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Chapter Ten: Crazy Days in the Forest Maze

Koza shook his head, and entered the forest maze. After all, how bad could it be? He really wanted to get Tera a Snow Demon Tear, and he wasn’t going to let whatever it was he saw, or any stupid forests get in his way. As he entered, the snowfall picked up slightly, which didn’t bother him in the least. In fact, the more snow the better. His feet crunched softly through the snow, causing it to echo through the forest.

The maze itself really didn’t seem all that complicated. A fork in the road was the first thing that Koza came across. Not really thinking on it, he went down the right path. He knew it wouldn’t be that hard to remember. While walking along, he kept an eye out for any stray Snow Demon Tears, with little success. Ever diligent, he wandered deeper into the maze. For a place that was supposed to be riddled with Snow Demon Tears, this place was pretty dry. Nevertheless, it didn’t deter Koza from his goal.

The forest was strange to say the least… Koza hadn’t spotted a single Snow Demon Tear the entire time he was walking. Left… right… right again… another left… straight… Koza was keeping careful track of which path he was taking, so he could find his way back. He would continue on until he found what he was looking for. At another fork in the road, the left path was completely covered by a sheet of ice. Not having much choice, Koza took the right path. An opening to what appeared to be a clearing lay ahead. Seeing it, Koza switched from walking to running, not wanting to waste any more time than he probably already had.

Sliding to a stop at the exit point, he was greeted with a small, crystal clear pond. A small waterfall was emptying into it from a hole in the wall high up the side of the rock. Stopping momentarily to take a break, and to admire the water, Koza sat down on a random rock that was sticking up.

“YEOW!” he yelled as he jumped up suddenly. “What the HELL did I just sit on?”

Looking down at the rock, he noticed something sticking out of it. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be some sort of small, white stone that had sort of a frosted-glass look to it. Koza reached down and tried pulling on it to see if he could get it out. It popped out with relative ease. Koza held it up to the moonlight to get a better look. It was a small, rough, oddly shaped Snow Demon Tear. It looked like it had formed almost in the shape of a… heart?

“Grr… well, at least I found one…” he grumbled, none to happy about how he had found the stone. Putting it in his pocket, he ran back through the opening. Making sure he took exactly the same path as before, Koza saw an opening up ahead after a few minutes of running. Going through it, he found himself not at the entrance, but back at the pond where he had found the Snow Demon Tear.

“What the…?” he thought to himself. He pulled U-turn and ran back through the forest.

Running as fast as he could, only to end up back at the same spot as before was the theme for the next few hours. Stopping to rest against a tree, Koza assessed the situation.

“Ok, something is obviously screwing with me… What’s up with this place anyway? I’ve got to get out of here before Tera wakes up…”

Ending the break prematurely, Koza ran off down another path. With the thought of Tera waking up before he got back racing through his mind, adrenaline took over. Koza went zooming through the forest.

“Right! …Left! …Straight! …Right again!” he thought as ran. “Come on… come on…” It was like the forest was out to get him. No matter how hard he tried, he always ended up back at the pond where the Snow Demon Tear was found. Koza tripped on the icy pathway and skidded for a few feet before sliding to a stop. Lying on the ground panting, Koza tried to think of what to do next. Everywhere he tried to go, the forest spit him back out into the same spot. There had to be a way out of this place. He was too tired to think straight anymore, and it was clouding his judgment. He struggled to get up, and stumbled over to a tree, where he sat down and leaned his back against it to rest.

“Come on Koza… Don’t give up just yet…” he said between breaths. “You’ve gotten out of worse situations than this,” he told himself. “Just keep going at it. Every problem has a solution, and this is no exception. Now then, what else can I try if I can’t do this on my own…”

As he pondered these thoughts, the night air got cooler and cooler with each passing minute. It didn’t bother Koza any, but it was still dangerous to stay out in it for too long. If he didn’t make it back soon, things could get ugly…

Just then, there was a rustling sound from nearby. Looking around, Koza couldn’t pinpoint the exact location. As if on cue, the giant white fox from before leapt out of nowhere and landed in front of him. Koza stared, wide-eyed.

“Wh… what do you want?” he blurted out nervously. Staring him down, the fox creature moved towards him slowly, then laid down in front of him, as if asking him to get on its back. Cautiously, Koza advanced onto the creature’s back. He thought to himself that this must be the Snow Demon. Barely having enough time to get situated, it sped off into the night.

One bumpy ride later, they were both at the entrance to the forest maze. Koza jumped off, and turned around to thank the Snow Demon, but it was already gone. Shrugging his shoulders, Koza bolted towards the inn to make it back before Tera woke up. He wanted her to see what he had spent the night looking for right when she awoke. He couldn’t wait to see the look on her face. He knew she would be so happy, and that made him happy as well. Smiling, he raced towards the inn.




Next Chapter: Confession Session