"Look at it, it's so beautiful. Don't you wish it could keep going forever?"
"Yeah…that'd be nice, like a never-ending dance of the stones." they laughed cheerfully.
"Damn it Ronan, where are you– stupid tree!" A girl with hair of fire yelled, swearing with much gusto as she hacked her way into the dense woodland, her blade slicing through trees as if they were butter.
Behind her, another nervous teenager trailed after, clutching a flimsy lantern in one hand, a purple staff in the other.
"Elesis, swearing at plants isn't going to do anything." The magician Arme said, anxiously looking about for any signs of danger. The light from the lantern flickered, creating huge dancing shadows that seemed to mock the pair.
It was a moonless night with hardly any stars, which were no reliable source of light. A hazy mist had also settled on the woods, hindering their vision.
"Are you sure this is where he went?" Arme mumbled, adjusting her grip on the lamp.
"Pretty sure…the idiot said that he was going into the forest, and this is the only stupid forest around."
"Why here, of all places? This place gives me the chills."
"And I so want to be in a foggy forest on a cloudy night, right? Yup, I'm just having the time of my life."
"Sarcasm doesn't become you, Elesis. So let's shut up and look for your boyfriend." Arme smirked at having struck a chord, as Elesis blushed, face matching hair. She'd gladly give a few blows to wipe off that damn smirk off the mage's face, except for the surroundings and that she carried their source of light. She was free, for now.
"Shut up. Ronan is not my boyfriend." Elesis grumbled, taking out her ire on the poor trees, chopping them out of her way.
In the woods was a wide pond. Untainted by human pollution, it was crystal clear as it could be as it gurgled over the rocks. Alongside it was a boy, no older than fifteen, skipping stones. He was absolutely engrossed in this activity, he didn't notice that he was being watched by another person, a pretty girl some distance away.
"H…hi…" The girl shyly approached him sitting by a winding pond, her hair covering half her face. He turned.
"Oh, hi there! Do you want to sit beside me?" He patted the space next to him, and the girl complied. For a while, she watched the boy toss stones into the pool, making them jump on the watery plane before it went under.
She counted how many times it touched the surface before it sank. Plink, plink, plink, plink, plink. Five. It was fascinating to watch.
"So…what are you doing?" She asked timidly.
"Nothing, just throwing pebbles." He grinned. "The pond is so beautiful. It's so clear, I can see the ripples."
"Me too…can I throw one?" Without waiting for an answer, she picked up a stone and tossed it into the waters. Plink, plink, plink. Three skips.
The boy grinned. "You're a natural. Say, what's your name?"
The girl blushed; compliments didn't come her way too often. "My name is…"
The fog suddenly seemed to thicken, and the lantern wasn't helping.
A shudder ran through the mage, her eyes widened in fright. "I really, really, don't like places like this." she whimpered.
"Don't be scared, we're warriors, remember?" Elesis nudged her friend reassuringly.
"Aieee! There's a ghost there!" Arme yelled.
"Where? Where? Where?" Elesis yelled frantically, frantically swinging her sword, chopping some more trees. She looked at Arme and she was floundering on the ground…laughing her eyes out at her little prank.
Irritated, the redhead growled, "Let's just find that idiot Ronan and get the hell outta here." as she grabbed the mage by the scruff of the neck and dragged her along. She didn't like how the tree branches poked ominously through the fog, as if they were trying to grab them.
"Hey…what's that?" Through the mist, Elesis could see something. It was an upright straight, object…it didn't seem to be moving…As the two advanced closer, her eyes widened in recognition; she'd identify that thing anywhere. She sprinted towards it (still dragging Arme by the collar), and yanked it out of the earth. Her body seemed to freeze as she held it.
It was a sword, finely crafted.
Specifically, it was Ronan's Spell Sword.
It looked perfectly fine, except there was a huge, jagged crack running from the hilt, across the blade, stopping just short of the tip. Not to mention the blood that caked the edges.
"No…" Arme saw it too, and pulling her collar out of Elesis's grip, she ran her fingers across the broken surface. The blood had a faded red shade, but when Arme lifted her hand, it was slightly wet, the skin tinged with the blood. Elesis was speechless.
"The blood…it's still damp. That means, he–" Arme began.
"NO!" In a twist of fury and panic, Elesis hurled the banged-up weapon away.
"He's not dead! He can't be!" She ran off, shouting, "Ronan! Get out here now!" not caring who, or what, heard her.
"Elesis! Come back!" Knowing that yelling was pointless, the mage chased after her.
