Rosacer looked toward him. A faint nod followed, as if he had finally understood something. Then he began to speak.
"The city is sealed by the mist. Anyone who steps into it without guidance falls into a deep sleep. Without the Dream God's protection, they sink into a perpetual darkness inside their own mind. In that void, the Mistress of Head can slip in… and take their body for herself."
He paused, then continued.
"The city is divided into four sectors. The largest is ruled by the Mistress of Head's servant, Gordon of Might. The others are: Jaka, the Jester of Emasculation… Romero, the Mage of Filth and Oppression… and Opelia, the Wretched Beauty."
"We're in the outer sectors right now," Rosacer continued. "Out here, the land is divided among countless small factions. They rise and fall like flies, so there's no point remembering their names. For now, just remember this, we're in the sector ruled by the Blemish."
He pointed toward the depths of the forest.
"To enter the city proper, you must find the Witch of Mist. Without her sorcery, the city remains only mist to outsiders, a phantom shape with no doorway."
Aaron fell silent, sinking into thought.
'So this whole place… a city drowned in mist. And the Mistress of Head threw me here because I killed her blessed. A punishment. That makes sense. If I can enter the city, maybe I can find a way to escape…
But… why can't I just take the mushrooms and leave through the lake? Would that work? Or is that exactly what she wants me to think…'
Aaron finally gathered the courage to speak.
"Who exactly is the Mistress of Head?"
"An inhabitant of the dungeons and a very powerful one," Elizabeth replied without hesitation.
She glanced at him with a faint smirk.
"Mr. Rat, it seems you're not very knowledgeable."
The knight nodded and continued for her.
"You're probably thinking of escaping through the mist lake… using the mushroom to stay awake the whole way. Admirable idea, truly. But that path demands strength far beyond what you have right now. Save the mushroom. Use it only when you've grown strong enough to cross the lake."
His tone shifted, becoming solemn.
"And one thing is certain the exit is not inside the city."
There was something in the knight's voice, a weight that Aaron could almost feel.Sorrow. Regret.
Maybe he had seen misery inside that city… maybe he had lost something there.
Aaron pushed the thought aside. He knew his path now. He looked toward the wall of mist, then toward the forest ahead.
"I hope you find a way out of this wretched city…" the knight murmured. After that, he fell silent.
Elizabeth's expression shifted. Even she looked solemn for a long moment before she finally turned to Aaron.
"Let's go, Mr. Rat. We need to find the witch."
They stepped into the forest.
The path was merciless thorned vines and twisted branches scraped at their flesh with every step, as if the forest resented their presence. A low, harrowing noise echoed through the woods, always close, always moving, pushing them onward.
More than once they froze and hid, holding their breath.
The thing hunting them never showed itself.
They only heard it circling somewhere beyond sight, too close to ignore, too distant to confront.
Still… they kept moving.
"Is it gone?" Elizabeth whispered.
Aaron slipped out from behind the bushes, then darted between the trees, climbing one to scan the area. A few seconds later he dropped back down and shook his head.
"Looks like it."
"What was that thing?" Aaron asked, confusion written across his face.
"I don't know. Maybe a mist goblin… They're hard to spot until the moment they ambush. That's what Mr. Knight told me," Elizabeth replied.
She slowly crawled out from the hollow of the tree trunk where she had been hiding. Dust and bark clung to her clothes as she stood upright. With a silent gesture, she motioned for Aaron to continue forward.
Aaron, with his nimble footsteps, went forward while she slowly followed behind. Many times she lost him and had to wait in place until he returned. Fortunately, Aaron was able to find her almost every time with his sense of smell.
The forest path was narrowing, and as always, Aaron went ahead to gauge the condition before they proceeded. The harrowing sound still followed them, but since no ambush came, they were slowly growing accustomed to it.
Once again she lost him, as Aaron disappeared into the narrow path. But this time she wasn't scared like before.
Suddenly, a whisper came into her ear.
"Make a wish, I will make it true."
Elizabeth turned around quickly, but there was no one there.
The whisper came again, this time from inside her head. The voice was soft and melodious, like a mother's lullaby.
"Who are you?" Elizabeth asked.
No response came. A faint unease crept up her spine, and she began walking faster toward the path ahead, hoping she would find Aaron first.
"Do you wish to meet the Rat?" the whisper asked.
The voice was so soft and alluring that for a moment Elizabeth nodded, her lips already parting to say yes.
At the very last second, she jerked herself back.
"No!" she shouted.
"Who are you?" She spun around frantically, trying to locate the source of the voice.
She couldn't find anything.
"Make a wish and I will make it true!" the voice screamed now.
Elizabeth could feel the frustration behind it. The volume nearly burst her eardrums. She tried to shield her ears, but the voice wasn't coming from outside it was invading her mind, repeating the same sentence over and over and over.
In crying pain she screamed back, "I wish for you to disappear!"
The voice started laughing now, menacing… as if it had already won.
In a crude voice, devoid of any melody, it said, "Wish granted."
The mist around her began to whirl, closing in and concentrating around her. She could feel it trying to trap her.
She tried to run away from the mist, but it pushed her back toward the center.
She cried for help.
The mist engulfed her, muffling her voice...