“You can stay in this one again,” says the man who offered a room to me the first time I came to the village. “It’s not much but thank you for today and before. I didn’t realize how much we needed those supplies until I saw my wife this morning. I was afraid she’d fall over. You are more than welcome to join us for dinner. It’ll be ready in a minute.”

I set the few things I have down and sit for a moment.

It must have been some sort of hallucination. His arms weren’t frozen solid or broken and he didn’t move at all. But it felt real. I couldn’t breathe. I still feel his hands around my neck, I still see his eyes, turning into a deep, endless, void.

There’s a knock at the door and a moment later, I’m shifting around in the chair as the last of the food is set. Their child, a girl maybe around six years old, stares at me. It’s not hostile in any way, just plain and simple curiosity. Still, it’s hard being watched.

“Rosie, isn’t it rude to stare?”

Rosie nods, “Mhm, but her hair is really pretty and her eyes are different colors!”

He smiles wryly.

Rosie knits her brows, “Her neck is red though?”

My fingers shoot towards my neck, feeling for spots of pain or discomfort. The father almost rises from his chair.

“How did that happen?”

“Th-This…? I-I, I uh… Don’t know. It doesn’t hurt or anything… It’s not something to worry about.”

The lies flow out uneasily. The once cozy house warmed by fire suddenly doesn’t feel as nice anymore. Nothing has changed, not a single thing in the house changed but everything’s changed.

I can’t feel it, I can’t see it, but they do. It’s there. Proof. Proof that he choked me. His arms were still on him, not frozen in the slightest, but how else would I have gotten these red marks on my neck?

“Food is ready,” calls the mother.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asks once more.

I tuck in my chin, “Yes,” I answer, somehow feeling more confident. “I’m fine. We should eat…”

I’ve always felt something was off. Now, I know I’m not crazy.

He accepts my answer and asks, “Will you join us in prayer?”

Prayer… When was the last time I prayed? The moon goddess guides us at night and pulls the tides, she is the water in the rivers and lakes. I remember a festival we once had in her honor back in my village. Everyone gathered water in their basins, bowls, cups, and carried it away to a place I couldn’t quite see from the window. But there came a knock, just as the chatter grew louder in the distance. For the first time, I opened the window, climbed out, and saw… I saw things as they were, unfiltered by the lens that was my window, my prison. At the end of the night, as the village folk cleaned up and prepared to sleep under the full moon, that’s when I first prayed, and also the last time I did. As I looked at the moon, it felt like I was truly living and as if I truly believed in something or someone.

Rosie extends her hand to me before I answer and, without much thought, I take it. They close their eyes and lower their heads, I follow suit. Perhaps in consideration of me, the father holds the silence for a moment and then says, “Thank you for the food.”

He and his wife, along with Rosie, then look up and say, “Thank you.”

I manage a shy smile and a nod.

We eat and while they try and strike up a conversation with me, there’s not much I can offer in terms of a good response. I don’t have any plans for the future or know what I’m going to do after I finish this request. Worried I’m acting rude, I ask about which god they pray to.

“The god of dreams,” says Rosie, excitedly.

“God of dreams?”

The mother urges Rosie to finish her food before speaking, “Goddess of dreams,” she corrects. “It is said that she brings good dreams to her followers. She may not seem like the most useful god to follow but many people in this village, and the town, feel a strong connection with her. And like my mother used to say, and something that I live by, sleep is the gateway to a great day.” She beams at her daughter and she beams right back.

Goddess of dreams… I’ve never heard of her. Perhaps she’s only worshipped in the southern regions or perhaps she’s been brought over by traders.

We finish dinner soon after and retire to our rooms. I lay in bed, nursing my neck and watching as the moon nears full only a few more days. Unlike the room in the guild building, the window is right next to the bed. My mind slowly drifts even without the comfort of a book and a candle, the moonlight soothes me asleep.

News comes in the morning. It’s both good and bad at the same time. With a couple adventurers sent back as messengers, we know they’re still alive. The news, however, is that no monster was found in the mines, only tracks from another entrance that leads deeper into the forest.

“Does that mean we have to stay here?” asks Patrick.

“Not exactly, no. With a festival in town coming up soon, the captain said we can’t afford to go on a wild goose chase. That being said, the captain also can’t let slaughter of the miners and villagers here go unanswered. Some of us were getting a little worried we wouldn’t get paid.”

“So what’s going to happen?”

“We can’t leave the villagers without some protection, especially after what happened, but we’re going to send some of us back to the town and gather up some more people. The captain is hoping that with the extra help, we’ll track it down and finish it off before the festival starts.”

Patrick starts laughing.

“Is something funny?”

