Chapter 56: The Forest of Miscalculations

The mood for the rest of the journey to the Glade was, to put it mildly, awkward. Jin, having scraped off the worst of the mud with his dagger, now squelched with every step. The swamp water had plastered his dark hair to his forehead, and his dramatic black cloak was a sad, dripping mess. His attempts to maintain a cool, brooding silence were somewhat undermined by the faint, but persistent, smell of pond scum. Echo and Kael walked ahead, their backs rigid with the combined weight of failure and frustration. Their simple plan to humiliate me had not only imploded but had also managed to drag their revered leader down with it.

I, on the other hand, was having a delightful time. I walked with a serene spring in my step, the perfect picture of an amnesiac damsel who was blissfully unaware of the petty drama swirling around her.

"The path ahead is dense with Thornbriar," Echo announced, her voice sharp as she pointed towards a menacing wall of tangled, thorny vines blocking the trail. "It will tear at clothing and flesh. Perhaps, Luna, you and Master Zero should wait here while Kael and I retrieve the berries. It is for your own safety."

It was a thinly veiled attempt to get rid of us, and Sabotage Attempt 2.5. The thorns were as thick as a castle wall, and my flowing white dress was the perfect target.

"Nonsense," Jin declared, his voice a low growl. He was clearly trying to reclaim some of his lost dignity. "A true shadow does not shy away from a few thorns. Luna's safety is my utmost priority. I will forge a path for her."

Before anyone could protest, he drew his sword - a sleek, dark blade I’d named ‘Oblivion’s Kiss’ in my design notes - and began hacking at the briars. He swung with dramatic flair, cutting a wide, impressive-looking swathe into the thicket. He was so focused on looking cool that he failed to notice that the severed vines, still laden with tension, were whipping back like angry snakes. One particularly nasty vine, covered in hooked thorns, snapped back and snagged the collar of Kael's tunic, yanking him face-first into the thorny wall with a yelp of surprise. Another whipped past Echo’s head, snagging a lock of her pristine blonde hair and pulling it into a messy, tangled knot.

Jin, oblivious, turned back to me with a proud expression. "The way is clear," he announced.

I gave a grateful little nod and then proceeded to walk through the path he had so violently carved. Except, I didn't stay on the path. With a grace that felt entirely natural to this divinely-crafted body, I stepped between the thorny vines. I swayed and turned, my dress flowing around the barbs without a single snag, my feet finding purchase on patches of mossy ground no one else had noticed. I emerged on the other side of the thicket a moment later, completely untouched, without a single tear in my dress or a scratch on my skin.

I turned back to see Kael painstakingly untangling his tunic from the thorns, muttering a stream of curses, while Echo tried furiously to fix her now-ruined hair. Jin just stared at me, his mouth slightly agape. He had used brute force and made a mess; I had used grace and emerged flawless.

"You are… remarkably agile," he breathed, his admiration practically a physical force.

"Am I?" I asked, tilting my head with practiced innocence. "I didn't notice."

The next phase of their plan became apparent as we entered the Shadowfen Glade proper. The air grew cold and heavy, thick with the smell of damp earth and decay. Twisted, skeletal trees loomed over us, their branches dripping with moss, and strange, faintly glowing fungi pulsed with an eerie light on the forest floor. It was the perfect atmosphere for a haunting.

A low, guttural growl echoed from the shadows to our left. It was a decent impression of a Fen-Crawler, a particularly nasty predator I had designed.

Kael. Sabotage attempt number three: scare the amnesiac.

Jin immediately went on high alert, placing himself in front of me with his sword drawn. "Stay behind me, Luna! There are dark things that lurk in these woods."

I peeked out from behind him. "Oh, is that a Grumble-Snout?" I asked, my voice filled with gentle curiosity.

Kael’s growling cut off abruptly. There was a moment of confused silence.

"A what?" Jin asked, glancing back at me.

"A Grumble-Snout," I repeated cheerfully. "My… uh… grandfather used to tell me stories. He said they sound very scary, but if you scratch them behind their third ear, they fall asleep. They're actually quite ticklish."

The absurdity of my statement hung in the air. The [The Narrative Wills It] skill flickered in the background, probably debating whether or not to create a fluffy, six-eared, ticklish monster on the spot. Kael, realizing her attempt at intimidation had just been re-contextualized into a plea for belly rubs, fell silent in utter humiliation.

We finally reached the clearing where the Nightshade Berries grew. They were beautiful, clusters of deep purple orbs hanging from a gnarled, ancient-looking bush, glowing with a soft, internal light.

"There," Echo said, her voice tight with relief that this disastrous trip was almost over. She and Kael immediately began harvesting the berries, their movements quick and efficient.

Jin, however, remained by my side, his self-appointed role as my protector not yet concluded. He was staring at me, a strange, contemplative look on his face. "Luna," he began, his voice softer than I’d heard it before. "Everything we have faced today… the mud, the thorns, the beasts of the wood… none of it seems to faze you. You move through this world as if you are not entirely part of it. As if you are a dream."

My non-existent heart skipped a beat. He was getting dangerously close to the truth, wrapped up in his own chuunibyou poetry. I had to deflect.

"I feel like a dream," I whispered, looking down. "Everything is new to me. Scary, but… also beautiful. Like these berries."

My answer seemed to satisfy him, pushing him back into his romanticized view of me as a tragic, ethereal mystery.

Just as Echo was tying off the last bag of berries, a rustling sound came from the undergrowth. This time, it wasn't Kael. A creature emerged from the bushes. It was about the size of a large rabbit, covered in fluffy, moss-green fur. It had large, soulful black eyes, and two long, feathery antennae that twitched curiously. It was a Moss-Hopper, one of the most docile and harmless creatures in the entire forest.

Jin, however, reacted as if a dragon had just appeared.

He leaped in front of me, sword held in a two-handed grip, his body a tense line of defense. "BEGONE, FOUL HARBINGER OF THE DEEP WOODS!" he roared at the terrified-looking bunny-creature. "YOU SHALL NOT LAY A CLAW UPON THE INNOCENT!"

The Moss-Hopper stared at him, its antennae drooping in fear. It let out a soft, pathetic squeak, then turned and hopped away back into the safety of the forest.

Jin stood there for a long moment, chest heaving, his eyes scanning the trees for any further threats. He then turned to me, his expression deadly serious. "You are safe now."

Echo just stared at him, a look of profound, secondhand embarrassment on her face. Kael had her face buried in her hands. Their plan to break me had failed on every conceivable level. I hadn't been humiliated, scared, or even mildly inconvenienced. Instead, I had effortlessly overcome every obstacle while their leader had a mud bath, got them tangled in thorns, and declared war on a fluffy rabbit.

I gave Jin a look of pure, unadulterated awe. "You were so brave," I whispered.

His chest puffed out with pride. My vacation was officially the best thing ever.