I shouldn’t have entered this forest. Yuna thought to herself as she looked around. Dusk had fallen, and all she could see were towering trees. A part of her regretted stepping into the forest, though deep down she knew it had been the best option she had.

That morning, Yuna had been traveling with her group, riding in a caravan of horse-drawn carriages on their way to the city of Mantira. The road they took ran just west of the Crimson Moon Forest.

Everyone knew the Crimson Moon Forest was forbidden — home to monsters, demons, and gods. At least, that's what people said. It was rumored that anyone who entered the forest would never return.

As the caravan passed the forest’s edge, their journey came to a sudden halt. A massive tree had fallen and was blocking the road. The guards quickly took position. There were twelve guards in the group. They dismounted and formed a circular formation.

"You all know what to do. Sword and shield users, take the front. Magic users, cover from behind!" shouted one of the guards, drawing his sword.

"And you — be ready for the worst," he added, pointing at the coachman.

The guards knew the road wasn’t safe. The nearest town was about half a day’s journey away — a perfect spot for bandits to strike.

From the beginning, the guards had grouped the passengers into a single carriage and loaded their belongings into another, just in case the worst happened.

Yuna wasn’t with the other passengers. She had gotten down and joined the magic users in formation.

“This is our duty, Miss. You can ride with the others.”

“I know a bit of magic,” Yuna replied.

If you lose, that carriage will head back to the last town. I’ll be late to Mantira. You’ll be responsible if I miss my registration.

Five minutes passed. Then ten. Nothing happened.

“Maybe it’s just a fallen tree,” said one of the guards as he sheathed his sword.

“Or maybe they knew they couldn’t take us,” he added with a laugh. He walked toward the tree trunk to inspect it.

As the guard neared the tree, an arrow suddenly flew out from behind it and struck his chest. He collapsed instantly.

Simultaneously, dozens of arrows shot out from the bushes. The magic users summoned protective barriers. Most of the arrows bounced off, but a few pierced through, injuring four guards.

Yuna began casting magic. A green magic circle formed beneath her feet and expanded until it reached a six-meter radius.

Damn. This is the best I can manage.

The guards’ wounds began to heal, and they stood back up. More arrows came, but this time they were ready. They raised their shields and swords to defend themselves.

“Magic users are such a pain,” said a burly man who appeared suddenly, standing atop the fallen tree. He was followed by more — dozens of bandits emerging from all directions, surrounding Yuna’s group.

The burly man raised his hand. A fireball formed above his palm and grew larger.

“Get ready!” the head guard strengthened his shield with magic. The others followed. They knew the enemy’s spell could do serious damage. But with focused defense, they might withstand it.

Suddenly, many guards dropped to the ground. More arrows shot out from the bushes, hitting them from behind. They had been too focused and hadn’t noticed more bandits hiding in the undergrowth.

Almost all the guards were down. Only the leader and one other remained standing. Yuna tried to heal them, but it was useless. Too many were injured, and arrows were still raining down.

“Run, Miss,” said the guard behind Yuna. His body was riddled with arrows. Yuna, realizing he had shielded her, tried to heal him — but it was too late.

“You won’t win. Your friends were defeated before I even used my spell,” the bandit leader said.

“This group was too weak for prey. Right, Dani?” the leader added, dismissing his fireball as it shrank and vanished.

“Don’t get careless, Beri,” said a thin man who emerged from behind the tree and stood next to the leader, Beri.

“You’re being too cautious. Didn’t you say they were just Obsidian-ranked adventurers?”

“I want to try this one,” Beri said, drawing his sword. He walked toward the two remaining guards. They gripped their swords tightly, ready for a duel.

The clash of arrows and spells turned into sword fights — one-on-one. The guard leader signaled to his remaining comrade not to intervene.

“We’ll likely lose. I’ll draw his attention. Your job is to make sure the passengers escape safely.”

“I’ll follow you to the afterlife once they’re safe, Gurin.”

Do they really have time for this conversation now? Yuna thought.

Beri approached and launched the first strike. Blades clashed. Gurin could see his movements — blocking and dodging wasn’t difficult.

Their duel seemed one-sided. Beri kept attacking while Gurin only defended, waiting for an opening. He wanted to conserve his strength. Even if he won, many enemies remained.

Beri swung toward Gurin’s head — too forcefully. Gurin dodged, and his chance came. Beri’s left side was wide open. Gurin struck with his sword.

“For an Obsidian adventurer, you're pretty good,” Beri said as he leapt back. Gurin’s attack hadn’t landed.

Gurin didn’t understand. From what he saw, it should have been a clean hit — no way to dodge or block. Yet when he swung, it was like slicing air. His sword hadn’t even reached Beri.

“Let’s end this,” Beri said, advancing again.

