Chapter 3: Roaming the Forest

Sunlight filtered through the foliage, illuminating the small burrow, the rays of light falling on rivulets of peachy strawberry blonde hair with red tinted golden-amber streaks. The light’s glow revealed the gorgeous contours of Luna’s smooth, ivory skin, making her have an erethral glow. Fluttering her long, curled eyelashes, Luna opened her eyes, revealing big, deep pine green irises filled with determination and devoid of fear. Light pink lips that contained a hint of deep rose, showcased a slender Cupid’s bow that accented a petite nose. However the sunlight also exposed the wounds that were likely to scar, upon Luna’s delicate back. In short, Luna looked just like a wounded fairy resting within the earth’s embrace.

After waking, she remained still and silent, analyzing her surroundings for a long time. Her mind was in turmoil, not completely understanding and accepting of her new reality. Luna would’ve stayed in the burrow all day, but the tickling sensation the rays of light as they danced on her skin and the sound of her rumbling stomach reminded her that she had to get up. Sitting up & stretching, whilst being careful not to reopen any of her wounds, Luna could tell it was just after noon. Last night she had dreamt of the memories of the original owner of the body, so she had finally understood the kind of world she now resided in.

She lived in a world called Xionet, where the law of the jungle reigned. People’s strength would be based off of the level and type(s) of magic they practice. There were 5 types of magic that people within this world could learn and practice, with them directly affecting the practitioner’s future prospects. People could practice close combat magic (Warrior), medicinal magic (Alchemist / Physician), creation magic (Weapon Refining / Array Masters), long distance combat magic (Battle Mages), and beastly magic (Beast Tamers). However it’s not like these people were able to pick and choose, rather their physique, spiritual strength, and mental strength all played a heavy hand in what they were able to practice.

But over everything else, the practitioner had to have the ability to sense the flow of a specific type of magic in their environment before they could even consider practicing it. In this way, all physical and mental strength would determine is the part of the person’s potential and future accomplishments. In the case of this body’s original owner, Emma Winchester, she was unable to feel even a sliver of magical power that flowed around her, on top of having blocked meridians. Luna knew that she wasn’t poisoned, but rather it was due to her body’s physique that she suffered this fate. Inevitably, Emma had been labeled as trash and a complete failure that was the shame of the Winchester clan.

On top of this, many didn’t see Emma as a beautiful child because she had constantly dirtied her skin and hair in order to not draw attention to herself, for this advice was a last warning to her from her mother on her death bed. Emma’s mother had died from poisoning when she was 5 years of age. ‘How sad. . .’ Luna thought, for she could relate to the feeling of losing one’s mother at a young age. Emma had also used black rogue to create the illusion of a scar that ran from near her temple to past her left cheekbone, thus also earning her the title of being a disfigured young miss. Since she had sweat a lot and dirtied herself thoroughly due to being forced to run from a group of assassins in the forest, Luna’s face was like a beautiful jade that had to be cleaned in order for its elegance to be revealed.

Eventually, Luna carefully lifted herself out of the burrow and moved away from the foliage. Using her tracking skills from her previous life, Luna was able to successfully locate a source of water. Following the current of the river downstream, she discovered a beautiful spring. The river’s waters flowed freely over an edge, resulting in a waterfall that looked like a cascading crystal wall, emptying into a wide spring surrounded by a clearing. The spring was hard to find because it was a tributary which branched off from the major river. Most sensible people would follow the main body of the river, but Luna’s instincts told her otherwise and proved to be correct.

Completely and utterly exhausted from making the long journey with a lame leg, Luna sat by the edge of the spring, her bare feet full of dirty cuts, and placed them gently into the water. “Tssss. . .” Luna hissed when she felt the stinging sensation. She found some weeds growing by the edges of the spring and rubbed them, making them become string-like. Continuing the motion, she made the small weeds in her hand become a delicate scrubber that she could use to clean the wounds on her feet and protect them from getting infected. After tenderly caring for her feet and finding some common herbs within the clearing, Luna used the spring water & two rocks to crush the herbs and create a light salve that would help her injuries heal faster.

