The Book Of Flowers
Formerly in the Elf Forest (3)
The sound of a broken wood followed by the screams of Luxor echoed all over the place. Me and his friends goosebumps listening to the screams, except for Luna who starts to approach the edge of the ravine to make sure Luxor's condition
"LUXOR! WHAT'S UP!!??" Shouted Luna who was panicking from her position
"MY LEG IS STUCK ON THE BRIDGE!!"
The bridge was swayed like the motion of someone trying to break away
"DON'T MOVE STUPID!!" Shouted Ivor
"WHAT SHOULD I DO!!??"
"SHOUTING FOR HELP! I'M SURE THE PEOPLE ACROSS THE STREET CAN HEAR YOU!"
I don't know what else happened back then. Luxor's figure was still invisible and swallowed by the fog. Luna started biting her finger—trying to be calm to find a way. Ivor started walking here and there. Ordelia who started to shake and grimace was hugged by Lyralia who was trying to calm her down
Luxor's crying voice began to sound. The four of them grew increasingly panicked and continued to try to find Luxor's figure behind the fog. While I...
I should what...?
...
...
...
"Excuse me!" Spontaneous I make a sound
I came out of hiding and walked straight towards them. They all turned around and were shocked to see my presence, not expecting that the one present near them was the Oberon directly
"Vainzel!" Ordelia
"Why are you here, Oberon?" Ivor asked
"I knew something like this would happen..."
They wanted to feel relieved, but also felt worried. My presence there means that the situation is getting precarious, and they know they need my help
So they got out of the way, allowed me to do what I could to help their friend. And I made the first move
I extended my hand in the shape of a vine and coated the bridge as I could. The four of them watched me, who continued to focus on extending my hand as long as possible, praying that Luxor could be helped
Slowly my hand began to branch, like a tendril that gave off another tendril. Rope handle. Wooden bridge. All parts of the bridge I try to be coated by my hands
However, I could not feel my hand reaching the opposite side of this bridge. And therefore, one of the four of them should dare to come forward and lift Luxor here. I turned to the four of them, intending to ask one of them for help
"One of you. Whoever it is, I beg you to go ahead and save him"
"No. The bridge could break. It might harm you too" Ivor denied
"You guys are light! I'm sure I can bear your weight!"
"...!"
He kept quiet, realizing I had a point. But he was also not wrong to say that this was too risky
"Alright, I will go forward" A voice has also confirmed itself
Luna walked firmly and made her other friend startled. While I myself began to be grateful that someone dared to go forward
"It's dangerous Luna!" Ivor Calls
"You can say that when your friend's in danger?" Reply Luna
"I'm not saying we should ignore him! There are more skilled people to help him!"
"He's my friend, and I have to save him at times like this"
"I don't care what you say, just as long as you come forward before my hand isn't strong!" I interrupted
"Friends!? There's a plant root wrapped around the leg-"
"Silence Luxor!" The three of us called out to him, who kept him quiet
I turned back to Luna, begging her to be ready to confirm. Luna nodded to confirm, ready to advance at any time
Lyralia and Ordelia who were worried about her condition could only stay in position
"Be careful Luna..." Ordelia even said
"Don't worry Lyralia, Ordelia" Luna assured the two
Ordelia and Lyralia were visibly agitated, holding each other's hands and some tears were beginning to show in the corners of their eyes
On the other hand, Luna stood firmly and began to walk on the bridge, treading her first steps carefully. Then, the second step, and so on
She's lighter than I thought, even though she looks bigger than her friends
He slowly walked over and was swallowed by the mist, just like Luxor. Before long, the bridge felt like it was swinging once more
Our hearts are all beating fast. But, I tried to stay focused so that the bridge would not fall when Luxor tried to break away
Yet...
*shelf!*
--- I didn't have time to process what happened
The first second, the bridge felt broken and heavy in my hands...
Second moment, I heard the deafening screams of the two of them...
In the third instant, my body began to be dragged into the abyss with the bridge...
