His eyes widened, his jaw dropped. The scenery before him was utterly gorgeous, dazzling, and ethereal. Luminous plants and flowers of different colors pulsated as they breathed the night air, glowing insects flitted about or crawled over bushes and towering trees, their multicolored glow like fairy lights on a Christmas tree.
"DAMN IT! MY PHONE, MAN!"
He sank onto the deck stairs with a sigh, gazing at the enchanting sight.
"Who wouldn't want to see this? This is so…"
Words left him as he silently watched the enchanted film of the elven island's night.
He groaned, drowning in his hands.
It's too much. It's so beautiful…
He released his face, looking at the palms—the back of his hand faintly lit by the glowing elements of nature. His gaze shifted between his palms. Then he clenched one into a fist.
I wonder… with all the skill points I've acquired, how strong am I? I mean, I'm in the middle of the forest, it doesn't hurt to try it out, right?
He looked at the forest. I'm gonna do it riiiight… it doesn't matter. Just head to any corner on the clearing.
So he did. He positioned himself at the treeline. Within the deep shadows, he could see the pinpricks of luminous plants and insects glowing on the trees and bushes, their light too faint to illuminate anything but themselves.
He let out a silent whistle, clenching his fist.
Okay… Let's do this.
He clenched his fist tighter, muscles and veins bulged along his arm beneath the armor. He wound his punch, like a pitcher in a baseball game. He stomped his foot forward and…
WHOOSH!
Punched the air before him.
Nothing.
Nothing—only the forest's chorus, the passing wind, and the distant howl of a wolf.
Wait, there are wolves in this worl—
BOOM!
Compressed air erupted from his fist, expanding into a wall. The shockwave from his punch redirected the wind before him to the forest with hurricane force. Trees bent double. Insects were plastered against the bark, while others were hurled deeper into the woods.
Like a storm passing, everything stopped. A short while later, the forest continued its singing.
His wide eyes darted between his fist and the forest ahead. Countless shifting of gazes later, he tucked both hands behind his back, rotated on his feet, and went back to the cabin, whistling.
As he reached the cabin, his hand lifted toward the eye-level doorknob—then.
EEEEEEEK!
A woman's shriek pierced the night air.
WHAT?!
His head shot in the general direction of the scream.
O-OH SHIT!
He broke into a sprint, sprinting toward the scream—swallowed by the forest's maw.
* * *
ns216.73.216.247da2
and then Add to home screen.