Aurora

Chapter 1

Barefoot, Aurora shifts the cool dirt between her tiny toes. She has always felt at peace in the immense forest that surrounds her small, isolated village. It is a feeling she couldn't even hope to describe. She is simply connected to the forest and it, in turn, is linked with her. Her heart beats vigorously inside her little chest, ringing in her ears, distracting her from her purpose. She takes a moment to compose herself, one wrong move and she will be caught. Her parents would be very cross with her if they discovered that she has followed them on their hunt, but she has faith in the forest and it assures her that she will be safe.

---

Atticus and Artemis, young Aurora’s parents, are brilliant hunters and survivalists in their own right. They provide all of the meat and furs for every settlement within their isolated corner of the world. However, the forest doesn’t seem to talk to them like it does with Aurora. Which is the only reason she has been able to follow her talented parents unnoticed. Artemis is as beautiful and wild as the goddess of the hunt from whom she attributes her namesake. Her silver hair paints a trail through the trees like shooting stars on a dark moonless night, but suddenly her dance comes to halt. Atticus, admittedly distracted by his wife dancing effortlessly through the forest, swiftly shifts his weight onto one foot to avoid colliding with her. He swivels on his left foot changing his momentum into a graceful spin and narrowly avoids his wife as he deftly skids to a stop. If Artemis is the moon, majestic and blindingly beautiful, illuminating the quiet night sky. Atticus can only be described as her cold but loyal shadow. His raven hair and ruby red eyes perfectly complement her light with subtle darkness. His passion for his two girls, his entire purpose in life, knows no equal in all the land.

Artemis gently brushes her husband’s face, “There has always been but one thing you enjoy more than the thrill of the hunt.” She flashes him a knowing smile. “Perhaps we can wait until after we catch our prey, my love?”

“It’ll be difficult, but for you, I suppose I can manage.” Atticus bows in an exaggerated gesture. As he lifts his head Artemis can’t contain her laughter after seeing the ridiculous grin spread across his hooded face.

“You truly are an ugly creature!” She exclaims.

Faking a pout Atticus replies, “I’m offended, surely there was a ‘my’ missing from that statement.”

“Oh, of course. You're my ugly creature, all mine,” Artemis declares. She throws her arms around his slender shoulders reaching up affectionately and pecks his cheek with a quick kiss. Atticus replies with a smile even more ridiculous than the last.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

As her gaze falls from her husband’s face, again, Artemis remembers the reason she signaled him to stop in the first place. “Look, my love, this is peculiar, to say the least.” Nodding towards an enormous tree completely uprooted from the ground followed by another desecrated in the same manner. Walking over to the toppled Eldritch tree, Atticus notices bright stains painted on the neighboring foliage. The liquid is almost glowing and has an undeniable sense of foreboding associated with it. This blood was never meant to be spilled.

“It seems that whatever tore up these trees is mortally wounded.” Something feels wrong, Atticus thinks. He decides to keep the thought to himself for now.

“What could have done this to an Eldritch tree though? I know of nothing in this forest, predator or not, that is capable of such a feat.”

“Hmm, perhaps a treant?" Atticus looks at the tree quizzically. "But they would never cause this much destruction willingly and I know of none which reside this close to civilization. Or even a large Naga...but their territories are much farther to the south. They couldn’t possibly survive a winter here,” Atticus states. He debunks both theories out loud for Artemis to hear. “The spirit of the forest…” He says under his breath, muttering it more to himself than to anyone else. There are only a handful of mortals who have ever seen the elusive spirits. In fact, most humans write them off as mere myth and legend. The elves, and certain individuals like Aurora’s parents, know otherwise.

“Nevertheless there was a fight here. And there's evidence of a struggle between two undeniably powerful creatures. I can still feel the remnants of immensely powerful magical essences here. The only thing capable of emitting mana like this is a spirit of overwhelming strength, but that makes no sense. Nothing, creature or humanoid, would ever challenge a forest spirit!” Artemis says. It would be suicide, and yet something managed to hurt it. Not to mention the fact that they are peaceful beings and are not thought to interact with anyone or anything directly other than sustaining the forest’s growth…” Artemis theorizes aloud.

