Lost in Everglen
Aelric Dawnvale – The Beginning of a Nightmare
We were supposed to leave. That was the plan.
I stood at the outskirts of Everglen Forest, feeling the weight of my spellbook at my side, waiting for the others to arrive. The academy was just a few days' travel away, and excitement buzzed in my veins. Finally, a place where we wouldn't just be children anymore—where we could prove ourselves.
One by one, my friends arrived. Sylphie, ever graceful, adjusted the string of her bow as she joined me. Orin, the loud dwarf, carried his enchanted hammer on his back. Kael, lurking in the shadows, grumbled about how careless we were for meeting out in the open. And Lyria, her soft presence like a calming breeze, smiled at us all.
We were just about to leave when we heard it.
A rustling in the bushes.
We exchanged glances. Something was watching us.
"Maybe a rabbit," Orin muttered, but his hand instinctively moved to the runes on his belt.
Then the growls began.
And everything fell apart.
Sylphie Vaelthorn – A Predator's Stare
The goblins came fast—too fast.
My heart pounded as I saw them emerging from the shadows, their yellow eyes gleaming with hunger. Filthy creatures, short but fast, their crude weapons stained with blood. But that wasn't what worried me.
It was the hobgoblin standing behind them, its red skin pulsing with raw strength.
"Since when do they work together?" I breathed, gripping my bow.
"Does it matter?!" Aelric shouted. "They're coming straight for us!"
I barely had time to notch an arrow before chaos erupted.
The first goblin lunged. I released my arrow, and it pierced straight through its skull. The creature gurgled before crumpling to the ground. But there were too many—far too many.
"Run!" Kael snarled.
My feet moved before my mind could catch up.
The others bolted, and I followed, weaving through the trees as more goblins poured out from behind the thick undergrowth. I loosed another arrow, hitting one in the leg, but more replaced it.
This wasn't normal. Goblins didn't hunt in coordinated groups. Something was wrong.
But I had no time to dwell on it. We had to escape.
Kael Blackthorn – The Hunt Begins
Panic was the enemy. If I let fear take hold, I was dead.
But even I was shaken.
My boots pounded against the forest floor as I twisted through the dense foliage, my daggers slick with goblin blood. My instincts screamed danger, danger, danger—but we had nowhere to go.
"Keep moving!" I barked, slashing at a goblin that got too close. The others were struggling. Aelric could barely breathe, his mana running low. Lyria's hands trembled, trying to conjure healing magic. Sylphie was firing arrows, but she was running out. Orin stayed at the back, swinging his hammer to knock goblins away, but even he was tiring.
And the hobgoblin was still coming.
We weren't winning.
We weren't even fighting anymore—just running.
"Left!" I shouted, spotting a small incline. We scrambled up, but the goblins were still behind us.
"This isn't working!" Aelric growled. "We're still being chased—!"
Then his foot caught on a root.
He fell.
"Aelric!" Lyria screamed.
I turned just in time to see a goblin lunging at him, rusted blade raised—
I moved before I could think.
The blade scraped against my shoulder as I shoved the goblin off him, my dagger sinking into its throat. It choked, then went limp.
"Get up," I hissed, grabbing Aelric by the collar.
"We're lost," he panted.
I knew. But I didn't have time to care.
Orin Stonegrip – The Breaking Point
I was tired.
My arms burned as I swung my hammer, crushing another goblin's skull. The smell of blood filled my nose, and I could hear the heavy stomping of the hobgoblin behind us.
I could fight. I knew that. But even I had limits.
"We gotta—find a way—out of here!" I grunted, knocking another goblin into a tree.
"There is no way out," Kael growled.
But then—
The forest changed.
One moment, we were running through the thick undergrowth, the next—we were somewhere else.
The trees seemed taller, the air felt heavier, and the sound of our pursuers disappeared.
"What just happened?" Sylphie whispered, panting.
I turned.
The goblins and the hobgoblin—gone.
Not defeated. Just… gone.
Like they had never existed.
We were standing in an unknown part of the forest, one that shouldn't exist.
And ahead of us—
"Is that a—" Lyria gasped.
A castle loomed in the distance, unlike anything I had ever seen.
Waterfalls cascaded from its towers, glowing runes hummed in the air, and strange gears turned slowly along its golden architecture.
It was beautiful.
And completely wrong.
Because this place… shouldn't exist.
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
"What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?" I whispered.
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