Dawn- An age of Darkness
Chapter 18 - Do I Really Have To Go In Again?

The villagers were kind enough to provide a horse and some items for me but none of them had the vitality to accompany me, not even the guards of the wall. The only few adults that remained healthy were not capable of fighting. It was as though they'd already given up.

I was by the gate and the villagers were here to see me off. It was like they were regretting to see me head to the forest. Perhaps it was just my imagination.

A man covered in a cloak came near my stead. "Take this young man."

"What is this?"

His accent was different than the other villagers. "Tis'an elixir. Use it wisely."

I had read about elixirs before in books and games. But weren't they fictional and said to have granted immortality? If so, then why would someone give something so valuable to me? Maybe this world's elixir was different?

I put it in the bag. "What's an Eli-… where'd he go?" The guy was nowhere to be found.

Dune's aunt glared me with questioning eyes. "What do you mean? Who are you talking about?"

They couldn't see him? Something was definitely wrong. Just who was that man? However I didn't have time to delve into that matter. I had something else to do. And fishy he may be, if he gave me a real elixir, than I had to problems with it. "Nothing."

Milai came close to me, held my hand in hers. "Please bring them back in one piece!"

I didn't have a reply. I'd try my best. But if push came to shove, I was ready to flee at a moment's notice. I didn't want to spend a night in that place after all. So I wholeheartedly hope that I'd replace them before dusk.

"The undead are weak to holy element but we don't have any panora water or holy objects… Please take care of yourself…" A villager said as he slid something in my pocket. "This was my family heirloom." He whispered. He was a feeble old man and I didn't question him.

I knew Milai understood that it would take more than a miracle to bring them back; and it was written all over her face too. Probably everyone knew that. Even so they clung to their faith. They trusted me, the only able bodied man and a complete amateur who didn't even know how to fight. But their faith was probably misplaced as I was utterly useless anyway.

The outside was just like I remembered. The grassy fields were nests to various things, goblins included. However, I didn't spot any hobgoblins. The horse was fast and the wind was on my side. It didn't take long to reach the forest.

I could feel the presence of dead things as chills went down my spine. The smell was here too. How could a girl that young traverse such vile lands alone? I didn't get the answer. There was a single horse tied to a fragile tree just outside the forest. "So Dune's already been here…" This wasn't good. If Dune went into the forest, then that could only have meant one thing: Sheila was in as well.

Once inside, the same feeling from that night came back. Never thought I would come here out of my own will! Only this time, I had a proper weapon and some items that would help me survive. The horse refused to enter the sacred forest and I couldn't blame it. I covered my face with a cloth and moved on. Even with it, I couldn't breathe.

The torch that the villagers gave me was very helpful. Undead were not solely made of humans corpses. There were plenty of other humanoid creatures in this world. And the undead in this forest didn't fail to impress on that.

I assumed they were from other races found in typical fantasy worlds (Quite a lot of variety I suppose). However, I didn't have to luxury to stare at them as the sunset drew nearer. As daylight still covered me, I moved quickly. I've to replace them before sunset. I hurried, but it didn't seem like I was making progress.

I had two torches. One was hidden in my back pack and the other, burning in my hand. There was no trace of the siblings. I couldn't replace either of them. While I continued my search I reached the statue of Misrael. Honestly I was glad that it was still here.

"Wanderer, why have you returned to this place?" Misrael asked. Her voice, a little concerned.

"Two of my close friends have wondered into the forest to replace out the cause of the curse that has befallen the villagers," I said and yes it was a mouthful to say. Staying in the village had changed my speech a little- or I was just too nervous.

"That curse's cause does lie within this forest. However, if you go there, you will surely regret it. Do you still wish to go?" Misrael asked in a different but compassionate tone. Something was wrong and I could feel it in the air.

I didn't have time to hesitate. So there's trouble… "Yes. Please tell me where they are."

Misrael took a minute, as if calculating everything. "Head east. Past the point, where you first came into these lands, there lies the strongest being that haunts this forest. Know that she is already beyond my control. I wish you luck. You shall need it. However, I sense a godly presence in the forest. Be wary."

A godly presence? A being beyond her control? Half of things she said didn't make sense to me. But one thing I was certain of, I had to hurry and I had to be careful. "I will. Thank you."

Misrael didn't reply. I could tell just by her tone, she meant true. With a firm resolve, I hurried. Eventually I reached the place where the decaying corpse of the first goblin I killed, should have been. But it wasn't here and the second one wasn't there either. I didn't have time to focus on these things, so I had to move on. Don't tell me they're undead now too…. I didn't want to think about the possibility, but it was definitely the case.

Finally, it was time to head into the most horrible of places. It wasn't like the rest of the forest. This part of the forest was crawling with bugs and other insects that fed on raw decaying meat. The stench was unbelievable and much more intense. But my attention was drawn by the fact that there was at least three times more undead lurking here. They saw me yet never came close. They just stared, as if they were under some kind of spell. Cold sweat flowed down from my forehead. They can see me… But there was still roughly an hour before sunset. It didn't make sense. But glaring at from outside the trees wasn't a good idea either. after all, I was practically running out of precious time.

At one point every undead started to point at one direction- as if they were commanded by something. And judging by what Misrael said, that was definitely possible.

I noticed that some undead had a beating heart despite their entire body being naught but skeletons. Just the heart. There weren't any veins or arteries. This world is messed up…

But the most messed up of things unfolded when I saw one of the two goblins I killed. They were both there, dead: even the one that had seemingly turned to ash right before my eyes. My blood went cold. These things… don't die. Even sunlight wasn't enough to kill them, it would appear.. Perhaps I really had run out of luck when I came to this world.