Entry

You step into a new bed of leaves once you are on the other side.

The moon continues to look down on you with lunar curiosity.

It had watched over the others, too.

But how long did they last? How long did they survive in here?

You keep walking, not wanting to dwell too much on the fate of men dead generations before you were even born.

“A man who lives a life in his own mind has not truly lived at all.” Words from your father.

He knew how to survive this world.

How to thrive in it.

But eventually, his day came.

What will today be?

A day of triumph, or a day of reckoning?

The trees tower over you as menacing sentinels, twisted branches and darkened bark being their common features.

Again, you steel yourself, finding comfort in the words of your father, who once walked this path.

The wind pushes against you, one last plea from the natural spirits to turn back around from this unholy place.

More twigs snap under your heel.

But you are committed.

You carry on…further and further...and then stop.

There is a message carved into a particularly gaunt-looking tree, nearly passing over your peripheral stare.

Nearly.

Gripping the pommel of the holy blade, you walk to it.

And then, you read the letters so crudely etched against the wood.

One word.

Witch.

“Hehehehe….”

You whirl around sharply, ears catching that sudden noise from behind.

Now, your eyes search for a source.

Scanning over the rows and rows of trees all around, so frustratingly identical.

Finding...nothing.

Nothing but-

“Hehehe!”

“A girl,” you immediately surmise, moving away from that ominous warning while also correcting your initial determination.

Not just a girl. A monster girl.

Crack.

Your eyes dart to the right, catching that distinct sound.

The sound of feet crunching over leaves.

But much softer than your thudding stomps.

“Ohhhh thank the gods!!!” Again you hear the voice, so warm and playful...and cruel.

Deciding against standing idle, you move towards the direction of the sound.

Closer to where-

“It’s been sooooo long since we’ve had a man join us.”

We?

“Soooo long!” The wind carries her voice in some unnatural echo.

More footsteps from the right.

Prancing along from woody pillar to pillar.

You turn again, looking for a body.

“And we looove men!!”

No body. Just a voice.

“So big!”

You keep walking.

“So strong!”

The pace quickens.

“So delicious!”

You keep- crunch!

You stop.

And look down.

Beneath your boot, is a human arm.

Or at least the bony leftover.

No owner. No flesh.

Just white partially buried in the dirt.

“Silly us. We haven’t even introduced ourselves yet.”

That sounded close. Too close.

You turn around again, and see green.

Green lips. Green face.

Green mist blown right into your face as you start to unsheath the sword.

Then your knees grow weak as the mist floods your senses and disorients your entire being.

A brief stagger takes hold before the rest of you simply drops down on all fours with a temporarily destabilized sense of balance.

Kneeling before the plant girl.