After the marvellous beach party that Blue Pegasus had held at Hargeon Town, the Fire Mage continued with his plan that he had from the very beginning; it was finally time to return to his homeland again. Worth Woodsea was simply waiting for Hyōen’s feet to step around again, and he missed the green nature and the animals that lived over there. Simply, and also because that fall was truly arriving now; he wanted to see the leaves and their new, orange themes as they would fall off the branches and everything. He just had to see it with his own eyes now.

After having left the apartment that he lived in empty, his bag filled and with all his luggage readied, Hyōen finally walked out of Hargeon’s gates. He suddenly found himself in the roads that connected all towns together, some places turning into simple sand paths that crossed forests, and other places becoming concrete highways leading directly into the cities. The Fire Mage was holding himself to the forests, but at many occasions, weird thoughts and projections would meet him on his path. For instance, places that resembled his cottage would project images of his childhood, and as soon as he encountered that feeling again, everything would only contribute to his confusion, in which he began walking, trying to get a hold of the picture in front of him; the bushes, the empty air, the sky… the person in front of him… Surprised, he quickly made it to the figure that turned her back against him, in which she dissolved as soon as he tried to grab her. He didn’t know who it was, but neither did he see her face. All that he could fathom in that moment was her long hair that reached the ground like black icicles. He began looking around in confusion as she just disappeared right in front of him, without even giving any sound out. “…” He continued to move, ignoring the fact that a woman just phased into the air and left. As if he wasn’t losing his mind already…

That woman looked like his mother. Once again, he was proving to himself that the loss of his dear mother had put a scar onto his heart and mind that wouldn’t disappear so easily. It was sad to think about, having this accompanying feeling of guilt and pain remind him of its origin every time that he walked in a forest. Shaking his head, he quickly tried to forget it, move on and be happy that he was still alive to experience much more. His mum would have been head over heels if she ever saw him down or upset, in which he tried his best to embody that reaction from her in the manifestation of images, phantoms of the past that guided him towards his future.

He even got to remember what exactly he heard of going on back at the woodsea; apparently, given that he had been absent for too long from there, a lot of weird things had happened. For instance, people on the road that he got to ask and talk with stated that an entire carnival had arrived at Worth Woodsea, and that prompted him to go and check it out. He just hoped in the bottom of his heart that the carnival was merciful to his dear woodsea. He didn’t want any oils or trash to be thrown onto the dirt, he didn’t want any glasses and unfinished dishes to be thrown out in the wild, and he didn’t want any of his neighbors to be played around with as circus pets. All the thoughts began rushing around his mind as he felt like a parent to the forests, and he felt that it was mandatory for him to make sure that everything was a-ok. Then again, this carnival could have been with the Halloween theme that the Fire Mage realized back when he dreamt about having went down to the gremlins with Ana… just thinking that it was a dream caused sweat pearls to fall off his face. Coda flew ever so happily, because even before he knew it himself, the forests’ leaves began smelling familiar.

He suddenly smelled blossoms and green leaves that embraced his sense of smell, the ground that was as uneven as always brought joy to his face, and the sounds of birds singing in the treetops overwhelmed him. All these signs made it very clear for the Fire Mage that he was, in fact, in Worth Woodsea at this moment. The very border felt solid as he had crossed several other forests with, presumably, their own types of vegetation and smells, and perhaps because of how long that he had lived in Worth Woodsea, the name of his respectful home, he felt one as soon as he smelled the characteristic aromas that symbolized this holy land. Okay, holy would have been an overstatement… or would it? Given Worth Woodsea’s history with magic, it could clearly be different. Maybe the forest was unique in itself from other countries, or maybe it held secrets that no other forests did. The Fire Mage was fascinated by the fact that he got to think about all of this, and it made him curious to know, especially since an entire carnival had arrived. He could, soon, smell new things… something eerie was in the air, and it clearly symbolized the Halloween spirit.

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