Adorning my feet with leather sandals, we left the villa for a walk. Our mothers accompanied us; ceaselessly engaged in their conversation about faraway lands. Yllsse and I walked a few steps ahead. She leapt and hopped from place to place like a game of hopscotch. We travelled west of our home for half an hour. Soon, we arrived at a large, grassy open field saturated in autumn colours and equipped with a children's playground. Yllsse loved to come here after she moved to our neighbourhood.

"Whoever touches the slide last will be It!" She declared. I don't know what she meant by "It", but I don't intend to lose against her in a race. She began her dash earlier than I, allowing her a decent head start. I readied myself into a stance and burst forth. My running technique was superior to hers due to my father's training in my former life. Her lead lessened by the second as I was about to catch up to her. Bzzz, my body coordination reduced to mush. My legwork slopped to a near halt and Yllsse increased her lead. I recovered from that episode shortly after. However, it was too late, the slide has been claimed.

"I win," Yllsse grinned. "Now, you're it. Catch me if you can!" She bolted as far away from me as she could. She stopped near a tree a few meters away and waited for me to make a move. 

"Yllsse!" Mrs. Scarlet called. "Don't go too far from the playground, ok?" 

"You too, Ouya!" My mother said as she took a seat at the bench. "Do not go to the places with a lot of trees. Those are the Woodlands, it could be dangerous to go there." She warned.

I nodded but I kept watch on Yllsse. She seemed quite confident of her runaway plan judging by the look on her face. Well too bad for her, I love ruining my opponent's well-crafted schemes. I stood still and contemplated. According to our mothers, the forested areas surrounding the fields are out of bounds. This would limit her lateral movement. The best move would be to run deeper into the fields. Though she cannot run too far since she must remain in our mother's point of view. With that in mind, I prepared a battle plan. 

I walked confidently in her direction. No reason to hurry since there isn't a time limit. She'll run away regardless of my approach. I studied her body language and eye movement in order to formulate the next steps of my plan. As expected, she ran deeper into the field. I maintained my pace and continued to watch her movement closely. This is a battle of attrition, the first one to exhaust their energy will lose.

After a few minutes of cat and mouse, signs of exhaustion began to appear on Yllsse's body. Since I conserved my energy, I had the advantage in the long run. In addition, I collected an ample amount of information regarding her behaviours and how close she's willing to let me go before running away again. Our parents were getting harder to see, Yllsse would know better than me since she is constantly facing their direction. The metaphorical wall that she cannot cross is near. She will have no choice but to try to get past me and that's when I'll make my move. 

Predictably, Yllsse didn't want to be too far from our parents causing her to hesitate from going any further. But then she flipped a switch. Her hesitation immediately disappeared and she looked at me head-on. What was she thinking? Her eyes showed me her resolve. She looked confident that she can get past me but I won't make this easy. At a moment's notice, she sprinted straight at me. 

What kind of kamikaze move is she scheming. One would think she would increase her lateral distance as she approached me but she is charging straight in my direction. Whatever, I shrugged it off as simply childish impatience and ran towards her. We both ran towards each other as fast as we can until we were only two meters away. At a second's notice, I noticed her smile. Without words, it told me, "you have taken the bait!" 

[Core: Rocket Jump]

She leaped several meters above and passed me with ease. She used core-level magic! On her way down, she landed in a somersault to cushion her landing. In a single moment, the odds turned against me. Now it is time to make it or break it. Any hesitation now will increase her lead. I braced my right leg forward to act as a brake against my forward momentum and readjusted myself and sprinted towards her with all my might. Bzz, my legwork misaligned and I faceplanted onto the ground.

My face was marred in dirt and grassy residue. I picked myself up from the ground and sought out Yllsse's current position. However, she wasn't there. She must be hiding somewhere nearby. I walked towards the playground scanning my surroundings for a certain little redhead. There were many children on the playground. Perhaps she blended herself in with them, I thought aloud. But then, at the corners of my peripheral vision, I caught a small silhouette with a streak of red running into the forest.

The Woodlands forest. Our moms strictly said that it was out of bounds. She couldn't possibly have... Even so, I didn't have a choice. I had to go there. On the off-chance that she went there, she could be in immediate danger. I cannot risk her being in danger. That said, I am defenceless. I'm going to need help and fortunately, I have some. I went towards the bench where our moms had been sitting too engaged in their conversation to notice us. Once I got close enough, my mom looked at me horrified.

