Chapter 8: Damned Shadow
Avelyne's heart pounded in her chest as she moved deeper into the forest, the dense foliage closing in around her like a living wall. The moon hung motionless in the sky, its silver glow casting eerie shadows that seemed to dance and twist with every step she took. She hugged herself tightly, her arms barely able to span the width of her exposed midriff, as she tried to ward off the chill that seeped into her bones.
The jungle seemed to breathe around her, its leaves rustling like whispers from the unseen. Avelyne took a slow, deliberate breath, her fingers brushing against the cool metal of the rosario cross again. She closed her eyes, trying to steady herself, but the image of the shadowy figure darting between the trees kept replaying in her mind.
"Luxoriel," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Please, show me the way back."
She opened her eyes, her gaze scanning the dense foliage. The moonlight cast shifting patterns across the undergrowth, making it difficult to discern the path. She took a tentative step forward, her high heels clicking softly against the damp earth.
She looked up again, her eyes tracing the unblinking arc of the moon, its silver face frozen in the sky. "It shouldn’t be possible", she thought, her breath catching. The moon had hung there all night, its position unchanging, its light casting the same eerie patterns across the jungle floor. The realization sent a chill down her spine, as she had lost track of time, of direction, of everything but the strange, unnatural stillness of the night.
Avelyne swallowed hard, her pulse quickening as she realized the implications. "This isn’t right," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "The moon should move. It should shift, even just a little." She looked around, her eyes darting between the dense foliage and the unchanging sky.
"The moon hasn't moved," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "It's as if time has stopped." Avelyne's heart pounded in her chest as she considered the implications. If time was indeed frozen, then she was trapped here, in this strange, unchanging night, with no way of knowing how long she had been here, or how long she would remain.
Avelyne’s breath hitched as her peripheral vision flickered—a shadow darted along the edge of her vision, too quick to pinpoint, too deliberate to be a trick of the moonlight.
Her fingers tightened around the dagger at her hip as she spun, heart hammering against her ribs. The jungle swallowed the movement whole, leaving only the faintest rustle of leaves where something had just been. Avelyne’s breath came in shallow gasps, her pulse roaring in her ears. "Who’s there?" she demanded, voice trembling but firm. The silence that followed was thick enough to taste, the only sound the distant hoot of an owl that seemed to echo in slow motion.
Then—another shadow darted across her vision, this one moving with a speed that made her stomach clench. It vanished behind a gnarled tree trunk, but the air itself seemed to ripple where it had been. Avelyne’s breath hitched, her pulse hammering against her throat. She swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper, "Who’s there?"
Then she heard it—the faint sound of conversation, though it was incomprehensible, she goes to the sound to check as she's a bit relieve to hear human voices. It wasn’t the rustling of leaves or the distant call of some unseen creature, but the unmistakable murmur of human speech, low and rhythmic, carrying through the dense foliage. Avelyne hesitated for only a second before her feet moved of their own accord, her high heels sinking into the damp earth as she followed the sound.
She pushed aside a low-hanging branch, her heart pounding in her chest, and stepped into a small clearing. The sight that greeted her was so unexpected that she let out a small gasp, her hand flying to her mouth.
Behind a cluster of bushes, she saw them—small, wiry creatures with green skin and oversized cocks, their bodies moving with a chaotic energy as they worked. They were goblins, she realized, her eyes widening in surprise, and they were skinning a deer, their small, dexterous fingers working with a speed and efficiency that was almost unsettling. The sight of the bloodied carcass, the glint of the sharp knives in their hands, was enough to make her stomach turn. She had never seen such a thing, had never even imagined such a thing, and yet here it was, happening right before her eyes.
Avelyne's breath caught in her throat as one of the goblins looked up, its eyes meeting hers. There was no warmth in that gaze, no kindness, only a cold, calculating intelligence that sent a shiver down her spine. She knew, in that moment, that these creatures were not friendly. Without a second thought, she turned and ran, her heart pounding in her chest as she fled the clearing.
The goblins let out a chorus of high-pitched shrieks, their voices echoing through the jungle like a symphony of madness. Avelyne could hear the rustling of leaves behind her as they gave chase, their small, agile bodies moving with a speed that belied their size. She pumped her arms, her high heels sinking into the damp earth as she pushed herself to run faster, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
The goblins’ shrieks cut through the night like a jagged blade, their voices bouncing off the dense canopy above, sending a shiver down her spine. The jungle seemed to close in around her, the trees twisting into a labyrinth of shadows and roots, the moonlight filtering through the leaves like fractured silver. She could feel their breath on her neck, the hot, damp scent of their bodies mingling with the earthy musk of the forest. Avelyne’s heart pounded in her chest, her pulse roaring in her ears, each step sending a jolt of adrenaline through her veins.
The goblins were relentless, their small, wiry bodies darting between the trees with eerie precision, their laughter echoing like a chorus of cackling hyenas. She could hear their footsteps crunching on the fallen leaves and twigs, the sound growing closer with every second.
Avelyne's heart pounded in her chest, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps as she wove through the trees, her high heels threatening to catch on the uneven terrain. She could feel the goblins' hot breath on her back, their laughter like a chorus of cackling hyenas, growing louder, closer.
Avelyne's heart pounded in her chest as she spotted a thicket of bushes up ahead, a potential hiding spot. She pushed herself harder, her legs burning with exertion, and dove into the dense foliage. The branches scratched at her skin, snagging her dress, but she didn't stop, didn't slow down. She had to get away, had to find a place to hide, to catch her breath.
"Please, Luxoriel," she panted, her voice barely above a whisper, "guide me. Show me the way out of this nightmare." She stumbled forward, her high heels catching on roots and rocks, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
Suddenly, the ground beneath her feet gave way, crumbling into nothingness.
Avelyne’s scream tore through the stillness of the forest as she tumbled forward, her fingers clawing at the air, her breath stolen by the sheer terror of falling. "No—no, no, no!" she gasped, her voice raw with panic, her body twisting in midair as she fought against the inevitable. The edge of the cliff loomed closer, the jagged rocks below a terrifying blur of darkness. "Luxoriel, please!" she begged, her voice cracking as she realized the futility of her plea.
The air rushed past her ears, the wind tugging at her robes, and she felt the first impact before she could even scream. The jagged edge of a rock tore through her left sleeve, the rough surface scraping against her skin like a thousand tiny claws. 'Ow—' she gasped, her breath stolen as the force sent her spinning sideways. Another impact, this time against a slick, moss-covered ledge, sent a jolt of pain up her arm. 'Hahh—' she hissed, her fingers slipping on the damp surface. 'Luxoriel, help me!'
The next strike was worse. A sharp corner of a boulder caught her ribs with a sickening crack, her breath exploding from her lungs in a sharp, pained gasp. 'Ah! No—no, no, no—' she choked out, her body twisting to avoid another impact.
The cliffside plunged away beneath her, the jagged rocks clawing at her robes as she tumbled endlessly, the wind roaring in her ears like a chorus of dying souls. Her back struck first with a wet, shuddering thud that sent a searing jolt of pain up her spine, the impact knocking the breath from her lungs in a ragged gasp. The world exploded into a kaleidoscope of green and gold as she hit, her vision swimming with the force of it, the cold damp earth pressing into her ribs like a thousand unseen hands.
Avelyne’s body hit the ground with a sickening crunch, her back slamming into the rocky soil with enough force to drive the air from her lungs in a sharp, pained gasp. The impact sent a wave of agony radiating through her, her vision swimming with the force of it, her body trembling uncontrollably.