Iris looks down at the fish, its flaky skin and unique aroma captivating her; with her stomach growling, she takes a careful bite. Touching her tongue, the taste of the fish reminded her of a high-quality fish her family used to buy for special occasions.
"How is it?" Apatura is sitting on a smaller stone some distance away from Iris, while a piece of fish is stuck to her face.
With a tear rolling down her cheeks Iris says, "It's incredible. Where did you find it?"
Looking surprised, Apatura takes another bite. "I found it in the river just a few minutes away. It was flopping on the coast, so I just stabbed it."
"..."
Iris continued eating; this type of fish is her favorite due to how the bones are easy to eat; however, they are extremely difficult to hunt, which contributes to their high price. Not complaining, she continues eating so as not to appear like an ungrateful young girl.
"Iris, may I ask you a question?"
Iris looks up at Apatura. "You don't have to talk to me so formally; I am only twelve." Her mouth was stuffed with fish.
"You are only twelve? You sound so mature."
"My mom always said that I have my dad's maturity."
"Where are your parents?" Apatura looks around.
"..."
Seeing Iris looking down and the atmosphere becoming more awkward, Apatura changes the topic of conversation.
"Anyways, why are you in this forest?"
"I truly don't know; the last thing I knew was that I was in a flower-filled room, and then boom, I was here."
Apertura's eyes squinted; it didn't make sense how a young girl was in a forest notorious for being the resting place for many death-row criminals and people wanting glory.
"Do you know the name of the forest?"
"I know nothing about the forest. Like I said, I just appeared." Iris' heart rate increased; Apaturas constant questioning made her feel uneasy.
"The forest is called 'the crimson forest.'"
Iris stared blankly at Apatura; she had an idea of why it was called that, but since she hadn't seen another persona aside from Apatura, she theorized that it was called that due to the creature.
"Is it because of that creature?"
"Kinda, as this is a place where many death-row criminals arrive to die. Also, people who want power stay here and test their survival limit."
"Then why are you here?" Iris innocently asks.
Apatura's expression darkens, her hands fidgety. "I am here because I want power, power to be the rightful owner of my kingdom."
"Wow, that is very cool. I always wanted to meet a real princess." Iris knows something is wrong but decides to follow her story. "Can you tell me about your home and you?"
"Um… I come from a large country called Papillio. It's a beautiful country with many different flowers and butterfly-shaped buildings." Pointing to her butterfly drawings, "These are the birthmarks that characterize us." Apatura's emotions dropped as she talked about her hometown.
"They are very beautiful," Iris smiled, cheering up Apatura.
Feeling better Apatura continues, "The entire country smells beautiful; everyone is extremely cheerful. That is why I came here to become stronger and to improve the lives of my people."
"When we get out, I would like to visit. I also want to get stronger, but I know nothing." Iris's eyes shone. "I only know how to create a shield."
Iris creates a small shield with hints of green but mostly transparent.
"That is a very beautiful shield; where I am from, you learn the movement of the butterfly at fifteen."
Iris' heart dropped; those words awoke something in her. "Movement of the butterfly! How do you know that!"
Confused by Iris' confrontation, "It is our movement; we have always performed it. It is the main reason why my country is so large and powerful."
"Do you know Orion?"
Apaturas eyes beamed, "Yes! He is the greatest user of the butterfly movement aside from tales of the originator. Since no one knows how strong our founder is, he is regarded as the greatest user. How do you know him?"
Iris' face darkened, tense, clenching her fist. "H-He was my father."
Apaturas smiled, flipping her heart tense. "What do you mean, Was?"
"He is not here," Iris whispered, trying to hold her tears back.
Apatura, seeing Iris begin to cry softly, goes up to her, sits beside her, and gives her a hug.
"Don't cry; he will be forever remembered. I know how much it hurts to lose someone you care for, especially at a young age. Just let everything out, and everything will get better day by day."
Iris tearfully looked at Apatura and began crying in her chest, while Apatura began patting her head.
Iris cried for minutes, letting all of her hidden feelings out in the open, letting herself be vulnerable, all while Apatura felt her heart break by the crying of the little girl. She now has an idea of why she is here, feeling how many things someone so young had to go through to be here.
After Iris cried, she felt calmer, her heart feeling liberated from all her burdens.
"T-thank you."
"Don't worry; since you exposed something vulnerable, I feel an obligation to tell you the truth behind my being here."
"So you aren't here to become stronger?" Iris said she sucked her mucus.
"It is partly true; I was sent here to meet my end. I was betrayed by the people I cared for the most."
"What"
"The higher-ups are extremely evil people who only want to benefit themselves. I was the most popular leader, and I was close to bringing them to justice, but in the end, they sent a large group to kill me, but luckily I survived their attack; however, they managed to catch me and send me here."
"Why would they do that? You are such a nice person!" Looking determined, "Don't worry, once we get out, we will teach them a lesson!"
Seeing Iris' quick demeanor change warmed her heart, the childish behavior Iris shows despite all her misfortunes.
Phwwwwwht
The whistle pierced the air, sharp and unnatural. The forest, once bright, was now covered in a thick fog. The temperature was lowering, and the smell of blood covered the forest.
Iris and Apatura stood, their eyes scanning the trees for any sign of movement. The creature's footsteps echoed through the forest.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
Each step sent a shiver down Iris's spine.
Then it appeared, towering and cloaked in darkness. Its blade glowed with an eerie black light, and on its other hand, it held an artifact that pulsed with an attractive green glow.
"You, butterfly," it rasped, its voice low and distorted. "He has been waiting for you. And the girl… she's more powerful than you realize."
Iris' chest tightened, a sharp pain radiating through her body. Falling on her knees, she clutched her heart, blood splattering from her lips. The light pulsed again, and she felt as if her soul was being attacked from all frontiers.
Apatura's eyes widened in horror. "Iris!" she cried, her voice full of rage. But the creature was already walking towards Iris, its blade raised, its glowing eyes fixed on its prey.