Atticus’s gaze meets his wife’s and they come to the same conclusion simultaneously. “The only possibility is that it’s fighting to protect this forest. I truly hope we’re wrong. If our enemy is an entity strong enough to wound a forest spirit this could end very, very badly…” Atticus vocalizes their deduction. The uncharacteristic waver in his voice betrays his desire to hide his inner terror from his wife. Revealing the dread he feels for the people and creatures that call this forest their home.

Artemis wears a mournful smile as she slowly walks over to her husband. She reaches up and cradles his head between her tough yet gentle hands. “You really are a softy beneath that gruff exterior of yours.” One of the many reasons why I absolutely adore you, she thinks to herself. Pulling him down to her, Artemis’s lips are a spark that ignites Atticus back to reality.

As she pulls away Atticus reaches out and pulls her into a warm embrace. “Your ability to draw me away from the brink never ceases to amaze me,” he speaks, his speech muffled by her hair. Atticus positions her face in front of his and looks into her eyes longingly, “If only we could stay entwined like this eternally...I could drown in your gaze forever.” This particular eternity passes in mere seconds. Fingers entwined Atticus rests his forehead against hers. “Let’s follow the trail. We have a duty to this forest and its people.”

Artemis smiles as she takes a moment to give thanks to the Goddess of the hunt for placing this beautiful man into her life. She kisses him on the hand, “Of course my love. Let’s prevent a disaster.” Unease is a foreign emotion for Atticus and he tries his best not to let it show. Artemis can read the exhilaration in her husband’s crimson eyes, yet it’s mixed with something she’s never seen before, which worries her more than she cares to admit. She darts off in the direction of the spirit, following in its destructive wake. Atticus is in tow two steps behind her, her ever-loyal shadow, her other half. She masks her worry with her faith, with Atticus by her side she knows they can prevail. Together, their potential is limitless and their possibilities are endless.

Chapter 2

Aurora is frozen, halted in her tracks by a wall of silence. She lost sight of her parents long ago but tracking has been ingrained into her mind from the day she was born. Her skills are sharp and, despite the dismal aura permeating the air, her faith in the forest is unwavering. As she erupts from the treeline of a small clearing she realizes glumly that her intuition was right. The clearing is unnatural, created by the massive feet of a giant forest creature. She can feel the omnipotence all around her and it feels vaguely familiar.

She cups a flattened flower in her delicate palms. The forest is hurting...she thinks to herself. Whatever is causing this ruin needs to be stopped and my parents undoubtedly came to the same conclusion. The young girl is pierced with a sudden panic as a voice talks to her through bustling leaves. - I am...dying...careful...a great evil...awakening...leave now… - terrifying images rake through her mind. Her parent’s limp bodies, the forest burning an angry red, a deep sorrow slowly envelops her.

“No!...” Alara screams, rejecting the images as best she can. Her thoughts become jumbled as she collapses to the muddy forest floor. Hearing footsteps, she glances up and witnesses a young girl gently cupping the flower she was just holding. A few moments later she sees pain spread across the girl’s face as its mind is undoubtedly filled with the horrible images she has just seen. Please, she thinks to herself. Someone help me.

“No!” The scream is the catalyst that begins the loop anew. She looks up through blurred vision to see herself as she gently cups a wilted flower. Alara closes her eyes, she runs her sweaty palms through the mud at her side in a vain attempt to calm down.

“Well, this clearly isn’t working.” Alara’s eyes snap open. In the space to her left sits another figure identical to her in every way. “Wha..” She begins to mouth when a piercing scream sends her brain reeling again.

