Chapter Text
“It should be the right time for their bloom, I’m sure he’ll want some, I’ll go pick him some. Oh, I should also collect some more fiddleheads while I’m gone, running out mid-brew would be terrible.”
“This is an absolute nightmare,” Isagi complained, walking through a dense, damp forest. He’s a curious adventurer, doing odd jobs others couldn’t to please his curiosity and earn some coins. One of those odd jobs led him to the Jade’s Eye Forest, or Jadesef, a hard-to-navigate and easy to get lost in forest. Not only that, Isagi found himself no longer on the manmade path and instead on an animal one, tripping over roots and vines that reach out to grab the wanderer’s ankles.
Jadesef, as troublesome as it is to go through, is a beautiful place. Colorful flowers bloom throughout each season, streams and small waterfalls run throughout the forest, and animal songs fill the air. No matter the season, life fills the forest, and the current start of spring has everything in a cheerful mood. As beautiful as the day is, the night is truly the spectacular time for the forest, though Isagi would rather not risk exploring at night. Stories of colorful glowing bugs and flittering fairies dancing through the dark and shining vines make one want to see it with their own eyes. On rare chance, a sleek and elegant unicorn may be spotted, bringing luck and guidance to whoever it meets.
Isagi was not wandering the forest for the sights, though they were a bonus to the job he took. Rumors of a man with knowledge of the future spread from town to town until they made it to Isagi. Others had gone looking, though they either found nothing or never made it back to their town. Some believe the rumors wholeheartedly, while others think it’s a trick. Whichever it is, he didn’t care, he’d still get paid in the end if he found the man or if he found disappointment.
After around three hours of navigating through the forest, Isagi stopped in a small clearing for a break. Not knowing how long he’d be in Jadesef, he only ate a small bit of his fruit and jerky, duck if he heard his mother right. There was a berry bush nearby, though he’d rather not learn the hard way if the bright pink bunches were poisonous or not. With a sigh, Isagi closed his eyes and leaned his head against a tree, “How would he even get around in here without breaking an ankle?”
“Through the trees, of course.”
The voice and thud of a branch startled Isagi, causing him to look around for the source.
“Up here.”
His eyes fell upon a human-shaped crow wearing human clothes, ‘No, that’s not right,’ he thought.
“Confused? A bit frightened? That’s cute.”
“Who…are you?” carefully, Isagi stood up to get a better look at the bird.
“You already know who I am, I’m why yer here.”
“You’re-”
“Not a man? ‘Course I am.”
The crow began to shift, feathers shrinking and retracting as they faded into smooth skin. What was a beak becomes a human mouth and nose, and what was once bird feet and legs become those belonging to a human. The wings on the crow’s back, rather than going away fully, shrink until small enough to just barely peak out above the shoulders and are unable to allow flight, whilst keeping a somewhat glide.
No longer is Isagi staring at a bird, instead his eyes meet a regular human man, if one were not to have witnessed the transformation of course. He had blue eyes resembling the ocean, spiked-up hair in a dark blue to purple color, and a mole under his left eye. His clothes were dark and seemed perfect for stealth, a long coat with a high neck to hide the lower face and hood attached, though off at the moment. Small feathers were stuck into the neck and shoulders of the coat, and probably in the hood as well. His shoes were sandals, fit for his bird feet, though altered for silence and grip by the looks of it. His pants had multiple pockets and straps, and a strap was across his chest, the latter holding a large knife.
“See, I’m a man as much as I am a bird.”
“Fascinating! I’ve never seen someone transform like that before. What’s your name? I’m Isagi.”
“Yer not so fascinating. Quite friendly though, am I not to be feared? I’m the Oracle Tabito, you can call me Karasu.”
“Karasu… If you’re an oracle, shouldn’t you be-”
Suddenly, the oracle was standing before Isagi, leaves falling from the branch he was on previously, “Whatchya eating? Bread? Dried meat? Bear boy would like those.”
“Wait-”
“Hmm? You want answers, I’ll give ‘em to you, but not easily.”
“What do you mean, Karasu?”
“Catch me catch me, and then I may answer some of the questions on yer mind.”
Swiftly, Karasu jumped up, fluttering his wings and pushing off the trunk of the tree to get back onto his branch. With the rustle of leaves, he was gone into the forest, a lone feather falling from where he once was. Groaning, Isagi picked up the feather and placed it in his satchel, quickly making sure all his belongings were inside, before hurrying carefully in the direction Karasu went.
The roots and vines were tripping Isagi more than before now that he was running the best he could through the forest. He quietly cursed himself, there’s no way he could catch up to Karasu on foot like this. If he had wings like the man, or just a tail and better boots, Isagi was sure he could catch up by moving like him. A quick thought of trying anyway flashed in his brain, however, Isagi would rather not miss or slip and break a bone or worse.
