The War Of Gemstone: Owl & Flower
Prolog: Ghost Bird Forest

‘The next day you see flowers blooming, the evening you will see the moon shining.’

A famous phrase in Aruindale which means that wherever and whenever you are, happiness and tranquility will always be with you, even though you are far away in darkness.

The night on the Aruindale Plains is filled with mysterious things that attract travelers to come visit. The plains are famous for the magnificent view of the moon than any other plain on the Livadia Continent.

This vast expanse of plains became the site of the establishment of the largest Kingdom in Livadia which stood majestically under the moonlight that illuminated the entire plain. Under the leadership of great kings for hundreds of years, this kingdom became prosperous and prosperous until today.

The buildings are neatly lined with maroon roofs that become the residence and activities of the residents. The streets and alleys meet and intersect, until finally becoming one in front of the main building, is the Great Hall - the residence of the king and various kinds of royal activities. Both sides of the front are flanked by two towers and one tower towering behind. Both towers are used as storage for necessities such as food and weaponry, and on the upper floor is the resting place of the castle guards.

Behind its beauty, this plain holds a mysterious secret that not even the moonlight can reveal its answer. To the northeast of the kingdom, there was a forest wider than the capital of Aruindale, Fengarium. The atmosphere surrounding this forest was mysterious. Although the moonlight shone on the entire Aruindale plain, this forest looked dark and hard to see from the outside. Only the light from the fireflies and Pollymoon river plants can be seen shining brightly in the darkness of the forest.

There have been dozens or even hundreds of cases where someone who forced entry will be lost in the forest. Some of them were found on the riverbank or lying unconscious in the grass just like that, and all the victims found, had the same characteristics, he said, that is their memory of the forest disappearing as if it were part of the forest itself. Then over time, a question arises, who or what is actually in this haunted forest?

This forest also has a large number of owls that meet the canopy. The singing of owls at night can be heard up to the ears of the city gatekeeper. The song is like a death call to those who hear it. The sound of dozens of owls became something that no one wanted to hear one last time at night. And from there the name of this forest is obtained, the Owl Forest.

When morning came, the forest of owls that returned silent, distracted by the hustle and bustle of villagers who were working. And began a heated debate about the forest among the villagers. Rumors and gossip always come out of the mouths of citizens. From housewives to upper class nobles always have an interesting story. Soldiers who are patrolling on certain occasions will cross paths with other soldiers.

“You know? He said, in the Owl Forest there is a beautiful young girl living there.”

“Really? What is a pretty girl doing in the woods all by herself? Suspicious.” Face wrinkled.

“Could the girl be a wandering spirit who seeks out and captures anyone foolish enough to enter the forest and become its victim?”

“Kony! There is no such thing as a ghost.”

“We don't know. By the way, do you know what's in the woods?”

“If ghosts do exist, I should have been struck by the spirit of my grandfather who loved to scold me.”

Most of them only considered the rumors as entertainment, fatigue relief from their laborious work, not something to be serious about, including the knights. For hundreds of years, rumors and gossip circulated to the ears of kings for generations. However, the king chose to ignore it, the conversation of the citizens precisely that makes the atmosphere of the city and village more festive.

In addition to being a place to release fatigue and rest. Drinking shops are also often one of the favorite locations to get information. Only the intel force was notified and trained to take advantage of this place. Royal intel members will pretend to be customers and order drinks, looking for a non-suspicious table. Far but enough to listen to the whole room.

One of the interesting conversations is how long does it take to get through the forest? This question invites many floating arguments. 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, even 1 full day to pass through the forest? No one knows.

Amongst the rumors and gossip scattering, the mysterious knight with all-black armor heard the conversation calmly.

The scent of dried blood could be smelled from the knight's sword which was completely black in color. He hid his dashing face from behind his head protection, adding a mysterious and dangerous impression, leaving only his mouth deliberately unprotected to eat his food. Disturbed after hearing the debate between the residents about how long it took to pass through the forest, he put down his drink, fell silent for a moment and said, “Only he determines how long it will take to test you guys.”

After eating the food and finishing the last drop of his wine. He handed the 20 Silver Pot to the waiter and immediately left the shop. Outside the tavern, two people in long black sleeves appeared carrying swords sheathed around his waist, holding the black knight and leading him to a dark deserted alley. The two people were royal intel trying to capture the foreign knight to extract information from him.

According to them, the knight was unlikely to come to the tavern in black armor, a sword that had the scent of blood and said such a thing for no reason. They forced the knight to tell the truth while tying both arms of the knight with a rope and getting rid of his sword. One of the intel took out the knight's Black Sword from its sheath. The color of the sword was very jet, but what made it interesting was that a green gem was attached to its cross shaft. So shiny and luxurious impressed.

“What is this gem? Emeralds?” ask the intel guy who tied the rope.

“I don't think I've ever seen an emerald as smooth and bright as this, but a jewel in a sword? It's just my taste.” The intel man touched the hilt and tried the sharpness of the sword to the wooden box lying in the alley. “This is easier than having to find information to that stingy Blinderberry,”. The man's face was red, and his eyes seemed unfocused. The man was drunk.

Behind his head protection, it could be felt that the knight was angry.

“Do not touch my sword! That sword is not yours!” snarl. After that, the two intel who clearly had experience and training fainted were beaten all out by the knight with their bare hands.

The knight took his sword and left the two of them in the alley. That was the first and last time a black knight appeared in the city. There are some residents who claim to see the knight enter the forest alone. The citizens were confused by the knight's speech in the tavern and his mysterious presence. Was what he said true or was he just being crazy? No one knows for sure about this topic.

The two rumored intel could not get clear information from him, let alone the two intel was too careless. So enjoy eavesdropping on people's conversations while in the tavern, they get carried away by making themselves drunk. Their memories became chaotic and the information that had been obtained was lost.

The knight heads for a forest, where a mysterious cloaked girl waits for him among the shadows of the forest harboring mysteries of the past.