Running after Buttercup, we realized she was heading to the end of the grasslands. It was not a long trek, but it would have been less stressful if spirit pets could talk. The entire time was punctuated with conflict as my majestic princess guided us. My sister and I argued over taking detours and killing slimes. Obviously, it was my idea. No need to say a thing, trust me. I would be the first to admit I have a problem. But our arguments were short-lived as we stopped at a cliff. A wooden plank rested at the cliff’s edge, attached by two sturdy strings of a zipline. The zipline was our preferred way of travel. The other way was… The ridge was steep. Indeed it was the side of a mountain or a plateau. I am not the best with geography, so forgive me for understating how big this rock formation was. To us, it would be a straightforward climb. To humans, it was a journey straight out of hell. Funny enough, they say it was originally a human who set up ziplines. What a novel device! They were always such inventive little creatures. Humans, that is… The zipline connected from here to the forest entrance far below. Buttercup hovered over the plank as Petra ran onto it. 

My dear sister turned around, “What are you waiting for,” and asked me the dumbest question. How was I supposed to respond to that? I could only see the tops of trees below as I looked at the zipline. I knew there was ground beneath them, but forgive me if I was distracted by the struggling birds circling below. Their flapping and cawing in the strong winds were unsettling. Even a non-human like me understood how insanely high this thing was. But my fearless sister just frustrated, “Do the thing!” She was always the daring one out of the two of us. Man, I just wanted to lay on that hill one more time. 

My eyes noticed it immediately. A metal piece connected to the zipline system caught some light from the Sun. That reflecting light caught my sensitive eyes. The words ‘Press X to Equip Weapon’ appeared over it. Seeing those familiar words, I instinctively closed my eyes, held out my right hand, and felt my chakra flow. The internal energy flowed straight from my core towards it. Then, I crafted the image of a boomerang within my mind. In retrospect, the world was quite weird, but it followed a set of rules I was more than familiar with. Opening my eyes, there now was a purple, transparent boomerang floating over my palm. Despite not being a physical object, I took hold of it and used it, adhering to the red target that appeared over the metal piece. It was time to strike a pose. So, I held the boomerang over my shoulder and moved my forearm around slightly. A patient hunter, one could never be too meticulous in this situation. This was a delicate process that required… Suddenly, the target became green. Bingo. I snapped my arm forward with the grace of a tumbling dog and threw the boomerang. It clashed with the piece, breaking it off the zipline system. The wooden plank began to travel down the line. There was no need for me to wait for the boomerang to return since, in my mind, I had already made the weapon disappear. So with the plank free, I ran off the cliff and jumped. Just in time, I landed. I was pretty cool for a moment, but suddenly my feet did this weird thing. I wobbled, wiggled. Maybe… Just maybe it was fear that took hold of my jelly-like legs. Who could blame me? Off balance, I took an astute measure of the distance below and succinctly estimated a scientific fact; we were really high up. Limp, my body lurched. I was leaning over the side. Gravity was taking me. At that moment, all I could think of was my Buttercup… My sweet Buttercup, I just wanted you to know how much I loved you. I… Quickly, Petra grabbed me. There was no grace, no effort involved. She snatched me like one would snatch a backpack, with zero care. She helped me become stable as we zipped through low-hanging clouds, past trees, and the village treehouses. Even some of our neighbors poked out their heads from their homes to watch us flash by. The zipline was always an exciting sight to behold.  

“Using your chakra too much can make you drain out quickly,” one neighbor exclaimed in a cheery tone. Everyone was always so helpful in the village, and they always kept an eye on children like us. Especially this guy, “Use it sparingly!” Just have to love that guy.

“Remember: press X to equip your weapon!” Another one of our neighbors reminded us. It was just a regular afternoon neighborhood. Many neighbors shouted helpful tips and random, admittedly witty, conversational icebreakers. We were an odd assortment of villagers, to be sure. Metamorphs came in various different tones and sizes. Most were cheerful, others happy, and a few were monotone. Honestly, there was no other place I would have wanted to live. The wise old trees were beautiful, having existed longer than most civilizations. Travel was easy. The zipline was not the only way to move around. And the people were so very helpful. But the good feelings and moments of warming bliss darted by fast as the plank moved away from the treehouses. The music changed from the endless looping of flutes and harps to another flute-like melody. It played over the ambient stylings of mother nature, the forest, and the natural sounds that came with it. Vividly, the words ‘The Forest Entrance’ appeared in the sky. Awe-inspiring, we marveled at the mysteriously appearing text until the plank softly touched down on the ground. The stark difference between the treehouses and the forest's ground level still jarred me, no matter how many times I saw it. Whereas the treehouses were warm homes filled with vibrant kind people, there was a coldness to the Forest, particularly the Forest Entrance. Anything looked like it could happen in the Forest. Cautious, we always paused to double-check whenever entering the sinister-looking place. Buttercup had other plans, though. She flew directly inside the forest, leaving Petra and me to chase after her. 