"Ouya! What happened to you? Did you fall?" My mom asked in concern.

"Where is Yllsse?" Mrs. Scarlet asked worriedly. I pointed towards the forest area where I saw the silhouette. Colour drained from her face. "No, she couldn't have..." She ran towards the forest in a worried frenzy. My mom and I ran behind her trying to catch up. 

"Yllsse!" Mrs. Scarlet shouted to no avail. We were a few meters deep inside the Woodlands forest. Most of the sunlight was occluded by the tall, orange trees that make up the forest. Many of the small creatures in this forest's ecosystem croaked and buzzed all around us. 

"Ouya, how did this happen?" My mother fumed. "I thought I said that the forest was off-limits!"  

"It's not my fault!" I argued. "We were playing and she tried to hide from me." 

As we progressed deeper, a reddish haze lingered in the air. It began to start irritating my eyes. Bzz. Bzz. I nearly tripped but my mom caught my fall. "Be careful," my mom said in a concerned tone. My vision was in disarray. What is happening to me?

"I was afraid of this," Ethos murmured.

"You know what's happening?" I questioned.

"Yes, you are losing focus," Ethos explained. "You haven't been paying attention to your soul's condition since you were focused on other matters." 

Bzz, a sharp pain rattled my head causing me to lose focus. If my mom wasn't holding me, my face would be inside the mud. My mom watched me out of concern. My soul threatened to undo all the progress I have made to learn how to walk again. I won't let myself be reduced to crawling ever again. 

"Ouya, are you sick?" My mom asked. "Poor baby." She picked me up and cradled me in her arms. My pride would usually find this embarrassing but this was rather comforting. A lot of things happened these past two years. My life changed completely after the Scarlet Storm. Being reborn on the planet of Mera, being embraced by my new parents, faceplanting a million times trying to walk, getting introduced to Ethos, the annoying geezer-

"Annoying geezer? Damn kid, you should respect your elders." 

Ignoring Ethos' rants. It seems we were in pretty deep. The view of the fields we entered from was completely obstructed by the trunks of the trees. 

Rustle, in the corner of my eye, I saw something move from the bushes. It moved again, this time, I was able to see streaks of red. I may have found her. I pointed toward its direction. My mother caught my signal and took a look. It moved again advancing further into the woods.

"I think I saw her," my mom announced. "Follow me!"

Mrs. Scarlet anxiously followed my mother's lead as we advanced further into the heart of the Woodlands. The red haze intensified until we found ourselves in an unsettling scene. We stumbled across a horde of bloodied animal corpses. Some of the corpses were still fresh as they bled out. In the center of this hellscape, was a small creature coated in blood ripping out the organs of a horned animal with its teeth. 

"What is this?" My mother said horrified.

"It's an Imp, a lesser myth creature," Mrs. Scarlet informed. The bloody imp turned around and showed its large bloody horn on their forehead. Then there was also a purple spirit figure hovering near it. "It tamed a Will O'Wisp. You and your son should get out of here!" Mrs. Scarlet ordered. She clasped her hands.

[Core: Phonon Grip, Level 3]

The trees nearby surrendered to her will. Their roots forced to surface, they became objects for her to propel at her will. Her act of prowess intimidated the tiny imp. However, the Will O'Wisp became hostile and began summoning several spiritual wolves larger than us in size. My mother came to a decision after seeing the approaching danger. "Please stay safe, Mrs. Scarlet." She tightened her grip around me and bolted towards the way we came. The ground shook accompanied by BAMS and BOOMS as Mrs. Scarlet chucked the trees upon the enemies.

We had to navigate through the forest of trees to find our way back. I looked behind me and several wolf spirits chased us down with bloodlust etched into their eyes. To make it worse, the sun was beginning to set. Limiting the already scarce light inside the forest. It was dark enough that my mother began tripping on some obscured bushes. Even with its thorns scratching her shins, she decided to stay strong for the sake of me, her son. This doesn't feel right... I should be protecting her. The man should be the one doing the protecting. 

"Gender roles are stupid and outdated! Your words," Ethos mocked. "Get with the times, brat. This is a display of a mother's strength. To do whatever it takes to protect their child." 

