Chapter 5 Leave the temple

Luna's two eyelids slowly opened when the blinding sunlight pierced her eyes. Moans escaped her lips, and her ears moved because she heard the sound of birds chirping in the forest. Her body lying near the mirror changed its position, and her eyes, which were still drooping, slowly opened.

After feeling strong enough, Luna sat up and tidied her dishevelled appearance. She groaned when she felt the pain of sleeping on a hard pedestal. Luna yawned widely and turned to the right and left, noticing the state of the temple when the sun's light shined brightly.

Some of the things she couldn't see in the dark can now be seen clearly in the light, such as a wall with even more severe cracks, and then rocks, tendrils and tree roots that adorn some areas of the temple, mosses and dry leaves are scattered, However, instead of making the temple ugly or unpleasant to look at, it is the opposite. Luna feels that the temple looks even more beautiful by emitting a marvellous mystical aura. It's like the temple has merged into one with nature.

Luna's gaze stopped at the point where an engraved inscription decorated the wall. She glued her eyes and instantly stood up when she realized the shape of the engraved characters were words from her language. She walked close and reached out, wiping the letters gently.

Time is the longest distance between two places.

"Time is the longest distance between two places," Luna murmured slowly. She wondered if the sentence had a hidden meaning related to mirrors. She glanced at the opaque and dirty mirror for a glimpse before returning to read the sentence engraved on the wall.

"There are memories that time does not erase... Forever does not make loss forgettable, only bearable."

Luna smiled ironically, reading the sentence because what was written was true. Memories will never be erased by time. No matter how small those memories are, they'll still fill one corner of the heart and mind. Even if it's lost, whatever it is, whether it's best friends, parents, relatives, or something. It can never be erased easily.

All this time, humans could only bear memories in their hearts, pretending to be happy, even though they were far from happy. Luna slams hard the sentences written on the wall, so much for herself, but all those sentences don't show a way to go back, even though that's what she needs, not a 'quote' related to life.

She walked back down the wall and stopped at one sentence. It's a little blurry and moss-covered, but some of the front sentences are still clearly visible.

"The rose was red when I came but after a while... "

"The rose? What's the relation of roses?" Mumbled Luna read the sentence confused. She wanted to know the rest of the sentence, but it was blurry until it was erased and covered in plants, so she couldn't do it.

Whoever carved all the writing on this wall doesn't seem to be from here, but the world she's from. That means she's not the first person to come to this strange place.

Luna sighed loudly. She can't stay here forever. If she doesn't want to get stuck again, she better get out of here. She can go back to find out how to get herself home after collecting all the information on the place where she is today. Besides, she's getting thirsty and hungry because she didn't eat and drink all night after running away. If she insists on staying here, the first thing that will kill her is dehydration and hunger.

"It seems I need to find a river or spring to drink from," she muttered to herself. With that thought, she put her phone into her bra-since there were no pockets to store it-then carried her heels in one hand.

Her injured leg got worse by forcing her to walk barefoot, but it was better than her wearing heels. After wiping the mirror surface for the last time while shedding tears, Luna turns around and walks toward the temple exit.

Just like she had seen inside, the temple building was almost covered with moss and vines. Some parts were already damaged and crumbling, and the statue she had seen the night before was also covered in moss. She observed the statues carved around the temple for a moment. Her brow furrowed slightly because all the statues depicted creatures unfamiliar to her. They resembled Centaurs, but instead of horses, the lower half of their bodies were lions.

"Would there be any mythical half-human and lion creature?" Luna shrugged her shoulders indifferently and walked away from the temple. She could see her footprints last night.

For the first hour, she felt at peace. However, she rarely gets this calm and peaceful atmosphere. If the effects of walking in the middle of nature are so good, she has long chosen to explore the city's forests if she is tired or stressed.

The sound of birds, insects, and even the sound of forest animals fraying each other is like a melody in Luna's ear that has lived in the city with the constant noise of the city. What she's feeling right now is like therapy.

However, after walking for two hours, she began to feel exhausted. Her feet hurt more, and she felt very thirsty. Bright sunlight shone down, causing sweat to pour down her dress. Luna sat for a while on the tree roots protruding from the ground. She wiped the sweat with the back of her hand while fanning her neck with her other hand.

If only the GPS could work, maybe she wouldn't be circling the woods until she got lost. Then, when she felt enough rest, she went back on her way.

Four hours later-a miracle for someone thirsty and hungry-Luna could no longer continue her journey. Her body was so weak, and her stomach had been growling for a while, demanding to be filled. During the journey, she hoped to find fruits like wild berries or anything edible, but there was nothing. No river or spring either.

The only animals she encountered were brown furry rabbits, whose size was also unusual. They had wide, creepy eyes, which made Luna quite frightened. She sat on the ground with her back leaning against the trunk of a tree. Even the trees she encountered during the journey were not entirely similar to the trees she used to see.

Most of the trees form like canopies, with thick leaves on top and upwardly pointed twigs. The leaves are certainly green and the same as any other tree. Some have orange or red colours, but what makes the tree different is that it has a big, fat tree trunk like a Sumo, is layered, and the roots stick out so big.

Some also have tree tendrils, and in those tendrils, the leaves are like crystal leaves that are beautiful when reflecting the sun's light. She believes the unique tree is one of many strange plants that grow in this strange place.

When she first saw the unique thing, the admiration murmurs did not stop coming out of her lips. Luna did not dare to touch the tendrils that had the crystal leaves. Still, now, when she is in this condition, even flowers that have transparent petals or unique colours until a dragon passes before her eyes, she doesn't even care.

Luna moans slowly and asks for help in her heart. She wishes a miracle would come to her.

....