Chapter 9 - One More Maggot

"We're almost there!"

Kita flinched. After spending a few hours in silence, practically in a trance, it startled her to hear the driver call out.

As she sat up in her seat, she saw the rolling hills through the small window. The sky was already dim, so much that not even the hue of a sunset could be seen. This made sense to her; the trip from Lion's Bridge to the Royal City was even longer, as the driver stopped to eat and give the armequus a break.

Kita scanned her minimal luggage. She made sure to change into her more versatile gray dress, with a black belt, collared blue undershirt, and darker blue leggings. Along with some of Corelia's books, she packed an old dagger, a box of matches, a jar of water, and a pocket watch. The black bag was too small to fit much else, but she didn't want to lug around a huge pack anyway.

She looked outside. They were on the road leading to the Royal City. Only, the carriage was coming to a jerky stop, far from the city’s entrance. Kita was thankful for that; there were always guards on top of the drawbridge, and she didn't want them to see her.

Stud yipped, bouncing onto her seat.

Kita flinched. "Wait, Stud? Why are you here? You were supposed to stay behind!"

Stud just stared blankly at her.

Kita sighed, "This is a horrible time for you to follow me. As if the trip isn't going to be challenging enough, your tiny legs can barely keep up with me. Dammit..."

Still feeling annoyed, Kita grabbed the bag and let herself out. 

On the side of the road, she was immediately greeted by a sharp gale. The air was slightly humid, filled with the scent of rich earth and fading wildflowers. Only the faintest streak of light remained in the western sky, fading fast. She could barely see Stud spring out of the cart.

The driver came around to meet her. "Well, I did what you asked. I don't know what you're looking to find out here though. It looks suspicious."

"It's complicated," Kita responded. "Thank you for the ride."

The driver shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever. Bye now."

While he headed off, Kita took a deep breath to steady herself. In her head, she still asked if she was really going through with this, but when considering her options, the choice was clear.

Facing south, away from the city, she ran out into the rolling hills.

After a while, when she reached the crest of the tallest hill, she could see the target clearly, even when it was almost impossible from the road.

It looked like she was between the two worlds. On one side, there was the faint silhouette of the Aubade Palace and Royal City, with its warm lights and secure walls. However, on the other side, she could only see a dark and mysterious forest. Even now, she had no strong desire to explore it. Something about it felt dangerous.

As Kita made one more glance toward the palace, the image of her worried queen popped into her mind. She clenched her fists and repressed it.

"Sorry, your majesty," Kita murmured. "Yuna and Mao, I'm also sorry for lying to you. I'm doing this my way."

She pressed on, and when she finally reached the edge of the forest, she stopped.

It was hard to see through the darkness, but it looked like normal woodland. The trees grew densely, the meadowgrass faded to underbrush a short way in, and the fresh scent of damp wood hung in the air. Strangely, there were no creatures in sight, not even the nocturnal bats or rodents. She couldn't hear anything either.

The weight of the air seemed to increase here. The fresh, lively breath of the meadow behind her was snuffed out by an invisible barrier that stood exactly where she did now. Though the woods looked so empty, she could feel a million eyes boring through her soul, ripping out chunks so they could judge every part of her being. The inky darkness, ripe with echoes of a shrouded past, seemed to stick to her skin, threatening to drag her into the depths. Never to see the light of day again as she toiled and rotted in its infection.

It was so strong that from the corner of her vision, she thought she could see tendrils -blacker than the shadows around them- reaching out, spreading under her skin in a pattern of darkened veins.

Kita closed her eyes, her voice strained. "Do you feel it too, Stud? I'm not crazy, am I?"

She brought herself to look down. Sure enough, even Stud was quivering behind her, his bleak eyes fixed on the woods.

Kita pulled out the map, which was still hidden in her boot. "This has to be it. The Blood Forest is directly south of the palace. The actual border starts somewhere inside, but I can't tell how far away it'll be. I just hope there'll be something to make it clear."

As she kept looking into the dark woods, the uneasy feeling was amplified. Even without her damaged mind distorting the scene, she knew there was something terribly wrong about this area.

"Her majesty was wrong," Kita murmured. "I know the basics of getting by in the wilderness, and it's the same reason I hate seeing places like this."