Plink, plink. Plink. Sploosh.
"Argh! I can't make it skip more than three times!" the girl wailed.
"Here, let me." He took a stone and threw it gently across.
Plink, plink, plink, plink.
The ripples shuddered, creating a stunning effect on the water, which died away almost instantly.
The girl looked in a mix of admiration and annoyance. "How do you do that?"
He grinned, and ruffled her hair. "Don't worry about it, you'll get it in time. See, you just have to hold it like this…and you need the right stone. Like this one, see?" He picked up a smooth, round stone, slightly smaller than his palm.
"I see…wouldn't it be great if a stone can dance on the water forever? So it would keep making those pretty patterns?" said the girl, as she stared thoughtfully at the pond.
He scratched his head, puzzled. "What do you mean? You mean the stone would never sink?"
"Yeah, like…the stone would skip on and on, making those circle thingies. That would be pretty." She smiled. "Really pretty."
"Elesis! Wait! Stop! I–" The mage tripped and fell. "Elesis!" She still had her staff, thank the gods, but her lamp…? It had been extinguished due to the impact. Great. By now, the last of the stars were completely swallowed up by the dark clouds. Arme was now stranded in the creepy forest with no Elesis, no light, and no sight.
Heart racing like mad, Arme could see a thick branch in front of her. Swallowing hard, she broke it off, and put it in front of her staff. Aiming carefully, she yelled, "Fire Bolt!"
A small ball of fire erupted from her staff and latched onto the wood, but it quickly burnt out. She tried again, "Fire Bolt! Bolt! Bolt! Bolt!", but it was pointless, as it kept burning out.
Thoroughly annoyed, she tried a different tactic; she positioned the stick a few metres up and some distance away, and screamed "FIRE STORM!" as she slammed both her hands down onto the earth.
Three deadly columns of lethal inferno blasted out of the ground, and for that moment, everything was light and Arme could see everything. Well, everything that wasn't covered too much by the fog. There were trees everywhere, and rocks. Lots of rocks. They were scattered everywhere, some bigger than her fist.
She blinked, and the light faded. The Fire Storm was gone. Instead, there was a wooden torch crackling steadily. Sighing in relief, she got it and continued on.
Once in a while, she softly called out, "Elesis? Ronan?", not really expecting an answer.
"Elesis (Elesis, Elesis)" a voice hissed back. There was a flash of scarlet, then it died away. There was a dreadful silence, even the whisperings of the woods had ceased now.
A shudder ran up the poor magician's spine. That certainly didn't sound like a normal echo. She continued on.
"Ronan (Ronan, Ronan)" the voice hissed again. Was that a tinge of blue she saw in the distance? Or was it her mind, feverish with terror, playing delirious tricks on her tired eyes?
The voices stopped, and Arme strained her ears. There was a new sound, and it sounded natural. Plink, plink, plink. She almost laughed with relief. It was a spring! Caught up in her fear, she had forgotten how thirsty she was. Her throat felt so dry.
Through the fog, she could see the outline of the beautiful spring, gurgling with fresh water. Her throat burned desperately; it was so tempting, surely one drink wouldn't hurt. She broke into a sprint, her resolve made; after her thirst was satiated, she would look for her friends. Plink, plink, plink. The sound was like beautiful music to her ears.
Gasping, she staggered towards the spring, planting her torch firmly in the ground. Just as she reached out to take a drink, she stopped and frowned. It did not rain, and this pool wasn't connected to a river or other body of water. So where did that plink-plink sound come from? She looked straight ahead...and stumbled back in alarm. Her heartbeat began to pick up again.
A stone, a sapphire judging from its colour, was skipping across the glimmering surface in a series of complicated patterns. It would go around in circles, then go in a zigzag fashion, and leap here and there. A trail of ripples followed it, creating an intricate design not even Amy could replicate in her dance moves.
But wasn't someone supposed to throw the rock? This one was moving on its own. Plink. It did a flip in the air. Plink. Another spin. Now it was skipping in a circle, the ripple effect resembling an eight-petal flower. Plink, plink, plink.
"N-no..." Her thirst suddenly gone, she reached out for her torch. Elesis and Ronan were out there, and they needed her. She didn't have time for a dancing blue stone. Her friends were waiting for her...
"Well well well well well. Who is this?" A calm, deep voice rumbled from behind. Arme whipped around, but she could see nothing. However, her ears told her that the source of the voice was not far away. Her heart beat faster.
