Alex walked up next to me and I felt my face heat up. I opened the book, ignoring my feelings and was interested in the authors font. The writing was very readable and yet it was a curly cursive, almost as if the author had been intentionally trying to make his handwriting look good. I read the first page aloud:
"Journal of Nathaniel Malion:"
"Log date 1:
It took me a bit to find the Skladmir region after leaving Karmaro. I can't stand my father's rules, so I ran away. This man needs to learn the importance of family if he wants to see my face again."
I shuddered, thinking of what it took for someone to want to escape an environment, and what it took to get me to do the same. I flipped the page and read the curly handwriting on it.
"Log date 2:
Ah, this beautiful land is amazing, but it's come to my attention that there are monsters native to Aslen. We Karmarean call the ones that crawl out at night Endo-ran, for direct translation. The ones that materialize during the day we call Mara-tren. This makes it a bit difficult to sleep, knowing that there are creatures here. This is yet another thing my worthless father never tought me - combat."
"...this guy is a woos." said Alex with a snicker. I shrugged and turned the page, realizing that there was a page missing. It looked like it had been ripped out of the book.
"Log date 5:
I keep getting shivers down my spine and intense headaces, mainly at the top of my head. I think I slept incorrectly, because I feel lumps under my shoulderblades. When I go for walks or when I want to cut down trees, I feel the yearning and wanting to be in the sky. I get the feeling that I am starting to lose my mind. Is this how Aslantains are?"
I gasped when I read about the bruises, thinking back to my own. Alex looked at me with a confused expression, but I shook the thought away.
The handwriting stayed in it's curly form but an ominous feeling emitted from it. 'Why would someone rip these pages out...' I thought as I turned the page again.
"Log date 10:
I began to feel incredibly homesick earier today and the strangest thing happened:
I started to emit a terrible growl from deep within my throat. I fear the atmosphere of Aslen is turning me into an Endoran, because my shin faded to and from grey back to normal within a second. I felt cold..."
I felt my blood run cold when he mentioned his skin. I noticed myself start to breathe more heavily as I turned the page. I didn't want to stop reading.
"Log date 13:
I keep seeing a black shadow creature. It's watching me from beyond the trees. It's getting closer."
As we read on, the handwriting on the pages got more untidy. More pages were messily torn from the book, most all the way down to the spine, but others were left with shreds with messy scrawl that was unreadable.
"Log date 16:
The creature, I have named it the thing, it is right outside my window. Staring at me with it's dead eyes. It's a black creature with a ragged and mattered cloak and it's staring right at me."
The font had become incredibly messy and hurried and almost impossible to read. As always there where pages ripped out of the book. "I wouldn't want to run into that thing...", I said, my tone a bit shaky.
"Log date 20:
I can't take it anymore! Monsters, sleepless nights, shadow creatures!! Enough is enough. I have decided to make a deal with The Thing."
The author made paragraphs.
"I did it! No more monsters, no more sleepless nights and no more shadow things! I can't describe the deal method, otherwise they will come back. He will send a message to Father and Brother. Peter will be happy to know that I'm alive."
There hadn't been any pages ripped after that. The font on the next page was clear to read and in a completely different font.
"Log date :
I am going insane. It is just so horribly amusing. I've realised that I do not know what I am anymore, or what I have become. The transformation was so agonising. My head is still pounding."
It was a continuation of the font from the previous page.
"Log date !!!!!!:
I know what I am. Finally. I understand the deeper meaning of...
Everything.
I am a NIGHTMARE
Just like my master. I will haunt anyone that gets in my way. There is no use in disclosing it here."
There was nothing else written on the next few pages. They where all parshly ripped or covered in black stains that burned my skin as I ran my fingers over them. Some pages were stuck together because of this black stuff.
Only when I closed the book, did I realise that I was shaking. I gasped when I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder.
"Hey Decoda? Are you ok?" She asked, placing the lamp on the ground, and inviting me to sit down when she did. I took a deep breath and planted myself next to her.
"You seem shaken." She prodded. I gave a halfhearted smile in response.
"I'm ok. That journal was a little creepy, that's all." I told her. She sighed and pulled me into a hug. I melted into her warmth.
"You seem chilly. Lets get back to the fort. We can get some food there and you can spend the night if you like." She suggested. I smiled and she got up, offering a strong hand to help me to my feet. Gladly, I accepted her offer.
"I'd be happy with that. Thank you, Alex." I told her with a greatful smile. She grinned back at me.
"Anything for a princess."
YOU ARE READING
Malion
Fantasi"I stared into the vast bright sky. As I did, I felt a strange longing to take off into the blue as if I had wings. That urge got stronger as I reached the top of the hill I had been climbing. I walked up to a ledge and stared at the trees below. I...
