The battle had occurred nearly two months before, and events had begun to return to normal in the forest. The celebrations of victory, and ceremonies for the fallen now complete. However, some seemed to believe that Emil and the evil that consumed him had survived the battle.
One thing had not returned to normal in the village. It was not a secret how close Jaci and Detric had become, often going off into the forest for days at a time. Many surmised that there was more between the two than friendship, and some muttered amongst themselves about an elf and a human, though none said anything around Jaci and Detric. Things were not all normal in the village, the population was slowly being split, some were developing a, for the moment, hidden dislike of Detric despite his actions in the last battle, and some considered him one of their own, almost family.
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Detric looked around him, something was not quite right, he could not place what, but everything felt...wrong. The forest around him seemed dark and twisted, it seemed as if the trees themselves were fighting one another. Then, from behind him, he heard a scream. He turned, and to his horror, saw two elves fighting, and one had just gutted the other! What was going on? The first elf, seeing his opponent finished, turned and ran at Detric, as if to kill him. The Elf's eyes were blood red, as Emil's! just as the blade should have sliced his throat, Detric awoke.
“Just a dream” He thought to himself, and determined to go back to sleep, not wanting to wake Jaci over a foolish dream
It seemed that, no sooner had he closed his eyes, another dream was upon him. He was walking through the village, yet it seemed all of the eyes he met, were blood red, staring back at him in hatred. Soon the entire village had split into two groups, ready to fight one another....over him? What was going on?
Suddenly, the images of the village faded, and Detric was in a clearing, all alone, rather like when he encountered the Source, but this clearing was different, twisted, not in any way beautiful or peaceful, surrounded and filled with thorn bushes and brier patches, nettles and all other sorts of unpleasant plants. Suddenly, two blood red eyes appeared, floating before him.
“I will destroy you and all you hold dear. Your little village you call home, I will cause to tear itself apart. Your Jaci, I will destroy from within her own mind. You should not have stood against me, You know not what you have brought upon yourself. Run, now, run away, and I will let you live. Stand and fight, and you will watch all you love and hold dear rip itself apart.”
Jaci woke quickly as Detric screamed and sat up beside her, in a cold sweat and frightened out of his mind. Seeing her beside him, he began to calm a bit...but it was not a peaceful calm, Detric had gone from fearful to angry. Jaci saw war in his eyes. What had troubled him so, and now had him so angry?
He embraced her and spoke “I will not lose you, and I will not run”
What was he talking about? How would he lose her, and what was there to run from?
Detric sat back, and seeing her confusion, explained his dreams to her, and told her these were not the first, but this was the first time that evil had spoken directly to him.
“These are not mere dreams Detric, these are a warning, a message. We must speak with Anshelm!”
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They arrived at the central hall, and sought out Anshelm. They were rather surprised to see him , Aloysuis, and a black haired elf whom Detric did not recognize, in deep conversation. Anshelm, seeing them, called them over
“Detric, Jaci, come, this concerns you. Alsandair,” Anshelm turned to the third elf “Tell these two what you have told me”
Alsandair recounted how he had several dreams over the past few days, all of a division of the village,of warfare and tearing apart, and of Detric, and to some extent, Jaci, becoming a target of extreme and unexplained hatred. As he finished his account, Detric told of his dreams, including his direct encounter with evil.
Anshelm sighed, “It is as I feared, Emil has survived somehow, and knows that the Source is using you to repel him. He cannot attack you directly, but he can attack your mind and those around you. He is trying to divide the village, to drive you out, and I fear he is succeeding. The two of you are causing much gossip and discord. There is rumor you have taken oaths before the Source, that you have joined your souls, as one”
“And if we have!?” Jaci asked, eyes blazing
“Wonderful, but some mutter that this cannot be between a human and an elf, he is not one of us, an outsider”
“This outsider nearly died to save our homes and lives...This outsider who is closer to the source than many of us-” She was interrupted by a gentle touch on her shoulder
“It has begun, do you not see, evil is at work, it would have us fight amongst ourselves rather than focus on destroying it.”
Detric turned to Alsandair, “ you shall travel with us”
“what? to where?” Jaci asked
“To hunt this evil entity down, to destroy it once and for all. It is using the two of us to divide the village, if we leave, that discord is gone. But we will not run away, we will hunt, this evil shall woe the day it focused on Sylvian Forests.”
“Yes” Anshelm spoke, “Yes, Emil must be sought out and destroyed before he gains enough power to carry out his threats.”
“The Source wills it, now, we three must depart”
None present noticed a rat, eyes blood red, scurry from the shadows and out to the forest as they prepared to depart.
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