Hersh Forest – Bordering Kaida and Azura
Rustle, rustle.
The quiet shuffle of leaves and the soft crunch of footsteps were the only sounds breaking the stillness of night.
Above, the full moon hung like a silver lantern, bathing the dense forest in a ghostly light.
Grrrrrrr…
A deep rumble echoed—not from a beast, but from a stomach.
"Arrgh… I'm so hungry," a hoarse voice whispered.
Ken staggered into the moonlight. Dirt crusted his face, his clothes were torn, and he had grown noticeably thinner. His steps were weak, his balance teetering.
"I haven't eaten in three days…" he muttered, slumping against a nearby tree. He tilted his head up toward the moon as if it might drop him a snack.
Then—something glimmered in the trees.
A round red shape.
Ken's eyes lit up. "Oh, great heavens!"
His mouth watered instantly. "Is that… an apple?!"
With the grace of a dying man and the desperation of a lunatic, he clambered up the tree—scraping his arms, bumping his head, and slipping several times.
Eventually, after what felt like a lifetime, he reached it.
The apple.
He reached out, hand trembling.
But the moment his fingers touched it—he paused.
"…Huh?"
It was soft.
And squishy.
And hollow?
Ken blinked, the illusion shattering. It wasn't an apple—it was a red rubber ball.
"What the hell?!"
His left hand slipped.
Thud!
He hit the ground like a sack of potatoes, and the ball plopped onto his face like it was mocking him.
Groaning, he shoved it off. "If I find the brat who threw that ball, I'm skinning him alive…"
He glanced up at the tree again. "It wasn't even an apple tree... Am I hallucinating?"
Ken chuckled bitterly and slumped back against the bark. He looked up again, half-expecting the moon to morph into a grilled steak.
It didn't.
"Maybe… we shouldn't have split up," he muttered, a faint memory of Alpha flickering through his mind.
But he shook it off. "Nah."
Clang. Clang.
His swords clanked as he resumed walking, dragging his feet along the dirt path.
"How many days to Azura…?" he groaned. "I could eat anything right now…"
Then—
He stopped.
His nose twitched.
"…Wait."
A scent drifted through the air, like a divine whisper.
His eyes widened.
"…Is that… curry? No, wait—meat? Fries? Buns??"
He couldn't tell what it was, but it smelled heavenly. Whatever it was, it had flipped a switch inside him.
His body moved on its own, feet carrying him toward the scent like a puppet being controlled.
The trees parted.
And what Ken saw made him freeze.
A giant cube loomed in the clearing ahead—not just a cube—a castle, cubic in shape, pristine white, as tall as a skyscraper, and impossibly smooth, like it had fallen from the sky.
"…What is this?"
His heart gave a heavy badum as he took in the surreal sight.
There was an open entrance—a wide door at the base of the structure. And from within…
The smell. Stronger now. Rich. Savory.
It was definitely coming from inside.
"A castle in the middle of nowhere… with food inside? This is 1000% a trap," Ken muttered, eyes narrowed.
He pinched his cheek.
"Ow."
Still real.
The scent wrapped around his senses, coaxing his starving body forward.
"…Maybe it's not a trap?" he hesitated.
"Maybe it's… divine providence? A reward from the gods for my heroic journey?"
He stared at the cube again, hand on his stomach, which was growling like a wild beast.
"…Arrrgh, this is tough."
He debated for a solid thirty seconds before his stomach let out one last, devastating growl.
GRRRRRRRRRR.
That was it.
"Man must survive!" he declared, striking a dramatic pose. "And if it's a trap, I'll just dice up the enemies with my swords!"
With that ironclad logic, he marched forward with a renewed swagger, swinging his arms as if he'd just made the smartest decision in the world.
The cube had a massive moat-like canal separating it from the forest floor—but there was a thick wooden ramp that stretched across it.
Ken strolled across it, humming to himself, the smell practically dragging him by the nose now.
