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Nira’sal opened her eyes, feeling dazed and confused as she scanned her surroundings. She knew this place, but it felt oddly different. Magic circled around her, dipping around her skin as it passed through her.
This was the Fade, but it wasn’t.
The Fade was a place where the spirits would come and mimic the living world. A place where the dreams of the living shaped it in odd and sometimes miraculous ways.
But, Nira was not dreaming...It seemed impossible, but she could feel herself actually present in the Fade. It was like she was really there and that thought alone frightened her.
“Hello?” Nira called out, but was given no answer. All she could do was walk. She rubbed arms in an attempt to calm herself, but it felt as if the sudden push through the Veil had left her weak and emotional, unable to get herself under control.
Her surroundings were familiar, it reminded her of her clan. Trees reaching as high as the eye could see, small huts and aravels were hidden, but they seemed different from the aravels her clan used. It all seemed very odd. She closed her eyes, concentrating on leaving the Fade. She didn’t want to be here. Something about this place seemed dark and ominous, sending a chill down her spine. All of her senses told her to turn and leave, but...nothing happened.
Nira tried once more, this time taking a deep breath and clearing her mind. Please...she just wanted to go home.
Nothing.
She exhaled, opening her eyes, scanning the area once more. She had been here a million times, so why did she feel this dark energy this time? The demons were all she had to be afraid of here, but she knew how to handle them. She had nothing to fear. She just needed to get home.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a small figure race across her path up in front of her. Her heart skipped and worries faded, she wasn’t alone. “Hello? Is anyone there?” The shadow slipped further away from her. “Please wait! I need help getting home.” When the shadow made no sign of turning around, Nira bolted after it. Perhaps this shadow was someone else wandering the area unable to return, it was worth a try to make contact with it. While it made no sense in her mind, it didn’t matter. She only knew that she had to reach it.
While she tried to stay focus on the area ahead of her, her eyes would wander constantly. She had reached a strange housed area that was filled with spirits, some lighting lanterns, others simply walking the same path she was. No longer watching the path before, Nira’s foot got caught on the beginnings of a small bridge causing her to fall on her hands and knees.
That was when the tears began to fall. Small droplets hit the wood below her, as she tried to get a grip on herself. What was happening? This wasn’t the Fade she remembered, it seemed so strange, eerie and different. Everything here seem so...real.
Nira lifted her head a look of shock crossing her face. There on the other side of the bridge lay a large temple. Aged stone walls reached across the entirety of the building. The huge door pictured a large tree, carved to perfection while large hart statues stood on either side of the entrance waiting to greet her. She stood slowly, her eyes unable to leave the beautiful sight. She stepped closer, but as soon as she took a step, her arm was held back.
“What are you doing here?” The voice was harsh and cold, but nothing could prepare her for what she saw when she turned around. A large elven woman stood before her. Barefaced, tall, wild, with eyes that pierced straight through her. She tightened her grip on Nira’s arm, growling slightly. “You are not allowed in this place.” She snapped.
Nira’s voice trembled, wincing slightly at the pain she was causing to her arm. “I’m sorry, I was just trying to find a way home.”
The woman moved her face in closely, baring her teeth. “Well, you’ve gone the wrong way.”
“Andruil.” Another voice, this one more commanding than the last.
“I’m a little busy, Dread Wolf.” The woman called Andruil turned and snapped at him, allowing Nira a moment to look at the owner of the voice. A tall man with bronzed skin stood tall and proud on the other side of the bridge. While the sides of his head looked shaved, long braided strands of chestnut colored hair graced his head. He wore strange armour, similar to the set Andruil was wearing. Breathtaking was a futile attempt at describing him, punctuated by a heart stopping smirk he flashed her way. The only reason she was able to even tear her eyes away from his presence was because of the deathly look Andruil shined her way. “She does not belong here.”
“Does she not?” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the man step closer. “Observe the markings that grace her cheeks. Is that not Mythal’s markings?” The smirk quickly twisted into a wild smile as he turned his attention back towards the woman who still held her tightly. “You and I both know the consequence of harming one of Mythal’s pets. Is crossing her wise, goddess of the hunt?”
She glared at Nira, her amber eyes burning straight through her. Nira could feel her skin tingle and shiver, unable to fully concept what all was happening in front of her.
After a long moment of silence, she snarled. “Fine then, I will take the girl to her.”
He took another step, his eyes hardening. A wolf howled in the distance, catching both Andruil’s and Nira’s attention. “Allow me, it seems you have business to attend to.”
Andruil’s face twisted as she glared at the girl once more. With a violent swing, she dropped Nira’s arm. “Fine. See if I care.”
The man took no further movements until Andruil was out of sight. When she departed, he came towards her at a fast pace, his face becoming soft as his sly smirk returned. As Nira seemed unable to move and in complete shock, the Dread Wolf reached out and took her hand. His grip a lot less forceful than the last. “Now come, we haven’t a moment to lose. You must leave this place.”