Adventures Beyond The Void (Season 1)

Chapter 31: What Lies Beneath the Surface

3RD POV

The fog hadn't thinned. If anything, it was thicker, clinging to their clothes, dampening sound, swallowing color. Even their voices sounded distant. The group walked with caution, holding each other's clothes, their boots sinking softly into the moist earth below. Crystal fragments from their broken landing platform still sparkled faintly on the ground behind them, half-swallowed by the mist. Though damaged, Zana didn't dissolve crystal carriage, deciding to leave it there, in case they needed to evacuate the area. The trees loomed around them like giants, their trunks ghostlike in the distance, as they walked. Every direction looked the same.

      Zana: - Stay close. And don't let go of one another.

Her voice was steady, but her grip on her crystal blade hilt was tight.

      Hunter: - I can't see shit in here!!

Nicholas kept glancing around nervously.

     Nicholas: - I've got a bad feeling about this...

     Kenju: - Everything's wrong when you can't see the coffee mug in your hand.

Up ahead, Lyra held out her hand, a small pulse of sound magic radiating from her palm every few steps.

      Airos: - We better not be wasting time with this wild goose chase.

Lyra chuckled faintly. Zana didn't. She was listening to the silence too hard.

     Ronan: - Wait. Look. There's someone.

Everyone froze. Through the curtain of fog, a silhouette slowly emerged, a figure, armored. The armor shimmered against the murky light. And then, colors. Light blue, unusually vibrant for a battlefield, with rainbow-colored shoulder plates. A visor up. A smile. Nicholas squinted. The man looked... cheerful. The mist wasn't as dense now, allowing them to see a little clearer.

     Magic warrior: - Hey! You guys lost?

A wave of relief seemed to momentarily wash over the group. Zana stepped forward, scanning him.

     Zana: - You're from the Colorful Beasts, right?

     Magic warrior: - Sure am! Everything's fine around here. Just fog. Your orders are to regroup back at base. You're not needed out here anymore.

Airos tilted his head.

     Airos: - Our orders? Why didn't we hear it from our captain?

     Magic warrior: - Simple magic interference! You know how it is. Nasty mana messes with the channels. You'd better head back before you catch a cold, haha.

      Airos: - And why wasn't your crystal balls affected?

      Magic warrior: - Oh, it's because we've placed them in places where there's no interference. We received the message, so that's why I'm here. To inform you.

The man's laugh echoed strangely in the fog. The others seemed to relax. Nicholas, however frowned. He stared longer. Something wasn't right. It was the eyes first. The warrior's pupils were massively dilated, swallowing almost the entire iris. He remembered seeing that look once, when he had helped a homeless man a long time ago after returning from school. The guy was high out of his mind, twitchy and smiling in a way that never moved past his cheeks. This warrior....was smiling like that now. Nicholas took an unconscious step back. The man's jaw moved when he spoke, but the rest of his face... didn't follow. His posture was too upright. Kenju tilted his head, seeing how on guard Nicholas was.