Lilly POV

“You have entered the realm of the lost. We cannot let you leave.” Trapped and surrounded by seemingly endless ranks of spirits the words of what appears to be the spirit’s leader sends a shiver down my spine. I had not expected this task to be easy but if all of the spirits attacked at once or if they were truly determined to keep us here we might be in trouble.

Something here doesn’t feel quite right. I’m not really able to put my finger on what it is though. There is something about that lady and what she said. Is it that she seems oddly familiar? Perhaps but it could also be the way her statement was worded. With the situation this precarious I really don’t want to have to fight if it can be avoided. Maybe she will be willing to talk and we can get a little information that could help us resolve whatever it is that went wrong here.

Proceeding with caution I decided that if possible I should try to get us out of this situation before we decide to go into full combat. Motioning to the others to stand ready I take a step forward before speaking. “Lady spirit, before we engage in combat if it is necessary could I by chance speak with you?”

“You wish to speak?” She responds cocking her head to the side while her tail and ears twitch. “Very well, I suppose that I could entertain a few questions before you join us.”

Letting out a small breath I bow slightly before speaking, “Thank you lady spirit. You called this place a realm of the lost, could you tell me what you mean by that statement?”

At my question her expression changes from intrigued to furious. “You are quite the impertinent one aren’t you. After all it is due to you outsiders that this place became what it is. It is because of your kind’s actions that we are all trapped here and why we will not let you leave.” She snarls.

Swallowing quickly and thinking desperately for a way to diffuse the situation I lower my head slightly while raising my hands in a conciliatory gesture. “My apologies lady spirit I did not mean to offend. I know only of this places existence but not of the events of which you speak. Please could you enlighten us as to what happened so that perhaps we could find a way to resolve this peacefully.”

“Hahaha.” She laughs derisively, the sound hollow and lacking any humor. “After what your kind has done I doubt there can be anything you have that could lead to peace. Do you truly have no concept of what it takes for a place of peace to become a nexus of the lost?” She asks.

No… Could it really be true? I had heard the rumors but I had not been quite sure if they were true or not. But that still didn’t make any sense. Even if what I’m certain happened here did it shouldn’t have been enough to create a nexus.

“Long ago this place was once a peaceful and prosperous place for my kind, however that all changed when we first came into contact with the outsiders. When we met you kind immediately grew jealous of the power that our mistress possessed and out of fear they decided that no one should be able to have the chance to threaten them. In an act of fear and cowardice the outsiders attacked our village in the middle of the night. In an attempt to take the powers of our mistress they slaughtered us all. The men were slain, every warrior cut down and the things that they did to the women and children were unspeakable. By the time they were done all of us, the entire tribe was lost.”

As she spoke images of what must have happened flit through my mind and make me shudder. I know that the hearts of men are often dark things but to do what was implied is truly unspeakable. If they were attacked after coming into contact with the people outside the forest then there really must be little to no chance for a peaceful resolution. However, who is this mistress they speak of, what power could she have that would cause people such fear, and why was she not here to protect the village? I am about to ask some of these questions when the spirit speaks again, continuing her explanation.

“However as I am sure you would know druid just a simple massacre would not be able to create a nexus. After our slaughter was completed someone messed with forces that should not be messed with. When the endless flow was touched it sent ripples through the world and broke the great cycle. We were trapped here and forced to live through our peoples slaughter again and again.”

What! How- how could someone be so stupid! To touch the flow of time is beyond insane. Who could have such power and use it in such a reckless way?

“Ah, I can see by your expression that you understand the consequences of what was done to us and how a nexus was created.” She states in a sad voice.

“I- I do see what has lead to such a tragedy. I know now why you would harbor such hatred towards us but please I ask that you let us help you. We could free you from this place and help all of you pass on-“

My plea is cut off when the spirit bursts into a fit of laughter, “Sorry, young druid but things are not that simple. Do you really think that it would be possible for me let alone all of us here to keep our sanity if we were kept tethered to this plane by hatred and a lust for revenge alone?”

She’s right! That’s what has been bothering me this whole time. Spirits of this age are usually mindless and incapable of higher thought driven only by hatred and a lust for revenge, but this spirit still has its reason intact. So what’s going on here?

“We are all here waiting. We await the day that our mistress will return to us. She did not die and so now we wait and protect this place for the day that she returns to once again claim her throne. We draw the outsiders who trespass upon her domain to this place and ensure that none will be able to escape with her treasures. Thus we come to the reason for why we cannot let you go. You have trespassed into our mistress’s domain and we cannot allow you to live. I know you wished to avoid conflict and out of respect for your position as a druid I have granted you this explanation but even one such as you is still an outsider and thus we must now fight. Ready yourselves, prey to whatever Gods you will and we shall fight.”

