Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

[Outlander, you've stepped into the "Time Corridor."]

[Message from the Ancient God "Father of the Infinite Tree":]

[Autumn, year 3002 of the Fifth Era, Western Continent, Forest of Thousand Trees.]

[Event: God Summoning Ritual - Contact with Old God "Blazar Gate."]

[Duration: Thirty minutes (2/3).]

[You have received additional information.]

[The visage of the Father of the Infinite Tree continues to watch over you.]

[The trial given to you by the Ancient God of Time will continue.]

[Assist the mortals in completing the God Summoning Ritual - Contact with Old God "Blazar Gate."]

[The Father of the Infinite Tree will grant you a reward: a piece of history's truth (the Witch Wars at the end of the Fifth Era), Arcane Technique - Spatial Stabilization Aura.]

"So, where exactly is the 'Forest of Thousand Trees'?"

Muttering to himself, Shard now stood amidst endless white fog. Information about the Old Gods could be found, but whether it was the Academy, the Church, or the Prophet's Society, no one had any news regarding the "Forest of Thousand Trees." The locations of both temporal journeys seemed as if they didn't exist at all.

Fortunately, this time he was communicating with the witches; surely Miss Feliana could clarify what exactly the "Forest of Thousand Trees" was.

Taking a step forward, the surrounding white mist gradually dissipated, and the dark forest enveloped Shard. The first time he came here, it was night, and it was still night now. But the overlapping branches overhead were so dense that Shard couldn't see the starry sky or the moon.

The smell of soil and trees in the forest flooded his nostrils, and his skin could feel the humidity in the forest air. Transitioning from the bright white fog into the gloomy forest, his eyes were still adjusting.

In just the time it took to catch his breath, a terrifying and oppressive atmosphere surged throughout the forest. Accompanied by the emergence of whispering sounds around his ears, the headache became more and more pronounced, and Shard once again saw pairs of eyes opening in the darkness of the forest.

Without lingering further, he struggled to push aside the bushes in front of him to move forward. Last time, after clearing away the bushes, he had come upon the three witches beneath a giant tree; but this time, even after clearing the bushes, it was still the dark forest that lay ahead.

"Another unexpected encounter?"

Darkness surrounded him, and the wind rustling through the treetops sounded like a whisper. Straining his eyes to look around, he could no longer see any glimmer of the crimson gold bonfire between the gaps in the darkness and the eyes.

"Can you feel any elements nearby?"

Shard had anticipated situations like this, so he didn't panic.

[Yes, the Whisper Element is quite strong.]

"Which direction is weaker?"

[Almost no difference.]

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"Silvermoon!"

Uncertain of what lay within the forest, he only allowed a faint light to glow at his fingertips. The hazy silver glimmer lit up the surroundings, and the volume of whispering sounds by his ear instantly decreased, and the eyes that had opened in the dark became sparse.

Standing still, he tried to find his way, but soon heard sounds from the surrounding shrubbery, as though something was moving nearby. His left hand pointed forward, while his right hand drew the Holy Silver Two-Handed Greatsword from the air.

The footsteps grew closer but were not hurried. Then, Shard saw a robed woman with a torch parting the bushes and appearing before him.

She took the initiative to remove her hood. She wasn't Miss Feliana, but rather one of the young witches that accompanied her. If Shard remembered correctly, she called herself the "Moon Witch."

"Is it you?"

The witch also recognized Shard, her beautiful eyes surprised by the glimmer at his fingertips and the great sword in his hand:

"Good evening, we were still worried you wouldn't be able to return... The last time I saw you, I knew you carried a strong essence of the moon. I didn't expect the moon to favor you so... you're almost like me now."

As he spoke, his left hand, not holding a torch, reached into the air, paused for a moment, and then pulled out a bright yellow great sword that seemed too large for his frail body. The hilt of Shard's Holy Silver Moonlight Greatsword bore only the imprint of runes, while the witch's Moonlight Greatsword was bound from hilt to blade with chains, giving it a more powerful appearance than Shard's sword.

"Is this the Moonlight Greatsword?"

Shard was very surprised.

The witch swung the weapon in her hand and a smile appeared on her face:

"You see, even though the eras are different, the expressions of transcendent powers are so similar. It's a pity that the teacher forbids us from asking about the future, otherwise... Oh, I can't say more, or the teacher will blame me."

With those words, the weapons in their hands dissipated into points of light and vanished.

"Come with me. You're quite bold to wander around in the Forest of Thousand Trees, you should go directly to our... "

"Please wait."

Shard didn't move but extended his hand:

"Could you shake hands with me?"

The witch looked at him, puzzled:

"Sorry, I don't understand what you're saying. Please wait."

She took a small bottle out of her robe, uncorked it, and drank down the azure potion inside. From the expression on the witch's face, it was clear the liquid tasted awful:

"This is a magic potion that allows me to understand meaningful, non-transcendent language of humanoid creatures for a short time. After you left last time, the teacher made some as a backup... *cough* sorry, this potion has some strong side effects. Although it has little impact on high-rank witches like us, it's not without cost. What did you just say?"

She asked again, and Shard repeated his request for a handshake, the witch, though uncertain what he intended, still extended her hand to shake Shard's.

[No problem, it's a living person.]

The voice that confirmed in Shard's ear finally made him breathe a sigh of relief:

"No problem then, sorry, I wanted to confirm you were really alive. This forest is just too strange."

"What, you discerned my identity that way?"

The witch looked at her hand that Shard had shaken, then took the lead with her torch, and Shard noticed that the reddish-gold flame, like the silver glimmer from his fingertips, could dispel the strange atmosphere of the forest.

"Yes, one must be cautious when out and about."

He said softly.

"The teacher often says the same thing."

"So, you don't need to confirm my identity?"

Shard asked curiously as the witch walking ahead shook her head:

"My power is much greater than yours, and my perception of the moon is stronger. The light at your fingertips is the purest moonlight; this forest cannot imitate such a pure force."

"Moon Witch, you're very skilled with the power of the moon?"

"Yes, this title isn't made up on a whim; that's what people outside call me. Besides, unlike you, I specialize in the Yellow Moon."

Shard nodded, thinking to himself that if not for the vast time difference, Miss Danester, the librarian, wouldn't have to go to such lengths to search for the Core Spirit Rune of the Yellow Moon for the Sage's Library.

He intended to inquire about the Ancient God—the Sage of Silvermoon—from the Moon Witch, but before Shard could speak up, the color of firelight had already appeared in front of them. Despite having torches, neither the witch nor Shard wanted to linger long in the forest. They hastened their steps, pushed aside the bushes in front of them, and sure enough, saw the giant tree and the clearing below it with a bonfire and the two witches beside the bonfire.

From meeting the witch to leaving the forest, the distance was not even 200 meters, yet Shard had not seen any sign of firelight around him just before.

This forest was indeed problematic.