Chương 1: Chapter 1
"Sephira!",a loud call make her jolt from the bed.
"Good morning to you too uncle Toby",Sephira whispered while giggling.
"Come down now or you won't be having your breakfast!!",her uncle shouted.
Sephira turned on her old lamp to see the time from the old wall clock hanging on the cracked wall in her room.
2:30 AM? What could her uncle's reason for waking her up this early?
She looked back at the old wall clock to make sure she's seeing the right time or the clock is malfunctioning again.
Well,what can she say? everything she owned is either old or broken. At least, she's still thankful they agreed to adopt her after her mother's death,but of course she had to work for the things she get and for the food she have.
"Yes uncle?"Sephira responded when she finally get down from the attic.
"God!!what took you so long?!, Go find Ruru, it's suspicious he stopped from making some crazy noise!", he responded while looking out from the window as if he could see from the dark.
"But uncle,it's 2:30 AM... it'll be their sacred hour soon,"she responded politely.
"Sacred hour?!tsk!!stop saying nonsense!!my dog is more important than those gibberish imagination you have!!!",he responded irritatingly.
"But I can see them,there!in that big tree!"she responded in her head. There's no use telling him what she see. He won't believe her anyway.
"Tsk!what are you waiting for!!Go find Ruru and make breakfast when you return. Make sure you serve breakfast at 5 AM, we are going to the city for family reunion so you better start early!", He ordered.
" Okay uncle," she replied politely. After her uncle returned to their room she went back to the attic to get her torn jacket and head to the forest.
Of course, there's no other place she would find Ruru but inside the forest. When she was seven,she discovered that dogs get attracted to the gatherings in the forest.
Once a year, the Encantos and other mystical beings have this kind of sacred celebration.
She was seven then,when her uncle Toby,just like this day ordered her to look for his beloved pet dog who ran to the forest like this time.
"Sephira...Sephira ...Sephira .." a hush voice kept on whispering as soon as she entered the forest.
"Pardon my intrusion in your territory but I am here to fetch my uncle's dog", she mumbled with her head bowed down.
Right after she spoke a high-pitched laugh echoed. It sounded like of a child's melodious laughter.
"You are funny, young Sephira,everytime you set foot in the forest you always say that...such a naive girl you are." the voice once again spoke mimicking a soft-toned voice of a child.
If only her eyes were closed and she would only rely on her sense of hearing she would believe this creature facing her is nothing but a gentle and ordinary human.
On the contrary, she is facing the wicked,dangerous and very deceiving being so called "hugger-mugger".
Hugger-mugger is one of the most dangerous creature one would face in the forest.
It resembles a human feature walking upside down using its human-like hands to walk and its head facing up and feet hanging mid-air. At first, it would look like ordinary human but when it wants to attack it will turn to its original form.
Its whole body is pitch black but the eyes were red in color. It kills its victim by deception. It is full of hatred that once you encounter one,chance of escaping and surviving is very little.
Hugger-mugger tame its victim to very dangerous parts of the forest or sometimes scare them to death.
Only few knows about the counter-attack to a hugger-mugger,and even if one knows about it...its very hard to execute once it starts attacking.
Hugger-mugger cannot victimize anyone who can look straight to its eyes without feeling fear. It will also never attack someone who will bow his head to ask permission to enter the forest or someone who will never look it's feet hanging in mid-air.
Sephira have countless encounter with a hugger-mugger and for some unknown reason,she realized that she remained untouched. Sure, hugger-mugger did come close to her and do its nature of deception but never did it try to attack her. Instead, hugger-mugger encounter were nothing but an unexpected communication with them.
"The forest is bustling, all kinds of beings are hustling.
The Fire tree is finally alive, for the righteous heiress had survived .The forest has spoken,the barrier was broken!",the hugger-mugger spoke as it finally decided to leave Sephira. While it is descending, its voice echoed in the forest making it sound creepy. Every encounter she have with a hugger-mugger,they would always leave her a message she can't quite decipher. They are scary creatures with a cliff hanging messages.
When she lose sight of it,Sephira continued following the trail leading to the fire tree. Yes,indeed the sun is beginning to rise,but the forest is still unreached by the sunlight. Usually the forest gets share of the sunlight when the clock strikes at seven in the morning. Lucky for her,she can see in the dark. That's a talent no one knows about. Not even her Uncle Toby,her aunt Emelia nor her cousins Jenny and Jolie.
"Ruru!",Sephira call out and from time to time whistle to reach the dog's ear.
"How dare you enter the forest in our sacred hour,filthy human!", Sephira jolt when a loud masculine voice came from nowhere.
She was about to look for the origin of the voice when suddenly a big root animatedly come to life.
It curled to her toes and drag her down to the ground making a loud thud as she fell hard. Not only was she dragged down,four sharpened root was also perfectly set, cornering her ;pointing to her like a dagger.
"Conceited humans!You think you have the right to everything. You have no power over our home! The forest belongs to us!", the masculine voice once again spoke with a tinge of disgust and hatred on its tone.
"Who are you?
Show yourself!",Sephira spoke enduring the pain she's feeling from the sudden fall.
She is usually composed even if she feels danger or she's facing mystical beings with powerful characteristics she has no match with but the surprise attack made her blood boil.
"Tsk! Who am I, your asking? A powerless human like you have no right to know my name!", the Encanto answered before showing himself.
Who could he be?
Why does she feel like he is too dangerous?