I teleported to the Sacred Forest and, the moment my feet touched the ground, I felt my mind split in two. I didn't know what to do. I had no idea what I should do. Suddenly I found myself sunk in a thick silence, as if the entire world had decided to take a deep breath just to watch me fail.
The barrier was still there, standing like a wall built of pure despair at the entrance to that castle.
I had tried to cross it so many times that my arms still felt numb. There was no way… not even a tiny crack, a minuscule fissure, a hope hidden among the shadows. Nothing. That shining mist was absolute.
I wandered aimlessly through the Sacred Forest, letting my thoughts swirl like leaves dragged by the wind. The forest was a living murmur: branches creaking, grass whispering, tiny lights flickering between the roots.
Far off, sitting on a fallen log, was a man with a huge spear resting beside him.
He didn't move. He didn't speak. His posture carried the weight of someone who had given up either far too early or far too late. Even from a distance you could see it in his eyes: a sharp melancholy, as if he carried a world he never asked for.
I approached slowly, and before I could even open my mouth, he started speaking.
—One question, undead… —he said in a voice that trembled between exhaustion and resignation—. Have you reached the Lost Empire?
—Yes, I just came from there.
—Really? —His eyebrow arched in disbelief, but he sighed right after—. Well, it doesn't matter anyway. The gate is blocked by a barrier. It's impossible to pass through. Let me tell you something… to enter, you'll need the souls of the four demonic princesses. —He stared at the ground—. That's what broke me, you know? Realizing how pointless everything was. Losing my friends. Fighting. Bleeding. Getting this far only to discover none of it was worth it… You'd be better off stopping now. But if you want to keep going —he looked up with a spark that almost resembled hope— I'll support you.
—Hold on a second —I said—. What do you mean, demonic princesses? Can you explain?
—Well… —He ran a hand through his messy hair—. The demonic princesses are the women trying to create a kingdom of demon-beasts. I've never seen them, but rumor says they're as beautiful as they are cruel. Five of them now rule this land. One has hair that grows from a tower that touches the sky.
Another sings an eternal rhapsody beneath the sea.
One plays with frogs in the Tarnished Mire.
Another seeks eternal beauty in a frozen castle.
And the last… the first and strongest… waits on the throne of the Lost Empire. They say those who are called to dance by her never return alive.
—You know quite a lot about it. Thanks for the information.
—Me? No way! —He laughed, faintly—. I heard all that from a friend, a sorcerer. He said there are two ways to break the mist. The first: if all the princesses die, the barrier will vanish.
The second: make a pact with each one and kill the princess on the throne. That way the world will supposedly be saved. But it's impossible for me… —He gripped the spear tightly, as if it hurt—. I'm too weak. But you… maybe you can do it. Good luck, undead friend.
I didn't know what to say. Sometimes words are useless when facing pain head-on.
So I simply nodded. I was more grateful for the information than I could express.
I took the map the man was giving me. I opened it. My eyes took in all the forests, swamps, mountains, seas, and towers I would have to cross to find each demonic princess.
It was a journey that promised to tear off my skin, my sanity, and maybe even my soul. Yet at the same time… I felt a sparkling impulse, a small childish excitement that said: go on, take the risk, the world is made for the stubborn.
I walked a good distance, leaving the man with the spear behind. The trees gradually became more orderly, more carefully tended, as if they had been cut and regrown by a delicate hand.
Then I saw her.
Sitting alone on a stone bench was a woman. Her presence stood out so much that I almost thought the forest had dressed itself to welcome her.
She looked about twenty years old. Her skin was white, flawless, almost luminous. Her eyes red like freshly cut gems. Her light-blonde hair fell in two long points tied back with black ribbons; two straight locks framed her face as if guarding her beauty.
Down her back, her hair cascaded in wide curls to the middle of her body, gently waving in the breeze.
Her loose, elegant black dress left her shoulders bare. The long sleeves, adorned with white ruffles, seemed to move on their own. The dress started over her chest and ended over her thighs, revealing black thigh-high stockings also trimmed with ruffles.
Black gloves, red Mary Jane shoes, a black choker with white ruffles around her neck… and an aura of refined, almost aristocratic grace, as if she had been carved to exist in silence and beauty.
I approached, still captivated by her presence. She looked up and smiled with exquisite courtesy.
—Ah… delighted. It's a pleasure to meet you.
Her voice was soft, elegant, almost musical.
—You may call me Elisabeth. I got lost a very long time ago, but after many hardships I finally reached this little safe harbor. Though I must say… —she lowered her gaze with a hint of mischief— these things don't happen to me very often. I think I should rest here a while longer. Aside from that, I have a small hobby: collecting various souls. If you'd like, I'd be delighted to sell you some. And if you possess a valuable soul, feel free to bring it to trade with me. Ohohoho…
She covered her mouth with a gloved hand as she laughed with a grace only someone excessively elegant could afford.
—I see… so you sell souls. What kinds of souls do you have, Elisabeth?
—Oh, almost every kind —she said, waving her hand as if dismissing something trivial—. But mainly souls that increase resistance, magical power, and attack. Just tell me which you want and I'll sell it to you. Each one costs ten thousand souls. In exchange, you'll receive these colored souls.
—I understand… —I said while checking my pouch—. For now, I'll buy three red souls, to increase my attack power.
—Mm, interesting choice. Here you are —she replied, handing them over with a delicate gesture—. They seem to be to your liking. Come back anytime.
I gave her the souls she asked for in exchange for the three red ones. Her fingers briefly brushed mine; cold, soft, impossibly calm. For an instant I felt as if I had touched a secret I wasn't meant to know.
I slipped the three red souls into my inventory, and their intense glow briefly lit the air, like embers hidden in the mist.
When I looked up, Elisabeth was still watching me.
—I hope your steps take you far —she said with a mysterious smile—. And that your decisions are not as heavy as those others have carried before.
Part of me wanted to ask what she meant by that… but another part preferred not to know.
And so, with the souls in my possession, the spear-man's warning in my heart, and the map pulsing with possibilities, I kept walking among the trees, feeling that every step brought me closer to a destiny I still didn't understand… but that was already waiting for me.