My Dearest Reader-Chapter 5: The Protagonist

"I didn't know there were other people in this forest?" Ananika saw a purple haired woman with dark skin, coming out from the shadows of the trees. She wore tight fitting pants with a blue long shirt.

Both of the reincarnators were sitting on the ground, near a fire that was barely lit. Lost and hoping to be found.

The girl was standing there looking at the surroundings which were filled with trees, for a while. Until she finally looked at the two who stared at her. As though she was a string tying them to hope. Hope of getting them out of the forest.

"Hello." The girl walked closer to the couple. Her voice dipped in vanilla essence. Sweet yet bitter.

"Um, hey." Ananika felt awkward. Unsure of how to behave.

"Are you two lost?" She tilted her head.

"Yes." Kleuren suffered more in the past three hours than he had in his whole life. So he was ready to beg for crumbs.

He was a pampered child, what was he to do?

"Same." The purple haired girl smiled, sitting opposite to them. The fire in the middle.

"I was feeling cold too." She brought her hands closer to the flickering fire.

"Wow, I thought you were someone useful." Ananika pinched herself. Hoping this actually was a dream.

"I get that a lot." The woman made a heart sign.

"We can tell." Kleuren scoffed, he put his head on his hands, his elbows digging into his thighs.

"What is your name?" Ananika asked, having nothing better to do.

"Era." The girl lay down opposite to the other two. Sprawled on the ground. Both of them perked up at the name. Looking at each other, they decided to remain silent.

Era ignored the weird behaviour.

"Yours?" After a while of silence, she asked.

"Ananika."

"Kleuren."

"Weird names." The girl woke up from her sleeping position. Rubbing her hands to get the dirt off of them.

"Yeah." Both of them nodded.

"You are not from here, are you?" Era tied her medium length hair into a ponytail using a piece of cloth tied to her hand.

"Long story." Kleuren was not sure if they should tell a stranger about who they were. Even if it was his favourite character.

Even if it was the main character.

Era hummed in response.

"How did you get lost?" Kleuren, now interested in what she had to say.

"I was chased by some magia." Era shrugged.

"Oh." Magia were magical beasts, he wondered how she escaped.

"There are magia here?" Ananika groaned. What if they encountered one?

"Of course." Era was confused as to how the two had survived so far. Magia usually searches for magic. She wondered if they did not have magic either

"This is the Archean valley. It only has magia." At these words, both Ananika and Kleuren froze. They were right where the Chapter finished.

The separation.

"Um, why are you here? Not to be rude or anything." Kleuren asked suddenly.

"Because I was cold." Era thought that was obvious.

"What if we were dangerous?" Ananika raised her hands and then wiggled her fingers to act scary.

"I would kill you." she said it like it was a normal thing to say.

It probably was.

"Emo much?" Ananika laughed.

"What does that mean?" Era looked confused, biting her nail.

"Trying to act all cool." Kleuren started.

"But failing." Ananika grinned.

"Mean." Era snickered.

The fire sparkled as the story continued.

They sat there, the readers and the protagonist.

The closest relationship in a story afterall ] was of the reader and the protagonist despite of whether they loved or hated them. A reader lives through the characters they could imagine themselves as in a story. And isn't the best part of your story living inside it? Or even being a bystander cheering them on.

Characters make the story fun.

Better.

Alive.

That is what the nature of stories is.

But to realize and comprehend the fact that the people you were living through were just as real as you, was a bit complicated.

Ananika and Kleuren knew in their minds. But desperately clenched onto the fact it would all disappear soon.

But as they watched Era, that one hope was cut off.

This really was their reality.

Kleuren lay on his back. Looking at the pink sky with the sun setting.

"Is it not dangerous at night?" Kleuren wished no one answered.

"It is." Era looked at the sky. The moon was starting to show. It was large and full of actual holes. And shaped like a sea urchin. At least that was what the translucent image appeared to Ananika.

"We're fucked." Ananika hissed.

"Yup." Kleuren felt drowsy.

"Where do you live?"Ananika asked Era.

"We are travellers." Era looked at Ananika closely. Smiling mischievously.

"You are really pretty." Era leaned her head onto her palms. A small chuckle escaping her mouth.

"Don't hit on her. She is mine." Kleuren was half asleep. But his voice was sharp enough to cut.

"That's too bad." Era giggled.

Ananika softly pat Kleuren's head, and he leaned towards her.

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"Don't you need to look for the people you are travelling with?" Ananika questioned, her curiosity trickling in her eyes.

"I do."

"Then why?" Ananika pointed towards everything around them.

"They will find me quicker if I stay somewhere." Era shrugged. Inching closer to Ananika, who in turn draped her arms around her.

Both of them sought warmth.

"Yes we will. Of Course we always have to, you piece of shit." A rough voice emerged from the trees.

A rugged boy with red hair and bright golden eyes. His left eye had a cut. He was not wearing any shirt. Just dark baggy pants.

"Hello." Era waved her hands.

Lae looked around, noticing the other two. A sleeping boy and a girl draping her arms around Era.

"Who are they?"

"They are gonna live with us from now."

"What?"

Ananika and Lae yelled at the same time. Waking up a very scared Kleuren.