He swung at Gurin’s left. Gurin raised his sword to block, but just before their blades met, Gurin felt pain in his chest. A slash tore through his armor and pierced his body. He fell. Then he understood.

Looking behind, Gurin saw the passenger carriage was gone.

At least they got away, he thought before closing his eyes.

After seeing the passenger carriage escape, the last standing guard charged at Beri. But before he got close, pain surged through his chest and stomach. Two arrows struck him down. He never saw where they came from.

“At least they died peacefully,” Dani said as he approached Beri.

“Looks like the girl is the only one left who can still fight.”

Yuna was still standing. Behind her, the passenger carriage had not yet escaped. Throughout the battle, Yuna noticed something strange — the guards hadn’t really been protecting the passengers. They fought, yes, but often their swords swung at empty air.

She didn’t understand what was truly going on.

My name is Yuna, and right now, I’m trapped. Our caravan was just ambushed by bandits. All the guards we hired have been defeated, and now only we passengers remain.

Our guards were just Obsidian-ranked adventurers, but even so, they shouldn’t have fought this poorly. During the battle, their formation fell apart. Their teamwork was terrible, and their individual skills were unreliable.

From the beginning, I noticed several mages casting protective spells even though there were no attacks aimed at them. The sword-wielders weren’t any better. They swung their swords at empty air multiple times. Some of them were literally fighting with nothing.

Only Gurin fought normally. He was battling the bandit leader fairly well, though his attacks were often too slow. He would strike at spots his opponent had already left.

I feel like we chose the wrong guards. They never tried to protect us or create an opening for us to escape. They were hopeless. Even if they were just Obsidian-ranked adventurers…

Wait. Even if they’re Obsidian, they’re still registered adventurers. The guild wouldn’t accept people whose skills were this bad. Attacking empty space like that is clearly beneath guild standards. Unless…

"What did you do to them?"

"What do you mean, miss?"

"You must’ve done something underhanded."

"Harsh words, miss. There’s no way we’d cheat. If you’re wondering, we merely hid our swords and arrows while showing them what they wanted to see."

"You talk too much, Beri."

Showing them what they wanted to see… I get it now. They must’ve used illusion magic. That explains the guards' bizarre behavior. For adventurers to unknowingly fall into an illusion means there’s at least an intermediate-level mage among them.

"Relax, Dani. Even if this girl saw through your illusion, there's nothing she can do. All the guards are down, aren’t they?"

"Don’t underestimate your prey. She didn’t fall for my illusion. That could make her dangerous. Finish her quickly."

"What are you saying? I don’t want her harmed. Among all the passengers, she seems the most valuable. We could make a fortune selling her."

Beri and Dani started approaching. So did their men. They were confident the fight was over.

I looked toward the Crimson Moon Forest. It wasn’t far. A desperate move, maybe, but hope still lingered there.

"I’m going to try something. If an opportunity comes, run into the forest."

We probably couldn’t win. I could only use healing magic. That’s the reason I’m on this journey—to study magic at the Finalia Magic Academy. I had no physical strength or combat skill. But maybe... just maybe, I had a chance.

I planted my staff into the ground and began chanting. A red magic circle formed beneath me. It slowly expanded, and tongues of flame began to rise from the earth.

"Stop her, Beri! That magic looks dangerous!"

"ARCHERS!"

Their expressions changed. Maybe they recognized the spell I was casting—fire magic capable of burning them all at once. Though I must admit, the spell had a weakness.

Several of Beri’s men fired arrows. That’s the first weakness—the long casting time. It gave the enemy plenty of time to interfere. But arrows weren’t enough.

Dozens of arrows flew toward me, but none reached me. Each time an arrow entered the circle, it burned to ash.

Beri raised his hand, and flaming doves appeared, soaring toward me at his command.

It was useless. The moment they entered the circle, the flames lost shape and were absorbed into the spell.

The heat grew more intense. Some of Beri’s men began running away in fear. A wise move. Once the spell was complete, everything here would burn—bandits, earth, trees… even the wagon and passengers. That would be disastrous, if it happened. If I could even finish it.

"We’re backing off too, Beri."

"Wait."

Beri narrowed his eyes. He noticed something. The fire had turned deeper red, and cracks had appeared in the magic circle. As a fire-element mage himself, Beri probably realized what that meant—my spell was starting to lose control.

This was the spell’s greatest weakness: I didn’t fully master it. The cracks widened, and the flames turned wild. One of them curled toward me, licking my hands and burning them. It hurt, but I could heal that. The real problem was coming.

The magic circle shattered. Flames exploded outward. The blast was strong enough to burn both my arms—but too weak to reach the bandits. Thick black smoke filled the air.

That was what I had hoped for. Instead of completing the incantation and incinerating everything, including the wagon, this was the better result.

