The wood was impossibly large. Not two minutes upon entering it, I was completely disillusioned in my sense of direction. Thankfully, Hoya seemed to know where he was going. All I had to do was follow him.

Darkness seized the sky and shadows filled the voids around us. I began growing anxious. I remembered this one time that Sunggyu and I went for a day-hike, and got so lost that nighttime fell and we were terrified and it took almost until midnight for us to find our way back. I wondered if a similar episode was about to occur.

Just when it was getting so dark that I couldn’t see the ground before me, we heard a heavy POP echo through the wood. I jumped at the sound, reflexively grabbing hold of Hoya’s arm. We looked around, but it was just the same black forest. There was no other movement.

Until a red glow caught our eye, coming out of the ground not twenty meters from us.

“What… what is that?”

I cautiously approached. The light began to take a weird shape. And then, I realized it.

“It’s a plant! A plant that could… give off light?”

All around us, the air suddenly filled with POP, POP, POP. I watched as the ground lit up, casting red, blue, yellow, and purple light on the forest around us. It was beautiful. I walked around, admiring the colors. Then, I kneeled beside one such plant, reaching out to touch its fluorescent leaves, when suddenly, a hand grabbed my wrist.

“What are you doing?!”

I jumped in fright and fell backward, and looked up to see a young man who was impossibly thin, fair-skinned, and carrying a large twine basket on his waist. He had large eyes and… pink hair? It was difficult to see with the multitude of glowing colors around us. I held my hand up in defense, but on studying the boy, I saw a kindness in his eyes and I knew he wasn't going to hurt me. Or at least, I thought I knew.

He looked down at me, no doubt studying me too. He must have known I was new to the area. Because next, he pointed to one of the glowing plants.

“It’s called Lumissero,” he said. “The plant of light. Even if you cut off one of its leaves, the leaf will continue to glow for weeks. But if a human touches it, the plant loses its luminescence forever, and degrades into a toxin that specifically poisons other Lumissero.”

I watched as he kneeled beside me and pulled a blade from his belt. Then, he reached into his basket and pulled out a small bottle. “The key is to cut it without touching it and catch it in a bottle like this one. Then, every night at sundown, you won’t be without light.” With practiced movement, he snipped off a leaf and caught it, corking the bottle and then holding it out for me. “Here. You can keep this one.”

I was still wide-eyed with surprise. I accepted it with two hands and a small bow, and watched as the leaf continued to glow red inside the bottle. It made me smile.

“You… you must be new to this area,” he said quietly.

“Neh. We’re trying to cut through the wood in order to get to Pilton in the morning,” I said.

“I don't know where that is. But... ‘We’?” he asked.

Then, I remembered. Where were Hoya and Namu? I quickly looked around for them, and flinched when I realized they were nowhere in sight. Stiffly, I turned my attention back on the strange boy. I wondered just how dangerous it was for me to be here, so alone, with him.

But the expression on his face seemed to echo my concern. “I haven’t seen anyone else out here… but if you’re with other people, then it’s best that we go and find them.”

“You’re… you’re willing to help me?”

He frowned. “Of course! The wood is dangerous at night! Especially if you’re alone and don’t know your way. Plus, you almost touched a Lumissero! Who knows what other damage you might cause! Come on.” He stood up, picking up his basket. “Though… I did come out here to scavenge for plants, so forgive me if I pause every once in a while to pick one up.” He shot me a warm smile, and I found it sweetly contagious. I smiled back.

Our search quickly fell to anything but a search when I realized how excited he was about plants. “Lumissero are awesome, but I’m particularly fond of this other plant, called the Orchidaron, because they—wait! There’s one! Look! This one actually loves the human touch. If you its flower, it begins to give off a really sticky honey! We use this honey for cooking. You should let me cook for you. I make a really good tree-root soup, if I may say so myself. All we’ll need is some Choloron and… wait a second. I never asked. My name is Sungjong. What’s yours?”

I flinched. Was he a Rebel or not? “Is Sungjong your birth name?”

“Yes.”

“So… you don’t have a nickname?”

He paused his leaf-collecting to look up at me. “Of course not. Do you?”

“A-aniyo! My name is Minji,” I said quickly, hoping he wouldn’t grow suspicious. I guess it worked, because he went back to gathering. But I still wanted to be sure.

“So… you’re not part of the Rebellion, are you?”

“What Rebellion?”

I was taken aback. Hoya made it sound like everyone in this world knew of the Syndicate and the Rebellion. Why didn’t Sungjong?

