Prologue
My stomach softly churned as I surveyed my unbelievably calm surroundings.
The slightly orange moon radiated a muggy heat, failing to mimic the sun and leaving the sky around it black. Thick mist lay just blow the receptacle of the 3-foot tiger lilies that border the pathway of short grass leading out of the slight overhead structure of braided trees. Each ivory blue trunk was no more than an inch thick, weaving in a maze-like pattern to make a mass large enough to close off the entire inlet of the river. Across its 17-foot span, long shadows meandering about as the mist covered them.
“Do I wait,” I thought, scooping her sword into my hands.
Standing, I cupped my hand over my mouth.
“Zelle,” I yelled. “N-no… Zelle definitely made it out… there’s no way she hit me by coincidence?” .
The frogs crescendo over me, jumping about and swirling the mist as spores from the tiger lilies glittered through the artificial breeze.
“Zelle,” I yelled again, immediately being drowned out by the croaks.
As I emerged, I could see that the intertwined trees stretched far into the distance, sharply curving, and cutting everything at about 400 ft.
“Are they trying to be louder than me?!” I prepared to yell again taking a deep breath.
An enormous dead tree sat in the middle of the 400 ft span. Its long, thick branches drooped tiredly, carrying a navel blue tint as they slightly curled.
“Ze-“
The tiger lilies turned towards me, flinging their spores in an orange haze.
I screamed at the suddenness, instinctive taking a deep breath to channel.
The thick mist invaded my orifices, filling me with the mixings smells of pumpkin and lavender. The scent gave me a euphoric burst of sensations, rendering my body numb and eyes heavy as I fell.
“That’s nice,” I murmured, falling to the soft orange grass. “What’s happening?”
Heavy footsteps damply crackled through my daze.
“Z-Zelle,” I tiredly groaned, doing my best to yell over the frogs. “She’ll see me through the mist, so I should be fine.”
My grip on Zelle’s sword went blank as the footsteps grew monstrously heavy.
“Zelle?!”
A deep croak came from a 4-inch frog tall as it jumped though the mist and next to me.
“A Frog?”
Its dead eyes stretched almost two inches, glaring in its swamp green color and dark blue pupils at me. Its grey husky body sported four horns that protruding from its back and two more from its shoulder blades.
“Is that how frogs look… wait… I remember the name but no-“
Jumping to my arm it effortlessly passing its smooth teeth through my skin.
“…”
It pulled away, slurping a translucent film from my arm.
I swatted it to the mist, screaming as the translucent substance seeped from my arm.
“Why did it do that!”
I planted my palms to the ground, pushing my dead limbs.
“C-come… on,” I grunted.
The round tips of their clammy fingers grip my skin as several more landed.
“Zelle,” I screeched as they simultaneously took a bite. Flipped to my back, I swatted away what I could.
Several more landed, croaking over my terror.
Heaving my body upwards, I stood, unable to find a center of gravity. Taking two steps towards the river, I collapsed, submerging left arm .
The warm heavy liquid took me, gently pulling out my chi as the remaining frogs took another bite. They croaked over my screams as more closed in.
“No!”
They took another bite, covering the entirety of what they could get to.
I opened my mouth to scream, only inviting more.
“Get off,” I yelled, grabbing a hand full and weakly throwing them to the side.
They took another bite, all pulling away in an unnatural a unison. A soft hiss filled the air as the slurped it.
“Wait…” My body pulsated with my blurring vision. “Is this…”
#
Thick warm water flooded my vision as I opened my eyes.
I took a deep breath, sucking in lungs of water before struggling in the mud beneath. “A trial?!”
Thick, dark orange clay pinned all by my arms and legs to the ground of the rivers floor. The moon glowed brightly at its surface.
“Did the river pull me in?! I pulled against the malleable floor , failing to free myself. “Did I just die?!”
My vision tunneled and my body got weak as my lungs yearned for relief.
“Am I… dying... ag-“
#
I opened my eyes, taking another deep breath as the water hazed over my vision.
“Why am I still here?! I thought Zelle said we were getting out; did I mess up the first trial?!”
An enormous shadow blocked all light from above, slowly swaying its long, wide body as it swam overhead.
“What is that?!”
The unrelenting prison of clay hugged my every attempt to struggle.
“Why can’t I break free?!” I took another small breath of water, choking and releasing the specs of oxygen my lungs held on to. “I can’t channel!”
I heaved myself upwards again, only exhausting myself.
“Come on!” I gritted my teeth, pressing my arms to the ground and pushing.
The clay below swallowed my hands, further trapping me.
“Why is it so thick.” I strained my shoulders pulling. My vision tunneled.
“Zelle, please…”
#
“I just need to hold my breath…”
The crystal blue moon hovered brightly above us, bathing the grassy meadow in a majestic ray of light that gleamed off her chestnut brown skin and golden accessories.
“Wait…” My body felt warmer and more energized.
“My dear,” she murmured in her familiar voice.
I looked to the moon as the air around us shook in a glaring presence of aura.
Her maroon eyes slowly followed, almost hesitant to break contact.
“No,” I grunted. “It’s something
Riffling through my hair I searched for clarity.
“This isn’t ri-“ I shifted my gaze to her.
#
I held my breath, opening my eyes and allowing the water to flood my vision.
“Was that a… dream?” I scanned the water above. “Is that thing still floating around?!”
The elephants’ beady eyes invaded my mind, staring through me.
“Did they follow?!”
I channeled energy to my legs, kicking myself free enough to heave the rest of my body loose.
The water reversed the flow of my network, causing my energy to flow outwards.
“What’s happening?!” I wildly swam, fighting the water as it pulled me.
The downward current was amplified by its thick consistency.
Breaking through the surface, I tiredly pulled myself onto the bank, allowing the air to fill my lungs.