Obviously done with talking the spirit turns away and focuses her attention on the burned remains of a tree. Knowing now that a confrontation is unavoidable I turn back to the rest of my group ready to comfort them and get them ready for conflict. I am surprised when rather than fear I see determination a resolve burning in their eyes. Both Adam and Will are looking over their weapons slightly tense but not giving in to fear. Mya finishes her prayer before looking to me and giving a small nod.

“You are all brave beyond my expectations, let us now go into battle with our heads held high. We will purge this place of its darkness and free these people from the bonds that keep them here.” Done speaking I turn once more before drawing my sword and preparing for battle.

Seeing that we are ready the spirit of the demi-human simply nods before the spirits surrounding us begin their advance.

Will POV

So it is finally time for battle. The explanation the spirit lady gave was disconcerting to say the least and the discomfort that it gave to lady Lilly was more concerning. We had prepared for the eventuality of a fight and with the magic that Mya gave us it was finally time to show the others why I am considered to be a real warrior.

With a cry and a blast of holy energy Mya is the one to get things started with an area burst that deals wide ranging holy damage. Screams of pain echo out from the spirits leading the charge as the impact of holy magic causes them to steam and fade slightly. Taking advantage of the faltering charge in the enemy line I jump forward sword glowing with holy magic and slash through the torsos of three of them. Immediately spinning into my next attack I start driving into the enemy ranks. Ghostly swords and spears flash by me as I weave and dance through the gathered spirits.

An arrow flashes past my head and impales itself into the chest of a spirit that had been sneaking up behind me. “Thanks for the save!” I shout back to Adam who was no doubt the one to fire the arrow. A grunt of pain leaves me soon after as an ethereal blade manages to scrape across my shoulder, completely ignoring my armor. The spot where the blade had struck goes cold the attack aimed more at my own spirit rather than at my body.

This is the problem with fighting spirits, armor doesn’t mean shit. I can’t afford to take too many hits since the damage is being done to my own spirit. With each hit I take I will only grow weaker and fighting fill grow harder. With Mya here we are at least able to damage them and with our weapons blessed as they are we are able to counter their blows.

The fog around me starts to grow even thicker as I wade deeper and deeper into the lines of attacking spirits. Intermittently flashes of light brighten the mist as blasts of holy magic and fire are unleashed. With more and more spirits closing in around me my skills are starting to be pressed to their limits. Countering, dodging, slashing and stabbing I push the enemy back. Despite my efforts strikes still find their way past my guard. It is something that is unavoidable in combat against such numbers. With each hit I feel myself getting slower and the next strike finds me a little easier. After a particularly brutal slash across my back I am forced to my knees and looking up at the spears being raised to run me through I see my life flashing before my eyes.

The incantation from Mya rings out behind me just in the nick of time. Hallowed Ground is an area of effect aura spell that sanctifies a small area to both provide healing energies to allies and weaken spirits and the infernal. The spell brings warmth back into my body and drastically slows the spirits around me. With my injuries healing and the spirits around me slowed I am able to dodge the incoming strikes and counter to disperse the spirits immediately around me. With myself back in the clear I fight my way back closer to Mya slightly chastised by my failure to stick with the others and allow myself to get surrounded.

Making my way back to Mya and Will’s side I see a sheen of sweat trickling down Mya’s forehead and realize that the large scale spell she is trying to maintain must be draining her heavily.

“Well done all of you! We are almost through with them! Just push a little harder and the day will be ours!” Lilly shouts.

“Hahaha, you have fought valiantly brave heroes but it is time this conflict came to an end.” For the first time since the beginning of the battle the spirit who Lilly had talked to speaks. With the end of her proclamation she raises both of her hands and begins to sing. The melody is slow flowing smoothly like water in a river from note to note. The words ring clearly but are somehow still unintelligible refusing to be comprehended by my mind. As I try to focus closer on them pressure builds in my head and I feel a warm trickle of blood start to flow from my nose. Sensing that trying to press harder would lead only to more pain I stop trying to focus on the strangely familiar melody.

As she continues to sing the mist around us darkens and a deep chill starts to settle into my bones. The feeling is familiar and the memory of the encounter with the one Lilly called a guardian drift to the front of my mind. With that memory coming forward I can recognize that this is indeed the same song that was used on us before. It seems less powerful and somehow incomplete but its effects are still the same. The longer the spirit sings the colder and slower we all become.