...
"WHOLE!!"
Ivor clasped my clothes as tightly as possible and pulled me before I could be dragged further
I finally came to my senses and started to pull myself back, making sure I wasn't dragged down the cliff. My hands hurt because the bridge broke and split in two
As much as I had left, I tried to hold the weight of the bridge with Ivor, so that Luna and Luxor would not fall. And seeing the efforts of the two of us, Ordelia and Lyralia helped to hold the bridge, even though they were both certainly not very helpful in terms of physicality
"LUNA! LUXOR!" Ivor shouted to them
"Ivor-! I-I can see-the Ravine--!!"
Luxor's cry sounded loud afterwards
"You listen to me! Anyway, don't use your magic!" Luna exclaimed
"Why...!? You...! Can't be...! Survived that...! Without magic!" Ivor retorted as all the veins in his body felt like breaking up to hold the weight of the bridge
"IVORE! LISTEN ME!"
Ivor kept silent and just focused on helping me hold the weight of the bridge
"I'll pull Luxor up! Oberonian! Sorry you have to last longer!"
"All right...!"
It's getting worse...! If only my hands could tie this whole bridge...!
I can hold the bridge easily. But, because of the length I didn't know, I underestimated the strength of the bridge too much. Now that it broke to 2, I realized that the bridge was very long
I can pull my hand back and pull the whole part of this bridge up after gathering enough strength. But, that means I have to let them go for a moment. I wasn't sure the three children could hold it in, so I had to keep holding this annoying position
"Luna-! Moon-!"
"Stop moving Luxor!"
They keep arguing down there. Luna seems to have arrived near Luxor by now
Then, I heard Luna's voice trying her hardest. His efforts made the bridge feel heavier in my hands. The four of us even started to be dragged a little into the abyss because of that
If we take too long like this, the bridge's support rope will break immediately and knock us all down. Everything is now resting on how fast Luna can release Luxor from there
And also...!
The tendrils running from my hands have started to break off one by one... It hurts so much...
"What's there!?"
Someone shouted from the other side of the bridge. Whatever that sentence is in this world can not describe how happy we are all at that time. I didn't let the opportunity to get that help take it off
"Help us! This bridge collapsed and our friend got stuck in the wood!" I screamed at that voice
"HUH!? All righty! I'll get help first!"
The sound of the footsteps of that person who left quickly sounded clear. And for now, we just need to hang on a little bit more
"LUXOR LEGS I CAN'T PULL OUT!" Luna suddenly shouted
Luna's screams made us all panic again. Our position was shaky, so it was once again attracted towards the abyss
"Then just hang on! Help will be dat-"
"YAHHHH!!!"
"WHAT'S UP!?"
...
Silent. The silence was freaking me out and slowly killing me
However, I could still hear Luxor's cries from behind the fog. And it felt like the two of them were still holding on there. That doesn't mean I can still be calm
"Silent...! Don't move Luxor... I caught you...!"
But the voice was capable enough to relieve myself for a moment
They almost fell...?
I had to make sure the four of us didn't move in the slightest to avoid making Luna even more difficult.
"But... My necklace's broken..."
"...!"
Damnit... Turn your head Vainzel...
...
"Three of you. I beg you to hold this while I jump down?"
I am strong enough to throw them up quickly and safely if I take them from below
But, the problem was how long these three people could hold the bridge. Pulling this bridge up is not an option, because I'm afraid it will actually make Luna's grip come off
I have to trust them
"Huh!? We can't stand it! You too may not survive!" Lyralia said as she continued to try
"No-I can stand it!!" Ordelia interrupted, saying otherwise
We all looked towards Ordelia
And at the same time, some of the roots of the tree crept towards us and helped to hold the bridge. Looking at the roots of the tree, I realized that Ordelia used her magic to summon them
I turned my head once more towards him, who slowly began to hold onto his bridge rope
"Go Oberon-! Please help our friend-!" He tried to convince me
I looked at his serious face. And he was determined. A smile she showed, trying to make me really move as she wanted
I don't think I can disappoint that smile
Breathe in... It's gonna be okay...