“Wait for us!” I shouted after my dancing queen, Buttercup. “Slow down, won’t you!?” Which she did not. She did not seem to listen and instead kept flying forward. Running after her, we went off the trail. My beautiful spirit pet had us pushing past the tall greenery that stood in our way, jumping over knocked-down tree trunks to avoid tripping, and all this before making it to a hidden waterfall. Just how had we not come across this thing before? It was a wonder what the spirits knew of places like this. They truly were more in tune with nature, far beyond us mere mortals.

The waterfall was a paradise. It was like an oasis in the forest, a secluded scene of absolute beauty. A vast abundance of bright greenery surrounded the wide perimeter as if God herself rolled a thick blanket down. Literal rays of light fell onto us. I looked up, trying to track the paths that led to this Eden. The gentle rays glared back at me, nearly blinding me. Guess that is what I got for trying to stare into the Sun. From what I could see, the light could only be found by looking up through the narrow exposure through the trees. No wonder we had never seen it before. The thick assortment of brush and leaves and the canopy must have acted as a natural camouflage when looking down overhead. And let me be frank, without knowing a place existed in this forest, there was no way I would have been able to find anything. All the trees, though beautiful and unique in their own way… They start to all look the same after a while. You know… like a tree… As for the area within the perimeter, a shallow lake was brimming with fantastical creatures resembling toads and fish. Running water was gushing from the waterfall. It was small enough to not be treacherous. At least, not treacherous enough for Buttercup to lead us to it. She stopped directly in front of it. Closely following, Petra and I were puzzled as to why she brought us here.

Inquisitive, we faced our reflections in the gentle stream. She was a unique beauty, the young woman who stared back at me in the stream's cold water. Fifteen cycles old, she stood before me with lavender-colored skin and piercing pupils that were a mix between black and purple. Just look at her face. Look at her shoulders, stomach, and legs…. Certain parts appeared indigo. She looked at me as if she were staring through my very soul. It annoyed me. Despite that silhouette and brown hair of hers, she was not human. It did not matter how close she came to looking human. She was still a beast. Small, feral fangs on each side of her mouth, those pointy elf-like ears, and that size fluctuating tail with an arrow-shaped end… She was me. And then there was Petra. I glanced over to take a look at my sister’s reflection. Maybe some way, hers would look worse than mine. How wrong I was…

Nineteen cycles to her name, Petra was no stranger to staring at her reflection. Where I preferred to sleep and enjoy the dark comfort of naps, she was busy working on… her image… And as such, Petra was adamantly checking out her arse next to me. I just did not get it. How could someone be so enamored with themselves to stare at themselves constantly? Did she not get disgusted by what she saw? Did it not churn her stomach to see that thing staring back at her? Still, Petra was my sister, and I cared about her deeply, even if she was clearly suffering from some sort of brain damage. Brain damage? That had to be it. I mean, we were not too dissimilar. Why was she so excited to observe herself while I just could not stand… me… We were so similar in many ways. The difference between our heights was minute at best. It would be easier to list key differences because everything else was almost the same. Petra’s skin was a shade bluer than mine. The darkened portions of her flesh were only a tad darker. Our hair was the same as mine, if not shorter, barely reaching shoulder length.

We both wore bandage-like wrappings, the traditional garb of our people. Neither of us were traditional, to say the least. Still, the clothes were easier to move in and covered just enough to be decent amidst other species. I have heard people refer to our clothing as ‘strapless’ or ‘cropped.’ I have no idea what those words mean. I even had to guess what ‘shorts’ were, assuming it was some sort of food. Why would they describe our clothes as food? Thick, cloth-like material added an extra layer on top of the wrappings. Shiny silver cuffs, one on our arm and the other on our wrist were an added accessory. Like I said, it was easy to move in, practical, but best of all… These were the clothes of choice if we were fighting slimes and other enemies on the grasslands. But mostly, we wore these when we fought in general. Performing high jumps and kicks would not be possible in run-of-the-mill armor. It was practical but not fashionable, unlike the casual and ceremonial dresses we owned. Told you I was not a traditional type of girl… 

“This place is nice, and all,” my patience got the better of me, “and I’m glad you showed it to us, but is this the only reason you took us here, or is there more?” I asked Buttercup. But my queen did not respond. She must have been taking a break, as I caught her resting on a leaf. I tried to approach her, but I guess she got a second wind? She continued fluttering about the waterfall. There was no way she was avoiding me, right? “Hey, this is not because I slept on top of you, right?”  Again, there was no answer. It had to be a sign. So I took it as such, continuing to look at my reflection until I noticed a light reflecting periodically behind the water. I asked, “Did you see that?”  

But Petra, “see what,” was still studying her attractive features. 

“Will you stop looking at your arse for one second and focus!” I shouted. Petra’s lips curled in annoyance as she rolled her eyes. She just was not getting how strange this all was. “I think I see something behind the water.” I looked back at the reflective light. Trying to determine the source was not an easy feat, so I gave up and simply walked through the waterfall. Did I know I would find the entrance to a cave behind it? No. But I would never admit that to my sister.