image [https://i.imgur.com/yfgLKQN.png]

The sky was a deep blackish purple and ancient ruins were visible off in the distance. Carmen stood there in an open and empty plain, nothing within reach. The gravel on the ground was gray and loose, pressing sharply against her exposed feet. She began to scan the area and noticed that there wasn’t a soul around, nothing.

All she felt was the cold sting of the wind ominously caressing her face. Time started to speed up and the dark purple moon made its appearance once more over the horizon, bathing her in light.

As Carmen stared back at its alluring color, the moon bled a black, inky substance in the sky. The ink fell to the ground like rain and from the puddles that formed, shadowy beings emerged. They took the shape of featureless men, women, and children. Chanting started as they were slowly gliding their way over to her, silently racing across the uneven terrain. Louder and louder the chanting got, telling her to free them and bring them home.

The mysterious beings fully surrounded Carmen's space, causing her to drown in a sea of black ink. Darkness was all around, choking her and forcing her body deeper. Just before Carmen could no longer breathe, she noticed a hand reaching out. She grabbed it and a blinding light occurred.

Carmen jolted awake with a cold sweat and a scared look on her face, panting heavily from her dark nightmare. Sarah, who was already up, looked over at Carmen with a confused expression and wondered if she was fine.

“You alright over there? You don’t look so good.” She asked with concern.

“Yeah.. I’m fine.. I just keep having these weird dreams. Don’t know what to make of them..” Carmen replied, growing more concerned about what these nightmares could mean. She stood up and took a long sip of water, trying to shake off what happened.

“How long have you been having them?”

“Pretty much since my journey started. It feels like I can sense something calling me to them. I don’t know, it’s hard to explain..”

Carmen’s voice sounded quite hoarse during her reply, as though she hadn’t gotten much sleep. Sarah continued sitting there with silent worry, hoping nothing would come of these strange night terrors.

After freshening up and eating a short breakfast, the group gathered their things together and packed up camp.

A full month had passed since their time in Cable Village. After making many stops along the way, their trip to Lake Oth had taken much longer. However, today was the day that the group would arrive. When they reached the crest of the hillside, the group saw a massive lake off in the distance with a quaint little town next to it.

Lake Oth was a premiere tourist destination for many travelers, providing a nature experience unlike any other. Located twenty miles from Olunas City, this lake was the largest body of water in the entire Olun Kingdom, looking more like a small sea than anything. Despite its size, Lake Oth was entirely made up of fresh water, providing sustenance for all of the local wildlife and citizens in the surrounding area. Many locals called Lake Oth the “Mirror for the Heavens,” because of its incredibly clear water reflecting the sky above perfectly.

“We made it guys, look!! That lake is huge!” Rivell excitedly yelled, marveling at the sheer size of it all.

Carmen was certainly excited to have reached their long awaited destination, but ever since this morning, she kept feeling as though something was off.

The trio headed down the road and arrived at the base of the expansive lake, staggered by its crystal-clear beauty. The water was astonishingly clear, allowing you to see all the way to the bottom with no obstructions. Sarah stared into the water and watched various fish swim around, going about their day-to-day business.

“Let’s find a good spot and set up camp. I want to swim!” She said, looking around the area. They set down their belongings on a fairly isolated side of the lake and admired the enticing waters. Sarah started to remove her top and Rivell, taken aback, shouted out with an embarrassed tone.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!?!?”

Sarah stopped halfway through, the shirt almost clear of her head and revealing a blue bikini top underneath.

“I’m about to go swimming you moron. You act like you’ve never seen a girl before. Geez.” She annoyingly remarked, continuing to strip down to her bikini.

Rivell nodded, blushing from the sight of Sarah’s exposed stomach and bare thighs. She finished and then sprinted towards the lake, leaping into the cool water below.

“Come on guys! The water is amazing!!” Sarah shouted while splashing about.

Carmen quickly followed, changing into her modest red swimsuit and jumping into the water. Rivell stood and watched as the two splashed water at each other, feeling nervous to join them.

“Will you stop staring at us like a creep and get in here already!”

Sarah annoyingly flung water towards him. He jumped up, startled by her loud voice and quickly took his shirt off, joining them in the lake. As they lazily floated in the water, Sarah stared up at the partly cloudy sky.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Man, times like these are what make long journeys away from home so worth it.” She said, feeling absolutely relaxed. Carmen agreed while soaking up the rays from the sun, gently running her hand through the cool water.

“Yeah… This is definitely going to be a precious memory for me.”

This had been Carmen’s first time doing activities like this with friends, as she had never really been allowed to spend time outside the castle. This moment was all she needed to get over the previous bad feelings she had earlier. After some time, they all exited the lake and dried themselves off.

“Do you all want to go to that town over there? They might have a good place to eat.” Sarah asked, sliding her shirt over her head. Everyone nodded and after getting fully dressed, they set off into the town.

When they arrived, there was a wooden sign that said "Rell Town" in round, red lettering. There were a decent amount of people walking around and checking out the various shops. Tourist season was in full swing and many of those here were clearly taking their vacations.