After calming my mind and making sure my hand had retracted, I took off my grip and jumped into the abyss in an instant
Ivor and Lyralia immediately rushed to help Ordelia hold the bridge back by pulling it stronger than before
"Don't let go!" I said to them
My body began to be swallowed by that fog and disappeared from their sight
...
Dark and foggy. The size of the bridge is longer than I thought
I floated for a few seconds over that misty ravine. Then, I saw the shadow of Luxor and Luna from behind the fog
In an instant, I extended my hand again and gripped the wood on the bridge in an instant
But, the wood was broken one by one as I gripped them. Fortunately, just as I was a few feet above Luna, I stopped falling and held firmly on to a wood
His eyes immediately sparkled when he saw me who had arrived
Ignoring my annoyance, I refocused on the two of them. I stretched out my hand and began to bind their bodies
"Hopefully the landing is smooth!" I said with a smile towards them
I hope my throw count can be precise
As much as I could, I put my hand down and threw them both up. They both screamed in fear as they were thrown into the air, until their voices echoed throughout the forest area. Till...
*bruk!*
"SAFE!!" Shouted Luna
they made sure they landed
Goody! Now it's my turn...
I started climbing as fast as I could. I can feel they've started having trouble holding this bridge. The entire bridge had started to shake and was getting down
At such a frightening moment, I started counting from 1 to 10
4
7
8
9...
10...
Another bit...
Weakened hands...
I begged that I be given a little more power. Just a little. And my request was granted
Noticing my hand suddenly emerging from the cliff, Ordelia took off her grip and lowered her head to help me
His friends immediately followed Ordelia to help me and the five of them removed the handle from the bridge, completely ignoring her. They all help me to get on board, whatever it's pay
Slowly but surely, the rope of the bridge they had released broke, falling into the deep abyss, while I was safely in the grasp of their hands
A very scary experience...
Looking down, I imagined what would happen if I fell. The five of them kept trying to pull my body up as hard as they could. Until finally, I was able to climb up after helping them by pushing my own body
Lying on the ground, our breaths were all wheezing, tired of all the effort we had put in
And the first thing I remember is the state of Luxor. Remember that the necklace was cut off, and he must have been breathing a lot of poison from the air in his body by now
I took the ball Alf gave me in my pocket and placed it directly in Luxor's hand. His originally pale face was beginning to look breathless as I placed the small ball in his hand
Luna sat down and looked at me, agape. He was amazed, as well as trying to make sure Luxor was okay until he fell unconscious
"... You're great, Oberon..."
He praised me too much. I can't even hold my smile
"I consider you great..." I said back
His eyes immediately showed admiration when he heard my words
Before long, the sound of a group of people was heard walking towards us. Approaching the five of us who were still limp on the ground, the leader of the squad approached us with a sharp look
"Dad..." Luna said slowly
Her father's...
As an Elf from the moon clan who was famous for being resolute in their members, this person looked like a higher-ups
"What the fuck? Why is Oberon so hurt?" Luna's father asked in a huffed tone
The wound?
Just as I moved a little, I could feel a sore wound on my hand
Ah yeah... They broke up, right...?
"Je-the bridge was broken and-"
"- And you put the Oberon in danger?"
Luna looked down in fear as her words were cut off
Seeing that, I don't accept it. I know very well, with what he's done to make sure we're all safe
"You can't do that to him" I said
They flinched and both turned their eyes towards me. But I just silently glared, towards Luna's father who started not flinching, but showed signs of submission
"You didn't see the effort just now, so why do you consider him such a nuisance?" I added
He was silent and lowered his head, ashamed of the attitude he had just shown me. His breath sounded long after hearing the words just now, and I knew that he had put them in his head
"I'm sorry for my discourtesy, Oberon" he said
He switched gazes with Luna once more, just for a moment. But, he did not even give the slightest worried look to his son, nor a proud remark of impressing me
"And I want you to help us to escort them", he said, as if he did not care about the condition of his son
And worse, he instantly preferred to pick me up who was sitting on the ground and started walking out of the Dark Forest area. His body turned from his son who began to look stunned silent unable to speak
I certainly feel sorry and annoyed for him. Who wouldn't feel like that? This in itself is an injustice...
