Somewhere in the south lies a land with a mythical past. There are documents written about the matter, but only few exist and they're not usually accessible to common folks. Mostly the stories of the ancient times have been passed down from parents to their children, generation after generation. Of course, as the time passes, this is how the stories begin to alter and take various forms, and in the end it's impossible to tell how the tales originally went. They may differ from region to region because of this, but perhaps discovering them all and comparing them is one of the greatest joys of scholarly minds.
The premise is pretty much the same, no matter which version you may hear. There was an ancient war between two different kingdoms. It lasted for decades, maybe even for a century. The region where this war was fought used to be a beautiful place, but the horrors of the war had turned it into a dwelling of dread and bloodshed. At the beginning of the war, the two kingdoms were very much alike in terms of power, so equal that it caused frustrations on both sides. Now, this is where they tried to turn the tides of war by acquiring help from stronger forces, such as mages. Only a few aided at the battle at first, but their number got increasing as the time passed on. And yet, the armies of the two kingdoms stayed equal. More and more mages got recruited and so great was the will to destroy the enemies that the powers of these mages got increasingly darker, bringing even more devastation. They brought the region into a state of almost complete annihilation, so strong were the forces of hatred and the obsession to destroy.
At this point, the amount of suffering the nature had to endure caused it to scream so loudly in pain that the great entities of a divine realm heard them. Usually not concerned by the wars of mortals, this time they were worried that the destruction would spread and become so severe that the land would never recover from it. Something had to be done. The divine entities intervened and what happened after that, this is where the stories take different turns. Some people say that the higher beings awakened the desire for peace within the hearts of mortals and the war stopped there. And some say that the divine entities had deemed them too wicked and struck down a judgment upon everyone, eradicating them from their dark roots, ultimately massacring them all. And then there's a version where the entities thought that they can stop the spread of destruction only by locking the region into a plane of different existence where the two kingdoms will continue fighting against each other forever.
The two kingdoms have seemingly vanished from the world's map. There exist hints about their location, but no one has found much evidence about whether they were real. That's why a lot of people think that the tale of two kingdoms at war with each other is nothing more than just a bedtime story for children. At the suspected whereabouts of the region, there's nothing else but a vast woodland. However, there are stories and rumors about strange things happening in that area. One of the most famous ones is that you may feel the presence of death, the demise of multiple spirits. A lot of casualties have happened there, but if it was because of an ancient war or something else entirely, no one knows. Sometimes strange mist can appear out of nowhere and you can hear whispers from the past. And often people have reported that they have felt like somebody – or something – is watching them, some even claiming that they had seen shadowy creatures following behind. One of the wildest stories some have told is that they had been walking through the woods until their surroundings changed completely, the forest becoming a scene of horror with twisted trees and masses of strange red tissue growing all over the place as if they had just stepped into another world. They had managed to find their way back and tell the tale, but who knows how many had disappeared into that alternate reality, never to be seen again.
But not all stories regarding this region are terrifying. There have been tales about miraculous fruits growing in a very special tree, having the power to completely banish illnesses and giving strength to those who eat the fruits. Then there's a well that when the moon is full, it will give you a glimpse into your future. It's also told that somewhere in the forest dwells an old hermit, rumored to be as old as the world itself, who knows everything there is to know about the world. If you bring him a piece of a fallen star, he will tell you what you want to know.
And then there's the hill of butterflies. It's probably one of the most magical places of the region, however, not just anyone can find it. It may appear to those with pure hearts, though, that's still not guaranteed. Wondrous butterflies that some say are ancient guardian spirits live on that hill. If you're able to watch their dance, you will be blessed with long life, good health and your soul will be purified. That is something many wish to seek, but unfortunately, not everyone is able to find the hill and get these blessings.
Even knowing this fact, there's still people who have the desire to try finding it anyway. And one of those curious ones is Kimene, a folklorist who is traveling around the world collecting many different tales for a book. And of course, he would like to experience the rumored wonders himself and when he heard about the southern region and its many mythical stories, it instantly became one of the places that he wanted to visit. At some point, his travel began to steer him to the direction of the southern land and that was when he decided to make it as his next destination. Together with his partner Amaru, who is able to see and contact spirits, they headed to the region, hoping to experience a part of its magic.
When they reached the fabled woodlands, standing by the tree line and glancing around a little before heading in, Amaru had immediately felt something odd.
“There is a strange aura radiating through the woods”, he had simply stated. “I'm sure that there is something extraordinary residing within this place.”
This seemed to just excite Kimene who had learned to trust his partner's instincts with otherworldly matters. “Wonderful! Let's take a look!”
And with that, they stepped into the woods which held many secrets and tales, wishing to encounter some of them.
At first, everything seemed quite ordinary. The same sun was still up in the sky, its light beaming down to the forest through the branches of the trees and a mild wind was whispering among the leaves. Everything was peaceful and quiet, mostly Kimene's cheerful humming being the only sound. The two travelers were looking around, trying to spot something abnormal. The first thing of interest was the fact that all the trees had this unique hue of crimson shining on their trunks – Kimene and Amaru had never seen something like that before. This really piqued Kimene's interest and he took a closer look at one of the trees.
“I wonder… Maybe this is a mark left by a bloody battle that once took place here?” he mumbled as he let his hand wander around the trunk of a tree.
“It may be”, Amaru responded, “there's no way to say for sure what has happened in these parts, but I can sense a great anguish lingering around here.”