"Now, don't be so rude. Look at the poor thing, she's frightened." Another voice chimed in. This one sounded lighter, friendlier. The purple-haired girl picked up her torch and held her staff at the ready.
"Who's there? Show yourself!" As soon as the words fell out of her mouth, she felt like kicking herself. What a stupid thing to say, she grumbled, as if they will just show themselves. Only the dumbest heroes would ever say that.
Surprisingly, the fog began to drift away, disclosing two humanoid silhouettes. Seeing them, Arme felt a sense of dread; she was not prepared to meet these whoever-these-people-were. At any rate, they weren't Elesis or Ronan.
"Who's there?" she reiterated fearfully.
The mist cleared, revealing two...people. Yes, they looked just like ordinary humans. Except they each wore long cloaks, with their hoods down, so it was hard to get a glimpse of their face. Were they Grim Reapers, out to drag her to Hell?
Arme's grip on her weapons remained firm. "Who are you?"
"Hello, Arme Windil, Respected Diplomat of the Violet Mage Guild. Calm down, we're not going to harm you. And your friends are perfectly safe." The shorter figure answered in her soothing, plausible voice. She sounded so nice, so calm.
"Yeah..." The mage responded cautiously..."Wait, how do you know about me and my friends?" she snapped harshly, backtracking a few steps.
"Why, they've told us about you." said the bigger person said, sounding genuinely surprised at the severity in her tone. He sounded nice, just like the girl.
"Oh, um...right." she stammered, abashed. "So where are they? Are they all right? What–"
"We'll take you to them. They are completely fine, okay?" As she watched, both of them lifted their hoods, revealing their full faces. Both had bright, thick hair that shone in the faint moonlight (they boy's hair perhaps a bit more muted than the girl's) and they were smiling cheerfully as if they had received a wonderful surprise.
"O-okay." Arme said. They seemed nice enough; perhaps it was best to follow them. "Where do we go?"
"We're already here." She pointed toward the pool.
"Oh." Arme gulped; she had totally forgotten about the crazy blue stone. Looking at it, the little thing was still leaping about like crazy. "Don't you see that–"
"Oh, don't worry about that." The girl chuckled, "It's not finished yet."
"Huh?"
"Yes, isn't it beautiful? See the beautiful designs it's making? Only it has to keep making them, since they fade away so fast..." Her voice sounded wistful. Then she brightened. "But it looks so pretty! See?"
"Y-yeah, I guess. But–"
"It looks so lonely by itself, doesn't it? I think it needs a friend...to dance with..." The boy murmured, taking out a stone out of his pocket. It was a brilliant shade of crimson, sparkling fiercely against the night.
Upon seeing it, the girl's eyes widened in delight. "Let me throw it!" she cried, making a swipe for it.
"Nah-ah-ah. You did it last time, remember?" He responded teasingly as he poked her head.
"Aww...fine." she pretended to pout, poking him back. "But it's my turn next."
"Wait, what?" Arme interrupted, confused.
"Just watch." The boy threw the stone. A spark flashed from it, like a cry of distress. Plink, plink, plink. It looked a bit unstable as it leaped, but slowly, it began to revolve and twist. Plink. Pirouette. Plink. It was now dancing with the other blue stone, circling each other in a midst of leaps and twirls.
It'd have been mesmerizing…if it weren't so disturbing.
The girl clapped her hands in joy. "We should get more." She said, looking at the boy, then Arme hopefully.
"I know." He sighed. "But there aren't enough…well…"
Arme was now staring intently at the stones. They were so smooth, so shiny…she looked at the red stone, and she could see a face reflected upon it…but the reflection had wild eyes, and was trying to say something. She blanched; that wasn't her face mirrored on that stone.
It was Elesis.
But was it Elesis? Or was her poor mind starting to snap from the stress? "Elesis?"
Arme turned, and the boy and girl were still there, laughing and talking. They were about five inches away from her, looking at her and smiling every now and then. Too close for comfort. And their smiles were starting to creep her out.
"My friends…what did you do to them?" Her confused fury was a bit marred by her fear. It was impossible….they couldn't.
They stopped talking to look at her. "They're perfectly safe." The girl grinned, "And they always will be." They eyed the stones. Her smile was no longer warming, but looked like that of a madman.
"Do you want to stay with us for a bit? We'll teach you how to dance." They boy said, offering his hand. Their smiles were too bright, too wide…not human…
"I'm sorry." It took all of her strength not to tremble. To show her fear would seal her doom. "But I have to go now."