When all of her father's bodyguards started to lift the five of them, my gaze was only fixed on Luna who threw away her face—Related by her father's behavior
I feel guilty. The man who carried me was his father. He should have been the one who was taken, not me
I wanted to say that, but I felt awkward because we had gone too far
......................
-- The next day ---
"I'm glad you survived" Alf said
I sat down at my usual place nearby again today while enjoying the afternoon sun
That incident still stuck with me. My parents even expressed their panic that I considered excessive for the rest of the day yesterday. My dad can't stay still, and my mom can't stop biting his cooking apron
"You don't see how angry my parents are because I went there..." I said to Alf
"Ahaha... Your parents are worried, aren't they? Besides, it was my fault asking you to go there"
I also haven't heard anything about the five children after we parted ways without greeting there once. I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried, but I'm sure that they would be forbidden to approach me from now on
That shitty big brother makes me sure of that. His cold attitude towards Luna, his own son, was still clearly reflected in my mind
My sitting position changed because I was upset thinking about this
The old man was terrible. Looking at the higher-ups, I felt like throwing something in his face if I found an inch of his nose. I will definitely make that person pay for his treatment yesterday
"Vainzel!"
The cry echoed in my ear. A familiar voice and excited me
I turned to the direction her voice came from and saw Ordelia waving and her friends walking towards me
They came up to me a moment later and stood before me. They were upset, but they already had something to say to me
"We want to thank you for yesterday's incident" Ordelia said
Just for that. Although I did help them, Luna and Ordelia alone were the ones who helped us the most in our success yesterday
"no need. You guys also helped my life" I replied
I'd be dead by now if they hadn't helped...
His eyes began to look radiant, glad I said so
"And so, we'd like to invite you to play"
And that statement surprised me
Play...
"It's okay?" Much
I always played by myself. Getting an invitation to play together made me feel...
Pleased. Very happy, actually
"Why should I ask?" He asked back
I'm just not used to it because it's the first time someone has invited me to play together
"I also want to apologize for ignoring you back then" Ivor said, recalling our first meeting
He moved forward and lowered down. His face even looked irritated and wanted to cry, as if he was admitting a mistake he did not want to admit
"I don't mind it..." I tried to help her heart
He immediately raised his head looking at me. I gave her a smiling face and she tried to hold back her cries again
"It's..."
He thrust a basket at me. The basket she's been carrying since they came to me just now. I received the basket with pleasure and saw the contents
Fruit. There are various fruits. There was also a wooden bottle containing fruit juice inside
"Ah... Thank you" I said while throwing my face away from embarrassment
This is my first gift from a friend...
Invitation to play, gift...
I looked at them all with a smile. This opportunity will not be wasted at all
"Then let's eat together" I said
"It's okay? That's for you" Ordelia retorted, looking doubtful
I nodded steadily and said one more thing to convince the five of them
"Come"
They all immediately looked happy and excited and began to sit near me one by one. When we get together, that picture of our smiles joining one another can make for a pleasant sight in the eye
We all spend time together talking and joking with each other. Laugh, interrupt each other, and most importantly, sit together in the same place, enjoying food from the same basket
It was my first time spending time with them as a friend. I'm happy to have known Luxor, Lyralia, Ivor, Luna and Ordelia in my life. My five most loyal friends, even to the end of life
And as we spoke, Alf looked toward us through the Great Tree
Faintly, I listened to him. Words that make me feel bad when I remember them
A word about a prophecy
"I foretold your friendship. And now, I wish happiness to you, Oberon Vainzel"
