Encrypted Void

Outside

Within the dense forest, an arrow shot hit the deer and pierced its head instantly killing it, a person walked towards the deer's corpse with an bow in his left hand and a leather bag on his body. That someone was Naku who was hunting in the middle of the forest near his home area, he then lifted the deer's corpse over his right shoulder and brought it back to his house, even though he was an expert at hunting because he had lived alone for many years, he still couldn't lift the corpse of a deer without experiencing difficulties because of its small body. He then put the deer's corpse in front of his house and cut it using a dagger so it was ready to be cooked and eaten, but when he was preparing the meat for him to cook, suddenly he heard the sound of branches breaking in the bushes behind him.

'?! Who is there?!' he shouted towards the sound.

"Is it a beast? or monsters? ...I have to get close to it, if it's a monster or beast... I have to kill it." He thought as he prepared to attack.

Naku gripped his dagger tightly and walked carefully towards the sound, when he was right in front of the bushes he quickly opened the bushes and was ready to stab whatever creature was in them. But when he almost managed to stab it, the creature screamed in a language he knew.

'WAIT! I AM NOT A MONSTER!' The creature was a human like Naku, he looked like he was 50 years old and was holding an bow.

'...Are you a shapeshifting monster?' He doubted the person's identity and looked at him as if he saw that he was an enemy.

'NO! I'M JUST ON THE HUNT! BUT I DIDN'T REALIZE I WAS INTO THE FOREST TOO DEEP!' The man shouted in answer to her question feeling like he was going to die and lowered his bow.

'...Are you the same being as me..? You also speak like me..' He was confused and curious about the man and slowly lowered his dagger.

"Huh? What did he say..? A creature like him? Isn't he human..?" The man thought while looking confused by the words he said.

'What do you mean...a creature like you? Aren't you human just like me and others?' the man replied

'Huh? What...?' He was shocked and froze in place at the thought.

"...There are other humans outside?" Naku froze on the spot thinking that there was a human like him that he didn't know.

'Hey, is it true that there are humans outside?' Naku answered with joy and curiosity about the man's answer.

'Uh.. yeah, have you always lived in this forest?' The man answered and stood up to dust off his soiled clothes.

'Yes, I can live without going out... that's why I didn't know anything about outside of this forest.' Naku answered the man with an innocent smile on his face.

"Wow... a child who looks like 8 years old can survive alone in this forest.. looks like he has been alone since childhood." The man thought as he looked at him.

'What is your name?' The man asked with a warm smile on his face.

'Naku' He answered while walking towards him.

'Then Naku, want to go to the village with me? maybe you've never socialized with humans before..' The man looked at him with a pity face

'Hmm... okay! I also want to see what's outside.' Naku took his leather bag and walked towards the man.

They walked the way the man passed before arriving at Naku's house, but just as he saw a bright light beyond the forest, a sudden set of incomplete memories and a voice appeared in his head.

'Naku... wait for me here okay? I'll try to go find-' An indistinct and blurry shadow said something, but before it could finish the sentence it suddenly cut off and left Naku with a strong curiosity about the girl's voice.

"Huh..? what's that..?" Naku was silent with the thing that suddenly appeared in his head, but suddenly he heard someone calling him.

'Naku, we arrived' The man said while looking at Naku.

Naku raised his head and felt the warm wind on his skin and the bright sunlight illuminating his vision, the scenery he saw was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life, the vast meadows and flowers blown by the wind seemed to dance with the warm wind he felt, and for the first time he saw creatures carrying out activities similar to himself, namely humans.