novelraw Chapter 163: Forest Spirit
Chapter 163: Forest Spirit
Lin Jie judged that the other party "meant no harm."
This judgment provoked different reactions in his two experienced partners.
William's tense body did not relax;
a heavy vigilance flashed in his eyes.
In his creed, the very existence of a UMA represented a potential threat to the order of the surface world.
The "goodwill" of a UMA was often more unpredictable and more dangerous than its "malice."
Goodwill could be a disguise to lure prey into lowering their guard, or a prelude to some form of mental attack beyond their understanding.
In this perilous, unknown forest, a moment of carelessness could cost them their lives.
Julian's reaction was the complete opposite.
A look of scholarly curiosity surfaced on his face.
As a Curator dedicated to studying ancient myths and mystical symbols, he understood that "anomaly" was not always synonymous with "evil."In the ancient pantheistic belief systems denounced as heresy by the Church, spirits, earth elementals, and fairies were once regarded as guardians of nature and friends of humanity.
This wave of sad, lonely crying fit the image of the "Old Gods" from Celtic and Germanic legends, who wailed due to the loss of their habitats or faith.
"Should we go take a look?" Julian's voice held barely suppressed excitement;
he wanted to witness a "living legend" with his own eyes.
"Hold position." William's reply was brief and firm. "Until the threat level is confirmed, initiating contact is gambling with the entire team's lives."
The two differing opinions brought the team's movement to a standstill.
Ultimately, the decision was made by Lin Jie.
"William is right, we can't be reckless." He first affirmed the veteran's caution, then shifted the topic.
"However, Julian's assessment might also hold another side of the truth."
"The 'sadness' in the crying is too pure;
it doesn't feel like a disguise."
"And..."
He paused, linking his perception more deeply with the Zen-like field emanating from the [Serene Heart].
"And I can sense that this sadness isn't directed at us."
He finally proposed a compromise course of action.
"I'll go over there alone, slowly."
"William, you stay here, establish a sniper position with my location as the center."
"Julian, you follow behind William, prepare to release the 'attenuation field'."
"If I give a warning signal, or if you detect any anomaly, don't hesitate. Open fire or retreat immediately."
It was a risky yet meticulously calculated plan.
The plan satisfied the necessity of investigating the truth while leaving a contingency for potential accidents.
It was also a choice built upon the absolute trust among the members of the Iron Triangle team.
William took a deep look at Lin Jie, reading everything in the other's resolute gaze.
He no longer objected, merely nodded, then quickly found a rocky cover with a clear field of view and good concealment.
He steadily propped his Winchester on the rock, the muzzle aimed distantly at the unknown area Lin Jie was about to enter.
Julian followed closely behind;
the ancient guardian runes inside the staff body of [Withered Thorns] in his hand had already begun to emit a light invisible to the naked eye.
With his teammates covering him, Lin Jie hesitated no longer.
He took a deep breath of the humus-scented air, then stepped forward alone, slowly walking towards the source of the sorrowful crying.
His pace was slow, each step placed with extreme care, trying not to make any unnecessary sound.
His senses were heightened to their peak at this moment.
He could hear the rustling of wind through leaves, smell the earthy scent of worms churning in the soil, and feel the vibration of his own blood flow with each heartbeat.
The little girl's crying grew clearer and sadder as he approached.
"Brother... my little bird... is gone..."
Finally, he pushed aside the last green curtain formed by damp ferns.
A scene filled with fantasy and sorrow unfolded before his eyes.
It was a circular clearing in the forest, beams of sunlight piercing through gaps in the dense canopy.
In the center of the light beams stood a massive ancient oak tree, split down the middle by some force.
A peculiar creature was anxiously circling the broken tree, emitting sobs like a little girl from deep in its throat.
Its body resembled a hare, but it had a large, fluffy tail that stuck up high like a squirrel's.
A pair of colorful pheasant wings grew from its back, but these wings couldn't support its weight, flapping uselessly only when it hopped anxiously.
On its rabbit face covered in soft white fur, two sharp, curved teeth extended from the sides of its mouth like wild boar tusks.
This combination seemed contradictory, absurd, illogical, yet possessed a pure beauty originating from a world of fantasy.
Lin Jie's breath caught in that moment.
Words recorded by Karl decades ago with childlike excitement surfaced in his mind.
"I swear it's the most illogical and perfect creation I've ever seen! I call it..."
"Wolpertinger."
Lin Jie subconsciously whispered the name that existed only in the ancient legends of the Bavaria region.
The peculiar creature, immersed in its sorrow, stiffened abruptly upon hearing this name.
Its long rabbit ears pricked up alertly, and its anxious movements ceased.
It slowly turned, fixing a pair of ruby-red eyes, clear yet brimming with tears, on Lin Jie, the uninvited guest.
Lin Jie immediately stopped, raising his hands high to show he was unarmed and meant no harm.
His heart was pounding fast at this moment.