The group walked past an older couple dressed in lavish clothing and behind them were three maids carrying bags, definitely struggling to keep up. Sarah glared at them, feeling some type of way about what she saw.

“Ugh. Carry your own shit, lazy nobles.” She muttered bitterly. Carmen rolled her eyes and remained silent, not wanting to stir that pot with Sarah.

They finally found a decent looking restaurant and made their way inside the humble establishment. As they entered, this incredibly old lady was in the process of rushing out. She had weird shifty eyes, a brown shawl covering her head, and a wooden box in her hand. Her greasy white hair looked almost wet when accented against her wrinkled, pasty skin.

As she walked past them, Carmen glanced at the box and immediately felt some Core Energy escape her body, as though it got sapped out by whatever was inside.

“You okay Carmen?” Rivell asked, motioning for her to sit down in the chair.

“Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry...”

Carmen looked over her shoulder and wondered what the old lady was carrying.

Once the trio finished their meals, they left the restaurant with their bellies full and satisfied. When walking past a few nearby shops, Sarah saw the old woman again, pleading with random people walking by her. No one stopped to pay her any attention, as they were clearly turned off by her bothersome presence. Sarah took notice of her panicked demeanor and rushed over to provide some assistance.

“Hello miss, you need help with something? You seem to be in trouble.” She asked with a polite smile.

The lady looked her up and down before shifting her twitchy eyes over towards Carmen and Rivell.

“Yes.. Need an escort… Travel to.. Next town over… Please… Want help.” The lady whispered in a broken tone, her eyes still nervously darting around.

Carmen immediately felt uneasy by this woman’s presence, not understanding why she was acting so weird. She pulled Sarah off to the side and had a brief conversation with her.

“Uh, she gives me really bad vibes, Sarah. I don’t think we should help her. Let’s just leave...” Carmen said with great concern, glancing over at the old lady standing next to Rivell.

“Oh pleaseee, this’ll be easy Carmen. Nothing we haven’t done already many times over. It’ll just be a quick, easy drop off kind of job. Don’t worry!”

Sarah wasn't concerned at all for their safety. She walked back over to the lady and agreed to escort her to the next town, promising safe passage.

“Be at ease, Miss! Stick with us Vestas and we’ll get you to your destination, no problem!”

She gave the elderly woman a bright smile and a thumbs up, reassuring her that they were up for the job.

The strange lady nodded and awkwardly began to hobble toward the town exit, not giving Sarah a reply. The group looked at each other with confused expressions, wondering what was wrong with this lady. They shrugged it off and began to follow behind her, hoping that this mission went by quickly. When they approached the path that led to the next town, Sarah began to ask the lady a few questions to lighten the mood.

“So.. What’s your name? I’m Sarah and this is Carmen and Rivell.” She said with a kind smile, introducing everyone to her. The lady stopped and gazed at her with a blank face, thinking about her response.

“Mierle….” She muttered, her voice barely audible to the group. Mierle turned her head and walked forward again, clearly not interested in small talk.

“How long have you been traveling? Do you come here often?”

Mierle didn’t respond to Sarah's question, she instead continued walking in silence.

“Alright then… Can you at least tell me what’s inside the box you're carrying?”

Mierle stopped her advance once more and slowly stared at Sarah, peeking through her dirty hair. Her deadpan glare was both creepy and unsettling, causing shivers to go down Sarah’s spine.

“Item… In the box.. Very important.. Heirloom of family.. Must.. Keep safe. Me.. No show.. Keep walking… Please..”

Her eyes became incredibly shifty and her voice increasingly more annoyed, signaling that she wanted Sarah to stop talking. Mierle once again started walking forward ahead of the group.

“Fair enough..”

Sarah and the group followed the lady further into the woods, not wasting anymore time.

image [https://i.imgur.com/d60vRFl.png]

A few hours went by and night began to fall as they continued walking to the next town. The leafless trees hauntingly towered over the group, their shadows resembling lanky arms reaching out to them. Off in the distance, Lake Oth peered through the trees and reflected the full moon currently shining in the sky. Carmen’s bad feelings from earlier creeped back in and she tapped Sarah on her shoulder.

“Something seems off here. It’s so quiet and I can’t shake the feeling that we're being watched. Plus, don’t you find it strange that there hasn’t been anyone else on this trail for hours?” Carmen said with great concern, not enjoying this mission at all. Sarah surprisingly agreed, despite her previous willingness to accept this job.

“Yeah, I get what you mean. There's definitely something strange going on right now. The wind is too still.”

Sarah held her hand up, manipulating the air in front of her and sensing that the currents were being disrupted.

After the duo’s brief conversation, out of nowhere a smoke bomb went off in front of the group. They coughed heavily and covered their eyes, unsure of what was happening. The smoke slowly dissipated, revealing two individuals standing a short distance in front of them. One was a male with short, spiky red hair and the other was a middle aged female with a long blue ponytail.

Just who were these two mysterious people that appeared without warning? Whoever they were, Carmen could feel in her gut that they weren't there to play nice. For the first time since she started her journey, Carmen felt incredible levels of concern and worry, a far cry from her usual action oriented mentality.