Chapter 100: So this was the end

The rest of the afternoon passed without any major problems.

As the sun began to set, Noir came out of the water and lay down again on the enormous root. The heat of the past few hours had left his scales pleasantly warm. Near the carriage, Arlene finished preparing the meal while the demon princess played with the deer.

One of them approached Noir and sat down next to the root.

Noir looked down.

"You again?"

The deer raised its head.

Noir sighed and began to pet it. Maybe this place wasn’t so strange after all.

It was just different.

He had spent too long thinking that every creature he encountered must be an enemy. Here, for some reason, he could walk among magical animals without them trying to attack him.

Maybe the world didn’t always have to be trying to kill him.

Sometimes he could exist.

Noir slowly closed his eyes as he listened to the lake and the leaves rustling in the wind.

For a few minutes, he didn’t think about anything. He just listened to the wind.

The deer remained seated beside him, completely still.

Noir opened one eye and looked at it again.

"Don’t you have anything better to do?"

The animal twitched an ear.

"That’s what I thought."

The deer went still again.

Noir closed his eyes once more.

When the young black dragon opened his eyes again, the sky was already tinged with shades of orange.

The demon princess slept inside the carriage, and Uki lay near one of the wheels. Arlene gathered the last of the utensils they’d used to prepare the meal.

Noir sat up slowly.

"Are we leaving already?"

Arlene looked up.

"As soon as we finish packing up."

Noir gazed at the lake for a few seconds.

"We could stay another night."

Arlene raised an eyebrow.

"Now you want to stay?"

"It’s peaceful."

"I thought you were bored."

"I was."

"So..."

Noir looked at the deer that were still lingering near the trees.

"But now I have animals to pet."

Arlene burst out laughing.

"I didn’t know you needed company."

"I don’t need it."

The deer beside him got up and began to walk away slowly.

Noir watched him go.

"...Although I could get used to it."

Arlene shook her head.

"We’d better get going before you decide to adopt them all."

"That wouldn’t be a bad idea."

"Noir."

"All right."

The young dragon stood up from the tree root and stretched his legs. Then he spread his wings, causing several leaves to fall to the ground, and shook his body.

The golden sphere slowly descended until it was beside him.

Noir looked at it.

"You don’t have anything to say either, do you?"

The sphere spun once around him.

"Yeah, that’s what I thought."

After she finished packing, Arlene prepared the carriage to continue their journey. The demon princess woke up just as they were about to leave and peeked out.

"Are we leaving?"

"Yes."

The girl looked out toward the lake.

"I want to go back."

Noir raised an eyebrow.

"You’re already thinking about going back?"

"Yes."

"We haven’t even left yet."

"But I want to go back."

Noir looked at Arlene.

"I think she’s grown attached to the deer."

"And whose fault was that?"

"It wasn’t mine."

Arlene smiled.

"Sure."

The demon princess waved to the animals.

"Bye!"

The deer remained by the trees, watching the carriage. One of them took a few steps toward the road, but stopped before straying too far from the lake.

Noir watched it for a few seconds.

"Goodbye."

The animal twitched its ears.

Noir smiled slightly.

Then the carriage moved forward.

The path wound its way back among the gigantic trees. For a while, the lake remained visible between the trunks, reflecting the evening light, until it finally disappeared behind the foliage.

Noir sat back down on the carriage.

He gazed at the landscape.

The trees were still enormous, but as they walked on, they began to change. Some had trunks so wide that several people could have walked around them without touching each other. Others leaned over the path, forming natural bridges above their heads.

There were plants she had never seen before.

Some had translucent leaves that shimmered when light passed through them. Others slowly closed their petals as the carriage passed nearby, as if reacting to the movement.

Noir reached out a paw toward a branch jutting over the path.

"This forest is full of strange things."

Arlene, from the front seat, replied without taking her eyes off the road.

"It’s a region with a lot of mana. The plants are affected by it, too."

"Are they all magical?"

"Not necessarily. But many have developed different characteristics because of the mana."

Noir looked at a plant with bluish leaves.

"Can I eat it?"

Arlene turned her head immediately.

"No."

"You don’t even know what it is."

"Exactly."

Noir slowly withdrew her paw.

"You have so little trust in me."

"After getting to know you, I’ve learned it’s better to tell you ’no’ before you try something."

Noir decided that was unfair.

But it was probably true, too.

The journey continued for several hours. The landscape slowly changed, and the terrain grew more uneven. In some places, enormous roots crossed the path, forcing the carriage to move slowly so it wouldn’t get stuck.

