I took a step. The huge expanse of woods lay before me, waiting to engulf me into its jaws. Mustering a confident face, I walked forward. Then I looked back. My friends were looking at me, worried but expectant. This time, the confident face was real (and it lasted for about 0.0001 seconds).
I rolled my shoulders back, held my chin high and walked in. In about four metres, I couldn’t see my friends. I had walked into an unending labyrinth without any connect to the human world. I breathed in. Another metre or two in, the boughs’ delicate fingers had intertwined, blocking all sources of light.
I couldn’t see anything but the intricately carved barks of the trees. The brown oaks made it seem as though I was stuck in a circle amidst them with no way out. I was too scared to navigate with my sense of touch. This was the Dead Wood. Touching anything would lead to… well…Instant. Death.
My friends were counting on me. To be trapped in one place for too long would be fatal. To touch anything would be fatal. To do nothing would be fatal and to do anything would be fatal.
I took a step forward. An unexpected ray of sunlight shone right into my eyes, blinding me for a second. And then, as though the forest were scolding it for appearing, it was snatched away by a shapeless shadow.
I saw before me a golden light. It glowed with an unexplainable aura. And then suddenly, a woman with cascading auburn hair, eyes lighter than her hair and a complexion so flawless it seemed unnatural, appeared before me.
I would have loved to say something super impressive and appear cool before her, but all that came out was, ‘Who are you?’
She grinned. Yeah, she grinned. Which was weird, because, I mean, don’t you expect someone like this to have some super charming, subtle smile? Anyway, her grin was just as charming as the subtle smile would have been.
‘It does not matter who I am,’ she said in a voice that seemed as though coming from every corner of the wood and not just her own mouth. She walked up to me, her pistachio-coloured gown flowing like the most elegant river, ‘What matters is who you are.’
‘Me?’ I frowned, ‘I’m a huntress. I hunt evil spirits. I’m here to destroy the Dead Wood.’
‘Destroy?’ she laughed, ‘Single handedly? Okay, okay! Let me guess! Your friends offered to come with you, but you thought they were too weak and the wood would kill them, so you came alone.’
‘Th-that’s right,’ I was creeped out.
‘Hmm… how valiant. Okay, so, good luck destroying the forest and stuff. Or… if you’d rather, you may join me.’
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name,’ I said cheekily.
‘You are the one Indomitable One,’ she said, ‘Us spirits have been looking for you. Join us and you will lead a flawless life. Or, you could go on these dangerous expeditions where we’ll eat you up alive. Pick.’
‘I’ll take my chances,’ I said.
The One Indomitable One. That had a nice ring to it. And this indomitable one was about to destroy a whole treasure trove of monsters. The woman’s eyes glowed with rage. Wish me luck!
October 2026
