Neve sat on a hill overlooking her home, Foghollow. She was currently on watch duty, ensuring the safety of the village. Her icy blue gaze was firmly fixed on the large swamp in the distance, the howling wind causing her silver hair to whip to the right.
She grabbed her pouch and took a swig of water. Neve didn't much like taking on watch duty. She would've preferred to join the hunting party or the security squadron. She didn't like how boring this job was. She would spend all 5 hours standing watch over the swamp, day after day. Yet nothing ever happened. And there was one other reason she hated this job.
[Haha! Are you bored? I could help you.] Mal whispered.
Neve ignored her. She didn't like having to spend so much time with Mal. Neve sighed as she remembered what her mother had told her all those years ago. "Do not listen to the whispering demon, no matter what it offers." She repeated.
[Oh, come on! Do you know the things your mother and I did together? She's just holding you back, my sweet little Neve.~] Mal had always tried to entice Neve with sweet promises, but Neve trusted the wisdom of her parents. Especially since that wisdom was all Neve had left of them.
Neve groaned as the feelings of grief and sorrow bubbled up within her. She deeply missed her parents, even after all these years.
[Why do you bother listening to they're advice? You have a powerful celestial being ready to give you anything that your heart desires. And what? You want to follow in dear mommy's footsteps?]
"Yes!" Neve was starting to get worked up. She hated how Mal spoke about her parents.
[Ha! So you're going to do what your mother did to you? Dying and leaving your own future daughter to deal with being cursed? To be relentlessly bullied. Is that what you really want? Or do you-]
"Shut up!" Neve exploded in anger. She hated how Mal always brought this up, as if all this was something she hadn't heard a thousand times before. "We both know that the whole reason I have to do all that is because of you! You're the one who cursed my family, or have you forgotten what you've told all the Cursed Daughters of Ice on the eve of their transition to adulthood!"
Mal remained silent for a few short moments before responding. [I've never called any of you cursed. Those were your peers, the ones you used to call friends. You should do well to remember that!] Mal spoke bitterly.
Neve sighed. "Whatever." It was times like these that made her miss her husband. She was quite annoyed with the idea that she had to sit up here, just in case some mythical green fog descended on the village. All while having to listen to this horrible witch's drivel. Neve just wished the time could pass more quickly so that she could go home. Home to Alaric, her husband.
A smile tugged at the edges of her lips as she thought of her beloved. 'Hah. To think the Cursed Daughter of Ice, who spent all those years being made fun of, would get married. And to someone so perfect.' Neve let out a longing sigh.
Neve then quickly felt her stomach drop as she sensed a powerful source of mana from behind her. She turned her gaze back, towards the tall and foreboding mountain in the distance. Towards The Great Spire of Morwyn.
"Oh, no. That's not good." She then quickly crouched down and set up the fireplace in front of her with logs before lighting a fire. She then released four puffs of smoke into the air before pouring mana into her hand and then placing her glowing hand into the fire. As she did, the fire went out, leaving behind ash and frost.
[Oh, this is going to be fun.~]
Brrroom! The ground below Neve rumbled and shook slightly. Neve gulped, feeling a knot forming in her stomach.
Even as Mal spoke joyfully, Neve only felt a deep sense of dread. The tremors of the ground. The massive mana reading. They could only mean one thing: that Morwyn, the corrupted spirit, would soon awaken.
...
"Graagh!" Tanaka lifted a boulder off his leg. He looked down at it and saw that the skin along his shin had been scraped off. He had gashes and scratches all over him. His school khakis were torn.
Tanaka dragged himself off the ground. He limped as he made his way around the large rocks and debris around him. His leg burned with pain, with each step causing a stabbing pain to run through his leg. But alas, he had to go on, to keep moving. He could still feel the mana of whatever had caused the earthquake, although he could only just barely feel it. It seemed that it would be a while before another earthquake hit, and Tanaka didn't want to be in these caves when it did.
'And just when I was starting to think that it was over, I survived. Not only that, but I can see so much more now.' Tanaka thought as he limped through the cave, criss-crossing his way around various large rocks. He looked around for the source of the light.
'Hmm? It seems to be coming from around the corner over there.' Tanaka quickly limped his way to the corner, but as he got closer, he could hear...a fight?
Wack! Thud!
Tanaka slowed his approach as he made his way to the corner. He snuck a look around the corner, and he saw two short green men fighting one another. However, that was not what had caught Tanaka's attention. Instead, his eyes settled on the large open area of the cave that the green creatures were in.
At the top of the cave were massive glowing stalactites, brimming with mana. They filled the cavern, going as far as the eye could see. Their ethereal glow lit up the surroundings wondrously. The way the light casts shadows on and reflects off the rocks was something to behold. In all his life, he had never seen anything like it.
The sight of the large open cavern invoked a strange and profound feeling within Tanaka. 'Wow, just...wow. It's beyond words. Just seeing is almost enough to make up for being sent here.' Tanaka took a step forward, wanting to see more of the cave. He was so mesmerised that he failed to notice that the two green creatures had spotted him.
He stood in awe before the-.
"Graagh!" the two creatures screeched out, finally catching Tanaka's attention. When he looked over, he could see the monsters more clearly. They had pointy ears, bald heads and had horribly misshapen, yellowed teeth.
One was covered in scars and had a lean build, whilst the other had relatively few scars and a more muscular build.
Tanaka knew what they were once his eyes laid sight on them. "Goblins." He slowly breathed out.
Click!
Tanaka tried to take a step back, but instead stumbled on a jagged stone. As he regained his composure, he felt a buzz along his skin. "What the-!" Tanaka looked back towards the goblins to see that their beady red eyes were sternly focused on him. Their faces were contorted in anger.
They snarled at him, and then the entire room seemed to fill with energy. His skin buzzed more, and Tanaka knew that something was about to happen, but he was unsure. The mana within him bubbled, as if reacting to something, but he didn't feel any other mana reactions. Tanaka slowly started to walk back, making sure to keep an eye on the goblins. 'If they're not going to do anything, then I'm getting out of here. I wouldn't want to be here when they decide to do something.' Tanaka gulped. 'Especially with this leg injury.'
Fwoom! Fwoom!
The two goblins suddenly sprouted glowing green hair on their heads. 'Wait, is that it? No... They have more mana now.' Tanaka looked more closely at the goblins' heads and realised that it wasn't just hair. What was on their heads now was more like fire, flickering from time to time. 'Is it just me, or are those goblins bigger?' Tanaka blankly stared at them for a few seconds before he turned and hightailed it as fast as he could.
'Nope. I'm not going to be dealing with this.' He weaved his way back the way he came from, but then the lights from the stalactites went out. Unable to see, Tanaka stumbled and tripped as the room was still filled with debris.
"Ow!" Tanaka pushed himself off the ground, ready to continue his journey, before he heard an eerie sound coming from behind him.
Fwoom! Fwoom! Fwoom! Fwoom! Fwoom!...
'Please, no. It can't be." Tanaka slowly turned his head, hoping that it wasn't what he thought it was.
As his gaze slid across the dark cavern, his eyes were suddenly drawn to the many flickering green flames all around him. Each flame was accompanied by a pair of glowing red beads, and they were all headed his way.