The White Forest

Floating on a large, expansive sea, the continent of Aluxia lay proudly, showcasing its beautiful lands and stunning weather where one got the chance to experience two different, contrasting climates on the same continent.

The Southern Region of Aluxia had kingdoms and empires dotted on its white lands, and snow fell steadily but continuously on these lands and the people, being habitual beings since the beginning of time had no qualms about going through their daily activities without care about feeling cold.

The sky was bright blue, with snow falling at a rhythmic pace. Kingdoms were up and working, and Empires were busy ruling themselves, and while all this was ongoing, the infamous White Forest of the region had few visitors playing cat and mouse in its environs.

Behind the forest, where no man dared to lay claim out of both mysterious and mortifying reasons, a river was frozen in the bosom of time and ice. Putting a hold on its growth while the chilly morning air whistled through the air, sounding a cheerful greeting to the forest, which also rustled in response.

Out of the caves, which were embedded in those High, snowy mountains, a man came running. His inky black hair flew furiously in the white atmosphere and snow fell on his greasy face. His face was cold, both literally and symbolically, and his jet-black eyes peered into the distance with lethal accuracy and cunningness. Two men joined him on the chase, carrying arrows and daggers.

They would have been wounded and close to being dead if it were not for the mad fury in their eyes which fueled them. One nocked an arrow on the bow and, with a target in place, released it. The arrow cut through the air, flying gleefully to its prey.

Silveria turned his head a bit to stare at the two men who were hot on his heels, he removed a dagger from his waist and then increased his speed. Fresh blood oozed out of his sides wetting his shirt. He ran in zigzags, and with a sharp turn, he made an arc in the air. The whistling of the arrow came to an end as it had been met with an object of equal pressure, and it fell.

Silveria dropped his hands and paused, making the other two also pause. They stared at each other for a few minutes. Silveria was first to break the contact, and with a smirk, he looked down, making them also do the same. Following his line of sight, they saw a thin zagged line on the ice and it was then that realization dawned on them.

"Bastard! Move back." One of the men shouted; he waved his wristless arm in the air and began running back. Silveria simply smiled, and then, with a little tap on the ice, he jumped backwards and simultaneously, the ice cracked. The ice separated into two, and though the river was not a gigantic one, it was fairly large; thus, the men were unable to cross over before being swallowed by the calm but hungry river.

At the snowy bank of the river, Silveria slumped on the ground; his face had turned paler than it already was and with a sharp grunt, he pulled off his shirt, which stuck to his skin as a result of the numerous blood spills and shed. He looked at the slash to his waist, which had opened up by a few inches when he ran; examining it for a bit, he wore his shirt and leaned back on a tree.

The atmosphere was serene and beautiful. The winds rustled the white leaves of the trees and the branches also creaked in response.

Silveria thought back on his journey, from his kidnapping to his escape.

Breathing in shallow bits, he closed his eyes, and once again, for the umpteenth time in the month, he saw her again.

Standing in the garden and staring at the lonely moon while the wind rustled her black hair, which complemented the black off-shoulder gown she wore that night. Her sapphire eyes stared at him and a beautiful smile formed on her red lips.

She spoke to him in her melodious, angelic voice...

"Damn it!" Silveria stood up with a frown. He moved back a bit to examine the forest with a frustrated countenance. The white forest stretched far and wide for all that the eye could see and in the distance, it melded into one with the bright blue skies.

"Hope he is there waiting for me."

He muttered under his breath and set off to the Eastern side of the forest.

He walked steadily to prevent the slash from getting worse. The winds fluttered his shirt and his bushy hair flew gracefully in the air. Taking the overall appearance of the once graceful man, one could see and conclude that he had seen better days.

The leaves rustled in response to his presence, and the animal's cries were heard reverberating through the forest. Luckily for him, the path he took was within the outer range of the forest which meant the wildlife had no intention of coming there and even though he didn't meet them, the whole forest seemed to have brightened up in his presence, the leaves became whiter, the trunks croaking and the winds humming a soft tune of serenity.

Nevertheless, as all these were ongoing, Silveria paid no heed to it, his eyes looked into the distance with sharpness as though he wished to tear the fabric of reality and jump into the future. His footsteps were steady on the snow and his eyes were full of calculations and mischief which hid in his soul.

Time raged on and soon night approached the region, bringing along its King and his minions.

An elite unit of men was stationed at the border of a kingdom which was close to the forest, and in a tent, a twelve-man squad were standing before a short, burly man.

"By our observation over the past days, we can only conclude that he will be back within a day or two..." He stared at their faces with a serious countenance." I can not tell his present conditions; thus, we will do it as we've always done. A pair would be guarding each cardinal point available, and immediately you find him, bring him here. Understood?"

"Yes Sir!"

The men saluted and dashed out of the tent to their designated points. All alone in the room, the captain of the unit had a sombre expression on his countenance. His lips were twisted and his hands were balled into a fist.

"Where are you? Please come early..." He muttered to himself while looking through the crack in the tent zipper.

"The mouse is turning bold and bold each day without the tiger to scare it away."

His words lingered in the air while he got on to arranging some equipment.

When the stars had aligned themselves and the clock had struck midnight, Silveria walked out of the forest, his face paler than before and his hair full of snow. He walked for some time before finding the men who were assigned to guard that point, and there he finally loosened up. He collapsed.