The Last Beacon

XXV

When they reached the source of the running water, Sascha was completely in awe.

She was right about there being a waterfall, and she was relieved to find that she had not found her way back to Nature's Tears.

Instead, it was a dense grove, much different to anything else she had seen in the Great Forest of Shaa. The area was almost fully enclosed by greenery, and the grove almost had a mystical feel to it.

The waterfall was the centrepiece and brought about the pleasant sound of mellow rain, much gentler than that of the first waterfall they had come across. The water cascaded several metres down the steep rocky slope in gentle streams, creating an effect that appeared like it were merely mist cascading from an opening in the mossy rocks above. The pool below it was crystal clear, and Sascha could see that it was teeming with life; small fish and frogs were littered in and around the water, bringing splashes of colour to the pond.

The nature surrounding the pool was just as vibrant; the leaves on the trees almost glowing with a vibrant shade of green. Thick moss sprouted from the branches and spilled over, suspended peacefully in the air. Numerous ferns reached upwards, their fronds delicate and graceful, swaying elegantly in the breeze. The grass radiated as brightly as the foliage of the trees, and shining daisies beamed up towards the sky. Cicadas chirped loudly from the trees and shrubs, joining the frogs in creating a chorus of serenity.

"This place is so beautiful," Sascha whispered, as if she were worried making noise would disturb the peace.

"I'm not sure I've seen anything more tranquil in my entire life," Laurenz added, matching his volume to hers.

"I wonder what led me here," Sascha contemplated.

As if the forest was listening, the cicadas fell silent and the breeze dropped. All she could hear was the soft hum of the waterfall, and distant strange whispers that she had not noticed before. She could not yet work out what the whispers were saying, but a shiver crept down her spine all the same.

"Can you hear that?" She murmured to Laurenz.

"Hear what?"

Sascha silently cursed, knowing that he could not hear the whispers. The voices seemed to draw nearer, and she darted her eyes around nervously, trying to search for the source.

At once, a rush of wind came from behind them, and pushed the pair forward slightly, taking them by surprise.

The whispers were all around now, and by the looks of Laurenz's reaction, he could now hear them too.

"Show yourselves!" He barked quickly, slowly reaching his hand into his coat pocket, preparing himself to strike if necessary.

Sascha could make out a few words from the voices, now, and she found that what she heard was slightly concerning.

"Who goes...? Damned souls... Never go back..."

Sascha was about to reach down to grab her blade from her boot, when a single cherry blossom petal drifted past her face, barely two inches from her eyes. She didn't know why, but she slowly straightened back up without her blade, intently following the petal with her eyes.

She could tell Laurenz was fixated on it too, but she couldn't bring herself to tear her gaze away from the lone petal.

The pale pink petal seemed so out of place in the grove of green, and she wondered where it had come from.

As if it could not be more peculiar, a few tufts of red petals followed behind the pink. Then came a single green leaf, but not a leaf that seemed to grow within the grove.