As the day drew to a close, we realized how recklessly time had slipped away from us. Between the bustle of the market and the thrill of new discoveries, we'd lost track of the hour.
Now, the setting sun draped the town in molten gold, streaking the sky with hues of fire and fading light.
"Ah! We were too occupied by sightseeing, we forgot to go to Rona's house!" I slapped my forehead in sudden realization. "Luckily, we managed to complete our objective already. Futon exploration!"
"Yup! I'm going to try it out when I go back," Ronald puffed up with pride, his eyes sparkling. "But now let's hurry to Rona's place!"
With renewed determination, we took off. The cobblestones blurred beneath our feet as we sprinted toward our next destination. And yet—
Something was wrong.
As we approached the outer ring of Rona's residential sector, the atmosphere changed.
Everything shifted.
A strange fog began to creep in.
It didn't roll in from a distance.
It manifested—like the air itself was shedding its skin. Tendrils of mist stretched and coiled around the trees, crawling across the ground, weaving the world into something unrecognizable.
In an instant, the town's warmth vanished, swallowed by a veil of cold damp silence.
The fog carried a weight to it—a thick, almost sentient presence, as though it wasn't just obscuring the world, but rewriting it.
I stopped in my tracks, brows furrowed. My instincts prickled like static.
"Oui… Are you sure we're at the right place, Ronald?" I held up the map, comparing the roads to the shapes barely visible through the mist. "This looks more like a haunted house than an actual house."
Ronald's knees knocked together so loudly I could hear them over the hush. His map fluttered in his hands like a captured bird. "I-I-It's r-rea-really h-h-here…"
The fog pulsed. Not with wind. With breath.
It retreated from our footsteps—then surged closer, as if sniffing us.
And I knew—I wasn't imagining it.
This mist wasn't just air and water. 'A barrier? A curse? A veil?'
We had stepped into something else entirely.
Our steps slowed. The world was reduced to silhouettes and shadows. And then—
A voice.
"Who goes there?"
Soft. Feminine. Whispered. It came not from in front of us, but from within the fog itself—like the mist had learned to speak.
We turned.
Slowly.
In perfect sync.
There was no figure.
No person.
Just sound.
A question that felt like a riddle, stitched into the air like thread through silk.
I swallowed the tension rising in my throat and took a step forward.
Courage.
Or recklessness.
Sometimes, they were the same thing.
"We are friends of Rona," I said clearly. "We've come to visit."
'Please don't eat us?'
The fog responded.
It shifted—not like air, but like an intelligent mass, folding back layer by layer. And from that newly formed corridor emerged a figure.
Not walked, not stepped—emerged. Like water forming into a shape.
The woman was unreal.
Not simply beautiful, but unearthly. Her feet touched the ground, yet her presence hovered beyond it. Her very existence felt like a hallucination molded into human form.
And yet—when she spoke, it grounded the world.
"I apologize for the eerie welcome. The fog is a protective barrier around our home."
So you know it's eerie.
The pressure lifted slightly. My breath came easier. Her voice—it calmed the nerves like hot tea on a winter morning.
"You may call me Ellaxa."
The name echoed within me. Like a whisper of something ancient. Something powerful.
Beside me, Ronald stood silent, his tension mirroring mine. A glance between us confirmed it—neither of us knew what to make of her.
"I'm Llyne, and this is my friend, Ronald. We promised to visit Rona today."
Ellaxa nodded—a motion so subtle, it could have passed as the wind shifted. "Rona has spoken fondly of you both."
Ronald and I exchanged a look.
'We've never even heard of you!'
Her form turned, floating back toward the fog. "Please, come in. She's been eagerly awaiting your arrival."
Her body faded once more into mist.
Behind me, Ronald's fingers latched onto my arm like a lifeline.
"Is it safe?" he whispered. "It doesn't sound and look safe. More than that… I was on the verge of wetting my pants…"
I snorted. Couldn't help it. That tension broke like a snapped string. "Should be fine. Rona lives here, after all."
We looked forward, brain cells syncing in real time.
'Here?'
We looked at each other—two dumb adventurers on the cusp of what could either be a trap or a reunion.
Without another word, we stepped forward.
The fog yielded. Barely. Like a veil reluctantly parting for unwanted guests.
One step.
Then another.
Then another.
And the fog parted.
A corridor unfolded ahead of us—crafted by the mist itself, guiding us inward. With every step, the world seemed to shift again.
Silence deepened.
Shadows lengthened.
And then—
Whoosh.
Something sliced through the fog, brushing past us with lethal speed. Reflex took over.
"Woah!"
We ducked. Slid back.
A second later and one of us might've had a new hole in the chest.
Ronald frantically patted his torso. "I'm fine. I'm fine." He looked over at me. "You?"
I flashed him an "OK" sign, still crouched.
Caw.
Caw.
The sound echoed like a death bell.
Above.
I followed the noise, eyes tracking upward.
"Oui... That ain't good."
There—on the rooftop of an abandoned house nestled within the forest—stood a flock of crows.
Not moving. Just… watching.
A murder of them.
All staring.
Unblinking.
Their eyes shimmered. Not red. Not gold. But deep, cosmic pools. Like they knew.
Their cries carved through the fog—sharp, cold, and ancient, like a curse remembered.
A chill ran down my spine.
I stole a glance at Ronald, half-expecting him to have fainted upright.
Instead, he was grinning.
I blinked. Rubbed my eyes. Checked again.
Yep. Still grinning like an idiot.
I smacked the back of his head. "Don't go crazy before me."
"Owie!" Ronald rubbed the spot. "What was that for?"
"You were grinning like an idiot."
"I was just dreaming everything here was sparkly and pretty. Y'know, with unicorns dancing around."
I scoffed. "If that's the case, I'd rather stick with this haunted mess."
"Anyway, you can't escape reality with fantasy."
"Awww…" Ronald pouted.
I let out a sigh.
'Reality...'
'But was this really it?'