I was told to stay away from that forest. They always said there were foul things in there. I didn't mean for this to happen. I was just trying to save a friend. My name is Janarraine Nightbane and this is my story.
It was a could autumn day and I had just returned home from school. I called out to whoever was home so they'd know I was there. I went to the kitchen when I didn't get a reply. A note was on the table. It read:
Jan,
I went to get a few things from the market. Your father and brother are out fishing. They'll be back later.
There should be some fruit on the counter if you get hungry. I'll be back by dinner. Remember, stay away from the forest. You may be a strong warlock for your age, but you won't survive what lives there.
-Mom
I was unsurprised by this as it was a common thing. I grabbed an apple off the counter and sat by the window. It was already starting to get dark though it was barely 3:30. It always did this in the fall, that and get pretty cold at night. Nothing I couldn't handle.
After I finished my apple I washed my hands and went to look for my imp, Gelnar. I gasped as I looked out the window and saw him hopping off towards the forest. He knew we aren't allowed to go there when it's dark! I had to go and get him.
"Gelnar! Where are you! We need to go home, now!" I yelled in hopes of convincing him to come to me. All that did was cause him to cackle gleefully and hide better. Now was not the time for his hiding games, it was getting hard to see and we had to go now.
I should have just left then and let him come on his own. Imps and things like that are safe as what lurks at night doesn't really bother them. People on the other hand… Well that's a whole different story.
A sudden wave of cold suddenly swept over my whole body. I fought a strong urge to flee and kept looking. Bad idea. I walked a few feet farther before I got knocked to the ground. I grunted on impact and struggled to turn over to see what caused me to fall. Even worse idea. A rabid skeleton of sorts stood over me, drooling. The last thing I saw was that face staring at me before it all went black.
The next thing I know, I'm in a box and feel cramped. I sit up and stretch my sore joints. Looking around, I notice things are different. It didn't quite register that I was in a whole different area. It suddenly clicked when I looked down and saw that I was mostly skin and bones, literally. I gasped and stood up, looking over at the cracked mirror. All I could do was cry though no tears fell.
I turned quickly when I heard a familiar chattering, although frantic. It was Gelnar Nightbane, my loyal imp. He jumped into my arms and stared at me wide eyed. I couldn't understand what came out of his mouth, I heard what he said in my mind. "I missed you, Janar. I didn't mean for this to happen. I was just playing…"
"I see your pet found you," a voice called down from the stairs. The body it belonged to soon followed. Somebody like me, a so called Forsaken. "He wouldn't stop going on about you. How he regrets what happened. You don't see that often with imps. You take care of him well I see." The male looked at us and nodded. He held a bony hand out to me. "Let's go. We have a lot of training to do." I grabbed it and followed, unprepared to face a whole new world. This is my new life. All I have left to do is cross the wooden bridges and I'm there.
FIN