He keeps laughing, a loud, hysterical laugh. A couple members in his party step away from him, except for Lynn who stares at him. “Ah… S-Sorry…” he ends up muttering as he realizes how far away some of his friends are. “Sorry, sorry…”

“Well,” Lynn says, keeping one eye on Patrick. “Who’s going to town?”

“I am,” says an officer of the watch, “And so will a few of you. Everyone else here will defend the village until either we return or the captain returns. We will stay one more night before leaving and hopefully we can find the monster before that time.”

One more night… What’s one more night going to do?

“Excuse me. I didn’t get to thank you all properly yesterday.”

It’s Barric.

I shuffle toward the others. Lynn steps forward, greeting him for us.

“I was wondering if you all would like to join us tonight for dinner. My family and I would be very happy to show our appreciation.”

“Of course!” Lynn answers before anyone can reply.

“Wonderful. I can’t wait to see you all there.”

Night arrives and we walk to Barric’s home. It’s on the opposite side of town, far away from the Elder’s home and a bit secluded compared to the other houses. Trees’ shadows loom over the place as Lynn knocks on the door.

“Please,” says a middle-aged man as he opens the door wide, “Come in, come in. Barric should be here soon. I sent him over to the stables.”

The others go in first, each one being personally thanked by who I assume is Barric’s father. I twirl a strand of my hair and shift my back and forth, waiting for my turn. Why does meeting people have to be so hard?

I hear snow crunch and the rustle of a bush. A tingling sensation starts at the back of my neck and soon envelops me. I fight the urge to look at the noise but the feeling builds and builds as if whatever’s there is emitting a numbing wave that gets stronger the closer it comes. If I don’t look it won’t stop, if I don’t look it’ll get me.

So I look. And I see trees. Trees among trees. I breathe a sigh of relief. And then, one of the trees moves. It’s unnaturally tall. Against the backdrop of the thinning forest, its figure almost melds into it. I can only see one thing… Its eyes, it’s black eyes. I can tell it’s looking at me.

Its face twists as it walks closer.

It comes closer.

Closer.

Closer…

I dash into the house, pushing Lynn down as she speaks with Barric’s father. I fall as well. Keeping my eyes on the door, I scramble backward on all fours. I can imagine it reaching for me, dragging me into the forest to slaughter.

“Did I come at a bad time?”

Standing at the door is Barric, holding a lantern in one hand.

“Wha-? Whe-Where did you come from?”

“Barric, did you take the shortcut again? What did I say about going through the forest at night? It’s dangerous. You should know better, especially after what you just went through.”

“Yes, father,” Barric says before he walks over and offers his hand. “Sorry about scaring you.”

I unsteadily take his it as the others watch. We sit, with Barric next to me. He once again holds out his hand, “Will you join us for prayer?” he asks as his father nods in approval. And once again, I take it not feeling anything unusual. Barric and his family close their eyes and Patrick’s group follows. I do the same. A few seconds pass without any words being spoken and unease ripples through me.

It’s nothing. Nothing at all. It’s all in my mind.

I know magic. I can protect myself if something comes.

The sensation grows stronger.

I’m not alone, Patrick and his friends are here too. I’m not alone.

My arm is numb.

The village is right there. One shout or scream and everyone will be out of their houses, trying to find out what’s wrong.

I’m trapped in place.

I think of the moon’s gentle light. How bright it was, how otherworldly beautiful it looked. How it drew me to it, like a guiding hand. Think of the moon and how it soothes me, of how all those times I was lonely, I was yelled at, it was always right there.

The dread stops but only for a moment.

Time doesn’t move. I’m stuck. Pressure mounts from behind, the presence of something unholy lurks nearby. I want to turn, to look at it, to call out for help. I can’t. My eyes won’t open, my mouth sewn shut.

It must be in my mind. I have to think of something else. Anything.

Two shadowy figures appear. They walk side by side down a street, buildings appear and lights flicker to life. The details slowly fill in, first from the top of their heads, a daisy hairpin holds back the hair of the taller one while the other blows into her knitted gloves. I can see them more clearly now but they’re getting further away as the darkness creeps up, engulfing me. I run towards them, trying to call out their names, but I can’t remember.

They stop and turn. It’s too late. I’m being dragged away, deeper and deeper. In the dark, a scarf falls, my scarf. I feel exposed, vulnerable, without it but the darkness is suffocating. It doesn’t let me move. I begin to fade, I feel my head tipping forward, my grip on the others loosening.

In the dark, I see the shadows move. My scarf rises from the ground and from the darkness, just enough for me to see, a black-haired boy wraps it around me.

“Trust me,” he says.

I open my eyes. The feeling to my arms returns but I still feel the reverberations of the terror. Patrick stares at me with wide eyes. Barric frowns “We didn’t mean to force our beliefs on you. Sorry about that.”

