At the edge of the cliff lay several mages, some injured, some dead.
All struck down by their very own general, who now trudged mindlessly toward the river below.
Like a man possessed, he moved painfully slow. Rain ran down his bloody blade as he dragged it across the muddy ground, each step heavier than the last.
When he reached the riverbank, he stepped into the water.
Whispers rose instantly, soft and eerie, circling him like wind made of voices. They grew louder the deeper he waddled.
The river stirred. Its surface rippled in fine trembling lines, as though alive.
Fog gathered despite the rain, thick and deliberate, curling low like it was preparing for something unspeakable. Then the world went still,the rain froze mid fall, the forest stopped breathing, and silence fell so deep it pressed against the skin.
The water rose, climbing past his knees… his waist… his neck.
He didn't struggle. He didn't even blink. Then,something yanked him from below, his body disappearing into the water.
No bubbles, not even a sign of struggle, as though he had been claimed.
The river began to hum, a low vibration that shuddered through the ground. The cliff trembled, stirring the fallen mages awake.
Horrified, yet curious, a mage crawled toward the edge to see what was happening.
The instant he leaned over, something seized him too,dragging him into the darkness below. A fading scream followed before a mighty splash.
The others froze, wide-eyed and bleeding, they backed away from the cliff as fast as their battered bodies could move, gripping their swords once more, the fear of something unknown ran through them, yet they stood their ground. They watched with determination and uncertainty, as everything began to unfold before their very eyes.
The river kept rising until it spilled over the edge, black water glinting under the broken moonlight. Something moved beneath its surface—something massive, its dark scales slicing briefly through the water before slowly vanishing again.
Thunder rumbled, the whispers fell silent.
Slowly, the river calmed, sinking back to its usual depth.
The forest exhaled, the clouds rolled in to cover the moon. And for a moment, it was as if nothing had happened.
The mages looked at each other, drenched and confused as to what they had just witnessed. The grip on their sword never loosened, as though they had been in such a situation multiple times, it felt like the calm before another storm.
"What… what just happened?" one breathed.
"What about the general?" another whispered.
"Did you see that?" a third said hoarsely. "That thing in the water?"
They all fell silent. They had seen it, but none dared speak it aloud.
A sharp whistle split the air, pulling their gazes upward.
Relief filled them as they exchange glances.
At last, rescue.
The sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the rain, steady and sure.
Tonight, they thought, they might finally get a break...
***
At the other side of the cliff, where forest thicker than the shadows themselves grew, perched a bird on a particular tree.
A raven with feathers darker than the night itself. It tilted its head, those beaded eyes solely on the retreating mages.
The rustling sound of an arrow startled it and immediately it disappeared. Bursting into a flurry of ash, narrowly missing the arrow.
"Idiot! You can't even aim right" Someone cursed, undoubtedly the voice of a woman, stepping out of the thick forest and into the open space by the cliff edge.
Another person sauntered out of the forest, his head bowed as though waiting for her order.
"I hate those birds" She glared at him. A raven in unusual places could only mean one thing…someone else was watching.
They were both covered from head to toe, the huge black hat laced with gold and a veil that covered the whole head of a person.
"We have to find it tonight, there's no time" The woman turned towards her partner and nodded. In sync, they jumped into the river, arms folded and locked.
The very river they jumped into was the largest river that ran across the empire to circulate back to its starting point.
It was a huge sacred river, the core source of life in the Jibowu empire.
It didn't matter anyways, whatever it was they were finding, they were definitely late. Another force had intervened.
Far away from the cliff where the water curved and stilled like a mirror under calm serene moonlight.
A young lady stepped into the cold frozen lake, breaking the still surface as she trudged in slowly. A look of worry on her face as she desperately searched for something in the water. Her black pearl which she had lost earlier that evening while helping children in the stream.
She turned around, hissing in irritation. "Where did the black pearl go?"
She sighed. The water wasn't deep at all, it only rose an inch above her ankles.
"Where the hell is it?" she cursed, waddling deeper into the water. She paused suddenly, her eyes catching a faint glint under the moonlight.
"What is that?" She squinted, moving towards it.
Ayonna was anything but braze, but she could also be very impulsive.
Pushing back her braids as she bent slightly to inspect it, she suddenly gasped and flinched away.
There was a lifeless young girl in the water.
