Sunlight fills the air in a glaring display of white-yellow. As she squints intermittently, her eyes reluctantly adapt to the dazzling light.
Her body aches from hours of lying against the hard surface of a cave wall. Worse is the bizarre dizziness that seems to have migrated from her dreams to reality.
Slowly, Rin proceeds to the cave exit.
She wonders if Tobi slept last night or whether he decided to wander off in search of another unimpeded area.
Against the wet, glistening grass, she can smell the passing rain, and how it hovers ever so subtly in the fresh, untainted atmosphere. Her lungs swallow this purity, and instantly, it relieves her body of the stale, murky air of the cavern.
There is an indisposed feeling that lingers uncomfortably, but she keeps the sensation suppressed and ventures away from the cave.
The forest atmosphere deepens as she cross paths with thick trees and unusually large roots that protrude from the ground.
Her chakra has also stabilised. The regeneration continues until full capacity, with not a single drop of leakage to be felt anywhere. She cannot process the mystifying energy that emanates from this mountain, but she is certain that daylight is keeping her safe from those 'chakra leakages.'
Twenty minutes later and she stumbles across a dense patch of forest full of overgrown vines and suspicious looking plants. Some are as tall as she, others are so small, she does not realise their existence until she accidentally steps on them. They expel a strange looking mustard like liquid and echo a buzzing sound that rattles persistently in her ears.
Then there are the giant black mushrooms that are twice her height and three times her width. The white spots on its cap enlarges, then shrivels to half its size. The rhythmic movement mesmerises her, until an innocuous butterfly flutters by and dispels the trance. It hovers close to the fungi, as if equally spellbound by the spot's movements. As the dot reach its maximum size, it suddenly stops, motionless. The butterfly lands on the white patch and within seconds, its body disintegrates grotesquely into the fungi's body.
Curiosity compels her need to analyse its behaviour. She watches more butterflies land against the white patches, their fate inevitably the same as their previous counterpart.
Then she takes out a kunai and places the tip to a spot. Almost instantly, it oozes a clear liquid that sees the erosion of the kunai tip. She tracks the liquid's upward motion, slowly, slowly, past the metal piece and towards the handle. It is utilising the kunai to get to her hand. She immediately releases the disintegrating weapon.
Beside her, the giant sized mushrooms have swelled considerably to accommodate the growing white dots. Perhaps they have never encountered an enormous prey before?
Without further perusing, she retreats.
The windy path leads Rin to the forest extremity, where an enormous rocky cliff overlooks a dense patch of trees. More mountain terrains.
And instantly she hears it. A soft noise that gets her startled and backing dangerously close to the edge.
A black horse is watching her from the forest. It lets out a soft neigh and canters away into the darkness.
Relieved, she turns for another paved pathway, but the sound of Tobi's voice catches her off guard.
"You're finally awake," he says deeply.
"Dammit!" she shrieks, "Stop doing that!"
"Doing what?" he asks innocently.
"Sneaking up on me!"
"I didn't…and I'll also keep in mind that you're bad tempered in the morning," he says.
She glares reproachfully.
"Where were you anyway?" she asks stiffly.
"Checking out the scenery," he answers indifferently, "Also I'd like to show you something, you might like it."
She peers at him suspiciously but decides to follow when he proceeds ahead without looking back at her.
They walk without speaking. Tobi leads her into a light patch of greenery - a vineyard that looks remarkably out of place. There are purple-red coloured grapes growing on vines, whilst others show subtle indicators of a newly formed grapevine. In the patch of vegetation adjacent, is an enormous strawberry field.
First, Rin notices the colours. Bright, vibrant red, glistening and proudly protruding from the vivid green of leaves. Tobi walks past her and stands before a particularly ripe plant. And he takes one fruit and gives it to her.
"What is this for?" She asks suspiciously.
"Something to ease the morning edginess," he replies.
She hesitantly takes it for thorough perusing.
"It's not poisoned in case you're wondering," Tobi says.
"Why is it here?"
"Does it matter? Just eat it, it'll take half a day to get to the other side of Cascades and I wouldn't want to test your mood on an empty stomach."
"You're testing my mood now," she replies irritably.
"Rin. Eat. Okay?" he says earnestly.
He takes the strawberry and puts it to her mouth.
"I-"
But she parts her lips and accepts the fruit. The sensuous act lasts about five seconds but continues to linger for the next five.
"Take your time…and your pick," Tobi says lightly, "Also, before we go, there is something else I'd like you to see."
x
They venture into a darken area of the forest where the air is thick and the temperature is low.
Instantly, Rin senses a sinister aura. The chakra is familiar in its intensity and ubiquitous in its presence.
And before she can question Tobi on their whereabouts, he halts in his tracks.
"Isn't this," Rin states wildly.
She is unsure of what to make of the scene before her.
"Yes. You remember it don't you?" Tobi answers lowly.
It is the exact same looking sacrificial pit they encountered earlier in the month.
"I feel like I am there again. How is it possible?" She says in puzzlement.
"I don't know, but come this way," he signals for her to follow.
They walk for another five minutes.
"This is the same pit I saw in the Forest of Death," she says faintly.
"Yes, if we keep walking there are many more. There is something significant about these locations. Also, this mountain is incredibly small comparatively to the others. I was wondering, of all the surrounding mountains, we happened to land straight here," Tobi says.
Perplexed, Rin stares at him.
"You mean it was deliberate that we fell here?" She asks tensely.
"Perhaps. I-"
But a soft sound breaks Tobi's sentence. They turn and stare at an enormous shadow padding ever so silently towards them.
Rin recognises the creature. The familiar figure of an immense black horse.
"It's not an enemy," Tobi says reassuringly. He gently places a hand on the horse's shoulder, "We've met before," he continues, answering the questioning look on Rin's face.
"He knows where you are?" she asks.
The proximity gives Rin the opportunity to peruse its allure. The beauty and surrounding aura of the horse's enigma is what she deems synonymous with that of a mythical creature. Under the brightness of the sun, its coat reflects a perfect sheen. The blackness of its colour is the epitomisation of smooth shiny liquid ebony.
And then, it gazes at her.
"That horse, I can sense its chakra," she whispers.
"You're astute," Tobi answers quietly.
"That is no ordinary horse."
"It will lead us out," he says, "This forest is full of illusions, even by daylight. I can't 'see' everything."
As if understanding their conversation, the horse turn its magnificent body and trots ahead, an indicator that they too should follow suit.
x
In the quietude of the forest, the sound of a billion rustling leaves resonate against the surrounding air. They walk to the brim of the forest without trouble, and it is here that they see a neatly paved pathway leading to a small village.
In one soundless motion, the horse dashes into the forest and disappears from sight.
"Shall we get going?" Tobi asks.
"This is one peculiar place, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"Have you summed up your thoughts on this place?"
"No. The universe is full of mysteries. Some things are better left unknown," Tobi says.
She senses a feeling of deliberate evasiveness from him.
"Mm."
"I'm sorry I couldn't find an unimpeded area," Tobi sighs.
A merciful expression flickers her features.
"That's okay, we can walk down together," Rin says.
She takes his hand, "Let's go!"