Chapter 3: A Warning Sign
The days passed in a haze for Derik as the temptation of Fantasia lingered in his mind. His chores held little interest now, and conversations with family and friends became disjointed as his thoughts wandered.
One night, Derik booted up Fantasia once more, aimlessly roaming as silver moonlight washed the swaying treetops. Yet a cloud seemed to hang over the forest, muting its former magic.
Derik came upon a stone circle where fog pooled thick among rune-carved pillars. An unearthly choir resonated there, snaking into his core with velvet menace. He staggered, world rippling, as faces took form in the mist—grim souls begging for release from some fell curse.
Their keening built to an unbearable crescendo, slamming into Derik with terror's force. He crashed to his knees with a cry, clutching his head as it threatened to split. Through teary eyes, Derik spied dark shapes closing in, leering, and reaching with granite claws.
With a gasp, Derik awoke on wet grass as dawn broke chill around him. Heart pounding, he clutched at reality, scanning for lurking nightmares. But the forest stood tranquil as ever in a rosy light.
It had only been a dream. Yet its poison clung to his thoughts, muting what had once seemed so lovely in these woodland paths. Derik rose unsteadily, instinct steering him homeward through familiar trees.
In the following nights, similar dreams assailed Derik's slumber. Twisted illusions of Fantasia's magic turned against him as the faces from the circle watched on in grins. Each time he would awake with a start, reality became more uncertain.
Derik began to fear closing his eyes, plagued by visions he could not escape. Even while waking, sinister whispers seemed to haunt his footsteps, urging him toward doom. He wrestled with deep unease, feeling his grip on faith start to fray.
One evening, as storm clouds rolled cold across the sky, Derik wandered listlessly and came upon a cloaked figure tending a fire's flames. She looked up at his approach, her hood falling back to reveal a kindly elven face and deep eyes filled with care.
"Well met, child. Come, sit with me awhile, and let warmth drive out the dark." Gratefully, Derik took a seat by the fire as Serena spoke gentle words of comfort, reminding him that even our darkest nights end beneath a new dawn. Her wisdom and compassion began to ease his troubled soul. From that night on, his path slowly brightened once more.