"Treat the people or things around you as a special treasure. Show that you care whether it may be lifeless or not. At the very least, it felt being loved by you."
Anonymous
CHAPTER 2: THE ULTERIOR
They say that it is a cabalistic place, to cross it, is to never return; to obtain an object owned by the forest, is to gain a contagious-like ailment; to take a life from there, is to bear death unto you.
The Orion Forest, was named after Orion the freak, a traveler out of nowhere in the town of Rogets,(now named as Delta by the Li kingdom) he was feared by everyone and no one dare come close to him because of his hideous appearance. So he has no place to stay but in the forest, a mystical and once sanctuary to all. Orion was a good man and doesn't want to harm anyone, but the people never thought likewise.
One day, news dispel around the town the young son of a villager had been missing since morning, everyone helped in search. During that time, Orion was resting under a huge willow tree when he heard a low cry not far from him. He followed the cry until he saw a fair blond boy, crying. Orion walked towards him and touched his shoulder, the boy turned to see, and out of fear moved away from him. To lessen his fear, Orion picks a bundle of fully bloomed Lilac from his side, which sparks like a gem under the sun. The flower had the boy's interest, for in a matter of seconds, he had it playing under his chubby hands.
"Aren't you a handsome kid" he mused, lifting the boy in his shoulders, and can't helped but smile when he heard the boy's laugh. "Let's get you home" he said. And when they're at the entrance of the forest, they were welcomed by the whole village, some are worried; some are mad. Mixed emotions. "Koji!" a mid-age woman run towards the boy when Orion placed him down, hugging him tight. "Oh, Koji, my dear boy, I was so worried about you" the mother cried. "Ma…ma," he touched his mother's cheek "big man gave flowers." Even when afraid, the mother thanked Orion and left, but not before Koji had said his thanks and goodbye.
With little Koji found, the villagers were satisfied and went home, same goes for Orion, but not all of them.
"I want him out of this place" an old age man remark to the men around him. Murmur of Agreement was there response, "Then I have the perfect plan to get rid of that freak" a man named Garkus and his men "Is everything ready?" he asked, and they nod in reply. "Later, when the moon is in full height, we'll bring bright light for tonight" he said smugly. And when that time came, a few of his men poured gasoline all over the sides of different houses. "Fire" Garkus motioned, then one of his men handed the torch. "Sayonara, Rogets" then throws the fire to the nearest house, exactly where little Koji and his mother lived.
And within a minute or three, the town ablaze with heat.
Screams of fright and panic echoed above the night sky. A burning man came running out of his house, crying in pain; a woman who seems pregnant is seen lying down on the grass, just near his house, caught in fire and screaming in agony. Some were lucky enough to escape, but other weren't. if not been burned, maybe suffocated. As for Koji, he didn't survive, but his mother did.
The reason: They were separated by falling debris.
When the fire ended and the morning comes to show, the whole village was in serious distress. No home, no hope, just tears to shed.
A harsh scream followed by tears of despair echoed in the dead silence. Seeing Thea in front of her son's ashed body, clutching the half-burned Lilac on her chest, Garkus went towards her.
"I'm sorry for your son" Garkus said, placing a hand over her shoulder. "No" she whispered, new tears start to well up, "No Garkus! I don't want sympathy; I want justice, for my son! A soul for a soul! I want him dead, even if he's in hell!" her eyes were filled with anger and pain.
"Then I know what to do" Thea just looks at him, "We go straight to the forest and kill Orion" he said. "Why? Orion is a good man. Why-"
"That's what you think, but due to your grievance over your son, I told the men what I saw last night. I was abruptly awaken by a feet running, I hurriedly follow him but I wasn't able to reach him, but only his silhouette, the size of Orion!"
"How can you say that? How sure are you?" Thea demanded confusingly.
"Because there are no men with the same size as him, and besides" he smiled arrogantly "this pluck of feather is I believe he owns, remember that he has it in his head." "But" Thea was starting to have doubts. "Don't worry, we'll take care of it" and with that Garkus stood up and left.
