Crimson Moon Forest 3

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.

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