"A water ghost?" she whispered, horrified and ready to bolt away from there. Until her eyes caught the glinting object in the girl's hand.
"My black pearl!" Ayonna moved closer towards the girl in surprise, inspecting the black pearl further.
Her throat felt dry, but curiosity pushed her forward.
It's the one! She smiled, trying to force open the girl's hands to withdraw her pearl.
She paused again.
Is this lady really dead? She didn't care to know the answer. Seeing numerous dead bodies over the years had made village folks used to such a sight.
She shook her head without another thought and focused on retrieving her black pearl. It was the last valuable item they had, she couldn't let it go.
What she hadn't expected however was for the girl to tighten her hand. Ayo froze, disbelief written all over her face, It was rare to find a survivor with anything connected to the river.
"What! She's alive?!" She flinched away.
"I need to tell Mama!" she stood up in haste, planning to bolt towards her home before pausing again.
Wait, She needs to get out of the water.
She realized, sighing at her own foolishness.
All jittery and nervous, she grabbed the unconscious girl who had been laying barely above water level and dragged her off to shore.
" Ayo!" She heard her name before she could even properly lay the girl down.
"Mama," she immediately recognized the voice, relieved she showed up. She walked towards the voice.
"I've always told you, the river is not your friend the moment darkness settles in!" Her mother scolded, walking towards her ready to give an earful.
"I'm sorry Mama, I lost the black pearl." She shrunk in fear, scared of the consequences of her carelessness.
The black pearl was the highest amount of currency they've ever laid their hands on and her daughter had managed to lose it.
Silence filled the night for a while with both mother and daughter staring at each other, one anticipating the other's movement.
She watched her daughter's shoulders relax after a while of silence before speaking again.
"Tell me you found it back." she whispered, as though trying to keep it together.
"I did," she sighed in relief. "It's over there" She pointed towards the laying body on the sand.
Her mother froze, yet there was no sign of surprise on her face.
"Ayo what are you doing with a dead body on shore!" Her mother scolded again, walking towards the body to confirm. The smell of river rot invading her senses.
"She's not dead mother, her fingers moved" She followed towards the unconscious girl. Pointing at the black pearl in the tight grasp of her hands.
"This is a rare sight" Her mother murmured, inspecting the body like the physician she was.
The body, though a bit shriveled with a white transparent cast over her soaked brown skin, was in surprisingly good condition, except for a huge tear across her chest.
It looked deadly, something that would have definitely killed her. But for some reason she was still alive.
"I found her in the water gripping the black pearl tightly."
Her mother glanced towards the other end of the river, as though searching for a presence too vague to speak about.
"Ayo, come help me. We have a patient to attend to" she suddenly made up her mind.
Loosening her wrapper only to tie it properly again. A move that told she meant business.
She glanced back towards the other side of the river once again, her sharp eye catching the fragment of a fleeing raven bird.
Her eyes clouded with worry immediately, as though thinking of something.
"Ayo I must not see you near the river after nightfall again." She calmly warned, breathing in before effortlessly carrying the unconscious girl on her shoulders with care.
"Yes Mama" Ayonna answered, glancing at her mother as they walked side by side. The frown on the woman's face told the young girl her mother was in one of her weird moods again.
Ever since a particular incident, her mother had grown complicated, it was hard to understand her,but she couldn't have asked for anything better.
"Move to the front Ayo, I need to be able to see your spinal cords" she stated with all seriousness a mother could muster.
Ayo shook her head having heard that line countless times. She couldn't tell if it was a deliberate joke or if the woman was dead serious, either way it was something to be obeyed.
She stole a quick gaze at the unconscious girl and wondered how weird the night had gotten. She couldn't have imagined finding someone in the river who actually survived and was being brought to their house.
It was already past curfew, yet they were still outside on their way home. While casually breaking the kingdom's rule that stops locals from taking in strangers especially ones from the river. It was strange to see her mother break the rules, and tonight she was very curious despite the rising fear in her chest.
What was more bothersome was the indifference they had towards the continuous appearance of bodies in the river.
As though such a phenomenon was a common site for folks in the village, even though they still fear in secret.
The walk home wasn't really a long one, both walked into the small yet neat compound. Unaware they had been sighted by a certain nosy neighbor.
Her eyes glowed with such malice, it wasn't hard to tell her next move.
An opportunity to have them chased from the village…