Day broke and with renewed vision of my true trials was to see how Darkness chained citizens of Nod I was renewed and wanted to see citizens free and full of love and sincere hope.
We rented a small boat and we were going into the forest of the forgotten, any location that was ruled by Darkness those that served the Author of Love never ventured into that location, for fear of never returning, and now here I was a pilgrim on a quest to free people I would never would have no dealings with just months before.
I was not sure now, how long I was in the keep of the Monastery in the caring hands of Comforter. We were going east and we were entering the Forest of Decay.
Nothing grew in this vastness and the stench of death permeated every inch of air and the forest dripped blackness. It was fear itself. I ate some cheese and bread along with some apples that were the juicest I had ever put my lips to, it was pure nourishment both to my body and brought a lot of joy to have a morsel of familiarity. I understood in that moment why the Author of Life had so many meals with his followers of old. What joyous meals they must have been.
We docked by some rocky crags and the vile smell of the Forest of Decay nearly took both of us out. "How was such a place born?"I asked aloud not to Comforter in particular more speaking inward thoughts coming forth from the silence of death.
"Places like this are born when mankind has no hope." Comforter explained, leading me up a sheer rock face to the trees that we passed. I had this sensation that they were alive and watching us. The smell of rotting flesh made my stomach churn. I coughed horrifically as we made our descent up.
"What creature of monstrosity lives here?" I asked Comforter as we reached the top it was clear whoever dwelled here did not want any visitors of any kind.
"Vanity dwells here." Comforter said flatly with hesitation of defeat in his words. I was trying to imagine what creature that lived in such a place could look like. "Be on your guard mortal, Rune, not everything is as it seems here." Comforter warned as we made our way through the labyrinth of trees.
"I cannot go another step, Rune. Me and my kind will guard you but take heed. When there is so much evil I cannot go where I am not welcomed." Comforter said tears streaming down his face. It was the first time I had seen him have any traits of emotion in the whole time I had spent with him.
It almost broke him to a place where he was completely made useless. I hugged him tightly and he gave me bread with the Tree of Life engraved on the top.
"Eat this now, it will keep your eyes open and your heart pure. Pray without ceasing, Rune. Go and set the captives free!" Comforter explained resting his hand on my shoulder. I moved forward for the first time for the second part of this trial I was facing enemies alone, but I knew that The Nim would indeed keep me safe and I was surrounded in perfect love.
It seemed as if there was nothing amiss if you negated the smell of death and rot it was peaceful. There were no birds and no life in the trees the trees dripped sap that burned on the ground.
I kept my shield up so anything that fell on the trees would not burn me. I had this deep conviction in my soul that if the danger of the trial became too great I would immediately be taken back, they were testing my ability to battle and the strength of my mettle. My steps firm and I allowed my spirit to settle in the safety of my armour. I watched every step with obedient caution.
Then I saw her. She was beautiful, a thousand Tesses rolled into one flesh. Her hair a beautiful autumn sunrise, her emerald green eyes set ablaze with light. Her figure moved beautifully, her silk dress moved like water on a peaceful lake. Her skin was in pale as milk, her dress danced on it, water on glass.
There were no cages people dressed in beauty looking at themselves with mirrors combing their long hair, trimming their beards, trying on clothes of wealth, eating delicious food.
I was trying to figure out where the demon was, there was no demon in this place, just beautiful people doing beautiful things in beautiful clothes. Everything was perfect. They created houses encrusted with jewels and glass from all over Nod.
They held conversions amongst themselves, how amazing they looked, how many accomplishments they had made, how exceptional they all were. I listened to their conversation but they were engrossed with themselves and looking into mirrors they paid me no mind.
I noticed there was no light in this forest and as soon I looked at my shield's glass I saw things very clearly. The woman who I was so admiring was riddled with worms, her head was skeletal, her bones were filled with maggots and pieces of her flesh were ripped off exposing rotting flesh.
She was enthralled with her diamond and ruby encrusted mirror. She was oblivious to me, so I commanded my sword to become smaller. Comforter told me that what I needed from my sword would obey.
I whispered "Shrink and cut swiftly." I whispered to the blade, as her back was turned as she lingered like a bride in front of a mirror she did not see me underneath the table, her ankle was exposed and I slit and cut it off. Her shrinking rang out as far as where our little dingy rest on the shores of the Forest of Decay.
The other servants of Darkness I was able to slay without much retaliation, but Vanity was not going to go down easily. For being what seemed like a lithe woman she was not. She grabbed me by the feet and shook me. She forced me to look at the mirror. I refused, she took her finger and pierced my heart. The forcefulness of her fingernails pierced my heart to the point she pierced my armour but was not able to pierce my heart.
I was helpless and could not do anything for myself, the only thing left in my arsenal was prayer. As I prayed to the Author of Life underneath my breath she had me dangling, her foot though clean off made no difference at all except she grabbed as she went back to her mirror.
However, my prayer was not in vain. A volley of arrows came over from the border from where I came. The volley was strong; her mirror fell from her hand, and it was shattered into a million pieces.
Vanity then screamed and fell as she tried to pick up the pieces, more flesh fell from her bones. As she looked for the shards of glass I was dropped from a considerable height, and though the wind was knocked out of me, I quickly got back to my feet, and I grabbed my sword with a firmer grip, and raised it in the air, and decapitated her head clean off.
As her power diminished the mirrors of the others in that thicket of the forest their mirrors went black, and they all screamed from what they became. There was no use saving any of them, they had been there so long they were walking corpses.
I summoned Comforter once Vanity was murdered by my blade, him and some other Nim came and helped slain the citizens that remained there. It was better to kill them then to leave them as they were.
Once all of them had been killed with a righteous sword we buried them and planted a flowering Willow in their place, and erected a plague that read:
Vanity took the souls of this forest once named Forest of Decay. Vanity all is Vanity says the Wise Man of Old. This forest has not been claimed by the Author of Life, and we have renamed it humility. Never forget the lesson vanity has taught you citizens of Nod.
We posted the sign in gold and one of the Nim wrote the words by hand with a pen before the gold was hardened so it would stand for all generations.
Suddenly, the forest bloomed and it was almost as if the trees bowed thanking us almost for setting them free from the shackles of Vanity.