* * * * * * *
Reality returned to her as the memory faced away.
Aletha noticed that she was located in a marsh, feeling the cool dampness seep through the fabric of her clothing as if the wet ground sought to share its chill.
The pungent odor of decaying vegetation mixed with the earthy scent of wet earth filled the air, while underneath her boots, the soft, spongy ground squished with each step.
As she moved, she heard the loud sounds of rolling wheels resounding over the circular wall of pine trees, an increasing echo that could only indicate Aletha was getting closer to the bull.
Aletha's boots pounded heavily across the ground, splashing even more mud up her leg. Each step sent flecks flying, but the rising mess never mattered to her—she still pressed on.
"I need… to… do this."
At a forest opening, green skyline above, Aletha turned right and spotted a squirrel prancing nearby.
The brown squirrel darted up the trunk, scurried onto a twig, and tossed an acorn down.
"Huh? What's that?"
Suddenly…
(BONK)
The rock-solid acorn hit Aletha's head.
Instantly, her vision flickered white, and she fell to her knees, coughing loudly. Due to her position, Aletha's knees and skin scraped against the sharp stones embedded in the soil, causing her pain.
Collapsed on the ground and curled in a ball, Aletha saw the bull and wagon drifting away as her face pressed into the dirt. Frustration surged through her, her face reddening with blotches as she lay helpless. Her mind swirled with thoughts of regret and anger, each one more intense than the last. She felt a deep sense of unfairness about the situation, and her helplessness was almost suffocating. Aletha's chest tightened with determination, desperate to rise despite the overwhelming obstacles. It was as if each emotion clawed at her consciousness, pushing her to fight back against the despair that threatened to overtake her.
What made the situation even worse was…
"He he he he he he!!"
The shrill giggles from above.
Scratching and rubbing her head, Aletha tilted upward and saw a group of squirrels mocking and giggling at her. Her patience thinned. She was unbelievably close to the bull—her pinky finger could skim the chest's surface.
But instead, Aletha was met by a dirty, hungry squirrel tossing an acorn onto her head for no reason.
Fuming, Aletha snatched the acorn, tightened her grip, and ground it into bits, muttering under her breath as she clenched her fists and bared her teeth.
"Wow, nature sure is a jerk," Aletha muttered, nose crinkling as squirrels giggled.
"He he he he."
Aletha forced a fake smile and mumbled under her breath.
"Oh, you little gremlins think this is funny? Try me. Seriously, try me."
One squirrel dropped a branch on Aletha's head, its impact brief but annoying. Despite her usual patience, Aletha couldn't bear losing her chance to become strong. Teeth gritted, she lashed out, kicking the tree trunk as steam seemed to rise from her heated face.
"That's it—I'm done playing nice. Are you really going to be the reason I fail?"
Like a foreigner, the squirrels continued to laugh, since they couldn't understand Aletha. This, in turn, plucked the last strand of forgiveness in Aletha. She grumbled as she stomped on the ground.
"Well… you little pests... Always chattering, always watching," she muttered. Aletha slowly bent over, picked up an acorn, scrutinized it, and then tilted her chin up at the squirrels on the branch, pinning them with her lifeless gray eyes.
Immediately, the squirrels' giggling ceased; they cowered and shook, staring as Aletha hollered to them.
"I have a gift for you too!"
Frozen, the squirrels then burst out laughing at Aletha's outfit, mocking her height.
"He he he he he he!"
Aletha shook her fists as nature mocked her.
"Grr... you're testing me."
The squirrels expected that she wouldn't do anything and continued to mess with her, all to annoy her. However, to their dismay, they never expected Aletha to do what came next.
Aletha drew back her arm, aimed, and hurled a large pine cone at the squirrel cluster. The cone struck one, knocking it off the branch with a squeal. Aletha grinned as she watched the creature fall.
(PLOP)
After that satisfying 'plop,' Aletha smiled wickedly.