Beside me Mya falls to her knees. Being weaker and pushed harder by the battle her resistances are unable to keep her unaffected. “H- how does she also know this power? W- what is happening to us?” She gasps trying to remain conscious as the spirits draw closer fully encircling our group.

“This p-power it’s the same as b-before isn’t it. H- how do you also know this? Wha- what are you doing to us?” Lilly asks, trembling as the song continues to build in power before suddenly cutting off as the leader of the spirits cocks her head to the side a questioning look in her eyes. The spirits closing in around us freeze as she lifts a hand.

“You say you have encountered this power before? Explain. This is your only chance so answer quickly.” She demands. The party exchanges warry looks before Lilly tentatively starts to answer.

“Yes we have experienced the power you have just displayed before only it was somewhat different. We were in pursuit of a person we believed was responsible for several large scale magical disturbances. When we caught up to her she deployed a large scale mist or fog bank to try and evade us. After the attempt to distract us failed she began to sing almost exactly the same melody as you did only hers felt more powerful or more complete than yours. With what we witnessed and the powers involved I believe that what we met was a guardian. Just before I lost consciousness she told me that it wasn’t yet time for us to meet and that we would need to prove ourselves as friends before we could. That is the reason we came here. I believed that by purging this place of the nexus that we could prove ourselves as friends to the forest.”

As Lilly speaks a drastic change seems to come over the spirit. She starts trembling and covers her mouth trying to suppress a gasp as tears build in her eyes. “Sh- she truly has returned then? Mistress must once again walk the world. She is the only one who would know such power and be able to use it better than me. If you truly are here on a mission from the mistress, then we really have no more reason to fight.” Still trembling and seeming to be overcome with emotion she stairs off into the distance seeming to be lost in memories.

We all exchange wary looks with each other not wanting to disturb the tenuous peace that has developed as we each start to recover. After a few moments Lilly tentatively asks a question, “W- would you m- mind me asking what that power you used was?”

“Hmm?” The spirit responds seeming to snap back to reality. “Oh that was the greatest power that my mistress ever developed. If you are able to listen properly you will be able to hear the voices of nature. Once you are able to hear those voices you will be able to sing to them. If you do it right you will be able to bend the song their voices to your will.”

Hmm whatever it is it does sound powerful but likely not something that I would ever be able to learn. In all honestly the only person here who could likely learn this power is Lilly. However that is not what is immediately concerning me. What is important now is getting the group out of this situation alive. To that end it would be wise for me to speak up before Lilly gets drawn too far down the rabit hole with the possibility of this new power.

“Excuse me lady spirit. You said that we would no longer need to fight. If that is true would you be willing to let us leave this place?” I ask. Turning to me the spirit looks at me for several long moments before responding.

“When first you arrived we were indeed enemies but, with the mistress returned and her giving you a mission I cannot go against her will. Now that I reflect upon it the job we have been doing here is no longer necessary and indeed will go against her greater goals. If a place such as this is to remain then it will be only a blight upon her domain. We have become unworthy of her since the great cycle has abandoned us. So now I must ask a favor of all of you.” She pauses a pained look crossing her face before continuing, “I ask that you free us from this prison we have built for ourselves. Please free us and when you meet the mistress properly let her know we have passed on and that our love for her never faded.”

The plea somewhat surprised me but a moment of reflection let me see it in a different light. With everything changing so fast it was a little hard to keep up but the spirit seemed to be honest in her plea. If she really wished for us to stop fighting and put the spirits here to rest then I was all for it.

All around us the spirits fade into the mist which also starts to disperse leaving only the leader spirit and a light mist. Gesturing at the stump by her side she again begins to speak. “This was once the heart of the settlement surrounding you and became the sight of the nexus. Once you have rested please destroy the nexus.”

With that said she turns and walks away to sit next to one of the destroyed remains of a building. Relieved I turn the other party members who are all gathering themselves and resting. “So uhh… how exactly do we destroy a nexus?” I ask.

“It is fairly straight forward but somewhat power intensive. We need only apply a purge or sanctification spell into the nexus then overload it. The overload of the spell should destabilize and collapse the nexus. I could do it myself but Mya would have an easier time of it, plus it would be good experience for her if you’re up to it that is?” Lilly says turning to Mya with the question.

Mya considers for a few minutes before nodding. “Yeah I think I should be able to do it, I’ll just need a little time to rest and recover myself.” “Here drink this it will help a lot.” Lilly says as she offers a mana potion to Mya who quickly downs it with a slight grimace.

After about a single bell’s worth of time we gather around the stump so that Mya can attempt to purge the nexus. Walking up to it she kneels and begins the incantation for the consecration spell. She starts glowing with a soft golden light as she pours more and more mana into the holy spell. The light continues to grow and Mya begins to shake with the effort.

