As Dipull observed the shadowy figure from his hiding spot, his heart pounded in his chest. The symbol on the figure's hands sent shivers down his spine, igniting a sense of foreboding within him.
"..."
He had stumbled upon something sinister, something that hinted at a darkness lurking beneath the surface of their seemingly tranquil journey. Gathering his courage, Dipull remained still, straining his ears to catch any snippets of conversation. But the wind howled fiercely, drowning out most sounds, leaving only the ominous whisper of the shadowy figure, the falling snow, and the darkness. For the first time, Dipull felt fear as the shadowy figure started to fade. Dipull wanted to stop the figure but he was stuck in his spot, unable to do anything but watch as the figure slowly faded into nothing. Once the figure was gone, Dipull stepped out, his eyes shaking, his hands clenched tightly. A mixture of emotions surged through him, but Bob was waiting for him. As Dipull turned around, the wind still blew harsher than ever. He looked at the ground; his footprints were gone. Though he had come this way, he could still get lost. Dipull took his steps as the darkness made it hard to see. The moonlight shining down made it easier as the harsh winds blew, causing trees to sway, pulling and stretching their roots. Dipull, taking step by step, stopped and patted his body, feeling colder and more numb by the second. He still had hope as he took steps one by one, but his eyes grew numb too. Then he saw a light. He stopped, then began to run as the light grew closer and closer. It was still far away as his body could take no longer. He fell to his knees, his face landing in the snow. As his sight got blurry, the snow continued to fall onto his cheek. Only one thought was in his mind: Is this the end? I still wanted to know the answers to my questions.
"...."
Everything went dark as only one thing could be heard—the wind blowing harshly, the snow falling on Dipull.
"Mr. Dipull, are you awake?"
Was the last thing Dipull heard as he started to feel something. His eyes slowly opened. A gray fog was floating, the fog flowing like water. He turned his gaze, looking at every corner.
"Great, another weird dream."
As Dipull sighed, humans appeared from the fog. As they walked, Dipull looked confused as they passed through him as if he were a ghost. He turned around, shocked, and tried to follow them but couldn't. As Dipull started to walk around every corner, he discovered he was in some kind of invisible square. As he tried to think about what was happening, suddenly a burst of flames surrounded him. Feeling a burning sensation, he started to panic an—
Dipull opened his eyes, bolting upright, his eyes wide and panting. He saw he was still alive. He started to calm down as he looked at his surroundings. He was under three trees, and as the snow slowly fell from the sky, it was a crystal light blue. A fire that looked like it had started the other day was nothing more than ash now.
"Why do I keep getting these dreams?"
As Dipull glared to his side, there was Vlad, sleeping peacefully next to him. Dipull gazed forward and saw two figures in the snow among the trees, rocks, and ice spikes. The wind was no longer blowing. As the figures got closer, Dipull instantly knew who they were.
"Bob, Mr. Fool?"
Mr. Fool's lips turned up, slowly forming a bright smile as Bob gazed back at Dipull and his lips curled into a small smile. Dipull was about to say something, but Mr. Fool cut him off.
"Well then, shall we go?"
Mr. Fool said, chuckling slightly. He glanced at Bob, who turned to Dipull. Bob's mouth opened, and he said in a neutral tone:
"We still need to get to the city in time for the celebration today. We should get started, okay?"
Dipull thought: Eh? This is strange. Why is Bob not as suspicious of Mr. Fool as before? Did something happen when I almost died? Dipull had many questions in his mind, but they had to go. Dipull started to nod.
"Yeah sure, let's go."
Dipull glared at Vlad next to him and reached his hand out, patting Vlad's head to wake him up. As Vlad's big eyes opened slowly, Dipull stood up, and Vlad did the same. Mr. Fool then turned around again and started walking. His lips opened, and in a smoothly flowing tone, some words escaped his lips.
"Come on, time doesn't wait for anyone," Mr. Fool urged.
Bob turned to look at Mr. Fool and began to walk slowly behind him. Dipull and Vlad followed suit. They left the current area and entered a new one, where massive trees towered over everything nearby. As the four continued to walk, the wind returned but was now very decrepit and not as harsh. In the distance, Mr. Fool finally saw their destination.
"Now then, we are here, Mr. Bob and Mr. Dipull."
As they walked closer, it became clearer. A city appeared, with houses made of stone-like material in a variety of colors. Dipull glanced around, wondering what kind of stone could have such varied hues: red, gray, black, and brown.
"Hey Bob, what are these stone-like things?"
Bob let out a soft sigh. "Those are bricks," he said in a neutral tone.
