I_am_mc2

Song of the Forgotten is a complex story centered around the journey of the main character to become stronger, but focused on the emotional ties and bonds he forms. Rather than a one-sided view of a protagonist mindlessly getting more powerful for the sake of it, Song of the Forgotten explores the motivations and unconscious desires that spur our actions, with compelling questions and multi-faceted characters.


This is the first proper novel I have written, so any feedback and comments are welcome. Thank you!

Song of the Forgotten

This language of creaks and groans was one I could hardly translate into any meaningful sound, yet they held a strange rhythm and pacing that allowed me to roughly comprehend what was being said. I looked up in surprise to find the tree staring at us, with what might have been a challenging gaze.

Essentially, it had just asked us why we were here, much in the same way a guard would ask a suspicious person to 'state their identity and purpose'. Before I could respond, one of the aggravating people behind me answered in a low but audible tone.

"Honored one, we were escaping from the dead and ended up here. We were moving this way to stay away from the light. If it troubles you, we will circle around your camp to avoid disturbing your kin, but we are sorely in need of food. If we would be so bold, could we request for some… sustenance from the soulless?" he asked respectfully.

There was a pause before the creaks and groans continued. This time, I could hardly understand what was said.

Suddenly, the person behind me said in a deeply emotional tone, "Thank you so much, honored one. We apologize for troubling you and thank you for your generosity. We would bring rain for your comfort, but fear that it would hardly be more than a drizzle."

At this point, I was incredibly confused as to what was going on. Bring rain? A drizzle? What were they talking about?

There was a series of groans. I could faintly sense that it was mocking us and I bristled at the thought, but the guy behind us just apologized profusely for our weakness and lack of ability.

Suddenly, the Wood Spirit moved away with unbelievable speed. After a minute or so, during which we remained in a kneeling position and my legs were starting to feel more than a little sore, the tree suddenly reappeared. It tossed some fruit to us, which the student behind me carefully picked up, thanking the tree for its generosity and generally praising it in any thinkable and unthinkable way.

After a dismissive series of creaks, we all retreated from the tree. For a while, silence reigned as we walked away. Suddenly, once we were some distance away, the student with the fruit suddenly stopped and shouted, "We just met a Wood Spirit! It even gave us fruit! Can you believe it? We're going to die here, but at least I'll die knowing that I met a Wood Spirit!" he fangirled.

My jaw dropped at his ridiculous antics.

The other student replied, "Calm down… you can stop fangirling now. Still, it is incredible that we just met a Wood Spirit. Thank god they gave us lessons on how to communicate with them…."

I was shocked by how awed they both were by the tree. It was a sentient tree, and it did give us fruit, but it was still a tree! They were acting like Lily when she saw a particularly good set of art materials. I kept my face impassive, but inwardly I was weirdly upset by how much they revered the tree. It hadn't even been a buff tree - it was a skinny tree and it insulted our strength….

Suddenly, one of them turned to me and asked, "What were you thinking, approaching the Wood Spirit like that? I'm surprised it didn't refuse our request or kill you for the disrespect."

Fangirling