Ten minutes of running, plus falling a few times, and Isagi could no longer hear or see which way the tricky oracle went. As well as no longer knowing where Karasu went, he ended up turned around in the chase and lost the path back toward the clearing. Certainly, he was screwed if he didn’t manage to find Karasu or his way back. Isagi’s only option now was to pick a direction and quickly walk in a race against the sun.
‘What did I get myself into,’ a thought that quickly races through Isagi’s head now and then. Just when he thinks he found the clearing, it ends up being a different one, visibly missing that bush of bright pink and probably deadly berries. It was far past noon and the feeling that he’d neither find Karasu nor his initial clearing started to overwhelm him. He stood in a large clearing with a small stream running through it, as well as multiple yellow orchids blooming throughout it, attracting all kinds of small animals to them. Isagi gazed at the yellow blooms, mentally noting how pretty they were, while he worked to calm himself down.
Minutes later, the familiar rustle of leaves and swish of movement caught the attention of Isagi. Coincidence or true luck, it didn’t matter, Karasu was nearby and Isagi definitely wasn’t going to lose him this time. With renewed fervor, he was off in the direction he heard the oracle in. Whether it be becoming used to moving in Jadesef or the pure desire to catch the oracle he wasn’t sure, he just knew that he was getting better at the chase, getting faster at moving with little tripping.
Hope glimmered like a diamond when the sleek black feathers of Karasu’s wings could be seen, shining in the sun’s rays. Isagi was going to catch him, he just knew it, he could feel it buzzing throughout his body. Karasu knew Isagi was there, though, and whether it be to prolong the game or just for a laugh, he jumped sideways to another branch. The ray of light that had once been lighting up the oracle was now blinding Isagi, forcing him to slow and block the light the best he could with his hand. The attempt was futile, as Karasu was gone and silent by the time he could see clearly again.
“Dammit!” with fury, he punched the closest tree. His hope faded and now he was even more lost than previously. Honestly, he didn’t want to stay in the forest well into the night, he’d rather not find out who the bear boy was. ‘Karasu must have come close enough for me to trail him then. He wants me to chase him, he’s playing a game with me, and running without being followed isn’t fun in a game. I bet he did that before and I just didn’t hear. How exhilarating! If I wait here, I’m certain he’ll come back just close enough for me to get a lead on him again.’
Roughly five minutes later, a rustle from the treetops was once again heard. Isagi acted fast to follow the noise, though unable to see the oracle this time, concluding that he must be higher up in the trees. The cat-and-mouse game continued on for fifteen minutes before the trail was dead again. So Isagi walked slowly in the direction he was heading when he lost Karasu, being sure to keep an ear out for the familiar sound of his movement. Once he caught the sound, the chase was alive again, continuing on until its certain death.
It was sunset by the thirteenth round of Isagi’s tactics. Karasu’s trail had been dead for longer than expected, and it worried the adventurer that he had gotten bored and left. Not wanting to wait, however, he continued moving forward through the golden-lit surrounding. Rushing water was filling the air, a sign that a waterfall, most definitely small, was nearby. Without realizing it, Isagi started heading toward the water, instincts telling him that it could be one of the few streams to lead out of the forest.
A shimmering clearing held the stream and waterfall, but not only those. A smile crossed Isagi’s face as he quietly hid himself behind a tree. Karasu, who had been leading him on for hours now, was standing out in the open clearing. ‘It’s now or never,’ he thought as he made his way as quietly as possible toward the winged back of the man. The closer he got, the more he could tell what Karasu was doing, but not exactly as he really could only see his back.
When at the perfect range, Isagi lunged toward Karasu and wrapped his arms around his torso, his own face pressed into one of the man’s wings, “Gotchya!” In turn, the latter man let out a startled, high-pitched caw at the former’s sudden presence, dropping something in the process.
“What a way to give a man a heart attack,” mumbled the oracle, prying off Isagi’s arms before moving to pick up what he dropped.
“Shouldn’t you have known I was coming? Or were you-”
“I should’ve, I wasn’t. This crystal drew my attention. A small downside to being half-bird.”
In the palms of Karasu’s hands was a large, crystal clear spherical crystal. It shone in a mesmerizing way in the light of sunset. Amazingly, in the center of a crystal was the bloom of a pink rose. Isagi wasn’t sure how the flower got into the crystal, but he can see why it fascinated the oracle so much.
“Hm, yes yes, you have questions, plus you caught me even by my own foolish mistake. I’ll answer three of yer questions, make ‘em count.”
Isagi’s eyes followed Karasu as he lept up onto a branch to sit, not bothering to question it as he thought carefully about what he’d ask the man. So many questions rushed through him, though with the limit of three, he’ll have to eliminate pointless ones and ones that aren’t as important. After a few moments, he closed his eyes and hummed, nodding just a bit as a personal confirmation toward the three he chose.
