midnight in the wilderness
Aaniah escapes the fortress and is heading out for the woods in search for the unknown.
In the deepness of the forest was the forgotten waterfall, where the unknown path she followed finally reached its end. The place was roamed by enchantment, the moonlights spreading their mysterious shining upon the clear surface of the water, only to be disturbed by the raging sound of the falling water, the eternal sound of the river. Aaniah stopped for a moment, only to feel herself drawn to the water, as if there was something beyond her eyesight to reach for, something waiting for her and her only, hidden in the deepest.
There was something magic about this place that she could not explain to herself why she was there in that moment. She shut her eyes and spread her hands to the sky, taking a deep breathe and enjoying a somewhat unknown feeling of sheer freedom. She has finally left the fortress, in the middle of the night, now feeling the warm breeze of the night for the first time caressing her skin, embracing her in a strange way that almost made her tremble. It was something new, she thought, but still, it felt like she has been there for ages, gazing at the shining water. A wild urge to dive into the water overtook her, and yet, she was somewhat afraid of the darkness. Because of the dream she always had, the dream in which she drowned.
“I feel I have to do this, even if it is the last thing I will do”, she said to herself and slowly stepped into the water, which became deeper and deeper with every step. Although she was afraid, she couldn’t stop, an unknown force was drawing her to dive in. The darkness began to fade, as she swam deeper, and the water became clearer while she approached the bottom of the river. Still, it seemed unreachable. Suddenly, she was blinded by a ray of green shining. There was something lying on the bottom, in the deep. The jade sword was calling for her. She sank deeper, reaching her hand to grab it, but it was still unreachable. The last breathe of air left her, and, closing her eyes, she slowly felt how the life was drained out of her by the water itself.
“Is this how it ends?” she thought. No, she wasn’t ready. With a final struggle, she reached for the jade sword and grabbed it with all her strength, swimming upwards. The cold water reached her knees, as she stood there, holding the jade sword, breathing hard. The moonlight was strangely hypnotizing, as its rays hit the surface. ‘They should be looking for me now, the fortress guards’, she thought. The silence was suddenly broken by some far noises coming from the woods. It seemed like a hunt, as she heard human voices shouting one to another. Carefully, she listened, but there was nothing to understand from their outlandish language.
But then, all of a sudden, the sounds disappeared and only her nervous heartbeat remained…
