On Where the Lantern Shines

Act 1: Retribution

Prologue
First ghost encounter.

In a small town like Eudaemonia, things can happen very rarely. Most things are kept within certain bounds: You know your limits, or you don't come into contact with them. Things happen when you go outside your limits, not because you do it on purpose. It doesn't have much to do with what people think; most people just tend to keep their heads down in a place where everything is done with a minimum of words and acts. That means no gossip, nothing shady going on. No one's life gets messed up without a reason. If someone goes a little too far, everyone knows who did it, and they find out exactly how far they could be thrown. They get kicked out and never see the light of day ever again. Everyone understands that. But if someone goes a little too far, they end up hurting other people who might try to help them.
It's something Mal had learned quite early on. You can't really trust anyone here in this little town.
Even though they may all seem nice enough on the surface, there are some people in the world who aren't worth the trouble, and those people are the ones who will hurt you, and hurt others around you. Some of them may act friendly, but they're always hiding their true self. There's no point in trying to make friends with those people because they'll always stab you in the back. They might be kinder than you'd think, but there's a difference between kindness and being a cold-hearted bastard; they might be good people, but they'll still use you until their next victim comes along. Mal is used to this.

They stumbled towards an old house by a small creek, holding their makeshift lantern tightly to their chest. The night was dark and cloudy; a storm raged above them threatening rain. This part of the woods didn't get much sunlight. All of these were reasons he shouldn't have gone there at all. He wasn't supposed to leave the safety of the small town.

Yet here he was.

This would probably be the last night They'd be able to see the stars. Even so, they wanted to see them before the sun came up and he lost sight of them forever. He wondered if the people living here would question them at all, a 13-year-old in the woods. It's kind of funny, to be honest. He'd seen them walking past, looking as confused as he felt. They looked at him and his little wooden lantern, a couple of questions forming on their faces. But then one look at the look on his face, and they turned away, hurrying down the street in the direction of the nearest village. As soon as they disappeared from view, he took a shaky breath and just continued forward. How long has he eaten food? he can't quite remember, but for now, that is irrelevant.

He walked through the trees for hours, following the faint light from his lantern, his heart beating fast against his ribcage. The air got colder, and his teeth began chattering slightly. The sky got blacker and darker, until it seemed the only thing illuminating the path was the lantern held firmly in his hand. His body ached terribly, and he thought his feet were going numb. He was exhausted, his legs heavy and his head fuzzy with exhaustion. When he finally reached a clearing in the forest, his legs nearly gave way under him, but he managed to keep himself upright, staggering towards the edge of the cliff overlooking a small pond. The moon shined brilliantly overhead, casting its soft glow over the surface of the water. The grass swayed gently in the slight breeze, sending ripples across the lake that reflected the lights of the lantern, making it almost appear as if the entire sky was covered in tiny silver stars. The moon looked as if it was floating just inches off the water, barely touching the rippled glass surface. For a moment, Mal stared blankly at the moon, feeling as if it would swallow him whole, but then, slowly, his eyes trailed to the horizon. He watched as the clouds floated silently over the valley. His fingers tightened around the handle of his wooden lantern as he looked down below at the rows upon rows of houses nestled in the valleys between hills and mountain peaks.