Some time had passed, and I had completely tired myself. It seemed I could run as fast as a horse, but I did not have the stamina of one.
I walked through the thick shrubs in my way, panting from exhaustion. I could not afford to slow down so easily. Night would soon begin, and I had to prepare a safe place to slumber.
Somewhere near water would be perfect.
As I walked, I caught the scent of something unknown to me—something sweet.
I decided to follow the scent, which, unknown to me at first, led quite a ways away.
It seems this new body has an increased sense of smell.
This should be useful later for finding things like herbs and ingredients for charms and spells.
The trail of sweetness led me to a hive. This was no ordinary hive, might I add. The insects that emerged from it were massive, almost the size of a dog, and the hive itself was underground with multiple large entrances. The insects themselves resembled bees.
What in hell is this? I thought I was the only strange thing here, though it seems that may not be the case anymore.
I watched closely as the workers moved in and out of the hive; there were others similar to them guarding the entrances.
I made sure to keep my distance.
If normal bees were a pain to deal with, imagine a swarm of dog-sized bees.
I shivered at the thought.
A nightmare, more like.
The workers would sometimes bring prey such as mice and snakes. At the sight, I knew I needed to remove myself from the area before I was spotted and seen as a threat to the hive.
I quickly ran in the opposite direction as fast as I could. Once at a safe distance, I continued my journey north, hoping to find suitable shelter.
I felt my stomach give slight rumbles along the way. Hunger was slowly settling into me. I needed food as well, it seemed. I had found zero fruit-bearing trees on my journey.
To be honest, I did not recognize any of these trees. They were all so strange. A few were similar to ones back home but different in their own way.
In front of me, I saw a tree that bore a striking resemblance to the weeping willow. I did not think much of it at first, then remembered the weeping willow's main habitat: places with water.
I rejoiced, as this meant I was near water. Now I just had to find it. I used my newly acquired sense of smell to see if I could determine the direction of any water. At first, nothing—then I caught the scent of something else.
Wet earth! Wet earth means water!
I followed the scent for almost an hour until I reached it: a river, and a large one at that. I rushed toward it. The water looked fresh and clean. However, from my past as the village's doctor, I knew that clean water did not always mean safe water.
I had one problem with that, though. If I wanted safe drinking water, I would have to boil it. To boil it, I would need a fire and a pot.
I could make a fire without issue, but where would I ever find a pot?
I stared at the water and begrudgingly took a step closer.
Haaaa.
It seems I have no other choice.
I knelt down and took a few sips.
Forgive me, children—I have gone against the very things I taught you!
Once I finished my drink, I looked at my reflection, finally getting a glimpse of my new self. My face was completely androgynous; I could not tell whether I was staring at a little boy or a girl.
My eyes were each different: one had a gold iris and a white pupil, while my other eye had a red iris and a black pupil.
If the people back home saw this, they would probably think I was possessed or something similar.
My hair was a striking silver color, short and curly, almost hiding my horns—which I also got to see. They were small, black, thorn-like stubs on the top of my head, right beneath my halo.
I sat down, gazing at the flowing water as a gentle breeze passed by, filling me with calm.
Where is home?
I looked to the sky and leaned on my hands. The question ceaselessly repeated itself in my mind. I knew that this was not home—however, neither was there.
That was simply a place I took residence in, not a home. They say home is what you make of it.
I wish I could make a home.
Even in my previous life, I could never truly do what I wanted. There were all these rules that some unknown god placed that prevented it for me.
I could never truly be open with anyone in the village; they would have called me an abomination if I did. The only person who could understand how that felt was… him.
Ugh!
Even as I live a new life, he is in my head!
That hypocritical insect of a man had a way of annoying me to my very core.
I got the last laugh, however. I got to toy with him for once.
The look of hate on his face was priceless—he truly thought I would tell them.
Deep down, I thought maybe I should have. But my nature prohibited it. I finally stood up, brushing those meaningless thoughts aside. Right now, I needed to find a place where I could take refuge for the night.
It didn't need to be much. I simply required some soft bedding to lay upon, and I had the perfect material for the job.
I searched for more of those weeping willow trees around the river, took a few branches, and made a makeshift bed on the branches of an old willow.
It was not the most comfortable of beds; however, it would do for now.
The sun began its journey to the other side of the world. Night settled in its place, and two moons rose in the sky. Even though it was dark, I could perceive everything in front of me.
My halo glowed brightly, illuminating the darkness. Moments later, a beautiful sight took over this darkened land: the leaves of the weeping willows began to illuminate as well.
