His steps slowed without him realizing, his gaze lingering as if the scene might vanish if he blinked.
This was something he had never seen directly before, and he loved it.
But suddenly, in the distant sky, the clouds parted as an eagle swooped down to the ground and then flew away, carrying a snake in its claws.
Mu Xin froze in place, his breath catching as he watched the spectacle.
His chest felt oddly hollow, as if reality itself had shifted under his feet.
Not because the eagle hunted a snake, but because of the distance at which he saw it.
Normally, from where Mu Xin stood, he should have only been able to see the eagle and the snake as dots, but just now, he saw them clearly.
This made Mu Xin question his own eyes. Was he hallucinating, or was it all real? If it was real, just how big were those eagles and that snake?
Then Mu Xin thought back to everything since he woke up—the forest, the child's body, and now the unnaturally large animals.
(Am I in another world?)
A surreal feeling rose in Mu Xin's heart as all kinds of questions appeared in his mind, but no matter how hard he thought, there was no one to answer them.
So Mu Xin took a deep breath and cleared his mind to focus on his current situation. His first priority was to get out of this forest; otherwise, he would either die of starvation or become food for beasts.
With that goal in mind, Mu Xin turned around and walked along the river. The occasional sounds of beasts from a distance made Mu Xin tense; each unfamiliar sound made his shoulders tighten, his steps unconsciously slowing. Fortunately, nothing happened.
After walking for an hour, Mu Xin was faced with a steep, rocky mountainside. The rocks were covered in moss and vines, with the peak hidden beneath thick mist. Mu Xin began to circle the mountain, hoping to find shelter, as the day would end in a few hours.
Soon enough, Mu Xin stumbled upon a small, well-hidden cave covered by thick vines. After pushing past them with some effort, he found that despite its narrow entrance, the cave went deeper than he had expected.
Out of pure curiosity, Mu Xin walked deeper into the cave. After walking for a minute, he noticed crystals embedded in the walls, providing a faint light to see ahead.
The farther Mu Xin walked, the more he noticed that he was descending deeper underground.
After what seemed like an hour of tiring walking, his legs felt heavy, each step scraping against stone as the air grew colder. Then he heard the sound of flowing water and what seemed like the end of the cave.
Mu Xin's curiosity deepened, and with a hint of excitement, he rushed forward, finding himself in a massive cavern with a towering tree at its center.
The tree was unlike anything Mu Xin had ever known. Its height reached the cavern ceiling, with branches spreading wide enough to cover half the space. The most mysterious part was that the tree glowed with a strong light mixed with gold and purple.
Mu Xin stood still, unable to look away, his thoughts falling silent before the glowing tree.
A small stream flowed around the tree. As he walked closer, he noticed fruit hanging from its branches.
The fruit was perfectly round, with translucent skin marked by nine golden rings, releasing an enticing scent.
As Mu Xin stood before the tree, he noticed that its bark was covered in thin golden lines like veins, pulsing softly with light.
"Who are you?"
An ethereal voice suddenly echoed throughout the cavern. Mu Xin's scalp prickled, and his heart skipped before slamming hard against his ribs. He frantically looked around, searching for the speaker, but no matter where he looked, he saw no one.
A chill ran through Mu Xin's body. He turned and ran toward the cave entrance he had come from, but the roots of the tree moved on their own to block it, making escape impossible.
Unknown to Mu Xin, some of the roots had already wrapped around his leg. By the time he noticed, he could no longer run. The roots quickly bound his body and slowly dragged him back toward the tree.
Bound by the roots and facing the tree, he forced himself to breathe slowly, knowing that panic would only make things worse. Mu Xin's back was drenched in cold sweat. Then a translucent figure formed before his eyes, slowly becoming tangible.
It was a woman wearing tight-fitting light green robes that outlined her alluring figure. Her beautiful face was gentle and warm, like nature itself, and smooth black hair flowed down to her waist.
She looked at Mu Xin gently as she drew closer, while Mu Xin stared back nervously. No matter how beautiful she was, his life was essentially in her hands. Still, she had given him an answer—this truly was a different world.
Though her gaze was calm, Mu Xin felt as if she were quietly weighing him.
"What is your name?"
She asked softly, her tone reassuring, as if she meant no harm.
(If she wants to harm me—or even kill me—it would be easy)
After realizing that resistance was futile, Mu Xin calmed himself and went along with it.
"My name is Mu Xin."
She looked at him as if he were something precious.
"Why did you end up here? I'm sure this is not a place for a young boy like you."
The roots slowly released Mu Xin, allowing him to sit upon them as the woman sat before him.
Even freed from restraint, Mu Xin remained nervous in the presence of this unknown existence.
"I got lost in the forest and accidentally wandered here. I really had no intention of disturbing you, so if you could just open the entrance for me, I'll leave immediately."
The woman looked at Mu Xin, playfulness dancing in her eyes.
"I can do that, but you must agree to my condition first."
Surprised but without any real choice, Mu Xin could only nod.
"May I know what that condition is?"
Her smile brightened.
"I need you to bring me with you to the outside world."