“Well…” he said. “If it’s anything that has to do with the Sin… the Syn… What is that word? Synduct?”

“Syndicate?”

“Yes, that’s it! If it has to do with the Syndicate, than me and my people are not interested. We live by our own rules and government. Our own world. We don’t leave the Wood, and the Syndicate doesn’t enter it. We all like it better that way.”

I frowned, trying to comprehend everything. Sungjong quickly turned the conversation back to plants, blathering on and on about the different species. I figured it was good that he didn’t have a political side—maybe he could shed more light on this weird world than Hoya or Namu already have. So I let myself relax and listen to him. He seemed to enjoy the audience.

“Sungjong, you’re really well-versed when it comes to this stuff. Is it your Skill?”

“‘Skill’?” He searched his thoughts. “Ah, yes. I remember you Outsiders use that word. I guess it is. I’ve just always liked plants. But… it’s about the only thing I’m good at,” he said with a sad smile. “I’m not strong enough to be a warrior or wise enough to follow my father's footsteps. But it’s fine. It suits me just fine,” he said.

We walked around a bit longer, collecting plants and “searching” for Hoya and Namu. I began getting anxious, wondering where they were, though I knew that they were more than capable of protecting themselves. Where they looking for me too? After some time, Sungjong corked his last bottle and turned to me.

“Well… maybe they found our village already? Maybe they’re waiting for you there? Want to go?”

I shrugged. I guess it was better than wandering through this dark forest.

We picked our way through for quite a while. Though there were no landmarks, Sungjong seemed to know exactly where we needed to go. Every once in a while, he’d look at a perfectly normal tree, think for a moment, and then point and say, “That way. We need to go that way. Follow me.”

Eventually, I saw a light in the distance. The trees grew more sparse, and opened up to a large clearing. I gasped in wonder. There was a sort of center path, wide and filled with a dense crowd of people. And overhead in the trees, there was an intricate maze of houses and bridges, each glowing with the same light as those plants we saw earlier. People filled the bridges and stared out the window openings of their houses, all looking down to the center of the crowd.

Sungjong frowned. “What’s going on?” he wondered out loud. “Kaja. Stay close.”

I followed him as he picked his way through the crowd. I became aware of a loud voice, which seemed to be making an announcement.

“…men who are hostile and dangerous… threatening… they were lost in the wood…”

Hoya?? Namu??, I thought.

“…talk of Syndicate… no doubt plan to take over and destroy us…”

Sungjong and I hurried through, until the crowd broke and we saw a small stage. In its center, there was an intricate chair, where an elderly man sat and held onto a long staff. Before him, there stood a tall man in a flashy tunic and strapped with a bow and arrow, making the announcement and pointing with accusation. And there, across from him in a large wooden cage, were my travel companions. I gasped in surprise.

“It’s… it’s them!” I said to Sungjong. “Hoya and Namu!”

I felt Sungjong tense up beside me. “Those are… nicknames,” he said, casting a suspicious eye at me. “Is it true? Were you planning on seizing our village??”

I blinked in shock. “Wh-what?! No way! Look, Sungjong, we’re just trying to pass through. I swear to it! I… I… I’m still trying to figure out who I am. I didn’t even know about this village. Why would I try to take it? Please… believe me. I don’t know how else to beg you, but I promise. I would never dream of it. I have other things I need to do.”

He studied me for a long moment, brow crinkled in thought. Then, suddenly he strode forth and hopped up onto the stage. My breath caught in my throat.

“…and so we must make a decision! We may choose to cast these violent wanderers out and run the risk of them returning to our Wood in force. Or we can jail them here!!...” the announcer said until Sungjong approached. Then, the announcer addressed him. “Oh. Welcome back, brother. Do you have more to add?”

Sungjong bowed respectfully. “I have returned from the wood, Sungyeol-hyung. And I am here to say that those two people are innocent!”

A large gasp echoed through the crowd. I watched in disbelief.

The announcer sputtered. “But… brother… how is it you know? My men and I found these two wandering in the wood, and as we approached, they drew their weapons and threatened us!”

“Yes, but hyung, wouldn’t you also become defensive if a pack of unknown men descended onto you? Besides, I have met a third person of their party. And that person is now my friend.”

I froze. Even though I had just met this Sungjong… how is he so trustworthy of me? I was instantly stunned but also appreciative. For a moment, I wondered if this favor would come back to haunt me in the future, but I quickly waved the thought off. Hoya and Namu exchanged glances.

