Author's Note: It came faster than I expected, but I'm really excited about that. School starts soon, but honestly I think that helps since a lot of my writing happens in notebooks during my classes (I mean, what? No...). Another shorter chapter, but definitely starting a turning point here. Getting a taste of another sort of spirit of Perros now... hope you enjoy! Next chapter will be a POV chapter.

- Phantom's angel

The lantern was Christine's closest companion. She clung to its swinging handle and gripped to the thin metal. She held it only so far away from her cheek to assure the light of safety blanketed her completely. Despite how brave she tried to make herself feel, she couldn't help but notice the tremor of her heart. Though the forest was no darker than the one in her dreams, she lacked the protective qualities she felt from the voice which sang to her. Christine did not call for the voice. She knew it wouldn't respond this time.

She trekked forward, looking farther ahead than at the roots and vines which grabbed at her feet. There wasn't a sound of life announcing its presence, save for the crickets whispering a warning to her.

The forest looked much different than the land within her dreams. It looked plain and uneventful; just like any other wood she had ever seen. Woods were common in her homeland and she knew the trees well near her old home. Yet here, as similar as they looked to the forests of Knivsta, they held their own strange qualities about them.

They were forbidden. As average as they were, they were not to be explored like this. With that knowledge, the forest was suddenly a quest, calling Christine now in a different fashion. They didn't beckon her, but challenged. They assumed her failure and pressed her further inside, rather than welcomed her.

An owl called to Christine as she journeyed into the foliage, calming her senses as she was assured she was no longer alone. She felt a little more brave as she spotted the eyes of an old friend staring down at her from her perch, urging Christine on. With a smile and a subtle nod, Christine continued forward, feeling a little more bold now.

She was unsure how far she had traveled, but she become weary without the promise of a resolution to her dilemma. All she wanted was any sort of guide to an answer; a brief glimmer of light to aid her.

And then she realized.

It wasn't light she needed at all.

Christine turned about the space, finding a medium sized beech tree to rest her lantern upon. She pulled her cloak around her shoulders and stepped away from the beacon, making a sign of good fortune to ward against bad omens. She walked away from the lantern, cautiously removing herself from the light until she was unable to feel the warmth of the glow.

Now the woods began to frighten Christine.

She looked back toward the lantern one last time, memorizing the branches and the curves of the beech tree, and then turned her back on them.

Ahead of her laid the most frightening of woods she had ever seen. She knew they could not posses such a power as the people of Perros claimed, but something about them as she gazed off into the dark seemed particularly unnerving.

The sounds of the night seemed to fade within her mind, creating a humming noise inside of her head as if her hearing was failing her. Christine pressed her hand to her ear, pressing against them lightly to test that they were not causing her pain. Just as her hand fell back down to her side, a dark shadow whipped past her, sending a breeze over her left shoulder.

Christine followed the motion, trying to catch its movement, but she was too late. Her eyes darted about wildly, turning her in circles around herself to find nothing more than trees and darkness. But as she paused in silence, it happened again, but this time to her right.

Surely, she was dreaming again. Real darkness could not play such tricks on her.

Again, the darkness raced past her, this time lifting her hair off of her shoulder. Christine cried out, turning around again, this time to attempt to find the tree which she had left the lantern. The light was now a distant memory to the forest, swallowed by the shadow within the trees. Trying to control her panic, Christine rested her back against another beech and took deep breaths.

The spirits cannot hurt you…

"Hello?" Christine called out.

Perhaps if she spoke to it, she could come up with the answers she was seeking.

"Can you understand me?" she asked.

The distant buzzing echoed inside of her ear again, as if it tried to speak but this was all she could be granted to hear. She allowed the noise to continue, hoping it would materialize, until it began to sound deeper.

"Hello?"

The hum grew louder now, growing in severity until Christine could no longer stand it. She crouched to the ground and threw her hands over her hears, trying to block out the horrible ringing inside of her ears. It was like the screaming of a bell, bouncing inside of her head and worsening as she tried to block it out, as if it was actually inside of her mind.

This was no ordinary spirit, if it even was one at all. Spirits could not harm people; that was what she had always been taught. But now as she was nearly on her back in pain, she went through the list of spirits that had been mentioned by Raoul which were prominent in Perros.

Korrigans; with voices of enchantment, they could be seen by their glowing red eyes.

Fantômes; the spirits of those who have passed. Was this truly the spirit of her deceased great uncle haunting her?

And then there were ghouls; soul-stealing creatures preying on children to turn them to the devil. Hardly spirits at all, but more like demos who were looking for victims.

Christine felt much like a child now as she lay on the floor, tears rolling off of her cheeks and her body becoming weaker each moment. Was a demon truly taking hold of her heart?

Her hands began shaking, then her legs, and it all spread through her body. She had no control of herself anymore as it laid across the bed of leaves and contorted violently without her consent.

A black cloud – darker than the night surrounding her – filled her mind, taking control of the one last thing she possessed.

But just before her mind completely erased her thoughts, another shadow glided over her body, with frayed tendrils that tickled her bare arms as it spread over her.

Christine tried to keep her mind for herself, but just as the second shadow confronted the first, he eyes grew hazy and she lost all consciousness of the woods surrounding her.