"Garkus!" she tried to stop him but he couldn't be stopped. 'Something's not right' she thought.
Orion was taking a rest, just in front of the forest, when some men in the village came charging. Forks and torches, furious and mad, all seemed to kill.
Thea's POV
I run as fast as I could to the forest, my heart pounding very fast, my mind racing. Please, just let me get there. Everything's just wrong. Orion wouldn't do such thing, there's no hatred or and mischief in his eyes. Only pure gentleness and humorous amusement to my son. And there's no such thing as a feather on his neck, it was a double star pendant that hanged loosely around his large neck.
I don't know why I should save him, but there is something about him that me myself doesn't understand. As I run towards the forest, I have this ghastly idea of what will happen to him if I don't get there.
Something about Orion being tied up in a rope, hanged up in a low tree and beaten by men and continuous throwing of stones at him. Stabbing him with large forks and knives on his sides, shouting at him and cursing him to die. I could hear him growl in pain as they continue their torture to him. Somewhere in my mind, that bloody Garkus giving off a gleeful smile, and eyes that were excited. The eyes of a fearless killer. Then he swings his mighty axe on Orion's head and…
I shake it off of my mind and continued my run, and as I come near the forest, one thought runs in my head. Please don't let it be too late.
Burned Ashes.
That was all that's left to witness. An injustice death, for an unfortunate soul. It was a torturous killing, but there is nothing else to do. Thea just kneel down on the pile of ashes and cried quietly for him.
In the middle of her misery, she noticed something beside his ashes that glitters before the sun. She reaches out to it and held out a star pendant. Orion's pendant. Another thing that she didn't notice was the half of the bundle of Lilac she has in her hands. Offering the flowers and a prayer, she left his grave with his necklace on her neck.
A misbehave circumstance emerged in the town of Rogets, mysteriously unknown things happened to every people of the village. Some said they disappeared without knowing, others died with sickness that wasn't able to be cured, and others just die without reason to all.
But it was believed that someone lived, a lone fortunate woman, who escaped the claws of death. But no one knew her, or where she is now. But some say they saw her, helping people who are in trouble, and were seen wearing a double-star pendant. Whether this is true or not, no one can really testify of what really happened. But one fact is true: a mysterious star shores up the dark sky one night, and it was said to be the brightest of all, naming it as Polaris. The guide of the people who are lost in the dark, the hope of the distress.
And it was her strength against all of them.
It wasn't easy for her to face life, she wasn't equipped for painful remarks that they throw at her, nor was she prepared of how they treat her. She's an innocent being with a kind heart, but they treat her as if she's the filthiest, wilt, ghastly creature of all. It is a depressing situation, but there are also good novelties to every abnormality. Polaris is the first thing, which she can clearly see near the Kobi River, and second, are her-
"SAKURA!" a raven haired woman called out to her, running and walking in search for her around the Orion Forest. "SAKURA! SAKURA!" she shouted, a quarter of her pleated skirt brushes against the wet grass making a wet mark to it. "I'm here Alice!" Sakura shouted, waving her left hand towards her. Alice run towards her, her face expressed all the fear and worry she has. "Sakura, what are you doing here? You know it's dangerous for you" she scolded.
"I was just picking some Daffodils to garnish our house, it was so pallid that it looked lifeless, so maybe some flowers may do the trick" Sakura smiled at her friend"
"But it's still dangerous, Sakura. Someone might see you"
"Alice, I have lived here for a long time. Danger in this territory is great because of those wild animals around us, but when it comes to those people, that might be rare. You know the story of this forest" Sakura pointed out, "But don't worry, I'll still be cautious" Sakura reassured her friend, Alice just gave a sigh, she stands up from her place and handed the bundle to Alice.
"By the way," Sakura smiled "I bought some fruits and vegetables when I went to the market. And mind you, it's big and fresh."
Sakura noticed the stillness of her surrounding and saw that Alice was making no sound at all, her head bowed down, making no response at all.
Realization struck Sakura. I shouldn't have told her that I left the forest.