The light that emanated from them was mesmerising.
A beauty only found in the darkest of hours.
How... poetic.
I closed my eyes to let slumber take over me…
However, it seemed my body had other plans in mind. No matter how much I tried, slumber never came. I did not feel its sweet embrace at all.
It seems this new body of mine does not require rest.
I did all of this for nothing…
What to do now?
I jumped off the willow and landed on the ground.
It is not safe to travel during the night.
I know that.
However, if I stay here, I'll be bored out of my mind!
I paced back and forth.
Agh!
At least if I had some reading material, I could pass the time!
I wish I could at least get a book with information on the plants around here.
It's not as if a book will magically appear if I point at the trees and say, "Information."
As I did that, something appeared in my vision: a rectangular picture of light with words appeared in front of me.
What the devil is this?
Species: Whispering Willow 『Info』
Race: Divine Whisperer 『Info』
Name: Eblyss 『Info』
Title: ? 『Info』
Status: Silent 『Info』
Spirit: ? 『Info』
Physique: ? 『Info』
Sentience: ? 『Info』
Aspects: ? 『Info』
Laws: ? 『Info』
What is all this?
I tried to turn my head, but the picture moved with my vision. I reached out to hold it, and my hand simply phased through.
How curious.
Something about this picture impelled me to touch it.
I reached and touched one of the 『Info』 prompts.
『Divine Whisperer:
An elder among the species of trees: Whispering Willow.
It is a rare Whispering Willow that has reached the age of ten thousand years and absorbed the energy of a divine being.
The sap from this tree can increase one's spirituality.
Rarity: S+』
Incredible! This strange device has given me information on this tree!
In all my years of practising magic, I never would have imagined this in my wildest dreams!
I must inquire further.
I touched the words "Whispering Willow," and new information appeared on the device.
『Whispering Willow:
A rare magical tree that grows near rivers with high amounts of magical energy.
The older they get, the more aware they become; the eldest one rules over all the others.
These trees are said to come from the tears of Aluris, the goddess of Weeping Moons.
They glow under direct moonlight and release whispers into the night.
These whispers are incomprehensible to most; Elves seem naturally able to understand some of them.
Rarity: A+』
If the oldest rules over the rest, then this one must be their leader.
I turned to Eblyss, the tree I was sleeping on earlier. I bowed down in respect to it. Although I'm not accustomed to conversing with trees, one must show respect to the elderly.
"I humbly apologise for using your branches as my refuge. If I had known earlier, I would not have disturbed you."
I ended my bow and returned to my device.
It mentions Elves?
Elves were folktales in some places and were always different depending on which place it came from. Some pictured them as small creatures that were quite crafty and mischievous, while others envisioned them as tall, slender guardians of nature.
I wonder which these Elves are.
『Elves:
There are multiple races of Elves.
Forest Elves dwell in magic-populated forests and jungles, protecting them from outsiders.
Dark Elves dwell below ground and in mountains; they are often found with Dwarves.
Sea Elves dwell near shores or close to the ocean.
Sky Elves dwell on floating islands among angels.
Rarity: D』
Angels and Dwarves as well? This world has quite a collection of oddities and mysteries, no?
However, I had lost the purpose of my search.
I returned to looking at Eblyss.
Let's see who you are, Eblyss.
『Eblyss of the Whispering Willow:
Eblyss was planted by a mysterious figure thousands of years ago near the River of Silence.
It grew and spread its seeds throughout the river, and its children grew and had children of their own, who had children of their own, and so on.
It has great knowledge of everything that goes on throughout the forest.
It has been silent for over a hundred years; none of its kin know the reason.
As a result of its silence, the rest of its kin have gone silent.』
Silent, huh? By choice, or is something wrong?
『Silent:
The being is silent.』
…How useful.
There has to be more than that. You can't just ignore your family for a hundred years.
Or maybe you can? I've never had a family, so I would not know.
I walked up to it and placed my hand on its trunk.
"Pardon my intrusion, great Eblyss, but you cannot simply cease talking to the entirety of your descendants and not give them a reason. At least give them a reason why you remain so silent in their presence."
I was greeted with silence.
Haaaa.
How exhausting. This stubborn old hag will not listen to a word I say.
It reminded me of that old huntsman in the village. No matter how many times I told him to rest, he would go and hunt every day.
He had no children nor a spouse. No one to take care of him, so I took it upon myself to be his caretaker. His condition would get worse every day, and yet he still went out to hunt food for the both of us.
I told him I could buy the food and prepare it myself; however, he told me, "I am old, and it is my duty to nurture the coming generation."
