Blood gushed out of the wounds on his leg. It seeped into the earth, mixing with the scent of exotic flowers and rot. He clenched his jaw to try and keep himself from making a sound. His gaze remained focused on the wolves as he touched his earring.

A wooden stake appeared in his hands as reality bent around the holding gem. It was about as long as his forearm, and as thick as his sword’s hilt. He could feel the delicate carvings inlaid with gold on its surface. The very top of it housed a small, golden crystal that shone brightly.

He grasped it tightly and struck the ground with it. It’s sharp end dug into the ground until only the crystal remained above the earth.

“No food for you tonight.” He hissed at the wolves as he tugged at his spiritual power. Like a raging river, it flowed from his hand to the stake. A beam of light shot up from the stake’s crystal, piercing the mist and the forest canopy effortlessly.

A dome formed around him and Lillia, just large enough for him to stand straight at the centre of it. It shone a bright golden colour for a few moments before its colour faded, allowing him to see through it again.

The wolves howled and pounced, only to be sent away flying by a burst of light. Confused and hurt, they were hesitant to try again.

Midhir felt his power drain with each wolf sent flying. His vision darkened for a split second. He again reached for his earring, this time summoning some bandages. He wrapped them around the wound, then made a tourniquet since just wrapping it didn’t seem to be enough to stop the bleeding.

“Damn…” he whispered as he finally stemmed the flow of blood. He was slightly dizzy – it took too long to stop the bleeding. Cold shivers shook his body as he clenched his jaw and tried to stay awake. His gaze searched for the wolves.

A small hand touched his arm. “You’re freezing,” Lillia gasped. He heard the rustle of clothes behind him, then she wrapped his cloak around his shoulders. “Your wound is bad. Mom said you need to keep warm if you lose a lot of blood. She also said you need to not fall asleep if help isn’t here.” Her voice was weak, but he could tell she was trying to be courageous.

“Your mother is a wise woman,” he spoke through his gritted teeth. He took his sword from the ground, then with Lillia’s help dragged himself closer to the tree trunks they had their backs against. He leaned against the trees, placed his sword on his lap, and wiped his face.

He was once again surprised to see bright red blood on the back of his hand. He ran his hand through his hair, looking for a wound.

Lillia sat next to him, her wide eyes watching the barrier and the stake. The golden beam of light continued to shine brightly. It was beacon – and those who knew what it was would come no matter what. He wanted to avoid using it, but there was little he could do now that he was so badly wounded.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Something hit the barrier, startling Lillia. She gasped and clenched his shoulder as a tree branch fell to the ground, charred.

“It won’t let them through,” he forced a smile as Lillia’s shoulders visibly relaxed.

“What is this for?” She pointed at the beam of light.

Midhir leaned his head against the tree. “Help will come to this,” he explained with a grimace. “They’ll know where we are.”

He would have preferred not to be forced to use the stake. It was draining his power rapidly, and though he didn’t feel its effects now, he would start feeling them soon enough. He looked at the crystal glowing brightly. This wasn’t a common crystal tool like the holding gems or weapon augments. It was a clear indication of certain things he’d rather keep hidden.

The tear in the veil pulsated, spreading a wave of blue light that slowly spread in a ring. More and more wisps began to leave, some rushing away into the forest, presumably to find hosts, while many more of them simply floated in the opening, above the beautiful, foreign flowers. A few even tried to go back, but the wind flowing through the tear was enough to prevent them from doing so.

He grunted as his left eye throbbed. Whatever the spirit possessing Lillia had done seemed to be still affecting him. He covered his eye, only to feel something warm and wet on his palm. When he pulled his hand away, his palm was red with blood.

Confused, he turned to young girl sitting next to him. “Lillia, is my head bleeding?” He pointed at the top of his head.

The young girl stood up and looked, then sat back down and shook her head. “No, it’s your eye again.” She put her finger between her left eye and her nose. “It’s a bit scary actually, like the folktales mom and dad tell.”

“Again?” He scowled. The track record of stories correlating to veil-related issues wasn’t very bright here in Lohssa. “What folktales?”

Lillia pursed her lips. “Well, mom said that the mist takes those who wander away from the protection of the Old Gods. The Old Gods protect Lohssa, even now their monuments are always clean and safe. They make sure beasts don’t attack the people, and the forest doesn’t grow inside the village.” She pointed at the trees. “She says that those the Old Gods have forsaken weep blood, that they become hunted by the mist. That once they’re marked like that, eventually the mist takes them.”

She pulled her knees closer to her chest. “They’re just stories though,” she muttered quietly.

Just stories. He pressed his palm against his eye as the pain slowly grew worse. He watched the tear in the veil as it continued pulsating. The circles of blue light spreading from it grew brighter with each pulse. While they slowly vanished, each pulse reached farther and farther away before dissipating.

He held his breath as the rings slowly approached. With a tight jaw and gritted teeth, he watched the blue circle of light wash over the earth, dragging along with it the lights rising from the foreign flowers. It approached like a wave and crashed against the golden barrier.

He felt his strength drain instantly as the stake took his spiritual power to refresh its own. Power rushed through him like a raging river, draining in an instant, leaving him feeling like an empty husk. The crystal embedded on the stake glowed brightly as the second wave approached.

“Get behind me,” He hissed, forcing himself to get up on his knees. He struck the ground with his sword as Lillia quickly crawled behind him. Her small hands gripped his shoulders, he could feel her body leaning against his, shivering with fear once again.

The second wave crashed against the golden barrier, shattering it instantly. The gem embedded upon the stake broke in half with a resounding crack. The wave of blue light continued on, it approached Midhir like an unstoppable tide.

He braced himself as the blue wave of light crashed against him.