Page 102 of Sent To A Fantasy World and Now All the Men Want Me 7

We soon stepped from the density of the woods and out into an open meadow peppered with wildflowers. A stream trickled on one side, the glistening water winding over smooth, colorful stones. Sunlight shone down on a weeping willow standing tall in the center of the meadow, the long branches swaying over the lush bed of grass beneath it.

Even in daylight, I noticed the glimmer along the leaves, like an endless current of magical energy. In the quiet afternoon, tiny jingles rang out, reminiscent of wind chimes caught in a gentle breeze.

A dark figure stood within the shade of the long branches. The guardian. Similar to the one in Bremloc, but bulkier, his armor and sword like black obsidian.

“Will we make him mad if we get too close?” I asked, nervous.

“Not if our intentions are pure,” she answered, then stepped toward the tree without hesitation.

Well, alrighty then.

I followed after her, taking deep breaths as we neared the tree. How did it know what my intentions were if I didn’t even know? I didn’t know why the heck we were there. Phantasia mentioned the willow offering me some guidance, but what did that entail?

And would it result in me being skewered through the middle by the giant sword clutched in the guardian’s fist?

“Blessed be, Fair Willow and Guardian,” Phantasia said, bowing her head as she stopped several feet from the dark figure. Too close for comfort, I’d say. “A soul needs your guidance. I humbly request permission for him to pass beyond your branches.”

A moment passed, the silence only broken by the musical chime of the leaves and the flowing stream. But then, a soft breeze swept around us, ruffling mine and Phantasia’s hair, before the branches in front of us shifted aside.

“My deepest gratitude.” Phantasia bowed her head again before looking at me, a smile on her lips. Brighter than I’d ever seen her look. “You may approach.”

“You want me to go in there?” I asked, motioning toward the shadows within the tree. “With the dark knight?”

“Guardian,” she corrected. “And he will not harm you lest you force his hand.”

I peered toward the parted branches. “What do I do once I go inside?”

“Let her energy surround you. Feel, don’t think.” She placed her hand over my chest and patted once. “Now go.”

Shakily exhaling, I stepped forward. The moment I passed beyond the branches, the air changed. Tingled, as if filled with static electricity. And as the branches closed behind me, very little sunlight bled through, causing a noticeable drop in temperature. A chill slithered down my spine.

The guardian turned his head toward me. The one in Bremloc had worn a hood that covered his face, but this one wore a knight’s helmet, showing nothing apart from his black eyes.

“Hi,” I squeaked. “Please don’t stab me. I’m not here to hurt you or the, um, Fair Willow.”

A soft orange glow appeared, drawing my attention to the trunk of the tree. The light seeped through the bark and gently pulsed. Like a heartbeat.

A sense of calm washed over me, and my feet moved on their own, bringing me closer. Not sure why, but a gut feeling told me to place my hand over the glow. So I did, letting myself feel and not think, just as Phantasia told me to do.

The moment my palm touched the glowing bark, my vision went dark. As if in a dream, I saw five blurred figures standing before me, each varying in size and height. Male and female. Their features were distorted, but they all had one thing in common: blue flames swirling from their fingertips.

They were the five Hallowed Saints that had come before me.

“Combat,” a deep male voice said, coming from the third in line. He towered over the others and had a Herculean build.

“Prophecy and illusions,” said the first. Also male. He was tall with a lean build. Something about his voice seemed… familiar. But like their facial features, their voices had a strange distortion as well, making it impossible to identify.

“Seduction,” the second said in a sultry voice, placing her hands on her curvy hips.

“Green magic,” said the fourth, her gentle voice less confident than the others. Meeker.

The fifth one, a female, stood with her shoulders squared and her head held high. Saying nothing. But I knew who she was. Saint Vera.

However, any attempt for me to speak proved impossible. It was different than when I’d been in the elixir’s world. There, I’d been able to move around and talk, even if no one in the visions could see or hear me. But in this… dream, I guess… I didn’t have a corporeal form. More like an invisible audience watching a scene play out.

“Destruction and curses,” Saint Vera said, as if spoken through gritted teeth. “Kill all demons. Burn them all. Until only ashes remain.”

Chills wracked me, as though I’d been injected by a thousand needles filled with ice-cold water.