Valley of Shadows and Roses | ONC 2024

Chapter 4

Early in the morning, still at dawn, the guard's commander set out for the forest with his best men. They saddled their horses, fortified themselves with courage, prepared for the worst and go hunting.

At first glance, the forest didn't seem to be what it used to be. The once beautiful forest, full of birdsong, was suddenly strangely quiet. It felt eerie. No rustling of leaves in the wind. No snapping of branches under horses' hooves. Bright colors turned gray. A veil of melancholy and darkness fell on the forest. There was something bad in the air. It was such a sweet smell that entered their lungs and poisoned the blood in their veins. It scared the soldiers.

The expedition wandered through the forest for hours without a clear destination. They didn't know where to aim or where actually to look. Their only trail was a forest full of shadows. A thick fog swirled between the motionless bodies of the trees. It could not be seen for more than five meters. The end of the crowd did not see its beginning. Its milky veil distorted reality. You saw something that wasn't really there, and didn't see what was right in front of you.

And shadows crept through that fog. They were being watched. They chased 'em. It sent chills down soldiers' spines. Scary shadows flickered in the corner of your eye, and when you wanted to catch them with your sight, they disappeared into the void. Changing into the fog they were hiding in.

"What shall we do, commander, when we find the Shadow Lord?" his deputy, his right-hand man, asked the Commander a question.

"We'll make him pay for what he did," replied the Commander, wondering how he would do it.

When the Commander found out what happened to Princess Luna before leaving, he was furious. Of course, he didn't show his anger, but it was boiling inside him. Not once, but twice, that wizard allowed himself to touch the princess's life. Twice. He couldn't just get out of it without punishment. He refused to let the monster touch her again.

"And how do you even want to find him? We know nothing about the Shadow Lord."

"We'll just go and look for clues. No one can simply disappear from the face of the earth." replied the Commander.

"But we don't know what we're going into," said his deputy.

The Commander gave his deputy a stern look, silencing him. He was undermining his authority and violating morals. Now was no time for doubt.

"We will find him, and he will pay for his audacity." the Commander said forcefully, ending the disguised debate about returning.

The deputy commander no longer allowed himself to oppose him. However, he noticed the Commander's feelings for the young princess. The whole army noticed it. It was obvious, and try as he might, he couldn't hide it. The deputy feared that the Commander's judgment was being clouded by anger. He wanted to get his revenge at any cost. Many of the soldiers also doubted their role, but they were taught to trust their commander unconditionally, and that was also the reason why no one dared to question his orders. They believed that he was making the right decision, even if they themselves were not sure of its correctness.

⸸

Night fell. Under the veil of darkness, the forest was even more haunted than during the day. The cold was creeping across the country. It was crawling on the ground, climbing up the soldier's body and stabbing to the bone. The fog was thicker. In the already pitch-black darkness, visibility was even poorer. And so they decided to camp. Traveling at night without seeing anything was too dangerous. They had no way to defend themselves against an invisible enemy.

The fire burned brightly. Red tongues darted through the air. The wood cracked slightly. Sparks, like fireflies, flew up and fell to the ground again, where they fell into oblivion. The flames warmed pleasantly. Everyone was sitting around, trying to carve out a bit of warmth for themselves. For the fact that it was the end of summer and the weather was hot, it was surprisingly cold in the forest.