Carsel's Point of View
My name is Carsel, and I'm 5 years old! I'm a big boy now, but Mama always says I'm still little, so I'm not allowed to play too far away.
Today I woke up super early because I wanted to see my friends. This place is so big! There are some places I haven't visited yet. I really want to explore new places, but like I said, Mama won't let me go far.
"Mama, I want to go play in the forest with the colorful flowers!" I said, jumping up and down in front of Mama, who was writing. Writing is my mama's hobby.
"Alright, Mama will go with you," Mama replied, stroking my hair.
"Um, no... Mama, you stay here—keep writing," I said. If Mama comes, I can't play freely.
"Okay, but you have to go with Uncle Maru, deal?"
"Ok."
I ran out of the artifact house. The morning air in Heartwood is so fresh. There are little dewdrops on the leaves that shine like diamonds when the sun hits them.
First, I have to find Uncle Maru. I immediately went to the place where Uncle Maru usually spends his time in the trees.
"UNCLE!" I shouted from below.
The monkey who is my uncle immediately looked down, a smile spreading across his face. "HAHAHA, my nephew has come, huh?" Uncle Maru quickly climbed down from the tree and approached me.
"I bet you're asking me to play with you, right?"
"Yeah, that's right, that's right!"
"Hmph, I already told your mama that there's no danger around here," Maru said with a pout, maybe feeling a little hurt that he wasn't trusted.
"Yeah, Uncle is right. Besides, you guys will help me if anything happens, right?" I asked with a cute smile.
"Of course! Tell your uncle if anyone hurts you, and Uncle will beat them up, haha."
Although it's impossible for anyone to hurt you, Maru monologued. The animals here are always friendly.
"Alright, where do you want to go?" he asked me.
"First, I'm going to the rabbits' place."
It was a wide meadow to the south. There were lots of super cute white rabbits there. They love to hop around just like me!
"Hi, bunnies!" I shouted as I ran towards them, with Uncle Maru following.
One of the biggest rabbits approached. "Oh, Carsel! What do you want to play today?"
"I want to run around!" I answered excitedly.
We played tag in the meadow. The rabbits were really fast, but I'm not slow either!
[Of course, he has special blood that makes him different from other children.] ~By the author
After I had my fill of playing with the rabbits, I continued to the bamboo forest to the east. There's a giant panda there named Ben. He's fat and cute and loves to eat bamboo.
"Ben! Ben!" I shouted, waving.
Ben, who was chewing on bamboo, looked over. "Little Carsel! Want to learn how to climb today?"
"Yes!"
Ben taught me how to climb a bamboo tree. It was hard at first; my small hands had trouble gripping the stalk. But Ben was very patient in teaching me. Uncle Maru just watched, laughing at my failures.
"Hold on tight, but don't be tense. Just relax," Ben said, demonstrating.
After a few tries, I managed to climb two meters high! "Ben, look! I can do it!"
"Very good, Carsel. You're a fast learner."
From the top of the bamboo tree, I could see other areas in Heartwood. There was a clear blue lake to the north, small caves on the hillside, and a field of colorful flowers to the west.
"Ben, I want to go to that lake!" I said, pointing.
"Be careful in the water, okay? Don't go in too deep."
I climbed down from the bamboo tree and ran towards the lake. It was quite a long way, but I wasn't tired because I was so excited.
"Slow down, Carsel, you'll fall!" Uncle Maru warned from behind.
In the lake, there were lots of colorful fish swimming around. Some were blue, pink, yellow, green - like a rainbow in the water! But the most interesting thing was a white duck that could talk.
"Hello, duck!" I greeted, sitting by the edge of the lake.
"Quack quack! Hi Carsel! Want to swim?" the duck asked in a funny voice.
"I can't swim yet," I answered honestly.
"I can teach you! The water in this lake is shallow near the edge."
The duck - her name is Kira - taught me how to float. I only went into the water up to my waist. The water was warm and very clean.
"Stretch out your arms, relax, and trust the water," Kira said.
I tried to follow her instructions. A few times I sank a little and swallowed some water, but Kira always helped me.
After playing in the water, I went to the flower field to the west. Flowers I didn't know the names of grew there. Some were purple, red, yellow, blue - all of them were fragrant and beautiful.
In the middle of the flower field, there was a giant butterfly with sparkling wings. It was as big as me!
"Wow, a big butterfly!" I shouted, surprised but happy.
The butterfly descended and landed in front of me. "Hello, little one. My name is Luna."
"I'm Carsel! You're so pretty, Luna!"
"Thank you." Luna then fell silent and observed me from head to toe. "It seems there's a new resident during my absence. Tell me, child, how long have you been here?" Luna asked me.
"Since I was born. I'm 5 years old now, so that means I've been here for 5 years," I said, showing her my five tiny fingers.
"Oh, good." Luna then looked at my neck, where there was a necklace. That's right, I was wearing a necklace. I've been wearing it since I was 2. The necklace is from my mama. She told me to always wear it, in any situation. I don't know the reason, and I didn't ask, because I know Mama will always give me what's best for me.