Noir occasionally helped out by pushing aside branches or rocks that blocked the path. It wasn’t particularly difficult for him, but he found it entertaining to use his strength for something that didn’t involve fighting.

Once, they came across a fallen log that blocked almost the entire path.

Arlene stopped the carriage.

"This wasn’t here when we passed by."

Noir climbed down from the roof.

"I’ll take care of it."

He approached the log and examined it.

It was enormous, but not too thick for him.

Noir braced both front paws against the wood.

"All right."

He pushed.

The log began to move slowly.

Noir’s claws dug into the bark as he strained. After a few seconds, he managed to move it aside.

"Done."

Arlene looked at the log.

"That was easier than I expected."

"It wasn’t hard."

The demon princess poked her head out the window.

"Noir is strong!"

"Yeah."

Noir raised her head slightly.

"I’m a dragon."

Arlene smiled.

"We already know that."

Noir climbed back into the carriage, satisfied.

They continued on their way. As night fell, fewer creatures appeared. The diurnal animals were returning to their shelters, while others began to move among the trees.

Noir could hear tiny footsteps in the darkness, wings flapping against the branches, and sounds she didn’t recognize.

His Draconic Senses let him know they were there. It was a strange sensation. Before, that many creatures would have put Noir on high alert. Now he could acknowledge their presence and continue resting.

Perhaps he was starting to get used to this world.

He found the idea appealing.

When it finally grew dark, Arlene decided to stop the carriage to spend the night.

Noir helped set up camp while the demon princess settled in by the fire. Uki lay down a few meters away and closed his eyes almost immediately.

Noir stared at the flames for a while.

The golden orb floated above him.

"Do you think we’ll keep finding interesting things tomorrow?"

The orb spun slowly.

Noir smiled.

"I hope so."

The next two days passed in much the same way.

The forest began to change little by little.

The trees were still enormous, but they no longer formed that immense canopy that had covered the sky during the first few days. The distance between them grew, and increasingly larger clearings appeared.

There were also fewer magical creatures.

Noir still saw some strange species, though none ever came as close as the deer at the lake.

One morning they came across some small lizard-like creatures with membranous wings that moved from tree to tree. Noir tried to approach one, but it flew away before he could touch it.

"Coward."

The creature disappeared among the branches.

Arlene laughed.

"Maybe it just doesn’t want you to pet it."

"The deer didn’t have that problem."

"Because the deer have better taste."

Noir looked at her.

"I don’t know if that was an insult."

"You can take it however you want."

Further on, they came across a small river that crossed the road. Arlene had to stop the carriage to check the depth.

Noir went in first.

The water barely reached her paws.

"We can cross."

Arlene nodded.

The carriage crossed slowly while Noir walked beside it. The demon princess held out a hand and let the water brush against her fingers.

Noir watched her.

"Don’t fall."

"I’m not going to fall."

"That’s what everyone says before they fall."

The girl made a face.

"I’m not everyone."

"Good point."

The river continued behind them until it disappeared among the trees.

During that day, Noir began to notice another difference.

The air.

It was less humid.

The trees’ scent had changed, too. The aroma of the earth and the plants was still there, but now he could make out something else in the distance.

Grass.

Dry earth.

And a scent he hadn’t smelled in several days.

Domestic animals.

Noir looked up.

"We’re close."

Arlene looked at him.

"Close to what?"

"I don’t know."

"That’s not very helpful."

"I don’t have to know everything."

Arlene smiled.

"I’m glad to hear that."

Noir ignored the comment.

They kept moving for the rest of the afternoon.

The trees began to get smaller.

At first, it was barely noticeable.

Then the difference became obvious.

The enormous roots disappeared from the path. The tree trunks no longer looked like columns and returned to a more normal size. The vegetation also began to thin out.

Finally, after several kilometers, the carriage passed through one last group of trees.

And it emerged from the forest.

Noir froze in place.

A vast plain stretched out before them.

The landscape was much more open, and the sky was fully visible. The wind blew freely across the grasslands, making the grass sway like small waves.

In the distance, mountains loomed.

Noir lifted his head.

"Wow."

Arlene smiled.

"We’re finally out."

Noir remained seated on the carriage, gazing at the landscape.

After so many days surrounded by gigantic trees, that open expanse seemed enormous.

The demon princess leaned partway out the window.

"There aren’t any trees anymore!"

"There are a few."

"But they’re small."

Noir looked back.

The gigantic forest lay behind them, a dark line stretching as far as the eye could see. It seemed almost impossible that they had spent so many days crossing it.

Noir looked ahead again.

The road continued across the plain.

No more roots blocked it.

They no longer had to dodge giant trees.

The path seemed much easier.

"So this was the end."