Chapter 3: Lunaria Forest
The sun began to show itself on the eastern horizon when Sirius reached a crossroads. To the left was a straight stone road leading to the Asteria Kingdom—the official route commonly used by merchants and travelers. To the right, a trail that led into a dense forest.
Sirius paused for a moment, feeling the cool morning breeze brushing against his face. His long white hair swayed in the wind, with several blue strands at the tips gleaming as they caught the first rays of sunlight.
"The usual road or..." he looked at the trail leading to the forest with curious blue eyes. "Lunaria Forest."
His decision didn't take long. His right hand touched the handle of his new sword at his waist, feeling its unique square shape. The sword seemed to be asking to be tested, to experience its first battle.
"Lunaria Forest," he murmured while taking the trail. "Might as well test Mom's gift."
The trail into the forest was fairly gentle, surrounded by low bushes and blooming wildflowers. The fresh aroma of leaves mixed with the fragrance of flowers made the air feel refreshing. Sirius walked at a leisurely pace, enjoying the scenery that differed from his home garden.
However, after walking for half an hour, the leather bag on his shoulder began to feel heavy. The long-sleeved black shirt he wore also started to feel uncomfortable due to the increasingly cold weather. He regretted not bringing a lighter jacket or cloak.
"Should have listened to Sister Luna's advice about clothing," he muttered while shifting his bag to the other shoulder. "This shirt is too thin for a morning journey."
A cold wind from the forest direction suddenly blew strongly, making his white and blue hair strands flutter. The cold air carried a stronger aroma—a mixture of wet earth, fresh leaves, and something magical that was hard to describe.
The combination of the heavy bag, the shirt getting cold, and the soothing wind made Sirius's eyes feel heavy. He yawned several times while continuing to walk, occasionally rubbing his eyes to ward off drowsiness.
"Only been half an hour," he grumbled while walking. "Why am I already sleepy?"
Just as he entered the outskirts of Lunaria Forest, something small and white leaped from behind the bushes and directly crashed into his chest at high speed.
"Whoa!" Sirius almost fell backward from the surprise, but his quick reflexes allowed him to maintain his balance. "What is—"
A small fox with soft, fluffy white fur was hugging his neck tightly. Its round golden eyes radiated joy, and its tail wagged enthusiastically. The fox made small sounds like a happy cat's purr.
"You..." Sirius smiled, recognizing the small creature. "The white fox from before."
The fox pulled back slightly from his embrace, looking at Sirius's face with sparkling golden eyes. It made a small 'yip' sound that sounded like a greeting.
"You've grown big," Sirius gently stroked the white fur on the fox's head. "Last time we met, you were only the size of a fist."
Six months ago, Sirius found this small fox being attacked by a Red Lion near the Lunaria Forest border. The tiny fox was nearly dead from severe wounds, and Sirius spent an entire day treating it before releasing it back into the forest.
The white fox jumped down from Sirius's embrace and walked in small circles around his feet, as if showing joy at meeting again. Its soft white fur gleamed as it caught the sunlight beginning to penetrate the foliage.
"Want to accompany me on my journey?" asked Sirius while crouching to level his height with the small fox.
The fox nodded enthusiastically, then ran a few steps forward before looking back, as if inviting Sirius to follow.
"Alright, let's enter the forest," Sirius stood up and followed the white fox into Lunaria Forest.
As soon as they passed the first row of trees, the scenery changed completely. Lunaria Forest was indeed famous as one of the most beautiful forests in the region. Giant trees with large, tall trunks stretched dozens of meters high, creating a dense green canopy that still allowed sunlight to penetrate in the form of golden beams.
Among the trees, wildflowers in bright colors bloomed everywhere. There were blue flowers with petals that sparkled like crystals, red flowers that emitted a soft glow, and white flowers with sweet and soothing aromas.
The sound of babbling water could be heard in the distance, indicating a river or waterfall within the forest. The white fox ran toward the sound with cheerful steps, occasionally stopping to make sure Sirius was still following.
"Want to show me something?" asked Sirius while following the fox through low bushes.
After walking for about ten minutes, they arrived at an amazing open area. In the center of the area flowed a clear river with water so transparent you could see the stones at the bottom. The river flowed from a small waterfall about five meters high, creating a soothing babbling sound.
