Chapter 13: Into Frostveil 2

I woke up to find myself in a cave lit by the dancing light of a campfire master had lit beside me to keep me warm. The cave was a small niche in one of the cruel valleys of Frostveil.

Master was keeping watch at the entrance of the cave waiting for me to wake up.

I was still dizzy and wobbly after waking up.

"What happened," I asked in a shaky voice?

Master looked at me with a sigh of relief and replied, "You were affected by the dream mist."

I have never read up on nor explored the Frostveil Ranges so I knew nothing other than the rumours. To be fair there were no proper documents on the mysterious mountains and all that existed were rumours and hearsay. Before I could ask about the Dream Mist or how she knew of it all, she continued to answer my next questions.

"It drains your mana while lulling you to a sound sleep. That's all it does." Refusing to explain any further she changed the topic, "How are you feeling?"

"Better. Still a little lightheaded though."

"I see. So you still cant hear that huh?"

"Hear what?" I was confused.

"Nevermind then. Focus on recovering for now," she said. She always soke in a roundabout way but she was being a little too evasive right now.

"Sigh! What's going on here, Master?"

She looked at with silent pity and then turned her attention to the night outside the cave. She continued to keep watch in silence.

I sat up near the fire and meditated while recovering my emptied out mana. I couldn't help but glance curiously at Master every chance I got. There was something going on, because nothing made sense.

When I checked the system message, it displayed [Updating. Time Remaining 00:01:46:23]. While counting down the seconds. There was still one hour and forty six minutes left for the system to update.

I sighed and focused on recovering my mana. As the minutes passed, the night grew quieter and darker. The sounds disappeared gradually but the ominous presence of the night grew stronger. The atmosphere got colder and chillier.

Every random moment sent shivers down my spine. The hair on the back of my neck and body stood upright with shivering pulses warning me of impending dangers around. I was terrified. So far I have travelled to the farthest reaches of the universe and dimensions, but the night in Frostveil made me uncomfortable. I couldn't brush off the feeling. It was as if the dangers continued to playfully tickle my senses.

With 30 minutes remaining for the update, I was startled by some howling in the distance. Master immediately jumped up and activated her mana. She was on alert and observing the surroundings by focusing her mana on her eyes which enhanced her vision enough to be able to see in the darkness. Yes, she has Night Vision.

"Get up," She instructed in a quiet voice. "We need to get moving."

I followed her instruction and put out the fire. Like her, I focused mana on my eyes. I couldn't not see too well, but I could make out general figures in the dark to find my way through the night without running into things. If I were to make a comparison, then my sight saw things like a night full of stars but no moon. I perceived my surroundings as faint outlines with little light.

We started walking through the valleys again. This time we were making out way towards the howling noises. I could hear my heart beat loudly and my words were stuck in my throat with a choking sensation uncomfortable pulsing in my throat synchronised with my heartbeat.

We continued speeding up through the ranges. The valleys transformed into narrow meadows and then forests. The trees were lush green. The leaves were frozen yet still breathing.

After having experienced the dead world of Aether, void of all life, I couldn't help but appreciate the vibrant lifeforce of the forest in Frostveil. The trees and the land were breathing and full of life. It was a new sensation. It took me a while to adapt to the new sense but I have to admit, it feels amazing.

This new sense, when directed at Master, showed me clearly the abundance of strength stored in her little form. What was even more surprising was that she was almost indistinguishable from the darkness surrounding us. "So this is what the head of the Messenger Guild was like," I thought to myself.

We stopped after getting deeper into the forest.

A few paces away stood the same silhouette that we chased into the Range. Upon closer look the silhouette was smaller and shorter than I had assumed. It was bipedal with a long tail and the outline of something resembling a royal suit. The silhouette become clearer as it approached us.

Since Master was not wary of the presence, I let my guard down a little and didn't think too much about it.

It that moment of carelessness, I was startled by a cold sensation of steel on my neck and soft breath of someone breathing on my nape. Master had also stopped in her tracks and was defensively starting at whatever was breathing on the back of my neck. The cold sensation on my neck was from a blade being held on my neck by whoever was behind me.

Unlike master, the one behind me has a strong and bright presence, but I failed to notice it due to my own carelessness. I inadvertently set my sight towards the small shadow approaching us, only to find that there was nothing there. I looked back at Master hoping to get hints about what was going on.

"Is everything set" said the one behind me? It was a woman's voice. The voice held a haunting elegance and depth with a hint of authority and command, yet beneath its steely tone lay an enigmatic allure that seemed to draw the listener deeper into its web of mystery.

Master's expression grew grim and firm.

As her expression shifted, a sense of urgency gripped me, and I swiftly channelled my dark mana, to activate Shadow Walk, a basic skill mastered by Shadowmancers for swift movement.

In an instant, the sombre visage of my master contorted into a grotesque grin, unlike any expression I had ever witnessed on her countenance. It twisted her features into an unsettling semblance of delight, sending a shiver down my spine. Her form seemed to distort, as if her very essence was melting and reshaping before my eyes.

A wave of despair washed over me as the figure before me transformed into Narb, wearing a grin that revelled in the depths of my anguish. It was a moment of profound horror.

[Updating. Time Remaining: 00:00:07:14]