Childish Monstrosity II

"What was that thing?" Kies asked Fae. Kies couldn't explain it but the creature gave him a really horrible feeling. It wasn't an aura emitted because of overwhelming magic power. It felt different from the demon king's and the Bone Whistler's auras. It felt as if the creature was going to devour him whole and leave nothing behind. Actually, instead of emitting an aura, it felt more like it was sucking everything in.

"There are a few things in this forest that we Soulless fear and that thing you just saw is one of them." Fae tapped his staff with his long boney fingers and shot nervous glances around. "Come, I'll explain to you what that creature is and what our current situation is like while we move. We shouldn't stay here any longer."

All around them, undead were starting to gather. Many of them looked hungrily at them but none of them dared make a move yet. They were gauging their strength and seeing if they were worth the trouble. It was like what happened back then with the banshee and Haro. But unlike back then, Haro wasn't with them this time and Kies wasn't sure if they would peacefully let them go this time.

"We must go before they decide that they want to attack us," Fae tugged on Kies's sleeve again.

Kies followed behind Fae who chose to take the lead despite how meek he was. "The thing that we just encountered was the Childish Emperor," Fae told Kies after walking some distance from the place where they met the creature. "That monster terrorized this place for centuries and was sealed away by the previous ruler of this forest. I don't know why or how it's back, but I need to report this to her excellency."

Fae sped up his pace as worry and fear began to fill his mind. Kies sped as well to match his walking speed and asked, "What did it do to become so feared? And also, where was it sealed?" Kies had a slight suspicion that it might have been him that released it. He remembered hearing that childish laughter when he opened the entrance to that underground tower.

"That monster is immortal. Well, we Soulless are basically immortal too when it comes to age and time, but the difference is that we can still perish through battle and other means. That thing cannot die no matter what. It continues to consume and only knows how to consume. We believe that it has been here since the beginning of time and it has made this forest its home," Fae explained. "And as for where it was sealed, I do not know. The only person who knew was the previous ruler who kept it a secret so that no one would know where it was and try to release it."

"What happened to the previous ruler?"

Fae fiddled with his staff a little before answering Kies. "The previous ruler... just disappeared one day. Out of the blue, just gone. The forest fell into chaos following the ruler's disappearance. At first, many believed that the ruler would return but time passed, and when it became apparent that they wouldn't return, the other Soulless started fighting for control of the throne. There were also many who simply left and chose their own paths. I was one of them. I became a lost soul and wandered around for decades..."

The undead stopped and looked up at the black sky, reminiscing of his past. "I wandered for so long. But then I found the White Witch. When I first met her, she was weak. Weaker than even the lesser undead that roam these grounds. She was just a small spirit, but I saw her potential. I saw the strength to become the new ruler of the forest in her." Fae lowered his head and continued walking. There was a short pause before he started speaking again.

"As for what happened to the previous ruler, we believe that their disappearance had something to do with the Childish Emperor. They might have gone to check on the seal and when they found that it had weakened or escaped, they sacrificed their life and soul to reseal it. But of course, we have no way to confirm that, but that is what many of us believe."

The two walked the rest of the trip in silence. There were no undead that got in their way and it stayed that way. It was a long trip, roughly an hour of non-stop walking, but they finally made it to a small clearing in the forest. "Please step up to here," Fae motioned for Kies to come to his side where there was nothing but a few dead branches on the ground.

Kies did as he was told and Fae started chanting something. The floor beneath them lighted up to reveal an array hiding under the dirt. Fae finished the chant, and in a flash, they were taken away from the forest.

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