"NOW! RUN INTO THE FOREST!"

I could only hope they understood what I meant. The thick smoke would block the bandits’ view and give us time to flee into the Crimson Moon Forest.

I ran toward the forest. The smoke worked. I couldn’t see the wagon or the other passengers anymore. I just hoped they were doing the same.

But just steps from the forest, a strong wind blew, sweeping away the smoke and dust. Beri had pointed his hand at me. A magic circle hovered before his palm. That wind—it was his doing.

Damn it.

I stopped right before the Crimson Moon Forest. My distraction and failed spell were for nothing. No one had followed me. The passengers hadn’t moved. They were still sitting in the wagon, motionless, with blank eyes.

An illusion. I should’ve guessed the passengers were caught in it too. Or maybe they were just too scared to enter the Crimson Moon Forest. Either way, I miscalculated.

The fleeing bandits returned. Some still looked terrified, others furious. That anger was aimed at me, of course.

Sorry. There’s nothing more I can do for you now.

I turned and ran, leaping into the forest.

"STOP, BERI!"

I made it into the forest, which meant I was safe. But Beri didn’t want to let me go. He conjured a large fireball and hurled it at me. Dani tried to stop him, but it was too late.

The fireball flew straight toward me—but it was useless. I was already inside the Crimson Moon Forest. The fireball hit a tree and vanished instantly. No flames. The tree stood unscathed as if nothing had happened.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, BERI?! IF EVEN ONE TREE BURNS, WE'LL BE KILLED!"

Even from within the forest, I could still hear Dani’s voice. He sounded truly furious.

Cool and humid. These are perhaps the two words that best describe the atmosphere inside the Crimson Moon Forest. The trees grow tall and imposing, their branches spreading out like a canopy, blocking sunlight from reaching the forest floor.

The towering trees seem to dominate the entire forest. By blocking the light, they also restrict the growth of the young shoots at the forest’s base. Without sunlight, these young shoots cannot grow tall. And as long as the old trees dominate, the young shoots will remain on the forest floor. Even here, they do not dominate. The dominant position of the forest floor is occupied by ferns. Cool and humid are the ideal conditions for them.

In this forest, Yuna is just a small being. Plants grow abundantly, and the trees rise high. To support the height of the tree trunks, massive roots grow like giants. As for animals, Yuna has yet to see any. She has heard birds and roars several times, but that’s all. The sources of the sounds remain hidden among the leaves. Only mosquito-like insects, no larger than mosquitoes, have been found by Yuna. Perhaps they are some kind of mosquito.

Yuna walks along the forest floor. The deeper she goes into the forest, the more spaced out the plants become. The ferns and mosses are becoming rarer. Eventually, Yuna comes across a stretch of bare ground, free from any grass.

A footpath. Whether this is a good or bad sign is uncertain. Footpaths generally appear because someone, or something, has regularly passed through this area. Yuna realizes this could lead to two possibilities. First, human presence. Second, territorial animals that dominate the area. The Crimson Moon Forest is not a place for humans, so the second possibility seems more reasonable. This is also a bad omen.

"I don't have much of a choice," Yuna thinks. Nearly all territorial animals are predators, she knows that. Yet, she decides to follow the footpath.

Yuna continues walking, and the forest starts to brighten. Slowly, the ferns give way to grasses, and the grasses are replaced by flowering shrubs. These aren't beautiful flowers like roses or tulips, but rather grass flowers. Grass can bloom too, right? Especially since more sunlight reaches the forest floor here.

Finally, the towering trees, ferns, and humid air are behind her. After walking for quite a while, Yuna finds herself in a meadow. Here, sunlight can reach the ground. The grass flowers bloom to greet her.

In the middle of the meadow, Yuna sees a giant tree. Not giant in the sense of a big tree, but an actual giant tree. Its height is incomparable to any of the large trees Yuna has seen before. This tree might be 600, 700, or 800 meters tall. It's hard to tell, but its top is hidden in the clouds.

The footpath continues toward the giant tree in the middle of the meadow. Yuna follows it. The distance from the edge of the forest to the giant tree is quite far. It takes nearly half an hour to reach it. From the ground, the size of this tree looks even bigger.

I hope this place is safe, Yuna thinks.

Yuna sits down, leaning her back against the tree’s trunk. Although sunlight reaches the ground, she can't see the sky from here. Part of the sky is blocked by green leaves, and part of it is covered by clouds. Yuna scans the sky from left to right, but there is no blue to be seen.

"Khak. Khaak."

Just as Yuna begins to close her eyes, the growl wakes her up. She stands and looks around. There’s nothing.

"Khaak."

Again, the sound. Yuna knows where it’s coming from. Above. She quickly moves away from the tree and looks up. There, a large monkey stares at her, standing on the lowest branch of the giant tree.

