Darkness. Cold and obsolete. There was nothing evil or ominous about the darkness, just nothing tangible, nothing solid. Even herself, as she floated there, was nothing more than a detached kind of mental awareness. She wondered numbly if she were dead. Turning her imaginary head, she could see a swirling blue vortex in the distance. Of course, it wasn’t real. She couldn’t see it’s finger as it beckoned her, nor hear it’s voice as it called her name… whatever her name was. But she was drawn towards it nonetheless, and could not deny it’s plea. Drifting warily towards it, she imagined herself to have beautiful white wings that guarded against the cold; that preserved a sense of self, keeping her from being lost to the blackness. It was such a comforting belief, and in a land where nothing was real, her beliefs were the only reality. Approaching the vortex, no longer an invisible spirit but a strong and empowered angel, she looked upon the vortex’s eye, and opened herself to it. She saw a large, golden harp resting on a tree trunk, transparent hands plucking masterfully at it’s strings. She felt at ease as the notes carried out to her, floating around her body and melting into her. The harp began to disappear, until she saw a young woman in a gray dress, her long blue hair curling around her legs. The woman called out to her and cried for her to stay with her; to never leave her again. She had no idea who this person was, but they seemed to know her, and love her deeply. Then the image shifted into a beautiful island, full of palm trees and citrus fruits. The inhabitants of the island were happy, productive people, but there was something ignorant and lost about them, something she couldn’t figure out. She loved them anyway. Slowly, the leaves of the trees began to wither, the sand turn to rock, and the gently rolling hills soar and coat themselves with ice. As fire exploded from the top of the mountains, the people began to scream. Shadows, blacker than ebony and more evil than she had ever imagined, cut into the people, shedding their blood and savouring it. She could suddenly hear the screams, smell the smoke, feel the drench of blood on her newly formed wings. Placing her head in her hands, trying to ignore the surrounding, she cried out for it all to stop. Her screams began to lose words as her fear took over her. Terror more stark and real than she had ever felt in her whole life gripped her heart, pulled out her wings, and stripped her of her skin. Her throat became hoarse; she couldn’t scream anymore. Falling in a heap to the ground, she slipped back into the darkness, hope and courage having fled her as her life seeped from her body…

Red and yellow dots invaded the darkness, which had become a refuge from the world. Resisting the beacons of light, she tried to turn away from it, not wanting to go back to that terrible place. She couldn’t hide, and there was nowhere to run, as the light gripped her body and pulled. Hands outstretched, a banshee’s scream pouring from her lungs, she is torn from the darkness and submerged in a blinding white light. She didn’t know what was more terrifying. The evil that she now knew existed, or the fact that she would have to face it.

Opening her eyes, a scream still on her lips, she realizes that the light is really just the sun peaking from behind the trees. Curling her fingers, she could feel dirt and grass gather in her nails. Breathing slowly, she blinks, trying to sort out what had just happened. Sitting up and placing a hand to her head, feeling the cold sweat on her skin, she takes in her surroundings. It was day, and by the position of the sun in the sky, mid-afternoon at that. Thick, tall oak trees formed around her in a perfect circle. Carefully gathering herself to her feet, she stands. Wobbling and nearly losing her balance at first, her head feels too heavy. Her mind was still stuck somewhere between the dreamland and the world. It couldn’t exist in both; she had to choose. Inhaling deeply, she straightens up, her feeling of the corporeal world returning to her in a rush. ‘It was all a nightmare; just a bad dream. You should have done a guarding before you went to sleep.’ Breathing a sigh of relief, Avalys picks up her backpack from the ground and positions it on her back. A headache still lingering in the back of her head, she walks forward, determined that she had seen enough of the Forest of Sorrows.

As she walked around the woods, the tiny marks she had left on trees and on the ground to prevent herself from getting lost were no where in sight. Where was she? Fighting a tiny stab of panic, as the bad dream had not completely left her, she tries to retrace her steps, but to no avail. She was lost, she was alone, and soon it would be night. Leaning her back against a tree, putting her face into her hands, she tries to think. ‘There must be some way of getting out of here. Think Ava, think!’ Still leaning against the tree, she tries to imagine a way out, but all she could really do was fight the weariness of her body. Never before had she felt so helpless…