Absolute rubbish!
You are old—the only thing you should be doing is resting! Not rotting away in the wilderness!
I rubbed my temples in frustration.
Although I respect the elderly, that does not mean I must agree with their views.
In the end, he died. I was the only one at his funeral, the only one to mourn him. A single tear rolled down my face.
That lonely old man!
How dare he!
I breathed out, sitting on Eblyss' roots.
"Is that your reason as well? Some twisted sense of responsibility you have toward your descendants?"
I wiped the tears away from my face.
"You old folk are all mad, insane even! What ungodly force compels you to act this way? To make them suffer by trying to nurture them!"
I stood up, facing Eblyss.
"They don't need you to nurture them! They simply ask for you to be well and live long!"
I punched Eblyss in the trunk.
"That being said, cease this nonsensical vow of silence of yours and whisper, goddamnit!"
Nothing. As I expected, I was greeted with silence. I sat down on Eblyss' roots once more, sighing my frustrations.
What am I even doing?
I've gone mad, haven't I?
As mad as that old man and as mad as this old tree.
I leaned on Eblyss' trunk, closing my eyes. My tail wrapped around my legs, binding them together. I thought of all the times I had spent with that old man. He taught me how to fish, to hunt with a bow, everything I know about herbs.
Actually, if it were not for him, I would never have gotten into the art of magic. He taught me everything about the forest, and I naturally learned magic on my own from that knowledge. In a way, he was a father I never knew I needed nor wanted.
As I was consumed by the memories of the past, I heard a faint whisper. I could not understand it at all; it was not a language I knew, yet it sounded so much like English.
How strange.
Another whisper grazed my ear. The same incomprehensible language was spoken to me, and still I did not understand. After a few moments, a flood of whispers rushed by me, as if a million different voices had erupted in a cacophony of whispers.
I opened my eyes to see a sight to behold. The Whispering Willows were doing the very thing they were born to do. The whispers flowed from tree to tree—a true embodiment of community.
The whispers glowed brighter and brighter with each passing moment. Although I could not comprehend what they whispered, the emotions behind each whisper were as clear as day.
I love you.
I stared at their conversation all through the night. Sunrise eventually came, and the whispering slowed as night faded away.
Once the sun had fully risen, all the whispers were gone, replaced by the gentle breeze of the early morning.
"It seems you have reconciled whatever it is you and your family had with each other, so I shall take my leave."
I bowed down one last time in front of the Divine Whisperer. As I raised my head, I saw two vines that were never there before. One carried a broken branch, the other what appeared to be a seed.
I walked closer to them.
"Are these for me?"
I did not expect an answer, but it answered with a wave of light and whispers.
"Thank you, Divine One. Your generosity knows no bounds."
I took the gifts, and the vines retreated back into the branches.
『Whispering Willow Seed:
The seed of a Whispering Willow.
Rarity: A+』
I stored the seed in the pocket of my pants.
"I shall take great care of this little one."
Eblyss sent out another wave of light and whispers. I turned to the next gift I had received. It was a branch with glowing marks of lightning across it.
『Branch of Eblyss the Storm Whisperer:
A branch from Eblyss the Storm Whisperer; it was struck by lightning ten thousand times.
Contains divine and lightning energies.
Can be carved into a weapon.
Rarity: S』
"Truly you are the incarnation of generosity. Farewell, Eblyss the Storm Whisperer. Should we meet again, I would be honored to converse with you."
I took one last look at Eblyss in all its glory.
Species: Whispering Willow
Race: Divine Whisperer
Name: Eblyss
Title: Storm Whisperer 『Info』
Status: Whispering
Spirit: ? 『Info』
Physique: ? 『Info』
Sentience: ? 『Info』
Aspects: ? 『Info』
Laws: ? 『Info』
I took a stray vine I had found near one of the whisperers and tied it twice around the branch. I slung the branch over my shoulder and made my way into the inner forest, following north.
…
Eblyss: Oh, great master, I lay praise unto thee.
For as you foretold, an oddity I did see.
My whispers had run dry,
all around me, as ordinary as the sky.
Though they are quite strange, unlike anything this world can endure,
my deepest desire is that they may be led to your door.
???: Divine One, it is good to see you speak.
However, might I suggest that rest you should seek?
Eblyss: Yes, my child, to rest I shall.
I was overtaken by joy—can you not tell?
???: Divine One, what was that being?
They are unlike anything I have ever seen.
Eblyss: I myself do not know.
Only as time moves forward will the answers show.