Kruule

"The only time I remember was when Angelika took me after she found me wandering in the middle of nowhere. I have no recollection of my family... I don't remember their names nor even remember their faces. I all I know is that they died from an unknown tragedy..."

"..." Mitou remained silent as she watches the black haired girl's calm and collected face while she continue to speak.

"...Ever since I parted with my master, even if it's only for a month, I've seen a lot if not many of those times where a family reunites, when they parted ways, and how they were given another chance to stay with their loved ones."

Christa began recalling the image of the people of Karna, the villagers who get to see their member of their family after they were saved inside the goblin's nest. While the others mourned for their loved ones who did not make it out. And Itsuo who made it in time to save his mother's life.

"Some of them were thankful, they grieved, while others were relieved, yet all of them shed the same tears for the people they care about. It's so confusing to me, what those tears are for. Is it sweet... painful... or is it joyful?" Christa looks up and gazes at the undeniably beautiful sky, crowded with stuffed white cotton clouds marching around as the wind pushes them to a certain direction.

"I don't know how it feels to be in a family, but... if Aina were with me, even if I can't recall how we became siblings in the past, even if we're not related by blood or anything... I might be able to find out how it feels to be in a family with her." As she lets out the last few words on her answer to the mayor, the crimson-eyed girl turns quiet while she stares directly on the lower side of a mountain, where the path where she came from was connected.

Meanwhile, the mayor speaks as a response to  Christa. "I see. So you want to know how it feels, huh. I'm sure you'll be able to find out what you're looking for. In fact, this first time of you and Aina meeting after 8 years is a big step towards your goal. Don't you think so, Christa? ...Christa?"

Just now, Christa weren't able to notice the mayor's words as a mysterious black smoke started ascending, spreading wide and quickly as it comes behind the mountain she was staring at.

"Black smoke..."

"That's..."

The other villagers noticed the black smoke that is so fast to soil the cloudy blue sky.

"It must be the illegal wood cutters!"

"That direction..." Christa quickly flew towards where the smoke is coming, following the path that leads to the side of the mountain. As she reached the point, giving her a perfect view of the source of the terrible black smoke, the source of cloud of mysterious black cloud revealed itself before the girl's two eyes - The Forest of No Return.

"The forest... Titania...!"

Christa disappeared before the villagers and Mitou's eyes as she goes straight to the forest where her giant snake friend is. And most importantly, the one who is supposedly looking after the forest.

In the said forest, on the sight where the smoke is coming from, the same people who the mayor talked to Christa a few times now are present - The illegal wood cutters.

While it seems like they are the cause of the fire that is spreading out in the forest, that which generates a cloud of smoke rising up in the sky, the wood cutters seem like they were in a pickle for what they have done.

"Take the fire off! Don't let the trees get burned!"

"Who the hell thought it was a good idea to use fire magic in a middle of logging?!"

"You said we need to burn that giant snake to go away, right?!"

"I told you to make it go away, not to burn the trees along with it, goddammit! What are we making out of this?!"

"It doesn't matter now! Just stop the fire!"

While the people continues to criticize and pass the blame on each other, the flame also continues to spread further, setting anything on its path ablaze.

"Hey! The flames keep on spreading instead of going out!"

"Why did no one recruit someone who can use water magic?!"

The flame continues to grow bigger as time passes by, the wood cutters are trying their best, cutting down the burning trees, piling dirt between the grass to keep the flames to move to another tree. But their numbers are too low to stop the gigantic wave of fire.

And when they thought the heat was too much for them to handle, the air becomes even more scorching hot as if the sun was staring directly at them.

"It's so hot..."

"It feels like I'm going to melt..."

As the people continues to experience the unrelenting heat, one of them caught a ball of flame floating right on top of them.

"Look!"

"What's that? A ball of flame...?"

"The heat is coming from that flame."

As they all stare at the ball of flame with a bewildered look in their eyes, while they couldn't see it, there are two eyes inside the floating balloon of fire, eyes that are staring right back at them, eyes that are burning with anger and hatred towards the people who caused the flame that are ruining the forest as time passes by.

"You're not contented with just cutting down the forest you just want to destroy the home of the beasts living peacefully in here..."

A chilling and terrifying voice came out of the ball of flame, echoing through the wood cutters' ears that which sends fear down their spine.

"T-there's a person inside that ball of flame...?"

"Where are those damn knights when we need them?!"

"They were busy keeping the giant snake at bay for us!"

As the person inside the flames heard the woodcutters talking about the giant snake, she exhaled her breath deeply as if she's intentionally letting out air on to the point where there's nothing left coming out.

"What is that thing doing?"

The people's mouth fell open as they watch the flame that is starting to move intensely in a circle. And at the same spot it was levitating, revealing at the gaps of the circling flames was a figure of a girl.

Dressed in a blood red tunic that wavers with great vigor, her fluttering pitch black hair that shines brightly by the colors of the flames that continues to dance around her.

"What's going to happen...?"

After she is finished performing to exhale, in that instant, the girl began breathing in. But not only does she takes air inside her mouth, she's also swallowing the fire that is spreading in the forest she lived for years, it's as if she was a blackhole that sucks out everything in its path. Although fire is the one being sucked the most.

Meanwhile, the people on the ground watching her from below were starting to lose their footing as the vacuum wind is trying to drag them towards Christa.

"What the hell is that person?!"

"Hold to something or it'll swallow you!"

Everyone grabbed on to life as they each take a hold from the burned trees around the area. Christa continues to suck the flame that is spreading in the forest, not leaving a single part to become bigger again.

The wind goes stronger as she reaches the tail of the fire and swallows it whole. With that, the last of the flames that is destroying the forest were prevented to spread further. But as the flame travels from the wind that leads to Christa, one of the wood cutters were losing his grip on the tree he's holding.

"Goddammit, I can't hold on any longer!"

Eventually, he loses his grip, and the wind sends him flying upwards, to where the girl is swallowing all the flame.

"Aaah!!"

As the guy gets closer and closer towards the girl, in that second, she instantly grabbed the wood cutter by the neck before they hit each other. And in that moment, Christa finished gulping every last bit of the flames spreading towards the forest, and the strong wind gradually fades away, making the other wood cutters holding themselves around the trees fall to the ground.

"Ow!"

"Is it over...?"

Each of them tries to stand up as they all stare at the top where the storm is dragging them towards. And when they all look, they saw one of them being held as if he's being choked to death by the girl who got rid of the flames they caused.

And the person who passed out after being dragged by the strong wind has regained his consciousness, only to find himself being captured by the girl who looks at him with her burning red eyes that are full of anger and hate towards them.

"I may have used this forest to be my training ground for years, but I will never destroy this home of the innocent beasts who's living here quietly and peacefully."

The girl spoke in a terrifying manner, leaving the wood cutters and the one she's holding by the neck in horror.

"Answer me, where is Titania?"

"I... I-don't know who you're... talking about... Agh!"

Christa grasp grows tighter as the wood cutter's answer disappoints her. But at that moment, hiding behind the shadows of the forest, a magic arrow was shot and is aiming towards her. Having noticed it in time, she was able to avoid it rather effortlessly.

The wood cutters from below took notice of the arrow she dodged and they looked at the direction where it come from, where a group of people carrying swords and bows appeared, following a man leading the way forward.

"I thought it was getting noisier in here than to the other side." The man leading the group spoke as he stares at Christa in the sky. "You, brat, don't you see that we are in a middle working here? Get lost."

"What...?"