"Is that so? How disappointing…" Their beaming smiles were replaced by disappointed frowns. The girl said to the boy, "Ryan, should we let her go? But she's so pretty."
Ryan laughed quietly, pecking her on the cheek. "Of course not. It takes many to create something beautiful." He looked at Arme with a leering grin that seemed to grow wider. "We need more than just two…and you would make a great addition…"
"N-no. I really have to go back home…" Arme faltered, as the couple's smiles had completely vanished, replaced with chilly glares. A cold wind had picked up, etching goosebumps onto her skin.
"You cannot leave." The girl said calmly, albeit with an edge. The wind that barely brushed Arme's bangs had turned the other girl's hair into fine streamers, and as her hair blew, Arme got a glimpse at her full face with her torch. She had green eyes with flecks of gold in them, and her hair revealed something else: a pair of ears, too pointy and long for a human's. She stepped closer. "You will stay. This will be your home."
"Now Lire, shouldn't we try to be nicer to our guest?" The boy, Ryan, lightly chided his companion, though his eyes remained fixated on Arme, his expression frigid. His billowing hair also exposed a set of long, pointy ears.
"After all, if she's going to remain here; we should make her feel welcome." Eyes darting about, Arme saw a dark object materialize in his hands, something big and weighty. "But we should get ready, shouldn't we? Remember the last one…?" Arme's eyes widened; that 'something' was a lethal-looking battle axe, the blade flashing in the light.
Run. RUN! Her legs, which seemed to have been solidly planted to the ground a moment before, broke into a desperate sprint as she madly tore through the trees. Her torch had gone out, hurled aside in her attempt for freedom. Blindly she ran, occasionally launching a Fire Bolt that was easily parried.
Come on…Just a little more….Her legs protested in pain, but she had to–
Thunk.
Pain seared through her right shoulder as a sharp, thin object lodged into her body. She could feel something warm spreading, soaking her clothes, but she did not stop moving. She would heal her injuries later, they were gaining on her.
Thwack. Thwack. Thunk. She dodged the first two out of instinct, but the third stabbed into her leg, breaking her run as she staggered, then collapsed, her legs unable to support her. She turned and yanked the projectile from her bleeding leg, revealing an arrow, the pointed tip soaked in scarlet; her blood.
And there they were…ambling casually, as if they were taking a stroll. The girl, Lire, had a bow, and was notching another arrow.
"Don't you want to see your friends? They're right here…you wanted to see them, right?" she said innocently, taking aim.
"We'll take you to them, Arme…" He added, brandishing his axe. "All of you will be happy together…"
"G-get away from me!" Arme cried out, reaching for her staff, which had rolled away from her when she fell. Thunk. Another arrow slashed through her arm, effectively rendering it immobile, and Arme helpless. She could only watch as blood pooled around her, staining the ground, sapping her life.
"Please…no…why?" she begged, her voice growing weaker despite her struggles. She couldn't even force herself to crawl, as she lay in agony. She desperately tried to squirm away as the two came closer and closer, even though she knew it was futile.
"Oh Arme." Ryan said nonchalantly, as if he were talking about the weather as he swung his weapon up. "We did try to be nice. Shame it had to turn out this way, isn't it?"
She shut her eyes tight as the blade slashed downwards.
"Do we really have to be out here?" she complained. She was silenced when she saw him glowering at her. "Sorry, I thought it'd be better if we looked for them in the morning! You can barely see anything now!"
"He's worried, Amy." The other boy said, wrapping an arm around her. "I'd be the same if I lost you." Amy blushed, hugging her boyfriend.
Not really in the mood for a romantic scene, Lass went ahead. First Ronan had disappeared, now Elesis and Arme were gone as well. What were they doing out here in this godforsaken place at a time like this? "Arme?" he tentatively called out.
"Arme (Arme, Arme)" an unearthly voice crooned back, mocking him. The trio froze mid-step.
"What was that?" Amy trembled, clutching tighter to Jin. Her eyes were wide with fright.
"That…was just Lass's voice, echoing back. There must a relatively even surface for it to echo like that." Jin said evenly, though one could see his hands had curled into fists.
"Yeah, it must have been him." Amy giggled nervously, neither stating the fact that it was unlikely that such a dense forest would have a surface for an echo.
Shaking his head, Lass went in further, worry for his friends rising with every step. Soon, Jin and Amy were huffing and panting while trying to catch up to the thief. "Lass, wait up!" The fighter yelled breathlessly as he grabbed his friend's shoulder.
