Chapter -30: Struggling to Break Free
Can you hear the leaves rustling in the trees? How they dance to the rhythm of the branches, independent of any wind?
The little critters of the forest move through the leaves and gnaw on the bark. They make homes between the branches or lay eggs that blend in with the moss.
Everyone has a role to play in this natural, verdant society.
But one little girl believes she belongs somewhere else.
Her name is Acai Rose. She is ten years old, and with this age has come a budding sense of wanting and rebelliousness the likes of which Tanglefae has rarely seen.
Every so often she runs out of the village as quickly as her little feet can carry her.
She's tried to barrel out past the entrance. She has swung from the vines. She has even attempted to dig her way out.
Whether through the brushes, the branches or the roots, Ividae stops her every time.
And if that wasn't bad enough she then has to endure being taken home by her dad.
He's relaxed, almost carefree in his concern for her attitude. He admonishes her for trying but only gets as far as rubbing her hair playfully as a punishment.
"I hate it here." She groans as she lays in bed at night, then repeats it again when she has to wake up in the morning.
She will drag herself to follow the daily routine of nurturing the plants with the other people, but it all felt so constricting.
She felt like a seed that wasn't being allowed to blossom. She wanted to stretch her head out and soak in the sun, or look for sights she has never seen.
Heck, she'd accept tripping over a rock. Anything was better than living at home.
Today, she sat on a log at the edge of a small lake. This was a recent addition courtesy of the efforts of Ividae and the people of Aquamoria.
It helped the forest prosper, apparently.
Acai used it to have a taste of the outside, dipping her toes into cold water and soaking in the sunlight around noon.
Her rebellious streak was starting to be reflected in her clothes. She shunned robes and wore a green shoulder shawl with brown fuzzy underside. She had cut a hole in her shirt to expose her midriff, making the outline of a rose tattoo visible.
Combining that with short shorts and thorn ivy wrapped around her lower arms and her appearance definitely had an edge to it, but also looked prepared for adventure.
She was desperate for the call, tapping her fingers on wood whenever she had to stand still.
Her soft, young face only looked cute when she tried to pout or growl in frustration.
"I have tried EVERYTHING, what am I gonna do now…?"
When she reviewed her plans she started to remember her dad always being there to bring her back.
She would ask him, "Why can't I go outside?"
And as she has gotten older she has learned how to be louder and more aggressive in her frustrations.
Because every time he would say something different that roughly meant the same thing: "No."
But nothing irritated her more than that word.
"Someday…someday…someday! He is always telling me someday!"
She leaned out and shouted with her face turning bright red, "I want out NOOOOOOW!"
A swarm of bugs flew out of the trees and covered her from behind.
"Eek!" In a panic she threw herself off the log and dove headfirst into the water.
She then pulled out and had a rose red face and a big, puffy pout.
Back to the log she went, her hair dripping like dew drops off of morning petals.
"Hey!" Shouted another source of irritation in her life.
An irritation by the name of Tina Aqua.
Acai has known her since she was a baby. She's almost three years older and is a constant source of positive vibes.
Acai turned her head and grumbled, "Go away…"
Only for the spry and watery girl to waltz up beside her and lean her head in with a smile that made Acai's heart jolt.
She brushed her wet hair and chuckled while wading her way into the lake, "I see you had fun in the water!"
"Mrgh…!" Acai slapped her hands down and kneaded the bark a few times, her mouth restraining any obscenities from "Ms. Pure Pure's" ears.
Tina twirled and walked until her legs were knee deep in the water and surrounded by lily pads, where she faced Acai and brandished her hand out in invitation.
"Come on, let's play!"
"W-Who does she think she is…?!" Acai grit her teeth and her face continued to redden.
She may not have a green thumb, but she had green eyes.
Tina could waltz right in and out without trouble, she wasn't hindered by big, stupid adults or a bigger, stupider deer.
The outside world must be intoxicating, how else could it explain her obnoxious levels of energy?
And yet in spite of Acai's own hate glaring her down, Tina reached out and called her a friend.
Acai let out a "Hmph!" and turned the whole log away from her, then paddled her feet in the air.
"Uh oh," Tina remarked, "Need some help?"
Acai mumbled out of the side of her mouth, "You can't help me…"
"I can try! Just leave it to your best friend, Tina!" Tiba said, tucking her hands back and leaning forward.
Acai dug her fingertips into the bark and got all flustered looking at her face, "Lord why are you so-!"
