus on the good!)
(I can do this! I'm a tough soldier, darn it!)
"I'm not ready to die yet," I whispered to myself, continuing to walk until I suddenly bumped into something soft. Opening my eyes, I saw a beast woman standing in front of me.
"Oh, you've finally arrived," the woman says.
"We were afraid you might have been devoured by the guardians at the forest's border," the man adds.
"But luckily, you seem fine, I suppose," the woman continues, and I notice my vision has become clearer, almost as if my eyes have sharpened.
(Oh, this is incredible... My vision wasn't weak before, but now?)
(I feel like everything around me is much clearer and more defined, like I can see things far away.)
(It's almost like I can zoom in and out, like a higher quality image.)
(If you know what I mean...)
"Looks like the little one made it through," I hear from behind, turning to see the first and second male guardians of the forest.
"Whoa, outside this place felt so eerie!" I exclaim, a smile spreading across my face.
"Right? But once you step into the Black Lagoon Forest, everything changes," the beast man says, smiling as his three adorable beast children play nearby.
"Yes! This place is stunning, like paradise!" I remark, smiling as I take in the surroundings.
"This is what humans once called it, back when it was open to all races... their paradise," the woman says.
"But after they brought destruction here, the Queen closed the doors and shut them out completely," the man adds.
"The Queen's power protects this land. Not even a fourth-class arch mage can break her spell," the first male guardian explains.
"That's how strong she is," the woman says, her smile bright.
"Outside the Black Lagoon Forest, the Queen made it look scary to keep intruders away," the second male guardian explains.
"But if they manage to enter, they'll be surprised at how different it is inside compared to the outside," the man adds.
(Right, this place feels like heaven to me.)
I glance around again and notice many beautiful glowing orbs floating in the air, each with different colors.
"What are these glowing orbs?" I ask, reaching out to touch one, only for it to pop like a balloon!
*giggles*
"These orbs provide light at night, little one. Outside this place, humans have fireflies, but we don't have those insects here," the second male guardian explains.
"Then what exactly are these glowing orbs? What do you call them?" I inquire.
"We call these little ones crystal light," one of the children responds, reaching out to touch the orbs floating around him.
"Crystal light?" I repeat.
"Yes, that's what the Queen named them," the woman explains.
"Why? They're not crystals though," I point out.
"Oh, but they are, young lady," the man interrupts.
"They may appear as ordinary orbs, but with a touch of magic, they transform into crystals," he demonstrates, showing me how to turn the orbs into crystals.
"Wow! They really do turn into crystals!" I exclaim with a smile.
"And the Queen created them," the man adds with a smile.
"She made these orbs that can turn into crystals?" I ask in amazement, receiving nods from everyone.
"Of course! Not only that, these crystals can give birth to new ones," the man explains, noticing my puzzled expression.
(A crystal giving birth????? What in the world?????)
(What are they even talking about??????)
(How can a crystal possibly give birth???? Does it have a reproductive system???????)
"How... is that even possible?" I ask, still wearing that puzzled expression.
"Just watch, every fifteen seconds, these crystal lights can duplicate themselves," the man says, gesturing toward the crystal lights as we wait for the phenomenon to occur.
I mean, crystals don't have... well, you know, reproductive organs... right?
(Wtf... are they joking????)
"Look! It's duplicating!" the man exclaims, pointing at the crystal as I turn to see.
(Oh... so it's like cells that can duplicate.)
"Oh, it duplicated itself, but... I was actually expecting it to give birth for real... like how humans do?" I express, feeling a bit disappointed, but they just laugh.
(What's so funny about what I said???)
(I really thought a crystal would give birth like humans! What did they expect from me??! I was genuinely curious.)
"So, young lady, do you want to meet the mighty dragon? We just saw him sleeping on top of the rock," the man offers.
(Is it even okay to wake a mighty dragon from its peaceful sleep?)
(What if it decides to fry us like crispy chicken?)
"Um, is it really okay to disturb the mighty dragon while he's asleep?" I ask cautiously.
"He's fine, we spoke with him just a minute ago, and he said he's expecting your visit, assuming you survived... which you did," the man reassures me, and I smile in relief.
"Okay then, please lead the way, sir," I say with a smile, and he nods in response.
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