The goblinth gripped the stick, now feeling heavy in its small hands. It continued its journey, wary, its eyes darting, alert for any sign of danger. It had been walking for what felt like an age, the longest it had ever lived, a surprising thought.

It hadn't seen any other creatures, just heard the sounds of the forest, likely avoiding any areas where sound was concentrated. The day seemed to stretch on. As it walked, it focused on the sounds of the forest, the buzzing of insects, and the rustling of the wind.

Then, it heard the thuds. Heavy, rhythmic thuds, growing closer. Its eyes widened, and a surge of adrenaline coursed through it. Something moved between the trees, a shape, almost humanoid, but with a dark, gray skin. The goblinth couldn't make out the details at first.

The creature emerged from the dense foliage, its full form now visible. It was hunched, its posture almost a crouch, with a silver sword clutched in one of its hands. It towered over the goblinth, at least two meters tall, with a long, pointed nose. Its skin was a solid gray, rough and textured, as if made of stone. Behind its back, it had a large hump, covered in what looked like gray shells, and rough, jagged parts that resembled rock.

The monster had black eyes, just like the goblinth, and what almost looked like acne on its face, but it was actually small, rock-like protrusions attached to its skin. It was almost as if the creature was wearing stone as armor. The monster's shoulders, head, and chest had similar rock-like formations attached to its skin, as did its elbows.

The creature saw the little goblinth standing there and then, with a growl that quickly escalated into a roar, charged. The goblinth gasped in fear. It wasn't that fast, and its gray legs, ending in long white nails, hit the ground in loud thuds, as if the creature was very heavy.

The little goblinth looked around, unsure of where to run. Realizing it might not be able to outrun the monster, it threw away its stick and, instead, jumped onto the bark of a tree. Surprisingly, its small nails dug into the trunk, and it started to climb at a fast pace. It groaned, its chest slightly bruised from the friction against the rough bark.

The monster, sword in hand, reached the tree. It looked up at the little goblinth, which was still climbing. The goblinth managed to grab hold of a small branch with both hands, dangling for a moment before pulling itself up. It then held on to the branch with both hands and feet, afraid of falling.

The creature looked up at the goblinth and swung its sword, aiming to chop down the tree.

The sword bit deep into the tree, burying itself halfway. The creature removed the sword and prepared a final swing to finish the job. But as it swung, a wooden spear, with a sharpened stone head, struck the creature in the back. The spear hit the rocky surface of the creature's back, and the force of the impact caused it to stumble backwards. The stone tip of the spear shattered and fell to the ground. The creature turned, its gaze fixed on the direction from which the spear had come, and immediately ran in the opposite direction, fleeing the threat.

The goblinth was surprised. It was left wondering what had thrown the spear. It lifted its head and saw two other tall, gray-skinned creatures walk into view. They were calm. Their skin, however, was smooth and gray, unlike the rough, green skin of the goblins. Long, white hair, almost silver in the dappled sunlight, flowed down their backs. They wore brown rags around their waists, similar to the green goblins, but they also had something new: small, white horns that curved gently upward from their foreheads. Like the goblinth they had long ears.

The goblinth, curious about these new beings, shifted its position to get a better view. Suddenly, it slipped. A yelp escaped its throat, and it fell, hitting a branch on the way down, landing hard on the ground right beside one of the gray-skinned creatures.

The two gray-skinned creatures were startled by the sudden fall. They both jumped back, away from the goblinth. One of them reached for the broken spear, seemingly intending to use the sharpened tip to pierce the fallen creature. But the other gray-skinned creature quickly grabbed the wood, stopping it. The goblinth was terrified. It thought it was about to be killed. The creature who had intervened, who was thinner than the other, had a concerned look. The other one lowered its weapon, and they both looked at the fallen goblinth. They saw that it wasn't quite a goblin. It had long ears like theirs, but its skin was green, like the goblins. But for some reason, it felt like it belonged to their kind. This caused confusion for the grey-skinned creatures. The one with the weapon also had the same concerned expression. They looked at the goblinth as if studying it. Then, the thinner one simply turned and walked away, and the other followed.

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The goblinth used its small hands to push itself to a sitting position. A small "huh" escaped its mouth, a sound filled with confusion. It didn't understand why it had been spared. But it was glad. It quickly stood up, watching the gray-skinned creatures walk away. Then, it ran after them, its eyes wide and its expression filled with worry. It wasn't sure if the gray-skinned creatures would accept it. They had spared it, but something didn't feel right. Still, it felt drawn to them. It ran until it was right behind them.