Some incomprehensible sounds later and she hung her head and looked up at the sky, "I want to go outside. It's not fair…!"
"But you ARE outside." Tina remarked, getting Acai to swing her head back and bark, "I know that, stupid…!"
Tina raised her hands acting all chill over her reaction, "S'alright, I was just joking!"
Acai bit her teeth and mentioned, "You have your dad's bad sense of humor…"
She faced forward and tapped on the log before bemoaning with a hint of desperation, "Can't you put some of that energy into helping me?"
"I am! If you come and play, it'll take your mind off the stress!" Tina then bent down and splashed the water at the edge of the grass.
Acai learned over her shoulder and then sharply turned away, "I don't want to."
"Yes you do, you love playing with water! I'll even let you get the first splash on me!" Tina stood still with her arms out of view and Acai stared at her, mischievous thoughts stirring in her head.
She pointed at one of the lily pads and it rose up, dumping water atop Tina's head and making her let out a ticklish giggle.
Acai cracked a tiny smile and then turned away before it was seen.
Tina walked out of the water and clapped her hands, "See, you liked that!"
Acai hooked the edge of her scarf and covered her mouth, "N-No…!"
Tina sat down and rubbed shoulders with her and said in her sunshine tone, "Appreciate the smaller moments in life, Acai. You don't want to grow up too fast!"
"Cause one day you're going to fall in love with someone, then you'll get married…" Tina blushed and slapped her hands against her cheeks while laughing giddy with glee, "And you'll be swept up in such a wonderful tidal wave of happiness that you won't be able to think straight, oooh! And then the great big fish will give you three babies…!"
Acai shoved her with her shoulder and shrieked, "Ew! Weirdo…!"
Tina barely budged and started laughing up a storm, "Ha ha ha! Whoopsie!"
Acai then squeezed her hands between her legs and sighed, "My world is too small…I want to see what's out there. Or just…have the choice…"
Her voice regressed into silence, but then broke free with a whimper and a plea, "Please Tina…get me out of here."
Tina patted her on the back gently, "I wish I could, but we shouldn't disobey our parents."
Acai swung her head up with eyes wide and damp and shouted, "Easy for you to say, you only have your dad, and he lets you get away with everything!"
"Mom says no! Dad says no…! His dumb deer lover says no!"
Tina poked her on the nose to frazzle her and give herself an opening to speak, "Dad doesn't let me eat raw eel."
"Wha…?"
"I'm not allowed to tie my own hooks onto fishing lines. I don't get to swim too far out from the shore. I can't bring a crab home as a pet."
"He restricts me in a lot of ways, but I know it comes from a place of love. And I know that your parents have to feel the same way."
Acai's frown stretched as she muttered, "Then why won't they tell me why?"
"I dunno, I'm just a kid!" Tina said with a hearty shrug.
She then looked her friend in the eyes and said, "When the time comes, I promise to take you aaaaaaall around the world. Like we're on a date!"
Acai got a sharp blush in her cheeks and watched Tina stand and give her a closed smile, "See you later, Acai!"
Acai hung her head and mumbled while she walked away, "T-Thank you…"
"Hmmm?" Tina twirled back around.
Acai turned away and quickly shouted, "Nothing! Go on! Scat!"
Tina giggled and danced her way out of the forest.
Acai then went about her day, wandering, plotting and scheming a way out.
She went onto the main path and stared out onto the open wastelands. It was right there, for her!
She took a deep breath and cracked her knuckles, then sprinted forward without a second thought.
Before the exit was within her reach, all of a sudden, Sarajin dropped out of the sky and caused her to recoil and trip onto her butt.
He immediately ran up and reached out to help her up, "That looked like it hurt, you ok?"
Acai shyly took his hand and buried her chin into her chest, "Y-Yeah."
Once she stood Sarajin flinched and commented on her with some mild embarrassment, "O-Oh, you're Carmine's little girl! Wow, you've grown since I last saw you, how long was it…?"
He then waved his hand around and commented, "The clothes aren't…Hmmm…"
Her appearance had taken him aback, but he clearly meant nothing rude with his silence. Nah, she knew he was a very, very nice person.
He was tall, mysterious, with a dashing look described in some of the old fairy tales her mom used to read to her at night.
His aura was soft like a pillow of moss and his smile was like dewdrops on rose petals.
