“To grow into a real adult is not to age physically. But rather, to know and discover every piece of yourself to form what you will be in the future”

-Cetos Chief of Azure Lagoon 

William remained sited on the floors of the house and was sweating nervously as emerald eyes observed him with scrutiny.

He was currently on the equivalence of a meeting room in the Chief’s house, which was apparently also Ignia’s house. Right inside the room with him was the Chief of the tribe, Ignia had left earlier saying that she had to help prep dinner.

The Chief was a middle-aged man with a strong build and skin as tanned as his daughter. Auburn hair peppered with silver reached his shoulders. His chest was bare but he wore an animal’s hide along with silk the shade of marigold.

Falcon wings just a shade darker than Igna but in a much bigger size were folded behind him. Sharp talons that were colored yellow slowly fading to grey scraped against the wooden floor.

He had a fierce expression but it seems that it was the man’s permanent expression and was not because the Chief was mad at him.

“This matter of you ending up in the Hollow Woods shouldn't be possible. The only creature from the other realm allowed to come here are the souls of the dead that long lost their purpose and memory, yet you are clearly alive. As for this event happening in a cemetery, I think it’s somehow related. But alas our tribe doesn’t have the knowledge of how to return you to your realm, the one who does are the Cetos. Within the Cetos Tribe, they have an Elder Seer that can help you. But in order to reach Azure Lagoon, you’ll have to travel for four days, and that’s via flying. So if you walk through land it will take you at least a week, child. To help you in your journey I'll let Ignia aid you in your travel. She’s already a year past her age of adulthood and a few travels out of Nidus will help her mature”

The Chief explained to him patiently about his current situation. William had never been more grateful to be a small teenager as of now. He is aware that the only reason the Chief and Ignia even consider helping him was that in their eyes he was a child. 

He was also thankful to the Chief for explaining where he was currently in.

This place was called the Hollow Woods, a realm separated from his own. In this place, there are only four places that exist that aren't a sea of trees. First is where he was currently staying, the Nidus, the domain for the winged creatures known as Sephiroths. The second is the Azure Lagoon, a deep lagoon where creatures that resemble Bipedal fishes live. The third is the Terrus, an underground community where dwarves known as Mundus live. The Fourth was a known taboo within Hollow Woods, it was known as the Abyss, the heart of the Hollow Woods, and the rumored home to a creature that nobody knows the true appearance of. The Chief said that no one has really seen this creature and that they only knew of its existence due to the old tales and warning of the elders. But all of them believed in the creature since it was a proven fact that anyone who had ventured to the Abyss had never returned.

A shiver of horror coursed through William’s body when the morbid information was brought up. He wanted to ask for more information but his throat constricted every time he tried to talk about the Abyss and the creature that lived in it. In the end, he didn't try to bring the topic up.

William was also amazed by the knowledge that within the Hollow Woods there was no concept of day and night. There was only the night that forever reigned in the sky.

Among all of this information what he was really curious about was how they knew about humans when they lived in a separate realm.

The Chief told him that it was because of the Libraries, each tribe had a library that would take hold of multiple books that had information about the other realm. They don’t know where the buildings came from but they had already existed as far as they could remember. That’s why the concept of another realm was known to them.

“Unlike your realm where a ‘day’ exists here in Hollow Woods, we don’t have such things. But the moons and stars are bright enough to light up the whole forest”

Yes, as the Chief had said, there is more than one moon in this place.

The sky is unlike the night sky he knows. The number of stars present is far more in number and brighter in light. There is also the existence of two moons, both larger than the one he knows and different in color.

Both moons were always together as if they orbit just beside each other. One was the color of Blood while the other of Sapphire jewels.

He noticed his own eyes were alike to the other moon but he paid it no mind.

The number of changes and differences from his own realm unnerved him and made the fear that he had suppressed from finding out he wasn’t in the cemetery anymore come back in full force.

After all, he was just a fourteen-year-old kid that is stranded in another realm with no other human that can relate to him. He was also worried as to how he was going to explain all of this to his parents. There was no way that they were going to believe him if he told them that he ended up in another realm with magical creatures and had to journey to a Lagoon to ask fishes for help.

‘If I did that then I'm on my way to the nearest mental hospital to be checked if I had gone crazy’

He again pushed down his worries deep into the back of his mind and away from his heart. He can only let out his fear and frustration when he finally leaves this place. 

‘After all of this is done and I'm back home, I'm going to pretend that everything that happened is a dream. As for my parents…... I'll cross the bridge when I get there’

William was lost in his thought that he didn’t notice the Chief leaving the room and Ignia entering right after.

He was only brought back from his thoughts when he felt, someone lightly tapped the side of his head.

The sight of Ignia holding out a set of Sephiroth clothes was what greeted him when he looked up. He was startled by her arrival and he looked at where the Chief was supposed to be sited but instead found that the space was empty.

“Everyone’s back at the Dinning field kid, go change and clean yourself up and join us. I bet you're hungry”

She chuckled out loud and smiled at him as she ruffled his hair into a mess.

He was about to deny being angry but his stomach took the wrong timing to growl as the loud sound of his stomach complaining erupted just that moment.

Embarrassment swept over him and he ducked to try to hide his expression of shame.

“No need to be embarrassed, you're a growing boy. It’s normal to be hungry”

Despite Ignia consoling him, he was still greatly ashamed and just followed silently behind the older teen as she showed him where he would be staying the night and changing. Because the two of them were supposed to only start their journey tomorrow which means after a good night's sleep.