I nod, my fingers feeling at the empty space around my neck.

“Ellar!” Cecily breaks away from the reception desk, ignoring the panicked cry of her coworker. “I was worried about you. News already came that they’re requesting more people for the hunt. What are you doing back here? Are you injured?”

Cecily quickly circles me, examining everything she can without stripping me clean. “No blood, no tears on your clothing… You’re good, on the outside at least. I should be finished with work around 3 today. I’ll come visit you if it won’t be too much of a bother. Sound good?” she says happily.

“A-Ah… Yeah. Sounds good.”

I lock myself in my room and while I try and pass the time by reading, I can’t get what I saw yesterday out of my mind. I don’t know who the boy was but I’m sure of it now, I know Iris and Elis. There’s no mistake. I have to find them somehow.

A knock on the door breaks my train of thought. Cecily gives me a few minutes to get ready and we head down into town. “How was the quest? It’s not technically over yet, we need the monster’s head, but I don’t think you’ll have to go back.”

“It was… more than I expected.”

“Oh, well, all that matters is that you’re here now. I hope you won’t let this discourage you from taking on more quests. You can always come to me and I’ll give you some special ones. Oh, right! You can keep the staff too.”

“T-Thanks…” I study Cecily more closely. She’s the exact opposite of me. “W-Why are you helping me so much?”

She shrugs, “It’s my job to help adventurers.”

“Do you usually help them this much?”

“No, it’s just that you remind me of me. And I really wish someone helped me this much when I started out. Maybe I’d still be an adventurer today if someone did.”

So that’s why she owned that staff.

“Do you have any other questions?”

“D-Do you know about Iris or Elis…? Ah, er, I-I mean… Do you know anyone with those names? They should have taken on that collecting quest, for the buried plants. Um, one’s a little taller than me, she sometimes has a, uh, p-pin in her hair, a daisy pin. The other one’s a bit shorter, umm, kind of like, I imagine her a bit childish b-but she’s really nice. M-Maybe a bit bold and outspoken.”

“Those two?”

“Y-You know them?!”

In my excitement, I end up unusually close to her. I shuffle away, a bit embarrassed by myself. She gives a wry smile before replying. “Yes, I know them. When it comes to adventuring parties, theirs is unusually large and lacking in diversity. Though, they are doing well for themselves.”

“C-Could you perhaps take me to s-see them?”

“How could I say no when this is the most excited I’ve ever seen you? We can go find them, just give me a moment to buy something. Not a lot of people know this but some of the vendors for the festival come out early. If we’re quick, we can get a few nice things before the townsfolk start crowding them and the guards ask them to wait until the festival starts.”

Cecily marches down the street. About half an hour later, Cecily finishes. “What do you think of this?” she struggles to place the crescent moon mask someplace it’ll stay. “No, wait. Don’t answer that. I can already tell. I’ll give it to one of my coworkers. You were waiting a while, right? I’ll take you to them.”

A crowd gathers around the shop pushing each other out of the way. A man with a smiling porcelain masks watches me, ignoring the chaos. He walks through the crowd somehow able to keep going without bumping into anyone, like a ghost. He comes unnervingly close before I react.

“W-Who…?”

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Barric takes off his mask and gives a short wave.

“S-Same…” I mutter, wanting to leave. “W-What are you doing here?”

“Oh, well…” he looks at the crowd. “My family was planning on selling in the festival this year. Even with the disaster that struck our village, we’d already set aside what we were going to sell. So, I’m here to set up.”’

“I-I see…”

Something doesn’t feel right. Not just with his mask or his story, but the how he’s acting. He just survived a massacre and he’s perfectly fine less than two days later. Something about the way he’s speaking doesn’t feel right either.

Cecily notices I’ve stopped and comes back, “Hi, I’m Cecily and I work for the guild.”

“I’m… Barric.,” he says with a steady smile. “Are you two going to keep exploring?”

“No, we are just about to leave.”

“Where to?”

“Ellar asked me to take her to meet some other adventurers.”

“Well, I shouldn’t be keeping you then. It was nice to meet you, Cecily.” he holds out his hand.

“Likewise, Barric.”

As she takes his hand, she straightens and they lock eyes. Barric slips on his mask and waves, “We should meet again, Ellar. I’d like speak to you one on one,” He disappears into the crowd.

It must have been my imagination. I nudge Cecily, “C-Cecily? A-Are you alright?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m fine.”

“S-So… Are you going to take me?”

“Take you? Take you where?”

A chill runs down my spine, “T-T-To find Iris and Elis. R-Remember?”

She stares at me as if I've gone crazy. “I’ve never heard of them.”