What made this scene even more magical were the animals gathered around the river. There were small deer with antlers that gleamed like silver, white and light blue rabbits playing by the riverbank, and colorful birds perched on low branches.
"Incredible," Sirius murmured while placing his bag under a large tree. "Like a living painting."
The white fox ran to the riverbank and drank water eagerly. The other animals didn't seem afraid of Sirius's presence—they only glanced briefly before continuing their respective activities.
Sirius walked to the riverbank and washed his face with the cold, fresh water. The drowsiness that had been attacking him immediately disappeared, replaced by a feeling of freshness and energy.
"The water here is really clear," he commented while sipping a little river water. It tasted fresh and slightly sweet, different from ordinary water.
He sat on a large rock by the riverbank, enjoying the view and peaceful atmosphere. The white fox jumped onto his lap and curled up comfortably, like a cat basking in the sun.
"You like this place?" Sirius stroked the fox's soft fur. "I do too. Very peaceful and—"
GROAAAAR!
A thunderous roar suddenly echoed throughout the forest, causing birds to fly away and small animals to run searching for hiding places. The white fox in Sirius's lap immediately stood up with raised fur, its golden eyes looking warily toward the source of the sound.
Sirius slowly stood up, his hand reflexively touching the sword handle. "Looks like break time is over."
From behind the thick bushes, a large Black Panther emerged with steps that were graceful yet threatening. Its body was as large as an adult horse, with jet-black fur that gleamed and yellow eyes that emanated a strong magical aura. The stripes on its body seemed to move, indicating this was no ordinary panther.
The magical aura emanated by the panther was much stronger compared to the magical bear Sirius had faced yesterday. The air around it felt heavy and oppressive, making his hair stand on end.
"Black Panther," Sirius muttered while carefully observing the creature. "It's been a while since I encountered one like this."
The Black Panther stopped across the river, staring at Sirius with sharp yellow eyes. It didn't attack immediately, as if assessing its opponent's strength.
The white fox jumped down from Sirius's lap and ran to hide behind the large tree, but still peeked out curiously.
"Don't worry," Sirius said to the fox without taking his eyes off the panther. "This is a good opportunity to test my new sword."
He drew his sword from its sheath with a smooth motion. The silver blade with its square tip gleamed as it caught the sunlight penetrating the foliage. The square handle felt perfect in his grip, giving a different sense of confidence.
The Black Panther saw the sword and let out a low growl. Its muscles tensed, ready to leap.
"Come on," Sirius took a fighting stance with his sword raised. "Show me how strong you are."
The panther leaped across the river with amazing speed, its large claws aimed directly at Sirius's chest. But Sirius was already moving even before the panther landed.
With inhuman agility, Sirius jumped to the side while swinging his sword toward the panther's front leg. The sword blade clashed with claws as hard as steel, creating small sparks.
The panther landed gracefully and immediately spun to attack again. Its long, muscular tail swept through the air toward Sirius's head, but the white-haired youth ducked with perfect reflexes, letting the tail pass over his hair with only centimeters to spare.
"Pretty fast too," Sirius muttered while jumping back to gain distance.
The physical battle continued with high intensity. The Black Panther attacked with combinations of claws, bites, and deadly tail sweeps. Each of its attacks was fast and accurate, showing high fighting experience.
But Sirius moved like he was dancing. Every panther attack was avoided with flowing movements, as if he could predict every movement of his opponent. The sword in his hand moved with precision, blocking attacks that couldn't be avoided and countering with quick slashes.
When the panther's claws aimed for his neck, Sirius spun left while slashing toward the panther's belly. When the panther leaped to bite his shoulder, Sirius slid down while thrusting toward the hind leg. Each of his movements was economical and effective, nothing wasted.
"Your reflexes and speed are indeed above average," said Sirius while jumping onto a large rock to take a higher position. "But still not enough."
The Black Panther let out a frustrated roar and leaped high toward the rock where Sirius stood. Its claws glowed with dark magical aura, indicating it was starting to use its magical power.
Sirius grinned. "Now you're getting serious."
He jumped from the rock just as the magical claws scratched the stone until it shattered into pieces. In the air, Sirius spun his body and swung his sword with full force toward the panther's back.
But the panther managed to spin in the air and parry the attack with its claws. They both landed simultaneously, facing each other at about three meters distance.
"Enough warm-up," Sirius took a different position. His sword was held with both hands, the blade tip pointing slightly downward. His blue eyes began to emit a soft glow.