She couldn't help remembering something from long ago. Another memory she wished she didn't have.

It was late at night, when she was about twelve years old. She had been forced to stay in a forest in the far north of Sybilius since her father was on a hunting trip. It was common for him to camp out so he could get his hands on nocturnal prey, or to have first dibs when creatures crept out at dawn.

The setup was the same as always; one fire pit and one tent in a small clearing. Young Kita could still hear her father snoring like a pig from the tent. She didn't get to share it; instead, she would be anchored to a tree outside like a dog. A thick rope clung tight to her wrist, the other end too high off the ground for her to reach.

She hated the cold air, the rough ground, and the frightening noises of the woods. She hated the constant feeling that a predator might come to eat her. Most of all, though, she hated the incredible loneliness.

That night, however, she noticed something that filled her with a mixture of fear and hope.

The fire pit still had some tiny flames inside. It would take just one big puff to extinguish them for good, but usually, it would've died by now. Furthermore, it would be just out of range from her, but now it was just close enough for her to reach.

“No,” Kita whispered to herself. “I can’t…”

As another sharp gale hit her, the young girl slowly started to change her mind.

She thought to herself, I hate this idea so much, but I can’t take another night! I have to try! I’ll go to Yuna and Mao, and they’ll help me. They always know what to do...

Young Kita reluctantly grabbed some dry twigs and branches. As she crept over to the fire, her limbs trembled as her thoughts became rushed by panic and desperation. She wondered if someone would see and tell on her, if a beast could catch up to her, or if she would get lost and be stuck in the forest forever.

Despite all the awful possibilities, she was already throwing the wood pieces in. While the fire was slowly building back up, she winced with every flicker and spit. She kept trying to reassure herself that it couldn't have been loud enough to breach the tent, much less the grotesque snoring.

Once the flames were big enough, Kita pulled the rope into the fire.

'crack! crack!'

The fire spit even more, and the rope smoked even more than the wood. However, as she prodded the blackening rope with a stick, the threads began to snap until they were all severed.

Kita jumped up, brushing out her dirty gray dress. She tore one piece off, wrapped it around a stick, and made a small torch out of it.

She hesitated; of course she had escaped before, using the opportunities to go into town and visit her friends, but she had never done anything this drastic.

Despite her fears, Kita took a deep breath of fresh night air, then started running. She was desperate to find Mao and figure out what to do. Inside, it did make her happy to see the camp getting further away. 

Along the way, her senses started to come back. It was like there were clues speckled around the forest. She briefly paused to take them all in.

The things I thought only Father knew...

She recognized the landmarks needed to navigate. She started to realize that this type of terrain was unlikely to have many predators, and the ones it did have, there were ways to avoid being attacked. The sap in the trees reminded her how to make fire and torches, as she just did, while the trickle of a stream reminded her where to find safe water. Certain stones even told her about the type of tools she could make in a pinch.

I know what to do. I know the tricks too!

As she ran with her moment of boldness, however, she didn't account for one thing. The snoring had long since stopped.

When she spotted something amid the light of her torch, she stopped and aimed the flame out.

She was horrified to see her furious father.

"What did I tell you about running?"

Kita gasped, ducking to protect herself.

However, when she looked back up, nothing was different. She was still looking at the entrance of the notorious Blood Forest, with only her little dog as company. It felt like the woods were laughing at her, mocking her moment of fear.

Kita gulped nervously. "It's nothing like that. Honestly, a band of bloodthirsty demons is better than him anyway. I'll just keep that in mind."

With that firm thought, Kita glanced up at the trees. They were still intimidating, but slowly, the deathly aura calmed down. 

Kita held her breath as she stepped into the woods.

She could hear the faint pitter-patter of Stud's paws behind her. She could barely see, but the same dark cloud that clung to her, normally taunting her with its antics, now brought deep curiosity and the urge to move forward. Likewise, she began to see the same clues that she did as a child, telling her how to survive.

It was a good five or ten minutes before she finally heard something, and it was as menacing as it was promising. The familiar sound of rushing water. It was faint, hardly audible at this distance, but unmistakable.

"A stream," Kita murmured. "Good, I have a landmark."