“That was to be expected after hearing the stories”, Kimene said as he took a few steps away from the tree he had been inspecting. “Let's see what else we can find.”
The duo continued their woodland journey and for a while they didn't discover anything new. They walked deeper into the woods while staying vigilant. But it took them some time before they noticed the subtle changes in their environment. At first, they noted that the sunlight had slightly faded, even though it was still daytime. The wind seemed to have subsided as the leaves weren't rustling anymore and as a result, everything felt like that moment itself had frozen in place. It was an odd feeling and now Kimene and Amaru could understand where the tales of weird things happening in the forest were coming from. And as they kept going further, they also noticed that the crimson color on the trunks of the trees was becoming more vibrant, giving an impression that blood that was shed in an ancient battlefield was still flowing inside the trees. It was an interesting observation and while it would cause anxiety among some people, Kimene and Amaru weren't afraid, they were driven forward by their curiosity.
Some time passed and their surroundings had become even more dim. There was still light to see around, but somehow it felt like something in the forest didn't want the sunlight to touch anything below the branches. And at this point, the strange incidents started to find the two travelers. Suddenly they were caught in the middle of a thick mist, making it impossible to see further than a few meters away. Kimene and Amaru became a little tense, but still kept going on.
“I can see spirits around us”, Amaru informed with a silent voice.
“Oh, really?” Kimene was curious to know more since he couldn't see spirits like his partner. “What are they like?”
“They're like little children”, Amaru replied. “I don't think they're malicious.”
“Wait… I think I can hear them!”
Abruptly the air was filled with otherworldly whispers and laughter. It really did seem like they were coming out of the mouths of children, although they didn't reveal themselves to Kimene. It was unlikely that they would be wicked, they were more like lonely spirits that wanted to accompany the two travelers. Maybe this was something some people would find terrifying, but Kimene and Amaru had encountered spirits many, many times before and not always peaceful ones, so this wasn't really anything new to them. They continued to walk even deeper into the woods while the little spirits tagged along.
But at some point, they just stopped. The whispers and laughter faded away and so did the mist. Suddenly it was silent again and Kimene and Amaru could see around once more. It was a weird experience and, in his mind, Kimene wondered what could possibly be the story of those little child spirits. He should take a look at that matter at some point. But for now, he wanted to find the hill of butterflies. Too bad that he wasn't able to come across any information about how to find that magical place, but he stayed optimistic as he continued to wander even deeper into the woods with Amaru.
The duo didn't manage to go far before something else started to happen around them. It began as some weird humming that filled the air, but no matter how much Kimene and Amaru tried to pinpoint its source, they couldn't find it. And as they continued wandering forward, the humming got even louder and soon a chime of bells started to accompany it. It was yet another strange experience, but just like the previous one, this wasn't particularly terrifying, either. It sounded like a holy song, not something sinister.
And then they could see something sparkling in the air. Small colorful swirls were playing among the lowest branches – perhaps they were some kind of sprites? Seeing them made Kimene excited, because it seemed like they were showing the travelers a way to somewhere.
“Do you think they will lead us to the hill?” he asked his partner while eagerly following the swirls.
“It's possible”, Amaru said.
They both were aware of the fact that trickster kind of beings existed, but it didn't seem likely that these ones were one of that kind. So Kimene and Amaru continued to follow them through the woods that had started to become more and more dense. It began to feel like they were reaching the heart of the forest and who knew what kind of magical things would occur in there. The two travelers didn't know what could happen next, but that was a part of the charm with adventures like this one.
Something was starting to happen again around them. Suddenly it became really dim as if the sun had unexpectedly just set, not offering its golden rays anymore. And then, Kimene and Amaru could see that there was some sort of clearing in front of them. The colorful swirls that were now glowing a little were leading them right to the direction of the clearing. Kimene was absolutely thrilled, having high hopes for what they would possibly discover from that area. He started to hurry his steps and so did Amaru and they rushed to see what would lie beyond the tree line.
And they weren't disappointed.
A vast area opened in front of them, filled with bluish-green grass. At the center of the clearing stood a steep hill which was covered in many sorts of beautiful flowers, which were more gorgeous than what Kimene and Amaru had ever seen. Above this scenery was a sky that had now taken the colors of yellow and purple, brightly sparkling stars scattered around like diamonds. And around the hill they could see a lot of butterflies flying around and dancing in the air and Kimene and Amaru were slightly mesmerized by them and wanted to take a closer look at them.
Almost like enchanted, they walked through the clearing to the hill and slowly they climbed it, glancing at all the beautiful flowers and how some parts of them were glowing; it was truly a magnificent sight. And once Kimene and Amaru had managed to get to the top of the hill, they let their gazes wander all around, from the surrounding nature to the dancing butterflies. They felt like they were inside of a fairytale. Words weren't needed as their hands got drawn to each other and they held their hands as they watched how the beautiful creatures fluttered above them. All of them had such gorgeous different colors and as they danced in the air, some sparkling dust came out of their wings and fell down on the flowers and on top of Kimene and Amaru.
The atmosphere was so serene, so breath-taking. The butterflies were small, but Kimene and Amaru could sense a strong power coming from them, it was like they were keeping this region alive. And as they stayed there watching the dance of butterflies, they got a warm feeling inside, perhaps it was the effect of their blessing? Not just anyone could experience the magic of this place, so Kimene and Amaru felt quite privileged.
They stood on that hill for a good while, holding hands and being thankful that they could share a moment like this together. And maybe the butterflies blessed their hearts as well so their love for each other would last eternally.
