“We’ll do everything we can to find them,” Veronica said, her tone reassuring.

Vayren nodded in agreement. “We’ll find them. We can’t let them get away with what they did to you,” he said, his jaw set in determination.

Rin gave a meek smile, her eyes brightening with hope. “Thank you.” she muttered.

We continued our journey towards the demon’s domain. As the days wore on, the towering forests that once loomed over us were traded for fields of grass and flowers that Rin called morning blooms. The dingy green of the Cariseian domain was slowly consumed by the cascading colors of the Demon domain’s flora.

As we walked through the fields, the sun started to set, casting a warm golden glow over everything. We set up camp for the night, huddled around a fire to keep warm in the cool evening breeze. Rin shifted into her cat form, curling up next to the fire, her eyes drooping with fatigue.

I found a patch of dry grass and sprawled across it. As I lay on the ground gazing up at the stars, I couldn’t help but feel a hollow feeling. A void of sentimentality that I couldn’t remember the origin of. Vayren and Veronica have quickly become like family to me, but I still can’t help but wonder what my family is like.

Do I have any siblings? What is my father like? Was my mother caring? Questions such as these flooded my mind, yet I had no one to answer them. Lying on my back, I could feel the dampness of the grass wet my shirt back. The feeling, partnered with a fit of unrest, left me tired and flustered.

Scratching my shoulder, I slowly work up my neck before resting on the ratty old bandage that conceals my right eye. The most stand out and notable feature of my face, or rather the lack thereof. The flesh over the spot is rough and scarred, but I can’t help but question its origin. Were my parents truly loving so as to let me receive such an injury?

Or was it something else entirely? The more I think about it, the more I feel like I’m missing a piece of myself. But before I can delve deeper into my thoughts, a rustling in the bushes nearby snaps me back to the moment.

I quickly sit up, alert and ready for any danger. Rin, Vayren, and Veronica are still fast asleep, so it’s up to me to protect them. I unsheathe my sword and cautiously make my way towards the bushes, trying my best to stay silent.

As I get closer, I can hear heavy breathing on the other side. I steel myself for a fight, wondering what kind of creature could be lurking in the darkness. But as I part the bushes, I’m surprised to see a young woman, no older than myself, huddled in the center of a small clearing.

She’s trembling, her eyes closed tightly shut as if she’s trying to block something out. I lower my sword, approaching her slowly.

“Uh hey, are you alright?” I asked as I lowered my sword.

The woman’s eyes snap open, and she jumps back, startled. But as she sees me, her eyes soften, and she relaxes slightly. “I’m fine,” she says, her voice shaky. “I’m just…scared.”

“Scared of what?” I ask, looking around the clearing for any signs of danger.

She shakes her head, tears welling up in her eyes. “I don’t know. It’s just this feeling like something’s watching me,” she says.

I nod in understanding. “I know what you mean. We’ve been on the run for a while, and it can be tough,” I say, trying to offer some comfort.

She looks up at me, her eyes searching. “You’re on the run, too?” she asks.

I nod, not wanting to give away too much information. “Yeah, we’re just passing through,” I say, hoping she’ll leave us alone. But instead of leaving, the woman stands.

Unsure of what was going on, I turned to leave with a passing. “Well, goodbye, I guess?”

But before I can take a step, the woman grabs my arm, her grip surprisingly strong. “Please, wait,” she says, desperation in her voice. “I don’t know where to go or what to do. Can I come with you?”

I look at her, unsure of what to say. We’re already on the run with Rin, and adding another person to the mix could make things even more complicated. But as I look into her eyes, I see a reflection of my own fear and uncertainty.

“Okay,” I say finally. “But you have to ask my other party members in the morning.”

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She nods eagerly, a small smile on her face. “Thank you,” she says. “My name is Elise, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Elise,” I say, returning the smile. “I’m Kerth.” We make our way back to the campsite, where Rin, Vayren, and Veronica are still out cold.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have any spare camp supplies, so find a comfortable spot on the ground,” I whispered.

Elise nods, settling down in a corner of our makeshift campsite. As I sit down next to the fire, I can feel her eyes on me, watching my every move. It’s unsettling, but I try to ignore it, focusing instead on the warmth of the fire.

As the night wears on, Elise falls asleep, her breathing slow and even. But I can’t seem to shake the feeling that something’s not right. There’s a tension in the air, a sense of foreboding that I can’t explain.

Suddenly, I hear a faint rustling in the bushes, and I’m on my feet in an instant, sword at the ready. But as I peer into the darkness, I see nothing but shadows and trees. I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. It must have just been the wind or some small animal. But as I turn back to the campsite, I feel a sudden pain in my side, like something sharp is digging into my flesh. I gasped in surprise and looked down to see a thin blade protruding from my side. I stumble back, falling to the ground, the hilt of the blade sticking out of my flesh like a grotesque decoration.

“Kerth!” I hear Rin’s voice call out, but it sounds far away as if I’m underwater. I try to speak, to tell them to run, but no words come out. My vision starts to blur, and I feel myself slipping away.

And then, just as suddenly as the pain came, it disappeared. I sit up, my side no longer hurting. Confused, I look down, but the blade is gone. There’s not even a mark on my clothes where the blade should have been.

“What the hell?” I mutter, rubbing my side where the blade had been. Was it all a hallucination? But as I look around, blinded by the morning light. As I move to sit up, I notice the lump of fuzz that is sound asleep on my chest.