"It's meat! I know it's meat! Juicy, sizzling meat…"
He reached the entrance.
The inside was dark. No lights. No voices. Just shadows.
Still, his feet moved forward.
Step by step.
One foot crossed the threshold. Then the other, and he was in.
But in that instant, there was a creak, followed by a loud bang!
Then the door of the castle slammed shut.
***
Minutes after Ken vanished into the cube, another set of footsteps rustled through the forest—lighter, slower, and more cautious.
Alpha crept forward, her yellow hair glinting under the moonlight, giving her an ethereal glow. She clutched her belongings tightly to her chest, reducing the noise of her movement to mere whispers.
"Ken, you idiot! I can't believe you left me," she muttered, her voice cracking slightly as tears welled in her eyes.
She paused beside a deflated red ball lying in the dirt.
"…What the hell is this doing here?"
She stared at it for a moment, eyebrows furrowed, but then—
Rustle!
"Eep!" Alpha shrieked and ducked behind a tree, heart hammering in her chest.
She peeked out slowly… only to see rats scurrying back into the woods.
She blinked. "Seriously?"
Her shoulders slumped. "I can't believe I was scared of rats," she muttered, half-laughing.
Steeling herself, she resumed walking, following the same path Ken had taken.
"Ugh," she groaned. "No gold. No food. No Ken. Not that I need him anyway. He left me."
Still, the bitterness in her voice was soft, like she didn't quite believe it herself.
Then—something shimmered.
Alpha stopped.
Not moonlight. Not a torch. Just a faint gleam.
Her eyes widened. "That's…gold?"
Drawn like a moth to flame, she rushed over.
Bars of gold.
Perfectly stacked, real and gleaming.
"Lord have mercy," she whispered reverently, like she'd just found the "One piece".
("One piece" here is only used as a comedic reference.)
Without hesitation, she whipped out two small sacks from her coat and began stuffing the gold in like a squirrel storing for winter.
She cackled softly. "Ken's gonna drop to his knees when he sees this. 'I'm sorry, Alpha! You were right all along!'"
The first sack filled fast. She frowned, disappointed the gold was already gone.
But then, just to her left, another gleam.
"More gold?"
"No—something bigger."
Dragging the first sack behind her, she stepped through the brush and stopped in her tracks.
Her jaw dropped.
A castle stood before her.
Not white like Ken had seen, but golden.
Like it had been carved from sunlight itself.
"The hell...?"
It shimmered under the moonlight, majestic and unnatural, reflecting light in dazzling arcs.
Alpha shielded her eyes. "It's… beautiful."
She squinted suspiciously. "Also completely ridiculous. Who builds a gold cube in the middle of a forest?"
Then—
Poof!
Tiny angel and devil versions of Alpha appeared on her shoulders.
Demon Alpha, in sleek black: "This is heaven's gift! You deserve this! Claim your throne!"
Angel Alpha, in shimmering white: "Alpha, no. This is obviously a trap. Be logical. You're smarter than this!"
Alpha blinked, considering both sides.
"Hmm…"
Demon Alpha leaned in. "Ken ditched you. You deserve payback. With this gold, you'll rule Tenebrous."
Alpha grinned. "Ooh, I like that."
Angel Alpha tried to protest—but Demon Alpha slapped a hand over her mouth.
"Mmm-mm-mmm!"
The angel squirmed but vanished with a poof alongside her darker counterpart.
Alpha crossed her arms, nodding firmly.
"Not all that glitters is gold... but this time, I'm pretty damn sure it is."
She adjusted her grip on the sack, dragged it across the ramp over the moat, and approached the open doorway of the castle.
It was very dark inside.
But the scent of wealth was stronger than fear.
She stepped in.
One foot.
Then the other.
And then—
Thud.
The massive golden door behind her began to creak slowly and heavily.
Alpha turned, her heart skipping a beat. "Uh—"
Then SLAM!
The door shut.
***
TBC