"Got ya!"
In her triumph, Aletha was glad to have her revenge. She boasted as she walked away from the pile of squirrels. Yet, even as she celebrated her victory, a shadow of doubt began to creep in. The laughter of the squirrels and the brief satisfaction of retaliation left a lingering unease in her chest. Was this the strength she truly sought? A faint whisper nagged at the back of her mind, hinting at the possibility that her actions might lead to unforeseen consequences.
"Ha, look who's the weakest now? That's what you get, annoying beasts! I'm the goddess of this world, not you!"
Afterward, silence met Aletha. She placed her hand on her hips and realized.
"Oh, shoot. Now I'm even further from the bull. I don't think I can catch up."
It would then be that Aletha would discover she had messed up.
First, a strong tremble shook beneath her feet. Confused and curious, she mumbled.
"Earthquake?"
Second, Aletha's eyes widened in terror as a screeching howl shattered the silence over the vast expanse of wood. Not just one, but dozens of howls echoed. She whimpered, her body tensing, hugging herself tightly.
"W… What's that?"
Last, Aletha's heart froze at the sight of not one huge, lavender bear, but ten, charging at her. Their blue eyes flashed, illuminating the forest shadows and making the scene even more menacing.
If treasure won't urge her to run, this…
"B-Bears?! No, I. I made a big mistake. I NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!"
…surely will.
And nature was right, Aletha started to run not for training, but for her life.
Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she tramped and trodden-limped across the marsh, up the hill, towards the sunlight. The loud rumbling of the beasts gradually grew louder, and her feet desperately attempted to create a form of traction as the mud took a powerful grip on her boots.
"Ugh, come… on!"
Aletha gripped the boots and pulled, but they wouldn't move; the soles clung to the damp, moist ground as if glued in place.
"Seriously? Sticky mud now? Is this how nature pays me back?"
Latched onto the mud, just centimeters from dry, grassy land, Aletha was stuck. Hearing the stampede of bears, she whimpered in cold fear.
"H… Help…"
The bottom of her boots was taped with thick glue. Behind her, the feral roars of the purple bears grew louder. Her breathing quickened; she squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and mumbled as the bears drew closer.
"Please… anyone?! Help!"
The ground trembled beneath her; rocks jostled in her boots, and hot gas and steam rose from soaked pits. Her heart pounded as she tried to pull free from the soil's grip, but her feet were stuck in the mud.
All Aletha felt was a cold, suffocating hopelessness. There was nothing she could do to escape.
She considered any way to escape, such as taking off her boots, but she couldn't bring herself to do it, having just received them.
Stuck in her thoughts and the mud, Aletha tried again to shuffle free.
"Roar!"
The bears grew more ferocious after what Aletha did to the squirrels.
It was as if Aletha felt the forest's presence around her, each action rippling through everything; this deepened her unease in her changed world. Now, thinking of the suffering squirrels, remorse and doubt pulled at her, making her question what she had done. Aletha realized that her impulsive reaction was more than just a moment of anger; it reflected an unsettling pattern of overlooking the consequences of her actions.
As she stood there, the echoes of laughter still ringing in her ears, Aletha's mind was flooded with memories of past decisions that had led to unintended harm due to her lack of foresight. Her heart felt heavy with the weight of these reflections, and she pondered if seeking revenge for minor grievances was worth alienating herself from the world around her.
This moment was a harsh reminder of how intertwined her life had become with the forest, and how her actions could disrupt the delicate balance she relied on. She shook her head and sighed, keenly aware of the need to reconcile her actions and learn from this experience.
"I guess… my actions DO have consequences."
With one final budge, she felt both the ground and her boots beneath her quiver through the one-meter thick marshland of mud.
An emotion of liberty flew in Aletha afterward. Thick, murky droplets fell to the ground, their strings detaching from her and relieving her anxiety. Quickly taking advantage, Aletha sprinted up the cliffs, away from nature, the breeze rushing into her as she moved.
