Chapter 40: Golden Beauties

Meanwhile somewhere away from the commotion,

A young woman was asleep on the ground, her black hair sprawled across the aerial roots. Her eyelids flickered as she let out a muffled groan and moved her head before fully opening her eyes.

"Mhm" Skyla groaned as she clutched her head and sat up, staring at the trees in daze. Slowly, the confusion in her eyes dissolved and fear took place as she immediately stood up and glanced around cautiously.

But to her surprise, there was no one in sight…The woods looked empty as the dark sky, its silence surprisingly calming her frenzy heart.

Skyla knitted her brows as she wondered, 'What happened?'

Where are the others?

Letting out a deep sigh, she looked down and noticed that she was sleeping near a tree. She shook her head as amusement clouded her features, "Great… now, I am waking up in the woods"

An amused chuckle escaped her lips before she proceeded to walk forward blindly in hopes to find them. But soon, her eyes widened when she noticed small balls of light pop out of nowhere with her each step, slowly illuminating a narrow path.

Her lips parted open when the small balls flickered as she moved closer to it, as if it was enthralled by her curiosity. An involuntary smile bloomed on her face as she gawked at the ball of light before the sound of soft rustles distracted her.

Confused, Skyla turned around to look behind her when a gasp escaped her lips. She covered her mouth in surprise when her eyes fell on the aerial roots which were glimmering in a golden light.

"Woah…." What the hell is happening here?

The path she walked down was shining in a brilliant golden light as if she was walking down a treasure path. She shook her head in amazement when she noticed the small balls of light gather in the center making her knit her brows curiously.

The last ball of light circled around her, making her giggle, before joining the small gathering and instantly, a blinding golden light emerged from the gathering, filling the woods before a heavy gust of wind spread across the woods.

Skyla's long black hair fluttered in the wind while her eyes widened in amazement when she saw a horde of butterflies and fireflies glimmering in a golden light, swarming towards her in a channel.

Her lips parted open when she saw the golden beauties circle around her enthusiastically making her twirl and chuckle in awe. A grin made its way to her face when she gawked at the golden beauties surrounding her before they flew past her.

Skyla turned around and tilted her head in confusion. It was as if the golden beauties sensed her confusion that they halted in their tracks, illuminating the spot they gathered as they waited for her to follow.

Puckering her lips, curiosity brimmed in her brown eyes as she followed the treasure trail with the golden beauties guiding her. Skyla noticed the huge trees along the trail quiver in satisfaction as she moved past them. She glanced around in wonder when she noticed the entire woods shimmering as if they were overjoyed by her presence.

"Am I dreaming?"

Her eyebrows rose when she noticed a single firefly circle around her happily making her laugh. She lifted her hand and it perched on her knuckles making her heart fill with warmth and joy. For some reason, the woods soothed her tense nerves… it was as if her entire body was soaked in warm water.

Abruptly, she stopped in her tracks when she saw one of the trees quiver as it stretched its branch towards her making her take a step back involuntarily in fear. Her eyes widened when she saw the branch stop as if it was letting her know that it meant no harm.

"How's that possible?"

She didn't know why but she could feel it… she could sense its fervor leaving her in a baffled state.

Sensing her fear dwindle, the tree approached her slowly. Skyla watched it in caution until she felt the tree wrap its branches around her gently, startling her and placing something on her head before releasing her instantly.

All of this happened in a blink of an eye that Skyla stared at the retreating tree before touching the item on her head.

Surprise crossed her face, when she took it off and stared at the tiara on her hand. Blinking her eyes, she glanced at the tree which was back to its original state before looking at the beautiful tiara.

The tiara was designed with copper branches entwined around small balls similar to the golden balls Skyla saw at first. A small piece of emerald shone in the center of the lower row while there was a big gap in the upper row indicating it was missing its gem.

Skyla's fingers skimmed over the tiara and instantly she felt tears welling up her eyes making her blink in astonishment.

"Why am I crying?" She touched her eyes and found tears slipping through making her frown.

Sensing her confusion, the firefly which was perched on her hand flew around the tiara making her break out into a laugh, "Little guy, did you like it?"

When it glowed in response, Skyla laughed, "Yeah, me too" and placed it back on her head. But what Skyla didn't know was, the moment the tiara touched her head, the emerald glimmered slightly.

Her eyebrows rose up when she saw the treasure trail end and a concave archway greeted her eyes. Her heart began to pound nervously as she inched closer to the arch… she felt something pulling her behind the arch making her squeeze her eyebrows.

As she stepped through the archway, a small breeze caressed her face before her eyes fell on the sight before her, instantly stunning her.

Surrounded by huge trees with golden leaves, there were wooden steps in a spiral design in the middle of the field. The horde of golden beauties danced in a circle above the wooden steps - its golden light blinding the surroundings. The little guy that was flying around her instantly swarmed towards the horde and joined in its celebration.

The golden leaves fluttered in the breeze as the trees joined in and synced in harmony creating a beautiful masterpiece in front of Skyla.

Skyla laughed joyfully as she could feel their happiness.. Even though she couldn't understand why they were happy or why she could sense their emotions. But her heart felt full - it was as if a withering plant received sunlight and water at the last minute.

The feeling was surreal… but the happiness was short-lived when a soft pleasant voice echoed, "Welcome, child"