The ghastly sound of the creature's entanglement with the lad was akin to the most dreadful symphony of nature's darkest moments. It was a noise that would make even the most stoic of gourmands retch in horror.
Arteus, with a visage as grim as the spectacle before him, drew forth from the depths of his cloak a dagger, its gleam hinting at the fiery determination within his soul. His eyes searched the shadowy expanse of the forest, seeking the source of the unearthly voice that had pierced the silence.
"Mage!" He called out, his tone severe, unyielding to the unknown force that lurked amidst the ancient trees.
From the forest's embrace emerged a visage that could only be described as otherworldly. A fiery red mane crowned a face that bore the emerald eyes of a creature not of this realm. Her attire was primitive, yet she moved with a grace that belied her attire, as though she were a being of a long-forgotten era, an enigma in the throes of a relentless winter.
"Am I the author of this foul sorcery?" The girl's voice was melodious, as sweet as the nectar of a thousand flowers, yet it bore the weight of an impending storm.
"Indeed, I am," she replied without a trace of fear, her eyes never leaving the anguished boy whose breaths grew shallower with each passing instant.
With a suddenness that startled even the hardened warrior, she placed her bare foot upon the lad's visage. The boy beneath her let out a shriek that seemed to resonate with the very fabric of the forest itself, and the crimson tide of life began to surge forth from his crushed limbs.
"What witchcraft is this?" Arteus demanded, his voice filled with the urgency of a man witnessing the unthinkable.
Yet she offered no reply, her focus unwavering on the youth whose suffering seemed to diminish with every drop of the lifeblood that stained the earth beneath him. The crimson torrent grew, until it was as though the very earth had opened to claim him.
"...Do you always speak so much to those with whom you are newly acquainted?" The girl murmured to herself, her gaze still locked upon her grisly task.
The boy's cries ceased abruptly, and Arteus stared in disbelief as the girl's foot lifted to reveal limbs that were once more whole, though they remained a canvas for the crimson masterpiece of agony.
"What sorcery is this?" He whispered, his voice trembling with the weight of the unseen.
Before he could find his tongue to question further, the other figures around them stirred to life, their arms unfurling from their bodies as though they had been but slumbering appendages. With movements that seemed uncoordinated, yet eerily synchronized, they approached the girl, bowing their heads in silent reverence.
The girl's demeanor shifted, and she regarded Arteus with an authority that seemed to demand his very soul. "Who are you, and by what right do you trespass upon my lands?"
The procession of humans retreated as swiftly and silently as they had arrived, leaving only the echoes of their retreating footsteps. The peculiarity of this encounter was not lost on Arteus. In the face of the world's imminent demise, he had stumbled upon a scene that defied all he knew.
"Hey!" The girl called out to him, her voice now light and playful, as though she sought to ease the tension that had coiled around them like a serpent. "You're ignoring me!"
"I... I apologize," Arteus stuttered, his mind still racing with the sights he had witnessed. "I am but a traveler, a seeker of truth in these dark times."
"Well, you've certainly found your way into something," she said, her eyes twinkling with a mirth that seemed out of place amidst the horror. "But that's enough chit-chat."
A distant cry pierced the quietude of the glade, and Arteus recognized the voices of his comrades, Castrol and Martin. They had heard the banshee's shriek, and their calls grew more frantic with each passing moment.
The girl's gaze shifted to the creature that had looked like a creature of the night but now metamorphosised back to the dual colors of the fleur deer. "Just like the others," she murmured to herself, her eyes narrowing as she approached it.
"I am Ava," she announced, turning to face Arteus and extending her hand, as pale and delicate as the first light of dawn.
"Ava..." Arteus repeated, still struggling to comprehend the girl's proclamation.
"Goddess of Sovereign," she elaborated, her voice now a soft, yet commanding whisper. "And this forest is my domain."
The revelation struck him like a bolt from the heavens. Gods and goddesses were the stuff of legend, not beings one stumbled upon in a moonlit clearing.
The calls grew more urgent, and the girl's expression grew solemn. "Your people," she said, her eyes searching his. "They will find refuge in Sovereign."
With that, she beckoned him to follow, her movements as fluid as the very shadows that danced at the edge of the clearing. The pull of her beauty and power was irresistible, and Arteus found himself drawn to her side, his heart pounding in his chest.
Goddess of Sovereign, Ava.
Just who are you really??
-To Be Continued-