~ Prologue ~

'Weird fog...'

Lucy felt a chill up her spine.

She looked around, but couldn't see anything. She could only hear the ocean, but that was enough to give her a sense of direction at least.

Lucy had come to the beach to be alone, sort out some thoughts, be one with the nature, and maybe, just maybe, find herself. She had been doing this on a weekly basis for some time now. She kept begging for… something. Anything. Her life was stagnant and she couldn't figure out what to do about it. So she begged for some sort of change, to find a new purpose, to meet new people, anything that would help her find her way and a meaning in life.

Her mind wandered to lands of fantasy, worlds of video games, where groups of people went on adventures to save the world… and the plot would wait for them to be ready to go on. How convenient that would be in real life…! If only Mike had waited for her to figure herself out, for her to be ready, instead of running out on her… but life just keeps going and he got tired of waiting. Could she really blame him?

She was sitting on a large rock, contemplating her surroundings. The sea was calm, there was no wind, and a light fog was present to give a nice magical ambiance. Lucy closed her eyes, smiling, and took a few deep breaths.

'It's so peaceful…'

In her hand was a small stone she had found moments ago. It had a peculiar shape, almost like a star, but with round edges and not really symmetrical. It caught Lucy's eye due to its bright orange color, and when she took a better look, she could see various shades from light orange to red, with milky white veins making a contrast. It was so pretty and smooth…

As Lucy opened her eyes to observe the stone once more, she noticed the fog had become much denser than just a few minutes ago. And it felt strange, almost as if it was charged with electricity and… a sort of a presence?

'Ok, this is starting to get weird.'

The girl was feeling uneasy, her peace from moments ago shattered by her heart beating faster with a sense of urgency. She quickly got up, placed the stone in her pocket absentmindedly, and headed back, half guessing the way to her car.

Lucy couldn't find her car. She couldn't even find the road. What she could see, now that the fog was clearing, was the sand giving way to grass.

'Grass?! That can't be right…'

Lucy was feeling lost and surprised, but she wasn't really thinking about it, she was just looking for something that looked familiar, something that could give her a sense of direction.

And then, as the fog cleared, she saw it. Something she recognized.

But not what was she was expecting, at all.