Chapter 197: Chapter: 197 So this is enlightenment?

It was day time, deep inside the forest Vivian was in.

Sunlight fell through the tall trees and landed on the ground in broken patches.

The leaves moved gently as a soft wind passed through them.

Birds sat on branches and chirped from time to time.

Somewhere far away, an insect buzzed, and the sound mixed with the quiet of the forest.

A girl around fifteen years old was walking slowly with a small group of sheep.

She stopped now and then, letting them eat the grass and small plants growing near the trees.

She watched them carefully, making sure none of them wandered too far.

Her name was Zara. She lived in a village near the forest.

Her father was a carpenter, and her mother was a housewife. Zara usually liked helping her parents, but today she was not in a good mood.

“Damn it,” she muttered softly. “I told mom not to give me these sheep, but she still did.”

She let out a long sigh and looked at the sheep in front of her. “I wanted to play with my friends,” she said quietly. “But she told me to feed the sheep first.”

Normally, her mother would come to the forest to feed them.

But today, she had some work to finish, so she sent Zara instead.

Zara didn’t argue much, but that didn’t mean she was happy about it.

She was still near the outer edge of the forest.

The trees were not too thick here, and sunlight easily reached the ground.

Zara lifted her head and looked up at the sky. Her face looked gloomy.

The sky was clear today, bright and blue. But it had not been like this for the past few days.

For ten days straight, it had rained. Because of that, she couldn’t go outside to play. The sheep had also stayed hungry for days, so today they had to come here.

“Those guys are probably playing right now,” she thought. “And I’m stuck here.”

She sighed again and lowered her gaze. The sheep were busy eating, moving slowly as they chewed the grass.

Zara stood there quietly, listening to the forest, waiting for time to pass.

As she continued to walk with the sheep, she suddenly paused and turned to her left.

The moment she looked there, her eyes brightened. “Great,” she said happily.

“There’s so much grass and weeds here. I can finally take some rest.”

There were not many big trees in that area, which was why the grass had grown thick and tall.

The place looked like a small open field inside the forest.

She quickly walked toward it and tied the sheep one by one, keeping some space between them so they could eat properly without fighting.

The sheep lowered their heads and began eating the grass eagerly.

After tying them, Zara looked around. Not far away, she saw a large tree standing alone.

It was spring. Normally, it wouldn’t rain much during this season, but for some unknown reason, it had rained for many days.

Now the sun was out, and the weather felt warm and pleasant. The sunlight was gentle, and it made her eyelids feel heavy.

She walked toward the big tree and sat under it. The shade covered her face, while the warm sunlight fell on her body.

“Haa…” she let out a soft breath. “Until the sheep are full, I’ll take a little nap.”

She slowly closed her eyes. Not long after, her breathing became calm, and she fell asleep under the tree, while the sheep continued to eat quietly around her.

As she slept, the sheep continued to eat for a while. Their heads stayed low as they pulled grass from the ground.

After some time, one sheep slowly lifted its head and looked into the distance.

At first glance, the sheep looked normal, just like the others. But its eyes were different.

There was something strange in them.

They held a deep and complex look, something that should not exist in the eyes of an ordinary animal.

The sheep stared toward the deeper part of the forest, where the trees grew thick and the light barely reached the ground.

Slowly, the strange look in its eyes changed. Confusion appeared, and the sheep let out a low cry.

The other sheep did not react. They kept eating as if nothing had happened.

Time passed.

The sheep continued to stare into the distance.

The confusion in its eyes grew stronger, and soon it was mixed with longing.

It looked restless, as if its heart was being pulled somewhere far away.

It felt as though someone was calling it from deep within the forest.

As the restless feeling grew, the sheep became desperate.

It started to struggle, pulling hard against the rope tied around it. Its body shook as it tried to break free.

“Baaah… baaaah!”

The sheep cried loudly as it struggled. The sound echoed weakly through the trees.

It kept pulling again and again. Soon, the rope loosened, and with one strong pull, it freed itself from the rein.

The moment it was free, the sheep did not stop or look back. Without caring about anything else, it ran straight toward the deep forest, disappearing between the trees.

Time passed quietly.

The sun moved lower in the sky, and its light grew softer. Orange rays fell on the ground, painting the forest in warm colors.