"Alice" she started. "Why, Sakura? Why?" Alice said angrily, "Why did you risk your life again? We could've done that; why did you left the forest?
"I just wanted to idle around" Sakura replied "Actually, I didn't plan to go exactly there. I just wanted to leave the forest for a while, to move around a new place, new scenery to see. Then I remembered that our supply was limited, so I bought some stock."
"But it's still an improper reason for you to go wander there. They may beat you hard, say immoral things about you, or worse…" Alice trailed off, her tone now full of distress.
The sadness in Sakura's face stopped her and she felt guilt seeing Sakura being like this. "Ever since that day when they talked about me in a hideous language, I already know that I'm an outcast in their society.
"Sakura" Alice said in a sympathetic tone.
"Like a fleck of dark paint on a rainbow colored artistry" Sakura laughed lightly then smiled, "But I shouldn't hold a grudge on them. It's already in the man's nature that he may prefer to choose what's pleasing in his eyes" she continued, as if Alice hadn't spoken at all.
Before Alice could offer a word, a voice called out to them and they both look to see Juvinite running towards them. A young lad with a sandy-colored hair, aquatic eyes and a well-built physique, wears a grayish-white shirt paired up with a beige pants, all made in cotton and wore a worn-out sandal. "Alice, Sakura, thank God you're both alright. I was so worried when I saw neither of you inside the house" his warm smile quietly fades when he finally sensed the tension between them.
"I'll just visit the Kobi river" Sakura finally said, then starts to move towards the right direction but not before Alice reached out an arm to her "Sakura" but Sakura held back and without looking at her friends she starts walking and limping briskly away.
Alice tried to follow her but Juvinite held her arm, she looks at him and just shook his head, his face serious "Let her be Alice. Sakura needs to be alone sometimes. Let's give her time to think clearly." Alice stared at him for the longest time before nodding in agreement, "All right then."
"Hey" Juvinite suddenly smiled brightly, "Why don't we go home now and fix some food before Sakura gets home" he suggested, and together they went home.
Sakura cried hard against a willow tree, just near the Kobi River, the right side of her body was supporting her when she leaned down on the tree. Painful memories filled her mind, words and accusations that she'll bring all her life.
What a hideous creature!
Get away from me, you monster!
You're a curse, I tell you! A curse!
Ugly wretch!
Devils like you should die!
You are a misfortune to our land!
Sakura's heart felt like it turned into stone, a feeling of lump in her throat and a heavy sense in her body as she held her misery alone, Alice and Juvinite may always be there for her when she needed them but there's something inside her, like a dark void, that is needed to be filled by love, understanding and acceptance. Her friends can comply to those easily, but that's not what she wanted it to be. She wants to really experience these things, if and only if she's able to encounter a stranger, an alien who'll make her feel that she's a human after all, that behind that freak of nature is an innocent girl.
Her tears finally subsided and Sakura was able to calm down, she wiped the remainder of her tears away from her face with the back of her hand and tried to stand up from her place. It was a difficult and painful task for her, but she's used to this kind of pain anyway.
After successfully surpassing that tough job, Sakura walk towards the Kobi River in a slow movement. She stared down at the crystal-clear, blue water and saw her reflection. She saw the said lady that everyone feared of, the wounded face that almost covered all her features that made it hideous to everyone.
She somehow felt fear inside her, not because of her but because of the people that kept hunting her even in her dreams, taunting her in every possible and painful way. Sakura let out a terrifying scream when she saw her reflection covered in red, which almost looked like…
"Blood" Sakura whispered, her eyes focused on that trail in front of her, and sure enough it wasn't a good sign. Her gaze wandered to its origin, her eyes widened when she saw a large pool of blood and not far from it is an unconscious person. Sakura hurriedly went towards it and observed it closely; it was a man in an armored vessel and is really in grave danger, "Oh Kami-sama! He needs help" she whispered hastily.
I would like to specially thank sHinpiTekina kOun na Onna & LadyHimura for helping me out for this chapter. Please do review!
PS: I wish sHinpiTekina kOun na Onna would continue her story to tell. Gambatte ne!