The rain stopped a few minutes ago and I'm looking for shelter. I was on my way to a remote village to investigate an assassin who uses dark magic

This is a cursed century when we still use carts and the monarchy rules, it's the time when social status is important and I as a knight of the black magic court am not an exception

I have to go through a forest that is not known for curses but is known to have strange things that happen
Although it is hard to believe anything stranger than magic can happen in this world

I walk through the forest as some parts of my armor clink and clank so I remove parts of it to not attract attention
I can feel the softened soil beneath my feet and the damp atmosphere around me is thick.
I continue to tread but it's getting harder because the terrain is getting more unpredictable.
I remove my chest plate, helmet and my metal armor arms and leave the shoulder guards on

I am now lost in a forest in the middle of the night with the smell of petrichor as my comfort. I notice that the grass grows less as I progress and the fog thickens slightly.I look at some of the trees and I see dark and lighter silver streaks in the cracks of their bark. I feel the bark and it's slightly damp but still dry and edgy. I continue on foot as I walk on the still damp ground now colder and feeling a bit hazy

I then i notice something strange
In the distance there is a golden, silverblue and purple like glow. With my last streaks of hope I try to run towards it but the trees make it a hard trip so I resort to walking. The ground is still damp and I walk on and as I touch one of the trees I feel a sharp pain
The trees are covered in thorns I realize and suddenly faint purple like lines appear on my dark skin slowly spreading like a virus.

I get closer to the light and the earthly smell after it rains begins to fade and I smell something I can't describe
Something not of this world
I get closer to the light and I see small glowing lights in the trees as I progress.

I'm now very close to the light and the smell of petrichor is faint. I get dizzier and as I think I'm about to collapse the otherworldly smell spikes and I'm now wide awake

I walk to the light and there's a circular clearing in the middle of this Forrest but it's not too big.
The trees cracks slightly glow silver and the faint purple lines on my hands fade away. There are tiny dark purple orbs of light in the trees around me and I see the roots of a plant that's not a tree coming from the center.
I notice that on top of three mossy grey rocks in the center of the clearing, there is a flower, not any flower but a flower that seems to be a mix of different flowers to create an unimaginable design that's kind of rose like.

The flower has different shades of purple and black all over and there is an aquamarine bioluminescent liquid flowing from the top of its stems in a beautiful and whimsical pattern. Besides its outstanding design, a halo floats above it in a faint golden light.
I get closer to it and I realize how that otherworldly smell is coming from it. I notice Its fallen petals arise from the ground and float still in midair around it as the moon shines creating a spotlight for the flower.
The silver like trees the aquamarine glow the purple environment the floating black petals and purple colour scheme create and unearthly balance

The plant glows and dims and it speaks to me using telepathy. The ground is now damper, the otherworldly smell and petrichor has balanced in this places atmosphere to create an unmatched fragrance, I feel colder but more comfortable and I feel free and I feel a feeling I never really experienced. I am nightshade halo the plant says in my mind, who are you it adds


© Nightshade halo