In his presence she surrendered her edge and acted more her age, sheepishly withdrawing her hand and turning around to place them both against her heartbeat.
But then she realized…he was not coming to sweep her off her feet, and her dour attitude returned in full, "...You're here to see my dad."
Sarajin raised his brows and withdrew his hand to place it near his hilt, a little worried by her tone, "Yeah…?"
She stiffly stood up and took a few steps away with a pout, "He's where he's always at…!"
She then stopped and locked her feet into the dirt, where she felt Sarajin staring at her back, which made her skin become riddled with goosebumps.
She peered over her shoulder twice, the second attempt revealing a hint of vulnerability in her eyes.
Sarajin started to make his way deeper into the forest after nodding in appreciation of her guidance. But he barely made it past the first tree before he patted his hand against the bark and looked back.
He then turned around and approached her from the side to ask, "Do you want to talk?"
She tilted her head and her pout looked more like a squeezed frown. She nodded, and with a smile he walked her over to a moss covered stone big enough to fit them both.
He then crossed his hands on his lap and urged her in a friendly and gentle tone, "So, what's going on?"
"...Y-You've known my dad the longest," Acai turned the other way and coughed up with a bit of fear in her voice, "Does he…love me?"
Sarajin's pupils shrank and he looked forward, mouth agape, a gasp of a sentence pushing out of his throat.
He then pulled back and contemplated it a little more before settling on a soft-spoken, "Your dad's not as outwardly emotional as a lot of my other friends."
"If I knew him back then with the experience I have now, I never would have imagined him with a wife, or even a child."
He gestured at Acai with a smile and a light sniffle, "But you ARE here, Acai. And you're his favorite plant in the whole forest."
Acai tucked her head into her arms and bemoaned, "I don't feel like anyone's favorite…"
"...What has he done to make you feel that way?"
"I keep trying to explore outside the forest, but he always pulls me back, telling me it's dangerous."
Sarajin chuckled warmly, "Sounds to me like he's protecting you. That's an expression of love if I ever heard one."
"But he won't tell me WHY it's dangerous!" Her scream escaped her arms in frustration, "I don't feel safe, I feel trapped…!"
And then her fury broke down into tears that she buried against her knees, whimpering her plight to her knight in rugged cloth, "I-I want to hurt him so bad…"
Sarajin had to recollect himself a bit after hearing that, his heart aching with the urge to reach out and help her as best he could.
"...It won't make you feel any better." He whispered with a twinge of guilt.
Acai briefly poked her head up to plead, "T-Then, take me out of here…please…!"
Sarajin leaned back and laid his hands on the rock, "I want to, but I can't replace your father forever."
"Instead of trying to run away from him, you should talk to him like you are to me right now. Be honest about how you are feeling. He'll understand."
She buried her head deeper and groaned in reluctance.
"..." Sarajin reached out and rubbed her on the back, "Do you want me to go in your place?"
She nodded.
"Haaaa, alright. I'll soften him up for you," He stood up and started to make his way into the forest, glancing over his shoulder to say, "You should head back home for now."
"Thanks…" She murmured.
Once he was deep enough into the forest, she raised her head and felt stressed out, making her lug her body around like a stone.
Before she started down the path home by herself, she suddenly had an idea…
"...There's still a way out of here." Desperation drove her to run through the woods, past her village, and into the forbidden Grove of Eternal Night…
Meanwhile, Sarajin made his way over to Ividae's resting place, where Carmine was laying against his friend's hip, surrounded by flowers he's never seen.
In his hand, the piece of a silver mask.
He sighed and turned it around, then brushed pollen off one of the flowers to put on it, "No good…"
Ividae rustled and its high antlers shriveled until touching his head.
He then sat up and rubbed its belly with a smile, "We cannot lose hope."
He then met eyes with Sarajin, who gave him a solemn expression before remarking, "Still at it?"
Carmine put the shard to rest on the ground and stood to greet him, "Since the crack of dawn."
Sarajin saw plenty of wilted flowers off to the side, and gleaned at his friend with worry, "Don't lose sleep over this. We'll figure out a solution together."
Carmine tensed up, seeing this from a different perspective, "I…feel responsible."
He started walking aside with his head craned towards the canopy, "Justek is MY friend too, yet I couldn't remember his daughter's name when it mattered the most."
He turned around and scrunched up his lips, "We could have done something sooner…"
Sarajin admitted to him, "If I learned of this back then I would have lost control."
