Chapter 29 ~The weary Traveller~
Fiona's POV
One fateful day, I fell into a trance sent by the moon goddess to see if I would advance to Level 2.
I fell into an uneasy sleep that had me sweating and gasping for air. I tossed in bed until a void pulled me in.
“Hello? Who's there?” The only response I got was an echo that resounded through the void. Everywhere was dark, and a bright unending source of light was ahead, so I walked towards the light source.
“Who's there?”
Nope… still nothing.
The more I walked through the light source, the farther it seemed.
Where am I? The afterlife? What even was happening?
A voice sounding like that of a game spectator came through the unending void. “Welcome Luna Fiona to the system.”
I swept my head back, but there was no one. Who was speaking?
“This is step two trial in a quest to get peak luna powers.”
It was at this point that I realized what was happening. The moon goddess had finally set a trial for step two.
“Failure to pass this level equates to your mother's situation worsening. That can't be cured with healing abilities.”
What?!
“If I fail, will my mother's situation worsen?”
“Yes, until the next quest where you may redeem, but her being alive till then is not guaranteed.”
My nerves began going crazy. This was serious. My mother's life was at stake.
“Reward: Lycan Resistance. Objective: Assist the traveller.”
What the fuck did Lycans have to do with this? What traveller?
I was still pondering this when I got sucked into another space.
This time it was a gloomy stream environment, with dying shrubs.
Where was this place?
The environment was dark and very scary. I looked back, hoping nothing would jump out and eat me.
I'm suddenly overcome by a sudden thirst… why do I feel so parched?
Ah, a stream!
I spotted a flowing stream. I wasn't sure if the water was even clean, but I was incredibly thirsty, so I couldn't care less.
I put my hand into the stream, hoping to scoop some water out. That was when I noticed that I couldn't.. I simply couldn't.
But why?
My hands went through the stream, like I was… invisible? There was no way.
As I stood trying to figure out what was happening, I heard a shuffle at my back.
I whipped my head back as fast as I could.
“Who's there?” I yelled. I could hear the tremor in my voice. I mean, if I was invisible, that means nothing can eat me, right?... right?
I walked towards the source of noise, hoping it was just some forest animals or something. I stopped in my tracks at what I saw.
There was a famished-looking man. His clothing was almost in shreds. Dust coated his legs. He looked almost dying and the clothing sack he hung around his shoulders was just as worn out.
He looked like he needed help. Maybe he knows what this place is.
I walked up to where he was. “Hello? Mr.?”
As he looked at me, his face changed swiftly. But he passed… through me!
I was invisible! And he wasn't walking towards me, but the stream. But he didn't make it there before he passed out, weak and famished.
I shouted, running towards him. What the fuck was I supposed to do?
He needs water. I ran to the stream.
When I put my hands in the water, I realised that, of course, I couldn't scoop some water for him because my hands would just go through.
I stood there, shaken and confused. As I stood, a shrub from one of the dying trees fell into the water and it died instantly.
I stood still, my mouth agape. That was when I realised that everything falling into the stream died the instant it touched the stream.
Well… thank the gods I was invincible ‘cause… my hands…
I stood still, confused, in between the dying man and the cursed stream.
In a short while, the man came to on his own, and walked pain-stakenly towards the stream.
I screamed. “No, the stream is cursed!”
But of course he didn't hear me.
He was getting closer, and that was when I remembered my mission. ‘Objective: Assist the traveller’
But how was I supposed to stop him from drinking when I was invincible?
So I stood helplessly as he took a water container and fetched some water.
Immediately he drank it, he coughed once with a pained expression and fell to the ground.
He began to wither instantly, his skin turned a flaky grey. He was slowly dying in front of me and I could do nothing to stop it.
He looked like what we were taught at Ashridge, what happened to the victim of a Lycan's curse in his last minutes. So that was it. The river was a cursed Lycan river.
I screamed, I cried, not just for him. But knowing that I had failed my mission and my mother's situation will worsen… who knows, she might even die.
I sat in the dust, watching the dying traveller. Was this how my mother would d….
Wait! My mother… I healed her with the Luna healing abilities the last time.
In this void, were my healing abilities active?
Only one way to find out, I guess. I ran up to where he stood; a breath away from death.
I put my hands on his chest, like I did during my mom's time. But nothing happened.
I bent my head down, defeated.
But when I looked again, a bright white light burst through my hands. A system prompt came up.
‘Target detected: Initiate healing protocol?’
Yes! Yes! I nearly screamed.
Immediately I clicked ‘proceed’, the bright light emanated from my hands and burst through the traveller, like a light washing away darkness, slowly.
Wait, this means that the mission was an act of proactive mercy, it wasn't meant to stop him from the cursed stream, but to heal him afterwards.
White pure energy went through him, and he woke up with a sneeze.
I finally heard a familiar voice in my mind.
“Level 2 complete- Compass and purity. Reward granted: Lycan Resistance. Mother's vitality: Stabilized!”
“Rhia!” The sound of my wolf had me instantly feeling safe.
And then I snapped awake, breathless and exhausted, knowing that level 3 was around the corner.
But I passed, I passed!