The two gray-skinned creatures turned, their black eyes meeting the gaze of the goblinth. The little goblinth's face crumpled. Its mouth turned down in a deep frown, and the corners of its eyes crinkled with sorrow. It lowered its head slightly, and placed its hands behind its back. It was a gesture of submission, caution, and an attempt to show it meant no harm. Then, slowly, it opened its arms wide, offering an embrace.

The gray-skinned creatures, their expressions unreadable, took a step back, confusion clouding their features. The goblinth, undeterred, rushed forward. Before they could react, it wrapped its arms around the leg of the taller creature, pressing its small body against the smooth, gray skin. A genuine smile, a rare sight, spread across its face. It rubbed its cheek against the hard, cool surface, reveling in the physical contact.

The creatures exchanged a quick glance, their faces a mix of bewilderment and.... something else. The taller creature reacted, reaching down and grasping the goblinth's head, pushing it away with surprising force. The goblinth tumbled backward, landing hard on the ground.

Suddenly, the world exploded with violence. A shard of ice, a shimmering blue icicle, pierced the chest of the creature that had pushed the goblinth away. The creature gasped, clutching at the wound, its eyes widening in surprise and then, pain. It stumbled, its legs giving way, and it crashed to the forest floor. Red blood quickly blossomed on the gray skin, staining the leaves.

The second creature, enraged, roared and turned, running in the direction from which the icicle had come, seeking its attacker. Before it could get far, a second icicle struck, piercing its forehead. It dropped instantly, lifeless, onto the forest floor.

The goblinth, paralyzed by fear, scrambled to its feet, its legs trembling. The forest around it seemed to hold its breath, the air thick with the scent of the dominant trees and the chilling presence of death.

From the direction of the ice spikes, a human emerged. This one was a man, dressed in a long robe and a tall hat. He carried a gnarled wooden staff and wore sturdy black boots. The goblinth recognized this creature. It was similar to the being that had first killed it - a human. The goblinth had been killed by a human.

The human saw the goblinth. His voice, deep and guttural, mumbled words the goblinth could not understand. Fear, cold and sharp, pierced the goblinth's heart, followed by a wave of grief. Tears welled in its eyes, and it let out a cry, a sound born of both sorrow and terror.

The man pointed the staff, a cruel smile playing on his lips. The goblinth, now overwhelmed by a burning rage it had never known, felt its tiny fists clench. It wanted to hurt this thing, this destroyer of life, this thing that had killed the creatures it had, however briefly, connected with. It snatched up the broken wooden spear, its small hands trembling, and charged at the man.

As it ran, something cold and searing struck it. It was water, but not the gentle liquid of the forest. This was a concentrated, stinging ball of pure liquid, slamming into the goblinth with brutal force. It fell to the ground, winded. Before it could rise, a chill, deeper than any it had ever known, enveloped it. The goblinth's skin, its bones, turned to ice, the transformation swift and merciless. The man, with a triumphant shout, began to leap and dance in a wild display of joy.

With a final, brittle crack, the goblinth shattered into a thousand pieces, its frozen form crumbling to dust. Once again, it was dead.

Once again a month had passed, and the goblinth found itself once again in the Crossroads monster zone. There it stood, blinking slowly, each blink like a fragile pulse bringing it back into being. The forest around it was familiar in shape, though not quite the same. Its wide eyes filled with confusion and something deeper, a lingering ache, before it collapsed backward onto its butt. Tears welled up and spilled over, as if recalling a faint, fragile connection it barely understood.

Then, the memory surfaced: the creature that came and killed the others. It didn't know how or why that happened. Suddenly, a globe of water materialized at the tip of its staff and shot straight at the creature. An unfamiliar sensation ripped through it cold, unbearably cold, sharp enough to steal all feeling. The pain overwhelmed everything, and then its world faded into darkness.

Tears continued to fall, but the goblinth was not crying. It rose, wiping at its face, yet the tears flowed unbidden. The worst was the thought that clawed at its mind.

It was trapped in an endless cycle, dying again and again, never able to hold onto memories worth keeping, never truly belonging anywhere. The creatures around it those who allowed it to live never embraced it back. No welcoming touch, no warmth in their eyes. Yet, in that first instant of contact, when it reached out and touched another being, it felt something strange and achingly beautiful. It felt good to embrace.

That fleeting connection sparked a deep loneliness, sharper than any wound. To be so close, yet so painfully apart to yearn for belonging, but be met with cold rejection. The goblinth's tears kept falling, not from sadness alone, but from the strange, raw ache of reaching for something it could never truly grasp. Just like those stars, back then.

And still, despite all the pain and endless returning, it was something. It existed. That small, fragile feeling of touch that faint whisper of being was enough to hold onto. It was the first taste of a world it longed for, and somehow, that was worth everything.

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