“Ready? Ask away, adventurer.”
“Alright,” he turned to face the oracle, “If you're an oracle, why aren’t you at or near the emperor's palace?”
“Ah, so you still want to know that one. The emperor is fun and all, but I just couldn’t stand him anymore. Well, I could’ve, it hasn’t happened yet and they’re still fine, I’d prefer not being there when the time comes.”
“So you don’t want to be present when the future happens, that makes sense, I guess.”
“It does, doesn’t it? Funny if you think, the oracle running away from the future. You’d think it only in a story, yet here I am~!”
“Mhm. What happened to the others that came looking for you?”
“Oh them, they weren’t as friendly as you, Isagi.”
“What does that mean? No- no wait- I didn’t mean to ask that.”
“They tried to attack me, so I had to deal with them. Not only I am an oracle, but an assassin as well. Be glad I left the palace.”
“I- I see. I’m suddenly overjoyed that I’m friendly.”
“Yes yes, yer oh so very friendly. Think of it as a reward for being so friendly, I’ll count yer “what does that mean” as part of yer second question.”
Isagi smiled, “Thank you, Karasu.”
“No problem at all! Now then, yer final question?”
“Oh, right. Can you tell me of something in my future?”
“‘Course I can, I’m an oracle.”
“I should have expected that.”
Cheerfully, Karasu laughed. He always enjoyed getting people like that, whether it be someone like the adventurer before him or the emperor himself. As he laughed, he heard a soft “thank you” and “I’ll be on my way” from Isagi. For whatever reason, he felt a small spark within him, whether it be a bit of guilt or the thrill of what he could change. So, Karasu spoke up, “Beware the two that make a vivid purple.”
Isagi paused in his step, glancing over at the man, “Huh?”
“Yer future. That’s all I can tell you, kid.”
“Oh. Oh-! Thanks, Karasu.”
“No problem, good luck on yer way out. I gotta go check up on bear boy.”
Karasu was gone before Isagi could respond, leaving him alone and lost in the forest. He began to follow an uncertain path out, walking close to the stream but not close enough to slip and fall in. ‘Beware the two that make a vivid purple’ kept repeating in his mind, he wasn’t sure what it meant, but he knew it must be something big that would lead to something so vague. ‘Maybe I should ask Bachira’s friend’s brother’s boyfriend about the colors. Er, was that right? He should really just start using their names.’
There was no sign of exit by the time the light had faded in favor of welcoming the soft blue from the moon. It was gorgeous in the clearings, yet a nightmare everywhere else. What Isagi had gotten used to in the light was now tripping him every other step, and to top it all off he can’t even find the clearing of yellow orchids now. He looked into the next clearing he found but stopped quickly with fright.
A cloaked figure was knelt down in the clearing, luckily facing away from Isagi, picking some kind of plant before them. He knew it couldn’t be Karasu, he was with the bear boy, which meant that it also couldn’t have been him. Whoever it was, Isagi didn’t want to find out and he most definitely didn’t want to find out what would happen if they saw him. So, as quietly as he could, he fled from the surroundings of the clearing, smacking his side painfully into a tree in the process.
Outside eyes peered at Isagi’s fleeing form, those they belong to nodding with a hum, “Oh dear, it appears someone’s lost. He won’t like another citizen dying in the Jadesef.” With a flick of the wrist and snap, the unknown person fixed their cloak and returned to picking the precious blooms before them. The royal emblem proudly displayed on the cloak kept two pairs of piercing eyes away; ocean blue and misty green.
During his flee, brightly glowing blue flowers appeared before Isagi, floating gently and distanced apart in a path. Confused, he poked one of the flowers and a glowing dust floated up before sparkling away. ‘Is this magic? Where are they going? Am I supposed to follow them?’ He wondered, settling on using the light of the flowers to walk through the forest. They could lead to a trap or they could lead somewhere else, but he’d rather risk it than become food for an unseen creature.
Roughly two hours later, the glowing blooms faded, and Isagi looked with bright eyes upon the expansive fields surrounding Jadesef. If he was fast, he could make it to the nearest town and get a room at the local inn. He’ll worry about heading back home in the morning, deciding he had his fill of adventure for the day. Though before running to town, he turned to the last of the glowing flowers, “I’m sure it’s probably strange and that you probably can’t hear me, but whoever you are, thank you!” Isagi bows slightly toward the bloom, “I owe you one.” Then, he was off toward the town, excited for good food and a bed to sleep in.
“He always knows just what I want and when I want them. What a good boy he is, I should reward him later. The purple orchids are perfect too, picked with such care. That preservation spell is a charm as always, I get to enjoy my flowers for longer.”
“Your Majesty, the tart I promised, made with the freshest heartdrop berries I could find.”
“Oh, thank you, Ness.”
“Of course.”