He didn't know how this legendary "forest spirit" would react to a strange human.
Would it flee like a startled rabbit, or attack with its sharp tusks?
The Wolpertinger's reaction once again exceeded his expectations.
It simply tilted its white-furred head quietly, examining Lin Jie curiously with its pure, unadulterated red eyes.
Its nose twitched rapidly in the air, as if distinguishing scents imperceptible to humans.
Lin Jie sensed it wasn't "smelling" his own scent.
It was smelling the emotional residue belonging to Karl himself, which had inevitably clung to Lin Jie from his prolonged study of Karl's diary and sketchbook.
Scrutiny and wariness slowly faded from its eyes.
What remained was a sense of confusion, familiarity, and aggrieved dependence.
Its previously tense pheasant wings relaxed, and it tentatively hopped a few steps closer to Lin Jie.
A strange feeling of being "trusted" by a creature from a fantasy world welled up in Lin Jie's heart.
He also attempted to take a small step forward.
Man and beast, in this fairytale-like forest clearing, shortened the distance between them with a sense of ceremony.
When the distance between them was less than a meter, the Wolpertinger stopped.
It looked up at Lin Jie again with its watery red eyes.
Then it made a gesture of goodwill that surprised William and Julian in the distance.
It lowered its head and gently nuzzled Lin Jie's mud-stained trouser leg with its furry head adorned with sharp tusks.
The action was like a kitten acting spoiled with its owner.
Lin Jie felt a faint, warm, spiritual power imbued with the essence of nature and life slowly flow into his body from the point of contact.
The power was soothing his spirit.
This was clearly the goodwill of an Alert-class, gentle, arguably beneficial UMA.
After confirming Lin Jie posed no danger, the Wolpertinger turned again, hopping to lead him towards a massive oak tree that had been split by lightning.
It circled the broken tree, once again emitting sad, helpless whimpers, as if crying out to Lin Jie about something.
Lin Jie's gaze fell upon the broken tree.
The huge crack running from top to bottom was newly formed.
At the bottom of the crack was a deep, dark tree hollow that looked like it had been inhabited long-term by some creature.
The Wolpertinger pointed a forepaw at the pitch-black tree hollow, then looked at Lin Jie with hopeful, ruby-like eyes.
It seemed to want to tell him that its most precious thing had disappeared into the depths of the dark tree hollow, which it couldn't enter, after the tree fell during the thunderstorm.
Lin Jie understood its meaning.
He nodded, then half-knelt, carefully reaching his hand into the tree hollow.
His hand groped in the darkness.
He felt hard tree roots, soft moss, and cold insect carcasses.
Finally, his fingertips brushed against a small, hard object with carved markings.
His heart stirred, and he slowly retrieved the object from the dark tree hollow.
When the item saw daylight again, exposed to the soft sunlight of the forest clearing, Lin Jie's breath hitched.
It was a long-rotted, wooden carving of a little bird.
Its surface was covered in thick, dark green moss, obscuring its original color.
One of its wings was broken off, leaving only a bare body;
the erosion of time had smoothed all its edges.
The moment Lin Jie's fingertips completely enclosed this wooden bird.
"Bzzz—!!!"
A clear, painful flood of memories detonated without his active summoning, engulfing his consciousness.
[Reverberation Touch] triggered passively.
From the wooden bird's "perspective," he saw the tragic, sorrowful truth Karl had sealed away for a lifetime.
He saw a pair of small hands belonging to Lina clutching it tightly like a treasure.
He heard the roar of the terrifying monster named "Swamp Tree Fiend" as it burst from the mire.
He felt the whoosh of air as the seven-year-old girl, using all her strength, resolutely threw this wooden bird in the opposite direction from her brother.
"Brother—run!!!"
That final shout, filled with love and sacrifice, was etched onto Lin Jie's soul.
Immediately, his "perspective" plunged into the mire along with the falling toy.
He saw the not-very-intelligent Swamp Tree Fiend catch up to it, then lose interest and turn away upon discovering it was just a lifeless "dead thing."
The monster slowly dragged the little girl lying in a pool of blood into the dark depths of the swamp.
It was then wounded and fled when a mysterious person suddenly appeared while pursuing Karl.
However, the memory did not end there.
After the terrifying monster disappeared into the swamp with severe injuries, an unknown amount of time passed.
A small shadow with rabbit ears and a squirrel tail cautiously poked its head out from a nearby bush.
It was the Wolpertinger.
It had witnessed everything.
It saw how the kind human girl, with whom it had once interacted, had been brutally killed.
It also saw the small "relic" fallen in the muddy ground.
It cautiously emerged from the bush, sniffing the wooden bird stained with mud and the scent of blood with its nose.
Then, it gently picked up this ownerless toy with its mouth and carried it back to its safe nest inside the ancient oak tree.
Day after day, year after year.
It guarded it, as if guarding the soul of the little girl who would never return.
Until today.