I need to get away! She thinks to herself as the scene replays for the fourth time. The forest refuses to stop spinning and she quickly collapses back to the ground. She looks up to stare deep into her own eyes. Her second face is brandishing an ominous smile.

“I bet you won’t try that again.”

“Sigh, I don't think she gets it though.” A second duplicate appears, this one with a look of disappointment. “Look,” she points and Alara watches herself pick up the flower again. Both duplicates smile and laugh conspiratorially as this Alara sinks to the ground in pain. Suddenly the Alara on top of her is shoved off by a silhouette of pure white. It tugs urgently on her sleeve beckoning her to follow. The second it touches her all of her nausea and confusion drift away and she quickly gets up to follow it. All three of her duplicates begin skipping at a carefree pace chanting, “Crazy, crazy, the gods have gotten lazy!” The girls are about to catch up to Alara and the silhouette as the entity motions for her to go through a small thicket. After a brief pause of uncertainty, she looks back at the 3 Alaras who have locked hands in a sinister game of ringaroundtherosie. They giggle through the rest of the chant, “Crazy, crazy, the gods have gotten lazy. Crazy, crazy, the Gods can’t hear your cries!” Alara decides that wherever this leads it has to be better than here and dives headfirst into the thicket.

Her eyes snap open to find her hands over her ears and her body curled up on the ground. She scans through the trees and down the path for any signs of her doubles and is only able to calm herself after she is positive she is alone. She doesn’t quite understand what happened but she knows that she needs to warn her parents about what she saw. Tears stain the ground by the little girl’s feet. Alara is determined to save her mom and dad.

---

Palpable isn’t quite the right word to describe the madness spreading throughout the forest. It's a madness that touches every mind, young and old. Tendrils that snake into insecurities, temptations, and all the nooks and crannies of your resolve. What Aurora just experienced, although unique to her, is what every human, halfling, dwarf, and elf unfortunate enough to be in the forest tonight is about to endure, including Aurora’s parents.

Words aren’t necessary between them in this state. They are one, every action, every thought in perfect synch. Both were modeled for this purpose, for each other. Noticing something peculiar Atticus stops mid-stride, without even motioning Artemis skids to a stop mere seconds later. The couple situates themselves on the treeline of a massive clearing that greets the base of Mt. Aurae (Mt. of the breezes), a perfect vantage point. The scene playing out before them is more terrifying than anything either of the two experienced rangers have ever seen. The creature that was once the pure and powerful Aurae, the spirit of the forest, now looks like a demented mass of exposed muscles and organs. Nearly unrecognizable to its former self. The chaotic ambiance surrounding the spirit violently lashes out in every direction, far from its customary peaceful and calming aura. However, despite the obvious corruption plaguing the spirit it still seems to be resisting the darkness.

Remotely safe in the concealment of the trees Atticus whispers, “we need to find the cause of this blight. I don’t want to witness the ramifications of a forest losing its guardian.” Although purely analytical the assessment is heavy with sorrow. Sorrow that seems to sit in Artemis’s gut. Her body becomes heavy like lead and she finds that she’s frozen in place, completely paralyzed. Sorrow envelopes her like a dilapidated womb causing all her senses to numb, she is in a state of limbo. The same scene replays over and over. Her little girl consorting with a grotesque creature, making a deal with a demon. The deal goes south, as deals with demons do, and she is forced to watch her baby girl be consumed by a pillar of flame. The scene brings tears to her eyes yet it's the anguished scream that makes her knees buckle underneath her. She wishes she could console her baby against her foolish actions. "Never trust a demon," she would say. "They thrive off of the suffering of others, my love. Never trust them." Instead, Artemis finds that she is stuck in the horrible loop of watching her baby screaming in agony. Powerless to help her little Aurora.