“Rin, wake up,” I said, gently moving her off my chest.

Rin, still in her cat form, stretches before dawning her human form. “Are you okay? I found you convulsing on the ground last night.” Rin said with a hint of worry on her face and a nervous twitch to her ears.

“I met this girl named Elise who was also on the run; she didn’t say from what, though. She asked if she could join us…” momentarily pausing to look around the camp for Elise, I am met with only her absence. “Where did she go?”

Rin looked at me, concerned. “There wasn’t anyone here aside from Vayren and Veronica when I found you last night.”

My head spins as I try to make sense of what Rin is saying. Was it all a dream? Did I really meet Elise, or was she just a figment of my imagination? But the pain in my side felt so real, and the memory of her grip on my arm is still vivid in my mind.

“I don’t understand,” I say, my voice trembling. “She was right here last night. I even let her stay in our campsite.”

Rin looks at me skeptically. “Kerth, are you sure you’re feeling okay? Maybe you’re still shaken up from whatever happened last night.”

But I know what I saw, or at least I thought I did. “I know what I saw,” I say, my voice firm. “Elise was here.”

Vayren and Veronica stir awake at the sound of our voices. “What’s going on?” Veronica asks, looking around sleepily.

“Kerth thinks he saw someone last night.”

Vayren sits up and rubs his eyes. “What kind of someone?”

“Her name was Elise,” I say, my mind still reeling from the events of the night before. “She asked if she could join us on our journey.”

Vayren raises an eyebrow. “And you just let her?”

I nod, feeling foolish now for trusting a stranger so easily. “I didn’t see any harm in it. But now she’s gone, and I don’t know what to think.”

Veronica stretches and yawns. “Well, regardless of whether or not she was real, we should probably get moving. We don’t want to waste any more time than we already have.”

I nod in agreement, pushing aside my confusion and fear. We pack up our campsite and start on our way, putting the strange events of the night before behind us.

But as we journey deeper into the forest, I can’t shake the feeling that we’re being watched.

As we put distance behind us, the concern faded to relief, and the memory started to feel more and more like a hallucination. As we neared the border, we arrived at our final stop before entering the demon’s domain. The Cartesian border town of Stagitone.

While the twins split off to get us rooms at the inn, Rin and I set out to buy a bedroll. Upon entering the general store, we were confronted with our first issue. Too many options: The shopkeeper did his best to describe the different effects that certain hide and fur combinations had on the user’s sleeping experience.

I decided on a vulgy hide roll with a field hare fur lining. The combo is known for its rigidity that molds to the body over time, providing a contoured sleeping experience. It was expensive and cost me just about all of my earnings from the Duke’s job, but it will be worth it for a good night’s rest. The vendor even threw in a harness to strap it to my waist since I don’t have a bag to strap it to.

Meeting up with Vayren and Veronica, they had snagged us the last two available rooms at the inn. Rin and I took one room, and the twins took another. Dropping the bedroll by the door of the room, I proceed deeper into the room, flopping onto the straw bed the inn had prepared.

As I lay there, I could feel the exhaustion from our journey catching up with me. But just as I start to drift off, I hear a faint whisper coming from the other side of the room. My eyes snap open, and I strain to listen, but the voice is too quiet to make out any words.

“Did you hear that?” I whisper to Rin, who is already fast asleep.

She stirs but doesn’t wake up. I sit up in bed, scanning the room for any signs of movement. But everything is quiet. Too quiet. Just then, I heard the whisper again, louder this time. I jump out of bed, sword in hand, ready to face whatever is lurking in the shadows.

“Who’s there?” I call out, my voice echoing through the empty room.

But there’s no response. Just silence. I start to feel foolish, like I’m chasing ghosts, but the feeling of unease won’t go away. Suddenly, I hear unintelligible mutterings echo through my mind. The inn’s walls melt away, revealing an infinite expanse of nothing, a perpetual abyssal keep rising from the void. Crimson banners adorned with a familiar insignia hung from the tower walls. As the keep settled, a shaded figure peered down from the top.

My heart races as I recognize the figure. It’s Elise, the girl from the night before. But she looks different now. Her eyes are dark and hollow, and her skin is pale as if drained of all life. She wears a long black cloak that billows in the non-existent wind, and she holds a staff with a glowing red crystal at the top.

“Elise?” I call out, my voice barely above a whisper.

She doesn’t respond but instead jumps down from the keep, landing before me with a soft thud. I take a step back, unsure of what to do. But she doesn’t attack me. Instead, she reaches out a hand and touches my forehead. A jolt of pain shoots through my body, and I feel myself falling backward into the void.

I wake up gasping for air, sweat pouring down my face. Rin is awake now, looking at me with concern.

“What happened?” she asks, rubbing her eyes.

“I…I don…” I choke over my words as I try to find some sense of composure. “I had a nightmare. But it felt so real.” I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. “Elise was there, and she was different. She looked...dead.”

Rin puts a hand on my shoulder, her touch reassuring. “It was just a bad dream, Kerth. Nothing more.”

But I can’t shake the feeling that it was more than just a dream. Elise felt real, and the pain in my forehead where she touched me was still present.

As we prepare to leave the inn and continue our journey, I can’t help but feel like we’re walking straight into a trap. And I can’t shake the feeling that Elise is somehow involved.

Strapping the bedroll to my waist and mounting my sword with it, we set out from the inn for the final two-day stretch of our journey to the demon’s domain.