Carmine faked a smile, "Don't try to absolve me of my guilt, Sarajin."
"I'm not. But don't let it destroy you."
Carmine thought about it a while before nodding. He then went to pick up the shard and extend it to Sarajin, "We were able to break the hold on Lunis by damaging the mask. But if I know Glade by now, he won't take defeat well."
Sarajin crossed his arms and commented, "Cecilia did say that she couldn't crack it."
"No, not that. Something more sinister…" Carmine slanted the shard and there was still pollen ingrained into it, "This pollen was created to inhibit the body's emotions and thus the hesitation to kill. If you were Glade, how would you make it better?"
"Make it so the pollen effects last beyond the need for a mask?"
"That's what I suspect," Carmine put the mask back down, "But pollen is tricky. If it is in the nose that deep, it would essentially be a parasite."
Sarajin remarked, "But I've seen Lunis around normally and she's normal."
"Which means they have some way to remove the pollen. I just have to figure out how, and recreate it."
Sarajin then reached out to his shoulder and told him, "I'll look at the library in Sancturia for a solution."
"I appreciate it."
The two them separated, with Sarajin turning to speak with Ividae, "Have you seen Glade at all?"
The Titan shook their branches, which Carmine translated with some input of his own, "He seems to make his home in the Eternal Grove only…All these years and I have never met him."
"Never?"
"Not once," Carmine's fist subtly tightened against his hip, "And maybe it is a good thing I haven't."
The tension was allowed to pass until Carmine was soothed by the forest air he called home. Tired and a bit ashamed, he looked his friend in the eyes and saw something hidden within.
"You didn't just come here to check on me, did you?"
Sarajin leaned back and rubbed his head, "That was the original plan…"
He then whispered with concern, "I had a talk with Acai."
Carmine winced with a pang of guilt, "Oh…
Sarajin gestured out and said, "I get she's young, but you won't even let her go to Aquamoria? Brine would protect her."
"He would. It's…more than that," Carmine reached for where his heart lay, "He made a plan to kill ME. And as long as I can't stop him he could go after her, kill her to get to me."
"I-I CAN'T do that…!" He yelled passionately, before biting down his teeth and murmuring, "She can have a chance to live in a much more vibrant world…but NOT if I fail to protect her."
Sarajin closed his eyes and smiled as he exhaled, "I knew it."
He then gestured out and remarked, "You can't keep the truth from her forever. Talk with her."
"...I'm scared it's already too late."
Sarajin prodded him in a somewhat jovial tone, "Carmine, she's going to punch you eventually."
Thus brought Carmine upright and with a gentle sigh he whispered, "I suppose you're right."
Ividae suddenly reared their head back and broke the leaves off the tree. With a few wooden moans, suddenly, Carmine's eyes widened, "W-What are you saying?"
"Carmine…?"
Carmine turned, his face turning pale, "He can't feel Acai's presence in the forest…"
Sarajin bit his teeth. "Did she use me to…"
Carmine spoke in haste, "There's no time to speculate! She could have wandered into the Grove!"
Sarajin remarked, "You check there. I'll comb the outside!"
They broke off in separate directions to seek the lost little rose.
While they hurried to rescue her from possible danger, the young girl crawled through the deep night woods of twisted violet barks and alluring, eerie, glowing flowers.
Her body shivered but she bravely pressed onward in whatever direction her feet would take her.
"Hhh…!" The trees were looking down on her. The flowers seemed to whisper.
Her gulp of saliva felt tight in her throat, "I-I can do it. There's gotta be a way out through here!"
She was accompanied by some fluttering lights belonging to the denizen Fae, a couple of them appearing in person with their black beady eyes to greet her with mouthless whispers, "Hi, hi! Come play, come play…!"
Acai was taken aback with fright, then edged a little closer to ask them, "D-Do you know the way out of here?"
The Fae bobbed their heads and weaved their arms together to point the way forward, "This way's the way! Come with us, come with us!"
"Ummm…" Acai reached out and hooked her fingers in the air, then pulled them back against her chest, feeling a fluttering heartbeat.
"I-I don't think this is the right way…" Her gut was telling her.
"Trust in us! Trust in us! We're your friends, friends!" The Fae inched closer, others fluttered in from behind, nuzzling their bodies up against the back of her neck.
She shivered and then dashed out the side, running and running until she couldn't see straight and came to a complete stop.