Rather than a monkey, it’s probably better described as an ape. It’s large, slightly bigger than a gorilla, and its fur is gray. Its body is covered in scars, and it has a long tail. Yes, it is indeed a monkey.

"It won’t attack you." A voice from behind Yuna.

Yuna turns around. A young man, about her age, is standing just a few steps away.

"The monkey is just disturbed by the smell of blood on your hands." The young man adds.

"Who are you?" Yuna asks.

"My name is Rian. But I should be the one asking that."

Rian extends his right hand toward Yuna. A green magic circle appears in front of his hand. Yuna recognizes the magic pattern well. Healing magic, heal.

"Show me both of your arms."

Yuna complies. A cool breeze blows across both of her hands. After a few seconds, the wind stops. The magic circle dissipates. Nothing happens. The burns on Yuna’s hands remain unchanged.

"This is strange," says Rian. He looks at the palm of his hand and tries again.

This time, the magic circle is three times larger. The soft breeze he conjures spreads not only over Yuna’s hands but also across her entire body. However, this doesn’t last long. After a few seconds, the wind stops, and the magic circle dissipates for the second time.

"Thank you. That always happens. I can use healing magic, actually," Yuna says.

Yuna raises her hands in front of her chest. Slowly, the wounds begin to close. In less than a minute, both of her hands are restored to normal.

"You can heal?" asks Rian, his surprise clearly visible on his face.

"Isn't that normal?"

"Not here. If you can use heal, you should have healed your wounds earlier. The smell of blood can attract wild animals," says Rian.

Yuna remains silent. She hadn’t thought that her blood could attract wild animals. She had deliberately delayed healing her hands, thinking that the injuries weren’t severe and that using healing magic would just drain her mana. At least she wanted to wait until her mana was fully restored.

"What's your name, and why did you come into this forest?" Rian asks.

"My name is Yuna. My caravan was attacked by bandits. I had no choice but to enter this forest."

"So, those burns on your hands, they were caused by the bandits?"

"No. They were my own doing. I failed to cast my spell."

Injuries caused by my own magic. I must look foolish, Yuna thinks.

"Do you live in this forest?" Yuna changes the topic.

"Yes."

"I’ve never heard of anyone living in the Crimson Moon Forest."

"Just because you haven't heard of it doesn't mean it doesn't exist," says Rian.

Yuna acknowledges that Rian’s words are true. There has never been a good story about the Crimson Moon Forest, at least not for humans. "This forest is a wild place, home to monsters, demons, and gods. If humans enter, they’ll incur the wrath of all three." That’s more or less the tale Yuna has always heard.

"What’s your plan after this?" Rian asks again.

"First, get out of the forest. I have to reach Mantira in 5 days. I was planning to find a detour through the forest to avoid the bandits, but it seems I’ve lost my way."

"So, you’re lost."

"..."

"Come with me. Tomorrow morning, I’ll guide you out of the forest," Rian says.

Can I trust this young man? Yuna thinks.

"Just show me the way, and I’ll go on my own."

"No. It’s too dangerous to leave at night. There are many wild animals on the forest’s edge."

"Night?" Yuna looks up. Though the sky isn’t visible, sunlight still filters through the clouds.

"That’s the Candrasurya tree," Rian says.

"Let me show you." He adds, walking up to the giant tree. He places his hand on the tree trunk, and a green magic circle begins to form.

"Look."

Yuna looks up. What she had previously thought were clouds gradually begins to look like leaves. The sunlight fades, and eventually, the entire sky turns into leaves, and the meadow becomes dark. The atmosphere turns to night.

"W-what is this?"

"The Candrasurya tree. The young leaves of this tree emit sunlight at night and reflect the moonlight during the day. Are there no trees like this in the outside world?"

"No. Of course not."

"In short, under this tree, day looks like night, and vice versa. Night looks like day."

Rian releases his hand, and the leaves slowly return to looking like clouds. The atmosphere shifts back to daytime. However, some leaves still remain unchanged. The leaves near the main trunk remain as they were. Yuna observes them.

"Those are the old leaves," Rian realizes. "Old leaves lose this ability. When all the leaves look like that, it means the tree won’t last long."

"That's... not beautiful," says Yuna.

"Indeed. But that’s the cycle of life, isn’t it?"

Yuna admits it’s true.

"But given its current condition, maybe that won’t happen for another 3000 or 4000 years. We won’t live to see it."

Thank goodness.

"Sorry, but I need to go home quickly. Someone will be mad if I’m late," says Rian.

"You can either come with me or wait here. Tomorrow, I’ll guide you out of the forest," he adds, preparing to leave.

Yuna hesitates. She looks back at the tree, and the gray monkey is still there.

Alright. Yuna makes her decision.