Zara’s eyes slowly fluttered open. She let out a big yawn and stretched her arms.

She looked up at the sky and frowned.

“Tsk,” she clicked her tongue. “It’s already past afternoon.”

She stood up and rubbed her neck. There was a dull ache there from sleeping badly.

Still yawning, she began walking toward the sheep, unaware that one of them was missing.

She walked toward the sheep and began untying them, her face still full of sleepiness.

One by one, she loosened the ropes and pulled all the reins into her hand. She reached for the last one and froze.

“Hm?” she hummed in confusion as she looked at the empty spot where the last sheep should have been.

She still felt lazy, so she searched around without much effort at first.

She looked behind the tree, then around the grass. But no matter where she looked, the sheep was nowhere to be found.

She turned toward the group of sheep walking behind her. A frown slowly formed on her face as she began to count them.

“One… two… three… four… five… six… seven… eight… nine…”

Her voice stopped.

“Where’s the tenth?” she whispered.

The sleepiness vanished in an instant. Her stomach tightened.

She counted again, slower this time. “One… two… three… four… five… six… seven… eight… nine…”

“There’s no ten… how?”

Her eyes widened as panic rushed in.

She quickly looked around, scanning the open field and the nearby trees, but she still couldn’t see the missing sheep.

“Damn it…” she muttered.

Her mother’s angry face flashed in her mind, and her stomach twisted even harder. “If I lose even one sheep, mom will kill me.”

She raised her voice and called out, “Baaah! Come here!”

Only the quiet forest answered her.

She searched around the area again, but she couldn’t find the missing sheep.

“Where did it go…?” she murmured as she looked around.

Without thinking too much, she slowly walked toward the deeper part of the forest. Suddenly, she froze.

“H–here…”

She stopped and bent down to look at the ground. The soil was still wet, and clear footprints were pressed into it. They were fresh.

She stared at them for a moment, then her eyes brightened. “Sheep footprints.”

Quickly, she tied the remaining sheep to a nearby tree so they wouldn’t wander off.

After making sure the ropes were secure, she stood up and followed the footprints, walking deeper into the forest.

As she walked deeper and deeper into the forest, the sky above slowly grew darker.

Thick branches and tall trees blocked most of the light, and even the ground became hard to see.

Seeing how dark the forest had become, Zara felt uneasy. Her heart beat a little faster. She reached into her bag and pulled out a small lamp.

The soft light helped, but the fear did not fade.

She hesitated. ’Should I go back…?’

For a moment, she almost turned around.

Then her mother’s angry face appeared in her mind.

“…I have no choice,” she muttered and kept walking forward.

She followed the sheep’s footprints deeper into the forest.

Suddenly—

Rumble…

The sky growled softly. Dark clouds gathered above, moving fast.

“Oh no… it’s going to rain,” she whispered.

She walked faster. Soon, she noticed something strange. The footprints on the ground suddenly stopped.

Her heart skipped a beat.

She raised the lamp and looked around in panic. The light moved across trees, bushes, and wet ground, then stopped.

There.

The missing sheep stood not far away.

It was completely still, staring straight ahead. Its face was filled with confusion and deep longing. Tears were flowing from its eyes.

“Y–you’re here…” Zara breathed out in relief.

She stepped forward and reached out to grab the rein—

BOOM!!

A massive thunderbolt struck the ground ahead.

“AAAAH!!”

Zara screamed in terror and jumped back. She turned, ready to grab the sheep and run—

BOOM!!

Another thunderbolt fell.

For a brief moment, the forest lit up in bright white light.

In that light, she saw a vague shape.

Her body stiffened.

She slowly turned toward it.

BOOM!!

Another thunderbolt struck the same place.

“W–what… is th–this…?” her voice trembled.

Floating in the air was a man.

He had black hair, and his upper body was bare. His body hovered silently, untouched by the rain and wind.

Zara couldn’t breathe.

His face was so beautiful, so unreal, that her mind went blank. She forgot to blink.

His eyes were closed.

From them, two lines of blood flowed down like tears.

Another thunderbolt struck his body, yet he did not move.

He simply floated there.

A calm voice echoed faintly, almost lost between the thunder.

“So… this is enlightenment?”

The forest shook.

And Zara stood frozen, staring at something she could not understand.

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