"W-Where am I?" There were no recognizable sights to be found.
"Hello?!" She shouted, "I-I want out…!"
Her voice echoed in a scratchy tone within the trees, causing her to twist and turn until she started to walk backwards away from them.
And eventually this led to her bumping up against an object that budged and then pushed her back slightly.
She turned around and there was some green-backed figure hunched towards the ground, with rotting leaves covering their back.
The figure then rose to their feet, revealing a robe draped over a human body.
Acai felt some relief that it was an adult, and equal parts rebellion. Her sense of danger overpowered this, and she walked up and tugged at the person's robe to ask them, "E-Excuse me…do you know how to leave the forest?"
They turned around just enough that she saw their face. It was a man with no hair, and purple liquid sloshing around in his eyes, the veins around them engorged.
Acai felt a chill in their chest and started to back away.
Then, the man turned and raised his finger out in front of him.
Acai couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about him, but his gesture didn't set any alarms off so with a tense gulp she started running in that direction while shouting, "T-Thanks!"
She then stopped as another voice started calling her name through the forest, "Acai? Acai!"
It was her dad.
She took one step back and looked at the man with the strange clothes, then made the decisive call to stay where she was and hope the sound would pass.
Unfortunately, her dad was able to brush past the brushes to catch her in his sights. With a frightened gasp he ran straight over to her and dove her hands around the back of her head.
"You had me so worried…!" He struggled to get out.
She wanted to shove her hands out and break free but realized that his warmth was too overpowering. She started to cry and dig her fingertips into his stomach.
Then, the air began to feel denser and his grip on her got tighter to the point it made her scared.
She looked up and what she saw was nothing she recognized as her father. Just a cold, silent stare piercing into the darkness of night.
He was staring at the hooded man.
He was looking at the man who had poisoned his home, and tied himself to many unspeakable horrors inflicted on his friends and their loved ones.
And that terror stared back, the usual uncaring demeanor replaced with a wealth of fire from his eyes as he pulled his head back, the deep shadow of his hood illuminating his gaze upon the young girl.
Carmine bent over and covered her daughter as best she could, trembling all over.
Acai felt wedged between this thick tension forming in the air, suffocating without any way to escape. Her mind raced in a panic.
A metallic sound slowly drew out of the Sage's sleeves, and the ground around Carmine shook with the uprising of many tangled roots.
He had something to say. Ividae had something to shout.
And the next few seconds became a complete blur for Acai, as silver blades sliced across the air, facing down an equally quick emergence of roots lunging in their direction.
And in this tangled mess of affairs Carmine grabbed his daughter by the back and escaped.
Glade saw their cowardice through the weave of roots twisting to spear him through. He continued to slice them apart until the Titan no longer had the sight of his companion to rely on.
There, he stood atop a pile of decaying black roots and withdrew his sickles into his sleeves.
That brief glimpse into the"poison" in Carmine's gaze was now burned into his retinas…
Carmine managed to get Acai as far as the border between the Grove and their home before she finally regained the strength to shove free.
She stumbled back gasping and panting with her head frazzled with too many questions to sort through, "W-Who was that…?! Why did he attack you?!"
The most basic and simple questions were also the most painful for Carmine to come to terms with now that her sanctity had been compromised.
He took a deep breath to relax and then reached out with a hint of hesitation, "Acai…"
She recoiled and squeezed her hands against her chest, "No…! Why…why did you come after me again?!"
Carmine flinched and then responded in a somewhat volatile manner, "You shouldn't have been in the Grove in the first place!"
She bit her teeth down and trembled, the fear and rage in her eyes really making him regret his words.
"I can't leave the forest, and I can't even explore all of it…! Why don't you just shove me in my room and lock the door?!"
Carmine retracted his hand and was silent in the face of her wrath hitting a peak.
She stamped her foot on the ground and threw her fists down, no longer that timid little girl who loved to frolic through the flowers with him. Her rose red face screamed in defiance, desperate to find the strength inside to control her life, even if it's just for this one moment, "I…I HATE YOU…!"
She ran off into the village, leaving her father speared through the heart with her ivy tangled in thorns.
He laid his hands over his heart and started to hyperventilate, crushed by the weight of his failure as a guardian…and now, as a father.
"Oh Ividae…" He murmured, his voice trembling, "Where did I go wrong…?"
The stem on his shoulder could only wilt and tremble in response…
Next Time: To Key to Happiness