A/N: finally worked up the strength to deal with ffnets formatting system and cross-post this from AO3! Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoy!
"Have you heard?"
"That haunted island… there was a guild there, once."
"...it's unnatural… like some sort of mirage…"
"They say sometimes you can still see the bones."
Death dances in her footprints.
The girl laughs, chasing her friend into the sunlight, giggling together as they tumble in the grass.
The shadow behind her, littered with bones.
̶I̶l̶l̶u̶s̶i̶o̶n̶s̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶m̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶l̶i̶g̶h̶t̶-̶
"They say there's some sort of ghost there…"
"A kid, murdered in the fighting."
"She'll ask you about her friends."
"She doesn't know she's dead."
Her hair tumbles over her shoulder as she leans back to grin at her friend, feet kicking over the edge.
Zera thinks her long hair is really pretty.
̶"̶H̶e̶y̶ ̶Z̶e̶r̶a̶,̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶h̶a̶i̶r̶'̶s̶ ̶g̶e̶t̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶l̶o̶n̶g̶!̶ ̶L̶e̶t̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶c̶u̶t̶ ̶i̶t̶!̶ ̶Y̶o̶u̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶c̶u̶t̶ ̶m̶i̶n̶e̶ ̶n̶e̶x̶t̶!̶"̶
̶B̶u̶t̶ ̶i̶l̶l̶u̶s̶i̶o̶n̶s̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶h̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶s̶c̶i̶s̶s̶o̶r̶s̶-̶
"Hey, Zera… the boat's gone now. You don't have to be scared anymore! They weren't anyone bad… hey, hey, maybe next time you can come meet them with me! Then you'll see they're not scary like the ones who came before, and we can go-!"
"Be careful… that island… sometimes you don't see anything. It's perfectly normal, but then you hear the crunch. If you look down, sometimes those bones will flicker in and out of view, like something trying to force its way through, into our world."
"Or maybe they're trying to bring you to them."
"I don't even know what I stepped on! I swear, there was nothing there but now it's bleeding! Zeraaaaaaa, help!"
"This is why you should wear shoes! The bandages are on the table, where you left them from last time, remember?"
"I don't need shoes! And come on, can't you grab them for me? Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase?"
"Ughhhh. Promise to wear shoes, and I will. Deal?"
"Hmph!"
She limps awkwardly, a trail of blood winding through the halls as she heads for the dining room.
It wavers in the light, and vanishes slowly.
"You know, a place that haunted, it's gotta be filled with treasure! We should check it out!"
"Ah, yes. I suppose I'll draft up that headstone: Here Lies Yuri. Murdered By An Angry Ghost. Before we leave, shall I?"
"Oh come on, where's your sense of adventure! Besides, it's a kid, not some powerful mage or anything. I don't think kid ghosts kill people."
"..."
"Yeah, I don't think he reads many ghost stories, Precht."
"That would imply he knows how to read at all."
"Oi!"
She feels so light, as though she could float away, leap into the air and take flight, and she can't help but laugh and laugh.
"It's amazing Zera! We haven't even seen anything but everything's so amazing! Can you feel it? That's the feeling of adventure! It's like I can do anything!"
She laughs again, stretching her arms up to the sky, trying to encompass how powerful she feels, how bright the future is as she embarks on this adventure with her new friends.
In the distance, far behind them, the island changes.
Mavis only looks forward.
̶O̶l̶d̶ ̶b̶l̶o̶o̶d̶,̶ ̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶b̶o̶n̶e̶s̶…̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶e̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶e̶s̶t̶ ̶d̶i̶s̶a̶p̶p̶e̶a̶r̶s̶.̶ ̶O̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶s̶m̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶s̶h̶o̶o̶t̶s̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶n̶e̶w̶ ̶g̶r̶o̶w̶t̶h̶ ̶r̶e̶m̶a̶i̶n̶.̶ ̶B̶e̶n̶e̶a̶t̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶m̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶i̶g̶n̶s̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶a̶ ̶f̶i̶r̶e̶.̶
̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶u̶i̶l̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶c̶r̶u̶m̶b̶l̶e̶d̶.̶ ̶
̶T̶h̶e̶r̶e̶'̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶p̶a̶t̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶r̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶u̶b̶b̶l̶e̶,̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶c̶h̶i̶l̶d̶'̶s̶ ̶g̶a̶m̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶h̶o̶p̶s̶c̶o̶t̶c̶h̶.̶
̶M̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶p̶e̶o̶p̶l̶e̶ ̶t̶r̶i̶p̶p̶e̶d̶ ̶o̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶o̶c̶k̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶s̶e̶e̶.̶
Sometimes, he still finds shards of bone. He makes a game of it, collecting the tiny fragments when he comes across them. He always knows the human from the beast.
He can almost feel her disapproval.
He couldn't say why he does it.
He can't kill anyone here, and yet there are bones.
Sometimes, it's almost amusing.
He wanders through the trees, death chasing his footsteps.
He steps into the sunlight. The forest withers.
̶I̶n̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶s̶h̶a̶d̶o̶w̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶l̶o̶w̶e̶r̶s̶ ̶b̶l̶o̶o̶m̶-̶
̶A̶n̶y̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶v̶a̶l̶u̶e̶s̶ ̶m̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶d̶i̶e̶.̶
̶O̶n̶e̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶v̶a̶l̶u̶e̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶d̶o̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶k̶n̶o̶w̶.̶
̶O̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶w̶h̶i̶c̶h̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶s̶e̶e̶ ̶c̶l̶i̶n̶g̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶l̶i̶f̶e̶.̶
He winds his way through the woods, collecting bones as he goes. Making his own paths as he explores the island.
̶I̶f̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶s̶e̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶t̶r̶a̶i̶l̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶l̶i̶v̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶g̶r̶a̶s̶s̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶e̶l̶s̶e̶ ̶a̶r̶o̶u̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶d̶e̶a̶d̶,̶ ̶l̶e̶a̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶d̶o̶w̶n̶,̶ ̶d̶o̶w̶n̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶r̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶t̶r̶e̶e̶s̶-̶
̶T̶u̶r̶n̶ ̶a̶w̶a̶y̶.̶ ̶A̶n̶d̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶r̶o̶a̶d̶.̶
"Have you heard? They say there's an island, haunted by the ghost of a girl. And everything on it is dead, and alive. Changing back and forth and back and forth."
"Any advice?"
"Careful where you put your feet. You never know what you're stepping on. Or who."