Duncan stepped out of the region with a proud smile on his face.
He looked behind at the region that had caused him such trouble with a mocking sneer on his face. Even though this region had tried its best, Duncan felt that he had handled himself admirably and successfully walked out of this damned place without much damage to his soul.
With an uncharacteristic sneer, Duncan turned his back to the region and looked at the new region he had stepped in. Unlike the previous one where there was nothing as far as his eyes could see, Duncan could see beauty everywhere he looked in this region.
Walking out of a barren land filled with animal bones all over and arriving at a peaceful garden almost made him smile. It relieved his tense heart and relaxed his mind which was constantly on alert earlier.
The region in front of him was filled with blossoming flowers. Petals danced all around creating a peaceful atmosphere. Just looking at it was enough to refresh his heart. Duncan couldn't help but sigh looking at the beautiful garden that was spread in front of him.
Seeing such a beautiful garden made Duncan let his guard down a little. Only a little though, he wasn't a fool to completely let go of his vigilance. But, he couldn't fathom such a beautiful place containing any kind of hidden murderousness like the previous region either.
And the breeze that was blowing past his face made him feel nostalgic for a moment.
Duncan shook away his wandering thoughts and stepped carefully into the region. He was on the lookout for any danger that could be present here. Looking at this place that was able to remain untainted in this murderous Ancient Battlefield, Duncan felt a little vigilant as well.
But, the vigilance in his heart wasn't very high.
The idyllic scene in front of him relaxed his heart and soul a lot. The tense posture his body had been maintained relaxed as well. As the tension left his body, Duncan felt at peace after a long time.
He licked his parched lips and looked at the scenery in wonder.
In front of him was a garden comprised of various flowers. Their smell tingled his nostrils and made him want to take a sniff of them. Just inhaling the air present in the region was enough to let him feel the freshness in it.
In the previous region, even the air in that region was tainted with a sense of despondency. It almost made it difficult for him to breathe for a long time. However, this fresh air was just the thing he needed to let go of that horrible experience in his mind.
Duncan didn't enter the garden immediately. He felt that disturbing this garden's serene atmosphere with his rude approach would be akin to profaning something beautiful. So, he stood and watched the beautiful scenery for a long time without blinking. He was just taking it all in with a rare thirst in his eyes.
Duncan was sure that he had never witnessed such beautiful scenery in his life. His life was filled with mines, grasslands, and wilderness so far. Even in the cities, the scenery wasn't this beautiful.
Sure, the cities he had visited so far were very few. But, Duncan had at least glimpsed at the opulent and lavish decorations in those places. Despite the artistry and all the other stuff that those lavish decorations boasted, they could never beat this scenery in front of him.
Those decorations had a sense of artificial feeling to them. It was as if someone was imposing their aesthetic sense onto him. But here, the garden blended in with nature perfectly. Everything was natural. From the flowers that were spread before him to the breeze that blew threw them to reach him, every aspect of the scenery felt natural, perfect, and refreshing to Duncan.
Even the petals that danced on the breeze had a strange rhythm to them that almost made him mesmerized. His eyes couldn't help but be drawn in by them either. Duncan felt like relaxing in this region for a bit.
The only thing he could compare this scene was with the naked form of a woman who was in her pleasure throes. Duncan had always been fascinated by it. Watching this scene reminded him of those occasions.
Duncan smiled heartily and took in the scenery in a hungry manner. Suddenly his mind went back to those nights with Leia he had experienced recently. Her lithe body and dexterous movements flashed through his mind. The beauty and passion she exuded while in the throes of pleasure were always a treat to watch for him.
With a smile, Duncan sat down planning to relax in the midst of this beautiful scenery for a bit. He took out a wine jar and sipped it as he enjoyed the beautiful scenery. With wine in one hand and a feast of beauty before his eyes, Duncan felt fulfilled all of a sudden.
The rage in his heart cooled considerably and the irritation he had also subsided.
Duncan took sip after sip in a leisurely manner and wet his lips with his favorite drink in the world. His entire body relaxed at this moment as he watched the petals dancing in the wind with a calm mind.
Duncan felt his mind clear a bit as he watched those petals mesmerized. He felt as if those petals were trying to tell him something. His eyes and soul were both attracted to them as he watched them swirl around lazily in the air. He could feel that the petals also followed a certain path in their movements, but he could never grasp it.
This didn't cause dejection to Duncan. It only made him feel intrigued. He was hooked by their mysterious movement and wanted to decipher the secrets behind them very much. Duncan relaxed on the ground watching the mysterious dance of the petals avidly.
After experiencing such a brutal struggle for his life in the previous region, Duncan felt that he deserved some rest and leisure. And this place, in his opinion, was perfect for it. It had everything one could ask for to relax. The only thing missing was a woman to spend time with.
For a second there, Duncan even doubted that this region was similar to the previous one, where it lulled a person into carelessness and then pounced on him. But, no matter how he tried to perceive it, Duncan didn't feel any ill intent coming from the region.
There were no foreign emotions that crept into his soul and made him feel one way or another. Every emotion he had experienced after stepping here has been his. The beauty and peace exuded by this region wasn't a lie either.
So, Duncan didn't mind it much and decided to rest here for a bit before continuing on with his journey.
That was another thing he noticed. This region didn't want to influence him to stay either. It was just like every other place he had experienced in his travels. It was just there present amidst this brutal battlefield. That alone made it a rare place to chance across.
By now, Duncan had figured out certain characteristics of the Ancient Battlefield. While he didn't know the secret behind the varying atmosphere or what caused them, he understood that the Ancient Battlefield was littered with such things all over.
Some were inherently dangerous, some were quite harmless like this garden, and some might even be a mix of both. Duncan didn't think this region was harmful to him. It had already aided him a lot by helping his body and mind relax after his ordeal in the previous region.
So, Duncan decided to let go of his suspicions for now and relax a little in this beautiful garden first. Who knows when he will come across such a scenery once more in his life?
Duncan watched the petals drift through the garden sipping his wine and enjoying the idyllic atmosphere a lot. He felt a sense of peace as he gazed at the beautiful scenery before him.
Just then, a lone petal drifted away from the cluster of petals in the garden and started approaching his location. Duncan tracked its movement with his eyes with no apparent interest in it at first.
But, as the petal approached him, Duncan felt something within it attracting him a lot. So, he reached out with his hand and tried to grab it. The moment Duncan grabbed the petal he felt a slight sting of pain that confused him a bit.
Duncan looked at his fingers that had clasped the petal and found a small wound appearing on the finger that had touched the edge of the petal unwittingly. Intrigued, he brought the petal closer and looked at it closely.
The petal didn't look any different. It's just the edges were very sharp. The wound had been caused by that sharp edge when he grasped the petal. The membrane of the petal felt like a flower, but the edges were just unnaturally sharp.
It was almost like a… sword.
Duncan's eyebrows rose as he looked into the distance at the cluster of petals dancing in the breeze.
