Journey of Phantasia: The Dream-Weaver

Part 2: Sleepless Days and Worrisome Nights

Many stretchers lay inside the church. At least twenty of them, which, for a town like this, was quite a lot. All of the people on the stretchers were fast asleep. Some lay alone, others were surrounded by crying people, or here and there a praying priest. Lousine immediately went over to the most important-looking priest and asked what was going on.

"That is hard to say, my child... But as you can see, none so far are spared. From farmers to lumbers and traders alike."
"But why are they asleep?" Asked Lousine. She wasn't pleased with the answer yet.

The priest shook his bald head. "We don't know that. We now wait until they awaken. It's been a week already, and no sign of waking."
Now Albedo stepped up to the fray. He left the two other children unattended. He got right to the point with the priest, because he knew that if they wasted their time on useless info they'd get stuck and end up nothing the wiser.
"Is there any clue to where these people have been last?" He looked to his side. Most of the sleeping people were men. He saw a mother and two children looking over one of the stretchers and looked back to the priest before he could feel some empathy slipping into his heart.

The priest seemed confused by Albedo's question, but answered nevertheless. "Most of them had business in or near the swamps..."
Albedo looked up, nodded, and slightly smiled. "That is all I needed to know. Good-bye." He left the church, and Lousine remained, very confused. She apologised to the priest for her friend's behaviour, but he merely smiled.
"There's no need for that, child. Just stay away from the swamps, that is all I ask." Lousine smiled back. Knowing the antics she and her friends would get into, she feared she had no choice in the matter. "I'll... Try." She then bowed in respect and turned around to see Vuraria getting kicked out of the church, Ayan in tow. Judging by the sticks of charcoal in her hand, she and Ayan probably tried out something really dumb. And as she saw the multiple obscene shapes drawn on a lone sleeping man's face, Lousine definitely knew they tried out something really dumb.

There was one detail they had missed, however.

Each of the victims had a vague, purple-ish hue around their ears. It was barely visible, but it could still be felt. Cold to the touch, yet lulling and drowsing whoever came close enough...

Albedo was outside, pacing at the road at the end of the village. People were trying their best to avoid him. Albedo looked at the swamp nearby. The townsfolk were bordering the road off with fences, and Albedo stood by and watched. He was contemplating something. The three children quickly caught up to him.
"Albedo!"
-"Yes, yes, Vuraria was correct. The leaflet and the people falling asleep do have something in common, I see that now. I-" He grumbled before he was interrupted by Ayan, who jumped on the waist-high stone wall right next to him, and sat down. "But, you got a plan?"
Albedo shook his head. "Not yet. The most we can do now is carefully check for ourselves." He stared angrily at the swamp, sure that he could see something in that vast, bubbling area of overgrown plants and stagnant water...

Vuraria was too busy rubbing her scrapes and bruises to really be pleased with being right. She looked from the swamp to Albedo, and then to the others. "Every other person that went close to there has gotten asleep." She said bluntly.
"Indeed." Said Albedo, and he rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Whatever is in there does not want an audience." Ayan and Lousine nodded, but Vuraria remained uncomfortably silent.
"Every other person... It probably won't expect a frog or a mouse, whatever is in there." She leaned her elbows on the wall, and sighed. The remaining three turned to her. Ayan with wonder, Lousine with surprise, and Albedo with... An ominous glow on his face. He took a deep breath. "Are you sure?" He asked.
"Never been so sure in my life. Not that I care about these people, but, just-.... Forget it." She jumped over the wall, dropping herself over the edge... But where Vuraria fell, a bristly black-coated rat now ran through the grass, towards the swamp.