“Are you sure you can continue Mya?” Lilly asks softly from where she kneels next to her. Mya’s only response is a nod as she pants for breath. Screwing her face up in effort Mya begins to prey, “Radiance give this servant your blessing, purge this place of its darkness and drive evil from these lands!” She finishes with a shout and a huge push of effort. The symbol of a sun blazes brightly on her chest and an enormous surge of mana flows out of her into the stump.

A moment later there is a bright flash of light and a pulse ripples through the air and a feeling of something heavy that I had not really noticed was there lifts. Looking up I watch in astonishment as the mist begins to disperse. My eyes land on the spirit who had been talking to us as she looks off into the distance. Just as she fades away I see a small smile cross her lips as the tension leaves her.

“It’s rather amazing isn’t it? That she would wait here for all those years trying to protect what the one she followed left behind. It shows a great love and devotion, this mistress must be one hell of a woman. If this is the one we are going to meet than I am interested to see where it goes.” Adam comments from beside me.

“I guess you’re right I am quite interested in meeting this guardian.”

Adam POV

In the aftermath of the fight at The Graveyard of the Lost the forest itself seemed to come to life once again. The sounds of small birds and insects along with the warmth of the day returning as we all rested. While waiting for the others to recover I sat on watch pondering both what happened and what was to come.

The information given to us by the spirit had made me think over a lot. She had been standing sentinel over this area for hundreds of years, or so I believe, just for the purpose of keeping her mistress’s domain safe. That level of loyalty makes me think about the things that are important to me and if there was anything that I valued as much as that. Will came to mind but I don’t think I would be able to go that far even for him. It was something that I would have to consider for a while to come.

Beyond reflecting on the past all the information about the mistress was extremely interesting to me. If she really is a guardian like Lilly suspects she is the meeting will certainly be interesting. I’m not quite sure how the meeting will go though. Our group will likely have views that are completely different from those of the guardian and that could make it hard for us to understand each other.

Lilly had given me the mana spike that was left to us so that I could use it for the purposes of tracking. Twirling it through my fingers I observed the curious object. It was quite the extraordinary thing. Crafted out of what I could only guess was pure mana the long spike glittered dangerously in the light. “Both beautiful and deadly I really can’t wait to meet this guardian.” I mutter to myself.

After several bells of rest it was finally time to move out. Gathering all of the party members I activated my tracking skills and started tracing the mana from the spike back towards its source. The source seemed to be several days travel away and moving at a rather interesting stop and go pace. With a direction to head we started to move.

The days passed quickly and the conversations we had were mostly lighthearted. Mya questioned Lilly incessantly about magic and the things she didn’t understand from the previous conversation with the spirit. I had been a little worried about Mya after the nexus was purged as she had seemed quite weak and took a lot longer to recover than I thought she would. However she recovered soon enough and was even able to keep pace with us for the first evening of travel.

In the later days we discussed in detail the battle we had with the spirits and what we could have done better. There were many mistakes that were made so it was important for us to learn from the experience. I believe that it was quite helpful especially to Mya who seemed to think she had done badly. When the mistakes the others had made were revealed it seemed to console her.

Finally what would be our last day of travel came. With the confrontation on the horizon tension once again began to rise. No one was sure how the meeting would go so the group started to drift into silence. With the midday sun come and gone the goal was closer than ever.

Weaving our way through a tight copse of trees a faint melody started drifting through the trees to reach us. Upon hearing it we all froze listening closely and waiting to see if any negative effects came from it. This melody had no words and lively seeming to speak of growth and life. Feeling no ill effects the group once again started moving forward as silently as possible.

Coming up on a clearing one of the strangest sights I have ever been witness to greeted me. In the center of the clearing was a tree and dancing slowly around it was a small demi-human girl. She was young and quite short. Her dark black hair was tied in a messy braid down her back. When the sun caught on it small glints of a dark purple could be seen running through it and the strands that had escaped the braid. Two small pointed ears stuck out of the top of her head covered in fur the same color as her hair. A long bushy tail waved happily behind her as she danced and sang. Woven into her hair just behind one of her ears was the most beautiful flower I had ever seen.

We all sat in silence simply watching in awe as her song breathed life back into the tree. It was something that none of dared to interrupt, the type of beauty that is rarely seen in the world. It was a little hard for me to believe that this girl was the one we had been looking for since the power she had displayed up to this point was already beyond belief.

As I watched Will shuffled up silently beside me before whispering in my ear, “Is she the one we’re looking for?” I nodded in response.

He nodded in return before leaning a little closer, “Soooo… why is she naked?”