“Mwo? A third person? And you brought him here to our village?!”

“Her. I brought her.” Then, Sungjong pointed right at me, and at once, all eyes of the village turned in my direction. The people around me backed away defensively. Some eyes were suspicious, some were surprised. I could feel the blood rush to my face, and I looked to Hoya for an instant before dropping my gaze again to the ground.

“You there! Girl! Please, come forward!” Sungjong’s brother said.

Mechanically, as if someone else was controlling my body, I walked through the crowd and got on stage. People moved out of my way as I neared. I stood off to the side, waiting, until the announcer chuckled rudely.

“Yah, yah, come closer!” he motioned. “Come closer so we can speak to you.”

I walked forth, passing the cage that held Hoya and Namu. As I did, Hoya reached out to hold my wrist for just a moment. His grip was warm and comforting. I glanced at him and he stared back and his expression was unreadable and before I knew it, the moment was over. He released me, and I went to stand beside Sungjong.

“So? Who are you?”

“My name is Minji.”

“Hmph,” the announcer said. “How is it that you carry your birth name, but your companions have nicknames?”

“I… I have recently been assigned a nickname. But I still do not know yet if I want to use it.” I could almost feel the disappointment radiating from Hoya, but I chose to ignore it.

“So you are not part of the Rebellion? Nor the Syndicate?”

“I don’t know what I’m part of yet. I don’t know yet who I am. It is why we travelled into your Wood. We are trying to cross it and journey to Pilton. To find out who I am.”

The announcer frowned at me, thinking. “I do not know the cities that lie outside our Wood,” he said under his breath. Sungjong took the moment to turn to the seated old man.

“Father, please. Let the prisoners go. These three need food and shelter. Not a trial.”

The old man blinked, and I noticed that his eyes were white with cataracts. He took a deep, steady breath, and then spoke.

“I sense the truth in Minji’s words. Sungyeol, release her companions. They may stay in our Wood as long as they need. However, before we can let them leave, that Warrior…” he said, pointing to Hoya, “must meet with the Oracle. Perhaps a telling of his future will tame his hot-tempered spirit.”

Hushed whispers filled the crowd. I chanced a glance back at Hoya, and he looked nervous, but I could tell he was trying to think of a way out of this sentence.

“For now, we will hold onto your weapons,” the old man continued. “Sungjong, take Minji and her companions and show them where they will stay. Everyone else, the meeting is adjourned.”

Sungyeol frowned, obviously disagreeing with the old man. But obediently, he walked over to the cage and released them, but not before shooting a challenging look at Hoya, who of course reciprocated. I hurried to the two, studying them as they climbed out of the cage.

“You’re not hurt, are you??” I asked, checking them for injury.

Namu chuckled and patted me gently on the head. “Yah, yah, don’t worry, Jaemi. We’re fine. We were so preoccupied by those weird glowing plants that neither of us heard them coming. If we did, and if Hoya landed the first hit…” He hung his head dramatically. “No doubt, we would be dead!”

“Namu! Don’t say such terrible things!!” Hoya ordered. It made me laugh. “Chincha, we just had our fate decided, is now really the best time to be joking about death--”

“Jaemi, will you have wept for us? Will you have mourned us on our deathbed?!” He playfully and dramatically clutched his heart and held a hand weakly to his forehead. “Jaemi, what would this world be? Without your Namu?”

“Yah!” Hoya yelled. “Don’t burden Jaemi… I mean… Minji like that!! And stop fishing for pity!” He made to punch Namu, who heard it coming and nimbly jumped away and taunted from out of reach. I watched, entertained.

“Help me, Jaemi! Help me!!” Namu cried out, dodging another of Hoya’s lunges with ease.

Then, I suddenly felt someone take my wrist and met Sungjong’s smiling eyes.

“Phew! Glad that worked, right? C’mon! I’ll get to cook for you just like I wanted!”

“Kumowoy--” I started to say, but the excited boy beside me didn’t wait for it, instead bounding forward and pulling me off the stage after him.

“Yah! What about us?” Hoya called.

“Yeah! When are we going to eat??...” I heard Namu next.

But when I looked back, I saw that Hoya had engaged in a tense conversation with Sungyeol. They were both standing mightily, chests puffed and eyes level. I wondered if they would be okay, and only felt mildly at ease when I saw them stiffly shake hands.

--

All Infinite characters finally unlocked! Phew.