Capítulo 103: A Tree
Without affording him much time to ponder, the heels pressed on. Watching them move away, Adrian had to make a decision swiftly, and indeed, he did.
Adrian trailed behind the heels into the forest, hoping his decision was correct, as venturing into the forest wasn't his preferred choice.
"Even the slavers avoided the forest, so why am I following these heels like a dumbass?" Adrian questioned his own judgment, doubting the wisdom of his current course.
His thoughts were not baseless, as the forest seemed to be screaming, "I'll eat you up. Come, let daddy eat you," and Adrian wasn't buying into the eerie invitation.
But the heels were.
Adrian looked behind him, but the dense forest had obscured the path, rendering it invisible to him.
'Well, there goes my escape plan.'
With no point in looking behind, Adrian continued to follow the heels, remaining vigilant and paying close attention to his surroundings.
He hadn't noticed the ominous atmosphere of the forest before, but now, as he traversed through it, Adrian couldn't help but feel a shiver.
The forest was shrouded in a purplish mist that initially made Adrian wonder if it was poisonous, but to his relief, it wasn't. The mist had an eerie, alluring quality that left Adrian perplexed about its nature.
As Adrian continued to follow the heels, he couldn't shake off the thought of where they might be leading him.
Adrian could sense that it was not just any relic but a living relic, making the situation even more unsettling.
"It can't be lower than a nine-core, yet it lacks the aura characteristic of a relic of that grade. If it had been here from the beginning, the skinwalker wouldn't have lingered. It lacks the strength to contend with a nine-core relic," Adrian reasoned.
Processing the entire situation in his mind, Adrian wasn't certain about what was unfolding. A nine-core relic was formidable, akin to a 9-core level core bearer, though not exactly on par due to the absence of intelligence. Nonetheless, they possessed scary powers.
For example, the lantern that Adrian encountered was a menace—a sinister entity that took pleasure in deceiving people into believing they could have anything, only to kill them right after fulfilling their desires.
The second one was the tower, and its impact lingered deeply in Adrian's consciousness. It was a peculiar experience for him, akin to entering the dream realm for the first time and encountering a 9-core level relic.
'No one would be strong enough to go there again but of course I'm different.'
Having the heels in front of him provided Adrian with a sense of security, yet simultaneously made him wary, questioning why the heels were behaving benevolently.
Were the heels leading him deep into the forest to dispose of him, or were they genuinely assisting him? Not all relics were inherently malevolent, but Adrian had to remain cautious, uncertain of the capabilities and intentions of this particular relic.
'Considering its unassuming form and the way it has behaved so far, it seems timid. The chances of me meeting my end at its hands are not high.'
Adrian contemplated, calculating his odds of survival with the heels by his side.
He acknowledged the possibility of being wrong, but for now, Adrian chose to remain optimistic.
He continued to hold onto hope, hoping that fate wouldn't twist his thoughts into a self-fulfilling prophecy of demise at the hands of the relic.
The journey pressed on, the mist thickening and the night deepening, yet the heels continued to walk.
"Hey, I know you're trying to lead me to a shelter, but wouldn't it have been better to head south if this supposed shelter was so far away?" Adrian inquired with a hint of frustration, as he was becoming increasingly convinced that they had covered a considerable distance.
The opportunity to rest and replenish his energy had been thwarted by the heels.
'I'm not even sure if the heels understood me perfectly or not. The concept of shelter might be different for it.'
The thoughts that should have occurred to Adrian at the beginning were finally catching up to him. With no alternative and the concern of potentially angering the heels, Adrian felt compelled to continue following their lead.
One source of relief for Adrian was the absence of any attacks from the beginning. Despite being prepared for the worst, his worries seemed unfounded, prompting another thought: "Are these heels keeping the monsters away?"
This thought triggered a cascade of other thoughts in Adrian's mind, leading him to curse himself for even entertaining that line of thinking.
'I had to make this simple journey a pain in the ass, didn't I?'
Just as Adrian was growing weary of the monotonous journey, he spotted a light far away.
Seeing the light, Adrian couldn't resist the temptation to walk up to the heels and stride beside them, especially as the light flickered. He didn't want to lose sight of it, catching up to the heels unless fate decided to play a humorous prank on him at the last moment.
As the light source began to grow larger, Adrian couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and worry.
'What could it be?'
Adrian acknowledged that he wasn't in any condition to fight anyone at the moment. His stamina had been depleted after walking for an extended period, and facing anyone in his weakened state was something he wished to avoid.
Adrian soon arrived and gazed at the source of light, which he had noticed from a distance.
In the heart of an enchanted forest stood a colossal tree, its immense branches reaching down to caress the very ground they sprang from. The sheer magnitude of the tree created an otherworldly ambiance, as if it held the secrets of the cosmos within its bark.
The branches, like colossal arms, dipped gracefully to the earth, creating an expansive canopy that seemed to embrace the entire woodland. Each branch bore the weight of an intricate tapestry of leaves, creating a living mosaic that filtered the dappled moonlight into a kaleidoscope of colors.
But it wasn't just the leaves that adorned this arboreal giant; it bore fruits that transcended the ordinary. Fruits, radiant and aglow, adorned the branches, casting a soft, luminous light in the otherwise shaded forest. These fruits emitted a gentle, ethereal glow, turning the tree into a living beacon that illuminated the surrounding forest.
The radiant fruits created a celestial display against the canvas of the night. Each fruit pulsed with an inner light, harmonizing with the nocturnal symphony of the enchanted forest.
Seeing the tree, Adrian couldn't help but be mesmerized.
'Who knew such a tree existed in the world?'
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
samandridaku
samandridaku Beneath the sky's expansive art,
A tree stands, a world apart.
Roots that weave through earth's embrace,
Leaves that dance in nature's grace.
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