The canopy of the forest prevented the sunlight from even reaching the mist. The frigid wind that pushed it southwards had vanished, either it too wasn’t able to penetrate the leafy canopy, or that too was a result of the tear in the Veil.
With light steps, Midhir slowly moved forward. He could hear the blood flowing in his veins, and every breath he took made him wince as it sounded so loud in this deafening silence. There were no leaves rustling, no wildlife simply existing around him. Aside from the occasional blood-freezing howls of the wolves looking for him, it was dead silent.
Every muscle in his body ached from the mad dash he broke into when escaping. He wanted nothing more than a chance to sit and rest, but there was no time. The wolves were moving closer, probably following his scent. He had to keep moving.
It took effort to avoid stepping on piles of leaves, or dry branches on the ground. He followed what seemed like a narrow path through the woods. Perhaps this was one of the paths the residents of Lohssa took when traversing the woods for whatever reason. He hoped it wouldn’t end at the edge of a cliff, or an impassable obstacle.
Unsure of how long he had been walking, he suddenly realised that he hadn’t heard the howls of wolves for quite some time. Minutes, perhaps, if not more. His steps came to a halt as he raised his gaze and looked around. Behind him, the mist was dark and thick, terrifying. It looked like an abyss that would swallow all who would be foolish enough to step inside. It was difficult to believe that he had passed through it and survived – or that he was still standing in it.
In front of him, the mist seemed ever so slightly brighter. Was there a gap in the leafy canopy? A fire of hope lit up in his heart as he walked forward with hasty steps. Light was good – light meant life. Sunlight meant freedom.
He made his way through the woods, trying his best to be quiet. The mist swirled around him, but now he could see bright blue highlights where there were previously none. A barely audible buzz rang in his ears. He turned his head around, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from to no avail.
With a scowl, he shook his head. Feeling like there was a fly inside his ears was rather nerve wrecking. He rubbed his ears, hoping the buzzing would just go away, but of course it didn’t. With a sigh, he rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.
His steps continued carrying him forward, to where the mist was brighter. The buzzing sound grew more prominent as time passed. It was loud enough to drown his own footsteps now, but the mist was also much lighter. He could see farther than just the ground beneath his boots. Visibility was growing with each step. Despite his reservations, he soldiered on.
A frigid wind blew in his face, carrying with it the scent of blood, wet earth, and exotic flowers. It pushed the last bits of the mist aside, revealing a sight he wished he didn’t have to see.
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He was stood in an opening in the woods. It was quite large, albeit still under the leafy canopy of the forest. No sunlight pierced the leaves and branches of the old growth. Instead, the light originated from the flowers covering the whole area, bright blue like the wolves’ eyes, shining like unrefined crystals. Specks of light like floating glitter rose from the large petals, slowly mixing in with the mist still hovering near the forest’s canopy.
But what gave him pause weren’t the flowers that didn’t belong here, nor was it the unnatural source of this light.
No, it was the broken reality – a tear in the veil, like a rift, floating mid-air at the centre of this place. And the young girl standing in front of it, her arms stretched out and her hair red with blood.
“Lillia?” he blurted out in disbelief.
Her arms fell to her sides, then she moved. She slowly turned, first her head, and when she couldn’t look directly behind, her upper body. Their eyes met, and Midhir found himself staring at bright blue eyes glowing so brightly that their shine rivalled that of the flowers.
A frigid wind blew from the veil, carrying with it whispers he couldn’t understand. Words and sounds that he forgot as soon as he heard. The buzzing in his ears grew louder and louder, and a pain struck him behind his eyes.
With a pained groan, he pressed his palms against his eyes and stumbled back. The whispers grew louder, the buzzing was almost deafening, and it felt like something was piercing his eyes. His head felt like it was about to burst, and he felt something warm flowing down his cheeks. Tears? When did he cry?
A girl’s voice said something. It wasn’t in a language he knew. Or perhaps it was, he would have known if it was if he didn’t forget what he heard almost immediately. The presumably foreign words left him with fear in his heart. He forced himself to open his eyes, only to see her rushing towards him, drops of blood falling from her hair.
She jumped, hitting his chest with her knees, with the full weight of her body behind her, and knocked him off his feet. The otherworldly flowers cushioned his fall somewhat, but they couldn’t do anything against Lillia.
Her hands clenched around his throat as she sat on his chest. Her fingers were cold, but wet. Her nails dug into his skin as she squeezed as hard as she could, with a force that her small, malnourished body shouldn’t be able to exert.
The buzzing sound was so loud he couldn’t hear anything else. The pain in his eyes grew worse, forcing him to squeeze one eye shut since it hurt less that way. His fingers wrapped around her wrists. With what strength he had left in his body, he pried her hands away, allowing air to pass through. He gasped, breathing deeply to try, and rid himself of the haze cloaking his mind.
He didn’t even notice he had inhaled the specks of light that looked like floating glitter until he tasted a fresh, rejuvenating, but also foreign taste.
“You’re not Lillia anymore!” he hissed at the girl, who fought against his grasp, trying to still reach for his throat.
He clenched his teeth, summoned his strength, then kicked the ground with his foot and rolled to the side. The girl who was once Lillia fell on her back as Midhir rose to his knees. Without hesitation, he pressed his knee against her chest, and his fingers wrapped against her throat.
She screamed something. It hurt his ears, echoed in his mind, but he immediately forgot what was said. Whispers filled his mind as the buzzing sound began to slowly subside, and he could hear the world again. With a tight jaw, and eyes wide with fear and adrenaline, he clenched his fingers.
Not noticing the drops of blood falling onto her, he squeezed her small neck.
image [https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1AE26oxRJ1VLUwn9TY2qt61ati41Cd6bv&sz=w2400-h400]