"An interesting necklace. May I borrow it for a moment? Don't worry, I'll give it back," Luna said, understanding my concern.
"Promise."
"I promise."
I immediately took off my necklace and gave it to Luna. She examined it, her face very serious.
This necklace, this is no ordinary necklace. It's an artifact, Luna said in her heart after examining it.
Mystical necklace
Description: ???
Active Power: ???
Passive Power: ???
Tier: Unique
Why is it like this? Why is everything marked with a '?' I've never seen this before. Luna then looked at Carsel's innocent face. This child is no ordinary child.
Luna then returned my necklace. I took it and put it on again. "Thank you. Want me to show you a secret place?" Luna asked me. I nodded excitedly. But Uncle Maru joined us from behind.
"Oh, hi Luna. Was your journey pleasant?" Uncle Maru greeted Luna.
"Yes, it was pleasant. Are you accompanying Carsel? If so, I'd like to take your place. I want to accompany him too," Luna requested of Maru.
"Alright, as long as you take care of him."
"Yes, of course. Let's go, Carsel."
Luna flew slowly, and I followed from below. She took me to a part of the flower field hidden behind tall trees. There, I saw the most beautiful flower I had ever seen. The flower was white, but there was a sparkle like stars on its petals.
"This is a Starlight flower," Luna said. "It only blooms during the day, and at night it shines like a little star."
"Can I pick one for Mama?"
"You may, but be careful. This flower is special."
I picked one flower carefully. As soon as I held it, the flower sparkled even brighter in my hand.
After that, I went to a small cave on the hillside. There was a very kind bear family there. Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and a bear cub who seemed to be the same age as me.
"Carsel! Let's play!" invited the bear cub, whose name was Beni.
We played hide-and-seek inside the cave. The cave wasn't dark because there were crystals that glowed on their own on the walls. They were light blue, so the atmosphere was like being underwater.
"I'm hiding here!" Beni whispered, hiding behind a large rock.
I pretended not to see and searched around. "Where could Beni be? I can't find him."
"Hehehe," Beni laughed from his hiding place.
Papa Bear and Mama Bear watched us play while smiling. They were very kind, like having another child.
After playing in the cave, I suddenly heard a familiar voice from a distance. "Carsel! It's time for you to go home."
It was Uncle Rey's voice! I immediately stood up and waved my hand.
"Uncle Rey! I'm over here!"
I immediately went to Uncle Rey, and he came to me. I went home riding on a deer.
A short while later
Mama, seeing me arrive with Uncle Rey, immediately smiled. "Did you have enough fun, sweetie?"
"Yes, Mama! I had so much fun!" I replied, showing her the Starlight flower. "This is for you, Mama!"
Mama accepted the flower happily. "It's beautiful, sweetie. Thank you." Mama hugged me tightly. I could smell Mama's hair, which smelled like flowers. Mama then let go and looked at Uncle Rey. "Thank you, Rey. You've been a great help."
"It's nothing. We're family."
"Mama, I'm hungry," I said, interrupting the conversation between Uncle Rey and Mama.
"Yes, let's go inside. Mama just finished making food."
We went into the artifact house for lunch, and Uncle Rey said his goodbyes. Inside the artifact house, Mama had made lots of food with fresh vegetables from the Heartwood garden. It was so delicious!
[The food ingredients were from Emperor Arthur; the food was enchanted with magic to stay fresh.]
"Carsel, tell me about your adventure today," Mama said while feeding me.
I told her everything I experienced today. About playing tag with the rabbits, learning to climb with Ben, swimming with Kira, finding the Starlight flower with Luna, and playing hide-and-seek with Beni. Mama listened with a smile, but I noticed her eyes looked sad.
"Mama, why do you look sad?"
Mama was a little startled, then smiled again. "It's nothing, sweetie. Mama was just thinking, Carsel has grown up so much. You were once a little baby, and now you can go on adventures by yourself."
"Is Mama not happy that Carsel is growing up?"
"I'm very happy, sweetie. Mama is proud of Carsel."
After lunch, I took a nap on Mama's lap while she read me a story. It was about a prince searching for treasure in a magical forest. In my dream, I became that prince, adventuring in the forest. But in my dream, Mama Clara was there as a kind-hearted queen. Rey was my favorite horse, and Maru was my clever advisor. And I was so, so happy.
---
Clara's Point of View
I watched Carsel sleep on my lap, smiling faintly in his sleep. He must be dreaming of something pleasant.
Today, I saw how happy he was playing in Heartwood. His black eyes sparkled with excitement, his smile never faded, and he told me about his adventures with such enthusiasm. He has grown into a cheerful and loving child.
But in my heart, there is a worry. Carsel is growing more and more curious about the world outside of Heartwood. Yesterday he asked, "Mama, what's the world outside like? Are there animals like Rey and Maru there too?"
One day, he will surely want to leave this place. And I don't know if I'm ready for that. Heartwood is a safe haven for both of us. But the outside world... the outside world is full of danger, hatred, and war.
"Forgive Mama, Carsel," I whispered, stroking his soft, pink hair. "Mama is still selfish. Mama is still not ready to lose you, too."