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Zircon never knew that they were capable of feeling this much anger before. At a damn boorish owl nonetheless.
Each stomp against the earth's floor reminded them of how they wished it was Rutile’s face being pummeled into the dirt. Now, here they were, unaware of their whereabouts, possibly lost to the forest again with no compass or phone service to help. But Zircon kept chugging along, trying to get away from that annoyance, hoping for peace of mind.
They weren't entirely sure what happened. Rutile made some snide remark toward them as usual and as the mighty forest god did best, decided to butt in and defend Zircon. But, that made them more infuriated because they’re not some weak, frail child that needed coddling every time they were insulted. Their anger spiked and they snapped abruptly, to everyone’s surprise. A part of them felt a pang of guilt from Yellow’s reaction; they wanted to reach out and comfort them. Yet, Zircon needed to stand up for themselves.
“So stupid…” Zircon whispered to themselves, gripping their handbag. There’s a brittle crunch beneath their feet, recovering from their intruding recall of the previous events and they surveyed the area. At that moment, it seemed calm, the storm in their head settling down until they realized where they were.
A chill breeze rushed past them and they shivered, using their hands to rub at their arms to generate heat. It’s dark. And they were all alone. In a supernatural forest full of creatures they didn’t know existed. Leaving the humble abode of their giant animal friends wasn’t very smart to begin with, even if they were provoked by the insidious owl beast. How idiotic of them.
It’s eerily silent. There was no one around to guide them toward the light and their heart beats faster, hands sweating underneath the pressure of being spooked by unknown entities and disappearing with no trace for anyone to find them. Zircon almost doubled over in fear but they stepped back, deciding to run the way they came from as the forest came alive at the alarmed human.
Suddenly, their eyes are playing tricks as everything becomes disfigured. The vibrant trees stretch and widen into curved, sharp, and wavy shapes. The rusted leaves from above came down violently, like a hurricane forming right before them. Large boulders crumble into dust and the breeze picks up even faster, their handbag nearly flying out of their grip and fluffy hair obscuring their eyesight. The forest was turning against them. Humans were never welcomed here and Yellow always warned them of that. Perhaps, this was what they deserved for infringing on places they shouldn’t have.
And no one was here to save them.
“No..” Zircon’s voice cracked, their anxiety crawling up their throat to mask their cry for help. They’re tempted to call out for their friends. Yellow, Rutile, Euclase. For any of them.
Out of the corner of their eye, midnight silhouettes shaped similar to Yellow’s true form crept up, dancing around them before a terrifying shriek echoed throughout the forest. Their eardrums popped and they tripped over a vine that pierced from below, slamming hard into the ground.
“Help!” Zircon screamed. The sharp vine slithered onto the exposed part of their leg and clamped down, bringing no mercy to the terrified human being as the raw pain shot right up to their waist. It attempted to pull them back into the darkness but Zircon held onto the dirt floor, in hopes of extending their life a bit longer. “No! Yellow, help me!”
Nature won this battle, dragging Zircon’s body with ease and taking both legs into its grips, accelerating the process. Zircon used their bag to smack at the sentient plant, wiggled their feet in an effort to kick it, and tried to rip it away with their bare hands, cutting their skin in the process, velvet blood seeping down their arm. Outlines of the spirits upon the trees extended their maw, screeching in torment.
In the midst of the chaos, Zircon looked up to catch khaki yellow hair flowing gently. Their sight blurred the image of what they thought was the great Geldemant coming to save them in their normal form. The student cracks a small grin at the figure, the vines loosening their hold.
Zircon coughed, tightening their bloody hand into a fist, “..Yellow?” They asked as the spirit approached slowly.
“Sorry, kid.”
What?
Yellow took a step away, smiling apologetically. Zircon didn’t understand. Weren’t they here to save them? They blinked once, and soon enough, there’s a strange creaking. The crackle of bones rattled together and a large breath of hissing resounded. There’s a thud against the dirt as the corrupted god clumped toward them. Pieces of its hair scattered to the floor. A gross, dark tar fluid erupted from its mouth like a waterfall and the empty, battered skull of the former gentle spirit glared right at Zircon. They didn’t notice the shredded wings, elongated tail spurting out to the side, or the daggerlike claws digging into the molded floor as the image struck absolute fear into their soul.
They couldn’t move. They couldn’t scream.
Zircon was mesmerized by the decaying beast.
The monster towered over Zircon as it fixated its gaze upon them. It unhooked its jaw, revealing a set of grated teeth ready to nibble their head off. Miasma dripped down from its mouth, falling onto Zircon’s jacket.
Yellow leaned down briskly, and there’s a sickening rasp that followed.
And Zircon woke up.