Between Disreality - Snippet #01

The pounding on the door startled Mayven awake.

“Open up!” a gruff voice shouted from outside.

The young Revoir lady jumped out of bed and scrambled to gather her belongings, heart racing. They’d finally come for her. She should have known her days of refuge in Sulfirr were numbered. Grabbing her stuff, Mayven steadied her nerves.

But it was too late, as the door was kicked open by one of the Sulfirr Soldiers. Mayven faced them, her burnt orange eyes blazing angrily.

“I won’t go down without a fight!” she proclaimed but wasn’t prepared for how swiftly the soldiers moved. Before she could even cast a single spell to protect herself, the front soldier marched to her and slammed his metal-braced hand into her head, knocking her out instantly.

When Mayven awoke, she found herself on the forest floor, her head spinning from the blow she’d taken. Looking around, she recognized the Evergloom Forest spread outside the city walls. Desperately, she tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through her skull. Groaning, Mayven closed her eyes, gripping her throbbing head. After a moment, she tried opening her eyes again, noticing that there was no road or path back to the city in sight.

Mayven’s heart sank. The Evergloom Forest was named for its dark properties, not just because the thick branches kept out any light, but because of the creatures looming inside…

A cold chill ran down her spine, and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She could feel anxiety bubble up inside her, making it difficult to breathe. The trees seemed to close in on her, their gnarled limbs reaching out like skeletal fingers, trying to capture her.

She smelled them first. The air was heavy with the scent of decay and rot, mingled with a strange metallic tang that burned the inside of her nose. Then, out of nowhere, a low growl echoed through the forest. Deep and menacing, it sent shivers across her entire body.

Mayven had never seen Revoirâme before but didn’t plan to see it today. Sprinting off in a random direction, she silently prayed to every one of the ten different divines, hoping that one of them would save her from a twisted fate. As she ran through the darkness, branches and thorns seemed to reach out and claw at her skin. The sharp edges tore at her flesh, leaving a trail of needle-thin cuts that stung with every step. At first, they were shallow and barely noticeable, but as she ran on, the wounds deepened, and blood began to soak through her clothing.

What once felt like a papercut now became an immeasurable amount of pain. Crying out, the Revoir girl fell to the ground, barely catching herself by landing on her elbows and knees. Tears began to flow freely across her cheeks, her wine-colored hair sticking to her sweaty face. This was it. This is how she died.

Then she heard something barely audible at first—whispers that grew louder and more distinct by the second, like voices in the wind. Mayven struggled to turn her head to locate the source of the tormented mutters. In the distance, she saw a dim figure approaching her. Her eyes widen with terror as she recognizes the twig-like arms reaching out for her. Even though she had never seen such a beast before, she knew just by its appearance what it was.

Revoirâme.

Mayven tried with all her might to stand, but the pain in her torn skin made it impossible. All she could do was watch helplessly as the creature approached her menacingly. The voices that used to be mumbles at the edge of her peripheral were now noisy and demanding. With the ache and voices overwhelming her senses, she felt herself start to fade away. Her head falling back, she felt herself slip out of the realm of existence, but her eyes were glued to the Revoirâme that was almost upon her now.

Just as it was about to lift its scrawny, bony hand to grasp at her, the limb suddenly flew off with a flash of silver. She watched with confusion as the Revoirâme let out a pained, guttural sound before somebody cleanly lopped its head off, the decapitated mass falling off to Mayven’s side.

Despite the creature now lying lifeless at her feet, the shrieking voices continued to assail Mayven’s mind with such ferocity that she could no longer fight unconsciousness. As her eyelids drooped heavily, a final image burned into her vision - a tiny, radiant light glimmering amid the surrounding darkness. Then, she could sense the world's weight slipping away as she surrendered to sleep and the unknown fate awaiting her.