The Goddess' Curse (1)

The other-worldly view has spread before her.

Seeing was believing. After hearing so many stories the actual thing still took her breath away. The trees were huge. They were so tall and visible from far away. It was like looking at a forest made with many Hyperions, creating an impregnable wall.

Of course, she has never seen the infamous redwood tree from her old world, but she has imagined it to be a similar height.

The surrounding was drenched in sunset colours creating the illusion of fire. But the forest itself was dark, like it was in its world not letting in any disturbance from outside.

"This… Are butterflies?"

Arianell was mesmerised. She completely forgot about her house and dropped off all the luggage she was carrying.

It was a single fluttering fairy-like at first. It was glowing gently in the colours of blue and white and was keeping a careful distance from her. Arianell raised her hand and waited for the flying soul to approach her, and the butterfly finally settled on her offered finger.

And as soon as they touched, countless glowing fairies appeared from within Forest, making their way towards her. Some of them landed on her body and face, others on her silver hair making a radiant halo.

"Hahaha, it tickles…" She laughed and stood still so as to not startle them. She had never seen so many butterflies in one place before, not even when visiting the sanctuary dedicated to them. The luminous flies then opened a path for her, seemingly inviting her to follow them into the Forest.

The trees were speaking to her. The sound was subtle and very gentle, like the mother's voice singing a lullaby to her baby. Despite hearing many scary stories about missing people, she felt a strange sense of comfort.

Should she go in?

Just a little peek wouldn't hurt…

She stepped slowly in the direction of Forest. The dry grass crumbled under her feet.

And then, like a breeze, a small voice whispered in her ears again.

Arianell.

Come to me.

I'm waiting.

Only when it gets completely dark, does she snap back to her senses. The butterflies were long gone and she stood there alone, immersed in her thoughts.

What was that? Thy hypnotizing spell? It worked too well on her, isn't it?

It was the first time she had come into contact with magic, so Arianell couldn't tell whether it was real or not. Her head told her the situation could be dangerous if she ran into the forest, but her heart was calm like everything was natural, part of her own life. The feeling flowed slowly like water deep in the lake.

She quickly gathered her things and went alongside the forest, keeping a safe distance from it. The night was illuminated by the moon and stars, so lightning a lamp wasn't necessary. Her surrounding was surprisingly bright with the milky light. As someone who grew up with electric lamps inside and outside, she never knew that only the moon would be enough to show her path at night.

As she continued walking, she felt soft soil and fresh grass under her feet. The southern part of the West was dryland, while the north was made from wetlands. In both cases, the territory was undeveloped, making it hard for people to live on it and grow their own food. But a line along the forest was made from fertile land with green plants growing all year round.

The difference between the forest and the rest of the western territory was remarkable as if the Goddess took a ruler and strictly divided the land. This side will be fertile, and this side will be cursed. It was an invisible wall telling them where the border of the two worlds was.

Arianell was fighting her urge to explore the surroundings more, however many days of travelling and heavy luggage forced her to find the place to stay first.

She finally sighted a small building. It was more a cottage rather than a house, built with stones and wood. She couldn't see the details of the house well, but just the shape of her new home made her excited.

The front door opened with the key she obtained from butler. It was dark and damp inside, but she didn't meet with a thick layer of dust as she was expecting.

"Uhm… Hello? Is someone home?" Her voice echoed through the room. She felt stupid as soon as she spoke out, but just coming in without any warning would make her feel restless.

She abandoned her suitcase by the door and attempted to light up the fireplace first. There was a small woodpile next to it, so she was able to make fire without difficulty.

"Well, look at this… what a lovely house this is!"

Arianell looked around and was extremely happy. She was in something similar to a living room, with a small kitchen in the corner. Few plates, pots and pans could be found in the kitchen cabinet. There was also a table with two chairs and a couch near the fireplace. The room was too big for just a few pieces of furniture, but nothing was broken, and the sofa even smelled fresh.

There was a bed in the next room with an attached bathroom. Everything was visibly old but clean, not even a speck of dust could be found. Even the dampness she felt at first, has slowly disappeared as she keeps putting more wood into the fire.

"Did the fairy visit and clean the house for me? This is the best, hahaha!" The girl laughed as she jumped on the sofa.

Arianell let out a sigh. Her shoulder relaxed as after countless days on the move, she finally found the place that felt like home. The small house was completely new to her, but it gave off the sense of similarity she had while living with her grandparents.

She planned to explore her new cute habitat more, but the tiredness overtook her body quickly.

"I will be happy here, right?"

"I will be just fine living here by myself…"

Arianell took a woollen blanket from her suitcase and fell asleep on the couch.