Queen Of Adis

Haru gasped loudly and her eyes widened when she heard the cat's last word. "Wait, did you just say Yggdrasil? Do you know the Tree of Life? Hey, don't go yet!" Haru tried to catch the cat's disappearing silhouette but to no avail. She just sighed and looked sideways to the dark, eerie path that was opened by the irksome grinning cat.

Then she stood straight and trod towards the darkness with a resolute demeanor.

"P-please wait, mother!" Vladimir called out as he picked up his pace to walk beside her. "Why did you believe in that feral being? This path might lead to a dangerous zone, or worse, to death."

"I think every path in this woods leads to danger or death. Why prolong the agony if we can use the one that was opened for us without much hassle?" Haru replied matter-of-factly.

"Mother?" Vladimir narrowed his eyes and intensely looked at her as though she was hiding something. Mr. Bear had the same expression on his face.

Haru giggled as she conceded. "Okay, okay. It's because that playful cat does not deceive and does not lie. The lies and deceit are all in the listener's mind. Perhaps he knows too much and the cat's home may be outside the woods." She answered the boys in a plethora of wordplay which made their eyes twirl in confusion.

"Mademoiselle, if this is your way of punishing us, please stop now. My cotton brain can't take it anymore!" Mr. Bear held his head as he complained.

She smiled and patiently explained her understanding while still walking cautiously. "When that cat said 'It's all in the listener's mind,' I immediately analyzed the statement he said. Then I remembered the world I came from and even this world's society. When he said, 'He does not deceive,' it was actually the truth. But because the world sees him as a feral being, no one believes him and the listeners would either add or twist his words.

"I concluded that his first claim was the truth and the second was how the world interprets it. After careful consideration, everything sounded different to me. It was as though what he was really saying was, 'I do not deceive, but they think it's a lie. I do not lie, but they think it's a deceit. Perhaps I know too much, but they think I know nothing. My home is outside of this wood, but they think it's within this wood.' It was honestly a sad and painful reality that no matter how much he screams, no one will listen to him." Haru ended her explanation with a sigh and looked at her companion. She blinked in surprise when she saw them feeling down.

"He lives a difficult life, and yet Vladimir bullied him." The boy exclaimed with a remorseful look.

"You are not the only one, kiddo. I called him a liar right in front of his face. I am so bad!" Mr. Bear exhaled loudly as he ruffled his furry head.

"That cat's situation is a representation of the ugly reality of our world. A being may not be crazy, but others already regarded him as one. A being may be innocent, but the world already sentenced him to death. One may claim he is not happy, but others would think otherwise as he hides in a painful smile. There are a lot of Cheshire cat in the world, and what's even worse is that they are starting to believe that the majority's opinion is the truth and their small voice is the lie."

Haru stopped and crouched down at Vladimir. She held the boy's shoulder firmly as she continued. "Vlad, Prejudice can lead to discrimination, hatred, suffering, and war. Someday you will become a leader. Learn to evaluate the situation before you make a decision and lead with the balance of both heart and mind. If you do that, you will be on the right path."

"Mn," Vladimir nodded and hugged her neck. "I will remember your words, mother."

"Thank you for that wonderful teaching, mademoiselle," Mr. Bear sniffed without tears.

She just pinched the bear's nose and stood up to proceed in their journey.

After walking for a while, Haru gradually stopped and looked up. The night sky was adorned with myriads of stars and it twinkled through the intertwined branches in the woods, assisting their path with its flickering light.

"Vlad, would you like to rest for a while and have our dinner?"

"Okay, mother. Hmm?" Vladimir looked around to scout the comfortable place to rest. "Ah, mother, let's go there and rest."

They settled inside a huge hole on a gigantic tree trunk and gathered several twigs to use for a bonfire.

Life was indeed easier with the survival tool that Adis gave her before. Even to an ordinary human like her, she could easily make fire and have endless drinking water through the use of Firestone and Waterstone.

After their simple dinner, Haru coaxed Vladimir to take a nap for at least an hour before they would set off again. She stood awake to guard their resting area and decided to poke the fire with a wooden stick to pass the time.

Her eyes suddenly darkened as she heard a crisp sound of twigs snapping under one's feet. The footsteps were heavy and chaotic as though the owner was running away from someone or something while having difficulty to stand properly.

Vladimir snapped his eyes opened and silently pulled himself up. "Mother, I can smell blood. Someone is injured and it's a mere mortal." He informed in a small voice as his right hand conjured a dagger. "Take this, mother, as your additional protection. It's made of my blood. The blade will not hurt the people I hold dear but it can cut through anything, even the most sturdy steel."

"Thank you," she kissed his head and carefully stood up. But before she could take a step, the ground shook and cracked from a sudden thunderous roar that caused all nocturnal birds and bats to fly away in the dark sky.

Haru instinctively hugged Vladimir and ducked down as branches broke and fell on the ground. "W-what is that?"

"It's a sound of an enormous beast being cornered and injured. Ugh! The scent of blood is mingling in the air, creating a stifling and sickening atmosphere." Mr. Bear surmised as he stared up ahead. "Hey, kiddo, are you saying a human was fighting a powerful beast? That's insane!"

Before Vladimir could even answer, another piercing howl reverberated, bringing with it a destructive energy that made Haru felt nauseous. However, instead of acid, a rich color of red blood came out from her mouth, flooding her senses with its metallic taste.

Vladimir and Mr. Bear instantly panicked and approached her. When the vampire boy recovered, he made a dark barrier to protect his mother from the harmful energy coming from the beast's berserk.

She wobbled to stand up while a hand was gripping her c.h.e.s.t. "I'm okay," she heaved as she wiped the blood off from her lips. "I was just surprised by the dark aura. More importantly, the commotion was coming from further in. Let's go and check it out."

"But, mother--"

"We can't dilly-dally forever, Vlad," Haru interrupted his refusal. "There is no other way but to move forward. Let's see what awaits us at the end of this tunnel so we can go home." She coughed as she steadied herself up and walked ahead.

The roar and the howling of the beast kept getting stronger and louder as they're getting closer to the location of the noise. It seemed that Vladimir was stronger than the beast as the barrier around them hadn't break despite the unending barrage of the harmful energy.

When they finally reached the middle of the woods, they were stupefied at the scene in front. A vast frozen lake laid in an open field where the moon reflected on its crystal white surface. However, at the center of the frozen lake stood a gigantic silver wolf while baring its fangs to the intruders. Its pristine fur was tainted with blood and around it were countless wolfsbane.

"H-Haru? What are you doing here?"

She woke up from her daze upon hearing a weak voice. When she turned around, she inhaled sharply upon seeing the owner of the voice. "Pier?"