• Chapter 2: New Beginning in a land unknown


    “Hey…. Wake up… Kid? You alive?” Reh’s eyes opened slowly, still a bit hazy, Reh leaned up, his head feeling unusually light. Reh grabbed his head, as if keeping it balanced, and looked at the person who said wake up. It was a man, not very old, pushing early 30’s, wearing a straw hat. Reh looked at this man bewildered, trying to remember how he had ended up there. “Oh, that’s right! I nearly…. Drowned” Reh held his head, still thinking, not saying a word to the man, “Ey’ boy? Aren’t you gonna thank the person who saved your life? Sheesh.” Reh looked at the man again, and in a tired tone said thanks, but the man told him it wasn’t him who saved Reh, it was his student.

    “Old man, where is your stude-“ Before Reh could finish his sentence he was hit by the man, and fell back. “The names not ‘old man’, it’s Tsuma, call me Tsu” Reh was a little aggravated, biting his lip to help himself from saying what he was thinking and be polite. “My student went into the woods and never came out, said that you might need herbs” Tsu said with a slacker tone in his voice, Tsu picked up a dandelion and laid down beside a tree, leaning his hat over his eyes. Reh hadn’t realized until just then he was still outside and wet. “Why didn’t you bring me into a house or something old m- I mean Tsu?, Never mind, I’m going in to thank your student, good riddance” Reh walked into the forest, oblivious to how to navigate it or where he was.

    Reh walked from tree to tree, calling out to anyone, but the only response he got were strange animal noises, but Reh ignored these, still calling out. Reh walked and walked, getting tired with each passing moment, but Reh quickly forgot about his tiredness when he felt a sudden tremor. Reh stumbled a bit, almost being knocked off his feet, Reh went under a tree, and the tremor stopped, Reh was relieved. Resting under the tree, Reh grew tired again, and also started sneezing, he hadn’t changed his wet clothes. Suddenly another tremor erupted; Reh covered his head under the tree, and waited for the tremor to pass. When it passed, Reh opened his eyes one at a time, slowly uncovering his head, Reh was ready to go, he’d saw enough. Reh stood up, brushing dirt off his pants, and took a step, but something was strange, the ground was…. Squishy.

    Reh Looked down, surprised by a squishy ground, and realized he was being sucked into the ground. As Reh struggled to get free, he slowly stopped and stood in amazement, as saw the ground was moving, or rather yet, the ground was a creature. Reh looked up at the tree, which was sinking into the enormous blob, Reh was paralyzed with fear, this enormous ‘Thing’ had an eye, bright pink, and its body, clear and light brown, with no mouth, instead it had jagged stone like things swirling around in its body, tearing anything it absorbed to ribbons. As Reh looked in terror, a shadow passed by over head, but vanished behind the blob as Reh looked. The blob was see through, but it was hard to see what ever that was through it with all the shredded debris in the way.

    Reh could see a figure through the blob; it was human, battling this enormous blob, “Is this a dream? Yeah, it must be a dream, no, a nightma-“ as Reh was talking to himself, the figure defeated the blob. Reh in astonishment dug his legs, which were waist high in the blob, out of the muck of the creature, and made his way to the person who defeated the monster. “Thanks miste-“ Reh was even more astonished now, at the figure who had saved him, it was a girl. “ So , you’re awake, and the names Misty” Reh looked at her in utter shock, she wore colorful clothes, a bright yukata, and a straw hat strapped to her back, but the thing that made Reh the most speechless was her hair, which vibrant, and had the colors of the rainbow. “You have to be more careful, those are called Intamonji, they reside underground, but since it’s the time of blooming, they come out to switch trees, to steal water from their roots, and grind up things so they don’t liquefy, you ok?” Reh looked at her, as she smiled at him asking if he was ok “You wouldn’t happen to be the old man’s student, would you?” Misty laughed, doing a cute smile, and said “yes, and we should probably get back, more Intamonji might come out, come on” Reh nodded and followed, but felt very weak, until finally he blacked out.