Setting the salve aside, she used her instincts and senses to see if there were any people or beasts in the area, but the place seemed deserted. Although she wondered why this was, she just believed that it was because the area was very secluded. Tenderly stripping the rags that covered her body, Luna stepped into the clear, cold spring water, submerging herself & snapping all her senses awake. After cautiously bathing in the spring, she spread salve over each of her wounds. Once again, she tore the rags that were her clothes, after thoroughly washing them, and used them as bandages. Unfortunately, in the end, she had to only wear a bound chest and a small pair of shorts that she had hastily tailored using the remaining of the completely scrapped cloth. She looked like a primitive woman from a tribe & if any were to see her at this moment, her reputation would crumble like a house of cards.

Luna sat by the water’s edge, in order to see what her new body looked like. The clear water reflected her image as though it was a mirror, her deep pine green eyes staring back at her. ‘Woah!’ Luna thought, ‘My eyes are exactly the same as my past life.’ She was bewildered because according to her memory, the original owner had dull brown eyes. ‘Maybe this is why they call the eyes the window to the soul,’ Luna wondered. The eye color completely enhanced the beauty of the body, and Luna knew this well. If she were to put the old look and the new one, side-by-side, one could only call them similar rather than identical. This was mainly because the dull brown eyes that Emma Winchester had, made her appear like a very standard beauty whose hair was the only unique feature. However, Luna’s deep pine green eyes made her seem more like a fairy who fell from the heavens, one that had the beauty to topple nations.

Sighing, Luna leaned back, toppling onto the lucious green grass surrounding her. It tickled her bare shoulders, waist, along with her thighs, giving Luna a pleasant feeling. She felt peaceful and felt her conciousness slowly drift away, allowing her to enter a restful sleep.

The sound of men yelling orders and the galloping of horses hooves startled Luna awake. Her killer instincts made her subconsciously jump onto her feet, causing her wounds to threaten to reopen. Ignoring the pain, Luna listened. The sound seemed to originate from cliff-like area where the water spilled into the spring. She looked around, desperate to find a place to hide. The forest was around 100 meters away, but with her broken leg, it’d be impossible for her to make it there. Then she peered at the waterfall and decided to take a gamble. Many waterfalls had cave enterances behind them, and even if this one didn’t, she was small enough to fit between the rock surface and the cascading water. With great effort, Luna began to lightly spring with all her might, for she still had to use the branch as a crutch to get around.

Finally, she reached the end of the spring, near the waterfall, the sounds of people on horses getting closer. Now that she was able to hear it better, it seemed to be a group of people that were 10 to 15 men strong. Although this wasn’t many in her last life, in Xionet where people practice magic, she stood no chance. Especially in her weakened condition.

Precariously teetering, Luna finally made her way safely across the narrow strip of dirt and rocks, reaching the water fall. Pressing her back to the rocks behind her, Luna scooted sideways, managing to get behind the waterfall without getting drenched. Feeling the empty space behind her, Luna realized that her gamble had definitely been worth it. Another thing she noticed is that behind the waterfall, one could view the clearing perfectly, but on the other side you couldn’t make out what was behind the waterfall.

Putting her curiosity aside, Luna found the cave to be lightly furnished, full of interesting things that she didn’t know about. But her curiosity was soon overwhelmed by her fatigue. Finding a small cot in the corner of the cave, Luna collapsed on it and immediately entered in a deep slumber.

Suddenly a bright light shone in the cave, revealing the remnants of the spirit of an elderly man. “Hmmm. . .” The man said, looking at the sleeping child, “What a pitiful little girl, but for her to survive this long, she must have immense willpower.” The man observed, stroking his long, white beard. “She might make an excellent disciple, let’s observe her for some more time.” The man finished, disappearing as though he had never been there in the first place.

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* Author’s Note * : Hello! What do you think of this chapter? Please comment and subscribe! Also, if you have questions about the story, I will be happy to answer in the. Comments section, as long as answering it won’t spoil the plot. ;)

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