"What? Let go, there's not much time." Lass would have jerked it away had Jin's grip not been so firm.
"Don't you hear that…?" Amy said warily. All three strained their ears
Plink. Plink. Plink.
"It sounds like…water. A stream?" Plink, plink. Plink. Plink, plink, plink. Plinkplinkplinkplinkpli–
"You think that has to do something with Arme?" Lass grumbled, rolling his eyes; the sound was becoming annoying.
"I know it has something to do with Arme." Amy said quietly.
"How do you know? Oh, right, you're the oracle of Silver Land."
"No, well, that too…and that." She pointed to a discarded object some distance away from their initial path that lay among a couple of arrows…
She sighed, her face shining with contentment as she rested her head against the boy's shoulders. "See how one stone can make such a difference! Their dance is becoming better than before."
Plink, plink, plink. Plink. Plink. k…
"Don't slack now, little Arme." He laughed as he wagged his finger at their newest addition. "We didn't go through all that trouble for nothing, did we?"
It was a remarkable sight; a stone the colour of fire and another the colour of the sea were dancing in step, skipping and lunging at each other, like a great chasing dance. Their newest playmate, a vibrant shade of amethyst, would join them, but mostly it just hopped about awkwardly, looking confused and forlorn.
To Lire, he said, "It's so lonely."
Lire's ears twitched and a sinister grin crept onto her face. "I know. And I think we've found our solution."
Ryan intently listened. Some distance away, there were faint but distinct voices.
"Lass! Stop!" A girl's voice, high-pitched, called out frantically.
"You guys wait here in case they come back! Something's happened to Arme!" A male voice shouted in response.
Silence.
"Should we go after him? He'll get hurt." The high-pitched girl said anxiously to someone else.
"Oh, don't worry, he will be perfectly safe, we will see to that." Lire murmured, her eyes gleaming. "Won't we, Ryan?"
"Is that even a question?" He turned back to the pool. "Don't worry guys, it's about to get real fun." He picked up his axe as Lire slung her quiver over her back, loading an arrow.
"We're getting so many gifts today." They giggled before dissolving into the forest.
Hello, visitor. Friend, stranger, or enemy, all are welcomed here. Not much people come often.
Don't mind the fog, it won't harm you. It's just there to warn– I mean, it rarely clears up.
There are lots of plants, aren't there? Yup, it seems like there's no place to sit or relax, it's just trees and bushes all through.
Have no fear, visitor. Up over there, beyond those clumps of leaves, is a small clearing with a beautiful spring. It is quite a sight, I assure you. Yes, there are lots of pebbles, but they are just pebbles.
Is the clearing empty? Good. Then we can go in. But mind your step, there are lots of objects lying around here, and you wouldn't want to get hurt.
…No, that is not a bloody dagger on the tree, and that is most certainly not a splintered hula-hoop with circle things on it. Perhaps it's the fog playing devious tricks on your brain. Do continue.
Finally, we're here. It's clear enough to see the moon. Isn't it lovely?
Plink, plink, plink. Please relax, why do you look so startled? Do you honestly think a bunch of rocks will kill you?
Now if you've calmed down, take a good look. See the stones? There are fifteen, yet each one has its own separate colour, and they are so clear, so smooth that you can see your own reflection in them. Like jewels.
Look at them dance! It's like skipping stones, but no one's skipping them. Haha! The ripple effect is breathtaking. See how each travels differently, yet all their movements are in sync? Nothing can and will ever replicate the elegance, the grace of this dance.
Oh look, now they're chasing each other. Yes, they never get tired of it. Of course, this is where they make the most splashes, but it's nice all the same. The way they skip after each other with such ferocity, it is very grand.
They are returning. The best of luck to you, traveller. No, no, there is nothing to fear, why do you tremble? Judging from your appearance and the remarkable power you display with that fan of yours, I guarantee that they will make you part of the team. There is plenty of room to join the Grand Chase, the Eternal Dance.
Hear that? The sound is quite captivating…
Plink, plink, plink.
Plink, plink, plink.
"Hello Rin, Phoenix of the Total Eclipse. Ryan, you want the honours?"
Plink, plink, plink.
"Of course. Don't move, it might get ugly."
Plink, plink, plink.
Plink…
Originally intended to be a horror fic, I got carried away and couldn't help adding extra little parts. Horror was never my strong point anyway, so yes, I know that it isn't scary at all. But all the same, I thank you for reading.
Would you like a cup of tea?