Kita took a moment to do a more thorough scan. There was no visible clearing, but she wanted to stop and rest anyway. This would be a dangerous and terrifying mission on a normal basis, much less in pitch darkness.

"I'll find out tomorrow," Kita murmured. "Alright, Stud. We'll stay here for the night, then investigate in the morning..." She gulped nervously. "And gods know what will be waiting for us."

Walking a bit further up the stream, she discovered a cluster of plants around a large, discreetly-indented boulder. It felt like a secure enough area to hide from predators and any wanderers. The darkness of the night would also help. Even when she started a very small fire, in an almost professional pit, the smoke trail was hardly noticeable. Although she hated the idea of becoming too confident, she felt proud to see how well this was going.

Watching the warm, comforting, familiar glow of the flames immediately relaxed her. By the time she was pulling up a small log to rest her head on, she felt her eyes become heavy.

Of course, she was a fool for thinking she would fall asleep, soon stuck in an awkward midway state. Her body was numb and limp, but her mind remained active for practically no reason. The flames just made her feel better about it.

Kita sighed heavily, closing her eyes to at least try and doze off faster. She felt the air grow colder, and from one peek, she could tell that the forest was now very dark. The faintest bit of silver light, like tiny specks through the branches above, told her that the moon was slowly moving closer to its peak.

Unfortunately, in her state of half-rest, she encountered another familiar symptom. One that was becoming more annoying than concerning.

She could hear words. Whether due to her current state of being or failure to listen, the voice felt faint, yet very close. however, this time, something was different. It was stronger, with a masculine tone and an unusual sense of bitterness.

"You've chosen an odd place to camp."

Internally groaning, Kita spoke quietly, "You were the one encouraging me to ditch my friends and come out here."

"And who do you think I am, to do that?"

"The hell if I know," Kita muttered. "At best, my subconscious. More likely, the voice in my head that developed from my own craziness, which I really shouldn't be listening to. Either way, I don't care..." She curled up tighter. "I just want to sleep."

"And you couldn't do that in a bed?"

"Don't be sarcastic, you know it's not any better," Kita argued. "If this is to prove a point or test me somehow, I don't get it. I'm still going tomorrow. It feels like the only way. No one is going to know more about this than the demons themselves, I've established that, and there's no point in interrogating more dumb, useless sylphs. Now please leave me alone so I can at least try to get some sleep. Even one hour would be enough..."

Unfortunately, Kita felt more tension, like a cloud of dark aura filled the air. She dared not look up, knowing the sight that would await her. 

"Demons do not deal with mortals. They find your kind disgusting, and they harbor very little patience. It's intriguing that you evidently share that opinion to some extent, but don't forget that you're still one of them. You still have a weak heart that beats no differently from anyone else in Sybilius. A heart that a demon would have no problem tearing from your chest with its own claws. That goes doubly for the Zyreans. Your queen is cautious, if not downright paranoid, because she has Sybilius to lose. The Zyreans have no army, no kingdom, and no future. In other words, they have very little to lose, and -as you can imagine- those are the most dangerous type of people."

Kita felt chills creeping through her spine and limbs. Instead of being limp and numb, overtaken by her urge to rest, her body was now stiff and tense. Like she was paralyzed.

"For every problem that brought you here, there are at least ten more factors stacked against you. I don't know if you're brave or stupid, likely both, but if you cross that stream, ask yourself first. Even if it is the most efficient solution, is this worth it?"

Kita felt her teeth gritting, but she didn't have the will to respond anymore. She still didn't know if it made things worse, but it certainly didn't help. Unfortunately, she felt the voice closer and more pronounced. Calm but venomous, laced with pure contempt.

"Think at least three times before every step you make here, and do not expect anything to be handed to you. You may think you're significant, but as I said, all they see is another maggot, and there's a thousand more where you came from. Out here, no one cares, period."

"Thanks," Kita muttered.

"And by the way, I've been behind you the whole time."

Before Kita could even react to that, something landed on her, and she jerked up while barely restraining a scream. In her lap, Stud was shivering with fear, but barking madly into the dark woods behind her.

She felt pulses of pure cold, beyond the point of freezing, coming from behind her. Like two rays burning into her skin.

Now having to restrain tears, Kita slowly turned her head.

However, there was nothing behind her.