The Black Panther sensed the change in Sirius's aura and stepped back several paces warily. Its magical animal instincts told it that great danger was approaching.
"Spring Painting: Lunaria River."
Sirius's voice sounded gentle yet contained great power. The sword in his hands began to glow with a soft light blue light, like the color of river water under moonlight.
Then he moved.
But 'moved' wasn't the right word to describe what happened. Sirius seemed to become part of the wind itself, his body flowing with movements so smooth and beautiful like river water flowing calmly.
His first step brought him circling the panther with speed almost invisible to the eye. Traces of light blue light followed his movements, creating beautiful patterns in the air like branching river streams.
The Black Panther tried to follow Sirius's movements, but its yellow eyes couldn't clearly catch where the youth was. All it could see were flashes of blue light and white shadows moving in unpredictable patterns.
Sirius moved in increasingly smaller circles, each step creating new light traces. From above, the pattern he created looked like a beautiful water whirlpool, with the panther at its center.
Then came his attack.
Sirius raised his sword high, the light blue glow emanating from its blade growing brighter. With a motion flowing like a waterfall, he swung the sword downward—and something amazing happened.
From the tip of his sword, a glowing painting appeared in the air. The painting was shaped like a flowing river with a magnificent waterfall, drawn with strokes of sparkling crystal blue light. Every detail looked alive—the flowing water, the waterfall splashes, even the green foliage around the river, all perfectly depicted in captivating light.
The painting didn't just stand still. The water in the painting truly flowed, the waterfall truly fell, and the leaves swayed in the breeze. The gentle sound of babbling water could be heard from the painting, creating an illusion that a real river was flowing before them.
Even the Black Panther was mesmerized seeing the beauty of the glowing painting.
But its fascination turned to fear when the painting began moving closer. The river in the painting seemed to want to emerge from its light frame, and the depicted waterfall began emitting terrifying energy.
Sirius pointed his sword forward, and the Lunaria river painting shot toward the Black Panther with unbelievable speed. As it moved, the painting left a trail of sparkling blue light, like a river of light flowing in the air.
The Black Panther tried to avoid it, but the painting followed its movements as if it had its own will. Water in the painting began splashing out, creating beautiful yet dangerous droplets of blue light.
When the painting finally hit the Black Panther, what happened was a spectacular explosion of water and light. The waterfall in the painting seemed to truly strike the panther with full force, creating a whirlpool of glowing water that enveloped its entire body.
The panther was thrown backward with tremendous force, its body swept by water currents that felt very real. It was flung until it hit a large tree behind it, and when the water current subsided, it fell to the ground with labored breathing.
The Lunaria river painting slowly faded, but didn't disappear completely. Blue light particles still scattered in the air like floating water droplets, creating a magical and enchanting view. The sound of babbling water could still be heard faintly, like an echo from the painting that had just vanished.
Sirius landed gently, his sword still glowing faintly before finally returning to normal. He took a deep breath, feeling significant fatigue after using the painting technique.
The Black Panther was still lying on the ground, its body wet from water that strangely felt very real. It looked at Sirius with yellow eyes full of a mixture of fear and admiration. Never had it seen a fighting technique so beautiful yet terrifying.
The white fox came out of its hiding place and ran toward Sirius with golden eyes sparkling with admiration. It spun around Sirius's feet while making small 'yip' sounds that sounded like praise.
"Did you like it?" Sirius stroked the fox's head while smiling.
He walked toward the panther that was still lying down and examined it. The creature was still breathing, only unconscious from exhaustion and shock. In the world of magical animals, battles usually ended when one party acknowledged defeat, and fainting was a form of surrender.
"Sleep well," Sirius muttered while returning his sword to its sheath. "I hope when you wake up you'll no longer be interested in fighting."
Birds began to return to perch on branches, and small animals slowly emerged from their hiding places. The peaceful atmosphere of Lunaria Forest returned to normal, as if the epic battle earlier was just a beautiful dream.
Sirius took his bag and sipped river water once more to quench his thirst. "Time to continue the journey," he said to the white fox that was still following him. "Want to come with me until we leave the forest?"
The fox nodded enthusiastically and jumped onto Sirius's shoulder, making itself comfortable there like a bird.
"Alright, but don't be too heavy," Sirius smiled while walking toward the trail leading out of the forest. "My bag is already heavy enough."