Atticus gives a glance over to his wife, expecting a response of some sort. But she stays silent. He witnesses Artemis’s usually serene face utterly distorted in an expression of pure torment. The tears freely flowing down her cheeks are daggers through his heart. His outstretched hand never reaches its mark as his entire existence is set ablaze. The canals that usually carry his lifeblood send a liquid fire throughout his body, a hellish inferno coursing through his veins. It takes everything he has not to scream out in agony. Muffled cries crash through his thoughts bringing forth only one to mind. Where are his girls? Artemis and Aurora.

His muscles scream in protest with every movement. He manages to crawl over to the enormous trunk of the Eldritch and props himself up. He spots his wife doubled over, one hand pressed to her mouth the other clutching her stomach. Her face is barely recognizable through the mask of torment. She writhes in pain as the sinister aura begins consuming her completely body and soul. The anguish Atticus feels while watching his wife suffer is rivaled only by the torture overcoming his reality. His world is blood red and his insides are molten fire and his concentration is diminishing at an alarming rate. His hands begin to shake uncontrollably. He laughs to himself, a pitiful sound. He is incapable of controlling his own motor functions let alone comforting his dying wife. His eyes never stray from Artemis even as his consciousness begins to slip.

She needs to be okay. “Oh gods, I don’t care about myself. Please...please just leave her.” He manages to speak through the tightening of his chest, wheezing between each strenuous breath. Praying to any god who will listen. Maniacal laughter shreds his mind asunder.

“There is no hope…” A booming voice reverberates through his head. “There is only me.” The voice tears through his mind violently. Straining through the mental onslaught, he clings to the image of Artemis. For she is his anchor to reality, tethering him to the present. Forbidding him to lose himself to insanity. It’s the only hope he has to prevent his mind from being torn apart.

“There...is...only....death…” With that, his world fades to black.

---

Artemis channels some of her magic through her body and it manages to break the hold the maddening aura has on her mind. She opens her eyes and immediately recalls the horrible images and mind-numbing sorrow that she felt. They are so vivid they begin to burrow into her again as if they are tangible. The mere thought brings the entire experience back, feeding it and giving it life. She nearly loses herself to the insanity, she can feel herself fading quickly. Artemis stumbles to the ground, legs weak from the added burden. Her mind is an ocean crashing upon the shores of her consciousness. With every wave she can feel herself being pulled out to sea, aggressively drifting into a dreamlike state. Slumped on the sturdy trunk of the Eldritch she attempts to open eyelids that are heavy with exhaustion. The temptation of giving in to the beckoning call of madness crumbles away as her eyes fall upon the broken form of her husband. His body is motionless, all signs of life are eradicated from him. In a panic, she stumbles over him. She weakly places her hands over his to feel for a pulse and to provide whatever comfort she can.

“Shit!” Artemis hisses through gritted teeth and instinctively pulls away from her lover. Her fingers are singed as if she placed them on burning coals. A vicious tremor erupts beneath them and for the first time since waking, she directs her attention to the forest spirit. Her heart skips a beat.

“…this can’t be real.” She murmurs in bewilderment. The spirit of Aurae, once the guardian of the forest tasked with protecting the woodland and all its denizens, is now a roiling mass of pure destruction. The glade is set ablaze, a brilliant conflagration, with fire wickedly lapping up any lush greenery placed before its path. A sight that would cause any ranger’s eyes to flow wet with misery. Ghastly images of her daughter begin to enter her mind again and the feeling of sorrow is so overwhelming she almost cries. How is she supposed to combat a monstrosity such as this? Her gaze falls back to her husband’s face caught somewhere between pain and serenity The turmoil he’s feeling inside is all too familiar to her now, yet she can’t even comfort him.

Useless, she thinks. I’m completely useless.

“Come back to me, my love.” She pleads, her eyes well up with tears. “I thought I lost you once I’ll not lose you again.” She proceeds to set him in an upright position with his back leaning against the Eldritch. She presses her palm down hard onto his chest, conjuring her magic. Focusing on the tips of her fingers her hands begin to glow in a blinding light. She presses her forehead to his, “I’m here for you, babe...always.”