Dipull's thoughts raced: Bricks?! So these are bricks. A smile sneaked onto Dipull's lips as he let out a soft "hehe." The four continued to walk, but some of the inhabitants avoided them, walking away as if there was danger, avoiding eye contact, and trying to ignore them. Dipull was dumbfounded by this behavior. Mr. Fool stopped and turned around, his lips opening as he spoke.
"Now then, gentlemen, you may explore this city. I may or may not come back," he said, giving a wink.
"Wait, where are you going?" Bob called out.
Mr. Fool didn't respond and just walked off without another word, leaving both Bob and Dipull dumbfounded. Now, only Vlad, Dipull, and Bob were left alone. The wind blew again, and the snow started falling a bit more. The blue sky darkened to a Persian bluish color.
"Well, I guess we can't do anything about that now," said Dipull. "Do you have anything against me asking the people how they are and other stuff? I will take that as a no."
Dipull glanced around and saw a man with a mountainous build, brown hair, and a brownish beard. The man wore a whitish sheepskin cloak and a woolen hat. Dipull reached out and tapped the man's shoulder, who then turned and asked,
"May I help you with something?"
The man looked at Dipull with curious eyes, wondering what this strange white figure wanted.
"I would like to ask, how are you?" Dipull said in a friendly tone.
The man was slightly surprised by the question but responded, "I'm as good as it can get. Do you have anything else to ask me?"
The man spoke in a neutral tone, placing his hand on his chin, interested in what might come next.
"Yeah, only one more thing. What do you do?" Dipull inquired.
The man tilted his head slightly, not expecting such a question. "I hunt."
"Okay, thanks for answering my questions. Bye." Dipull said, walking away.
The man watched Dipull walk away and then turned back to what he was doing. He pulled out a pocket watch-like device and spoke into it, "Keep the interlopers at bay. Understood?" As the sky grew darker and the air flowed, Dipull returned to Bob and asked straightforwardly,
"Okay, I'm finished asking around. Now, when does this 'special celebration' start?"
As people began to walk around, Bob glanced as the snow fell slowly. The townsfolk hung decorations and moved tables outside. The light was bright yellowish, and people were talking, eating, drinking, laughing, and dancing. As Dipull and Bob approached, it seemed like no one noticed them.
"This is…so good looking!" Dipull exclaimed, his eyes glancing at everything in its beauty.
He walked to one of the tables, an opulent display of dark reds and gold, reminiscent of a regal banquet. The tablecloth was a baroque upholstery fabric with a rich floral and stripe pattern. The central candelabra was gold with vine leaves.
"Oh wow!" he exclaimed.
As he looked at the other tables, he saw exotic fruits—or meats disguised as fruits—in vintage colorful carnival glass pedestal dishes. Dipull was just loving it here.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Dipull gazed at Bob, his lips parting as he spoke. "Bob, I wanted to ask what happened when I almost died in the snow?"
Bob replied simply, "Mr. Fool saved you. I didn't believe it myself, but I somehow trust him more now. Despite his erratic behavior, I think he's not as bad as he looks."
Dipull's mouth slowly opened, ready to say something, but the sound of clinking glass interrupted him. The host's voice, gentle and smooth, captured everyone's attention.
"Greetings to you two."
Everyone turned their gaze to Dipull and Bob. Dipull looked around, pointing at himself in confusion.
"Me?" he asked, bewildered by the sudden attention. He thought, This situation is strange.
"Yes, you, sir," the host affirmed.
The air thickened, and everyone stopped what they were doing, their gazes growing sharper.
"Uhh… I think I will just go," Dipull stammered before dashing away, leaving Bob behind. Bob panicked, uncertain whether to follow Dipull or stay put. His body froze, paralyzed under the intense stares of the crowd.
Dipull stopped and looked back, relieved to see no one following him. He sighed and turned his gaze forward, walking until he noticed a light glowing behind a door.
"Huh... why is there a glow?"
Dipull tried to open the door but found it locked. He raised his foot and kicked it open with a creak. He peered inside, seeing a red carpet, stone walls, and stairs leading up to a pedestal. Atop the pedestal was a bluish-red stone with gray fog swirling inside it. Dipull felt an inexplicable pull towards the stone. His gaze focused as he reached out and touched it.
*Crack crack* The stone shattered into a thousand pieces. Dipull quickly shielded himself, then looked back at the pedestal, where the gray fog surrounded him before disappearing.
"What just happened—"
*Wossh* Dipull turned to see a figure he couldn't identify, wielding something that looked like a weapon, swinging it towards him. *Bang!*