One of the wolf spirits caught her dress. She fell forwards while protecting me from the fall. It bit deep into her thigh. My mother swallowed the pain and released me from her arms. "Run, Ouya!" My mom yelled. "Run as far away as you can from this wretched forest!" She used her hands and strangled the wolf's neck as its jaws were still deep inside her flesh. She wasn't a mage, so there was no other way for her to fend against these beasts. Though there was no time to contemplate, I had to run back to safety and find people who can help us. I forced my tiny legs to carry me through the labyrinth of trees. Bzz, the episodes intensified but I don't plan on succumbing to my rebellious soul's bullshit. 

I sharpened my senses to their limits and followed the scent of freedom. The autumn fields, the playground, Yllsse... I shook my head. I had no time to worry about her, I need to ensure my own survival. Thankfully, the other wolves in pursuit were more intent on pursuing me than teaming up against my mother who is barely managing. Miraculously, the end was near. A light can be found beyond the densely packed trees. Soul, you better not screw me up. If you give me another episode, I will enter the virtual state and beat you into a pulp. 

"Self-inflicted beat-ups, you kids are weird," Ethos unnecessarily commented. "Don't worry, I'll beat it up for you. So just keep running."

Finally, the view of the fields was near. In a few meters, I will finally be out of here. Suddenly, a figure with red hair appeared at the mouth of the entrance. Yllsse?

My body was splattered in mud and dirt. I tried to stop before colliding with her but it was too late. She was already a few feet before me. She pushed against my shoulders attempting to break my momentum. Amazingly, she got me to stop. We were finally outside the cursed forest. 

"Why did you and our moms go in there and leave me alone?" Yllsse asked forcefully. 

"We went in there to look for you!" I answered. "Where were you hiding?"

"I hid on top of that tree," she pointed at the tallest of the three trees in the middle of the field. Damn, she climbed a tree in the few seconds my face was on the ground? However, it wasn't a good time to be curious. I almost forgot that there are several wolf spirits chasing me. 

"Yllsse, run away from here," I said anxiously.

"What is happening?" She asked. But it seemed the forest was more than happy to answer in my stead. The Wolf Spirits appeared before the people in the fields, presenting a terrible roar that sent people to a state of panic. Children desperately looked for their parents and held on to them for dear life. This scene reignited something within me. 

If I don't kill them here. A bunch of people will die. I cannot accept that outcome. Though it greatly displeases me, I'll have to depend on Ethos to help me. "Ethos, please lend me your strength."

"Very well," he answered.

[Verse of Ethos: Virtual Manifest]

A blade manifested on my right hand. Ethos controlled my movement as he elegantly cleaved one wolf after another. My display of strength scared the wolves and they began to ignore me and focused on the people in the playground. Even with Ethos controlling me, he can tell that my body was at its limit. Four wolves passed us by and pranced towards the playground. 

[Core: Fireball]

Yllsse snapped her fingers, emitting a bright spark that grew into a large fireball multiple times the size of her tiny hand. She had a ball of fire hover above her palm as she took aim at the wolves. KABOOM! Two wolves were reduced into flames by Yllsse's firepower. Her being a magic prodigy wasn't a lie. With my body, Ethos pounced towards the remaining two and decapitated one of them. The last remaining wolf felt the fear of utter defeat. It was clearly outmatched and outnumbered. Though there was a famous proverb in Mada that spoke of a situation like this. Oh yeah, I remember now.

The wolf eyed a young child crying on the floor of the playground. It pounced on him without hesitation. Yllsse was too far to do anything and she didn't have a fireball ready yet. Only I could do something about this. With Ethos' super speed, I pushed the child away and took his place. The jaws of the wolf landed squarely on my chest. 

CRUSH! My vision blurred. I was lying in a pool of blood. My clothes were torn asunder and my flesh was rent by the teeth on its jaw. I had saved someone. I smiled contently.

"Ouya! No!" I heard Yllsse's cries but they sounded so distant now. Death had found me two years too late. I was grateful for the time I was given. The great people I had met. If there were any regrets I had, I didn't get to tell Ethos "Thank you."

My vision has gone black and my other senses went null. It was a familiar feeling.

Even though my consciousness was intact, I knew one thing for certain.

I was dead. 

Prologue: END