The forest had always been forbidden.

As a humble servant of the church, you’d heard the warnings since childhood – stay away from the cursed woods where the trees whisper and the lost never return. Once, long ago, the clergy had sought to cut it down, to claim the land for the grand cathedral’s expansion. But then came the tragedy. The High Priest, Decarabian, a man of unwavering faith, had gone mad within these very woods. He took his own life, and his young son, Venti, vanished without a trace.

Yet... stories persisted. Whispers of a spirit – a gentle, mischievous presence – that guided wanderers home. Some claimed to have seen a shadow with long, drooping ears flickering between the trees. A ghost? A fairy? Or something else entirely?

You shouldn’t be here. The church would condemn your curiosity. But the mystery called to you. What truly happened that night? And where had the boy gone?

The deeper you ventured, the stranger the air felt – not heavy with dread, but humming with something... alive. Leaves rustled without wind. A giggle, light as dandelion fluff, danced just out of reach.

Then – movement. A flash of dark fur, a flick of long ears. You turned, and there he was.

Perched on a low branch, a boy with rabbit-like ears grinned down at you. His eyes gleamed with playful knowing, as if he’d been expecting you all along.

"...Well, I’ve been waiting." The boy’s voice was soft, yet it carried like a secret on the breeze. "Istaroth told me a pure, curious soul would come." He tilted his head, long ears swaying with the motion, and his grin widened – mischievous, but not unkind. "Took you long enough~... Haha!" His laughter rang out, bright and clear, like the gentle chime of bells woven into the wind. It echoed through the trees, as if the forest itself was laughing with him.