As soon as she knew it, her face glowed under the unveiling golden rays. The clouds could be seen again covered in the green tint of the blooming air, followed by the reflecting soil of the tall mountains of Linuxinia. Her eyes stood still as they caught sight of a surreal field of active water geysers, gushing pillars of water all around the plain of brown.
"This isn't the Alpine Glitterfy Range," Aletha muttered. "This…" As she tried to take a grasp at her own words, suddenly…
A gargantuan inverted waterfall flew upwards into the sky, pushing even the clouds back and plastering the entire forest in warm water droplets. Even Aletha's muddy face was drizzled in wet substances, completely washing away the dirt from her legs, arms, and even boots.
At that moment, as the sun shone on the vast field of Geysers, Aletha's mouth curved into a smile, and she turned back to exclaim.
"This is GUSHY GEYSERS!"
The bears were seen retreating back into the forest, coupled by the giant eagles, worms, serpents, fog, and other creatures she had no idea were chasing her. The sheer weightlessness she felt after the pounds of weight of her anxiety fell off made Aletha feel as if she was on top of the world.
When she looked to her right and saw the colossal mountain piercing the sky, she realized it served as a reminder of just how far she was from her goal. And…
"Speaking of goals… s-should I?"
There, her eyes flashed with realization. The deer-antlered bull she was supposed to chase was kilometers away from her; just a tiny speck in comparison to the gigantic field of Geysers, lakes, and waterfalls in front. She knew just from the sheer view of the vista in front of her that this would be more of a challenge for her.
* * * * * * *
Feeling the wind whip her face, Aletha started to chase the bull across the dangerous field of geysers. From every corner, inverted turquoise waterfalls were everywhere, spewing up into the sky like pillars.
Her boots were coated and relieved from the warm waters, but the mist that resonated around the thick patches of vegetation caught up to her legs, decreasing her speed.
But she clenched her fists, and with every pinch of determination, ran at her fastest.
"I got to keep going…"
Her breaths were sharp, but her steps were soft.
One wrong step inside the community of geysers could set off and detonate pillars of water, shooting them out into the sky.
Although breathless, Aletha threw her hands up in the air and dashed away the geysers around. She saw plenty of animals getting caught in the storm of water, being tossed in the air, and falling just close enough to avoid damage. Aletha kept her gaze focused on the green speck, dashing over hills and vaulting over a field of flowers.
With her eyes open, she skimmed through the shallow pools of water and dared to travel at her own ease. She gasped as she stopped for a breath, sweating uncontrollably.
"It's… almost…:
Now, the 'speck' Aletha saw before could actually be recognized as a bull from her distance.
However, as she continued wandering around the field of geysers, waterfalls, and shallow pools of water, a problem arose. If Aletha were to tread further, she would have been caught up in a colossal geyser six hundred times her size. This quickly made her think.
(Umm… what should I do now?)
Suddenly, from in front, she heard loud squeals echo over the lands of geysers. Aletha hurriedly raced over to the edge of the green-tinted pond and, just as she was about to turn back to the mountain, a massive whirlpool of water flew into the firmament, collapsing the ceiling of clouds and tossing all the wild animals into the sky. The wonder of seeing such a beautiful sight almost made her forget what she was about to do. And even then,
Aletha commented.
This world looks so beautiful. At the expense of being left behind, Aletha couldn't help but gaze at the beauty of this world. The vibrant hues of the wilderness seemed to whisper lessons of balance and harmony, which Aletha realized had been absent in her recent actions.
This newfound appreciation for nature's brilliance sparked a shift within her. She understood that true strength lay not in the anger she had unleashed on the squirrels but in the ability to harness the patience and restraint that the serene landscape represented.
As nature continued to unfold its splendor around her, Aletha felt her resolve deepen, determined to let this encounter with beauty guide her journey forward with newfound wisdom and grace.