Submission (#6556) Approved

Niyari had been on the road for quite some time, stone cobbled streets getting less and less with more earth paths leading them through the trees. It had been quite a while since Niyari had to travel this far for their work. Usually there were often big gatherings of Elnin that were easy to attend and observe, the perfect occasions for gathering information. Everyone was usually more happy and carefree during a party, offering up words in small talk that could get easily be overheard or forgotten - unless you were actively trying to listen to them.

This time though? Niyari had made their way through Faerindell for quite some time and was finally entering Bellmoril, the trees slowly changing in color and shape, almost as if you were walking through a gradient. There was talk of a popular trader that lived here but despite his connections into all corners of Eyre he seemed to make these connections mainly through letters and rarely left his home town. So Niyari had to make their way all the way too him... Letters could be easily traced and caught off and it was easier to carefully plan your words and start over if you weren't happy with the flow of words. But what Niyari had to figure out was best left to personal conversations and reading facial expressions. Hopefully it would be worth it.

The green leaves got sparse now and Niyari was surrounded by beautiful leaves, their colors ranging from pale yellow to some burnt orange and deep red. It had been at least four years since Niyari had last been here but something felt off. Niyari had spent quite a while of their life in Bellmoril while training underneath a locksmith. Trying to hide in the warm colors and sneaking up on others despite their own dark coat that stuck out like a sore thumb had been quite a challenge. So why didn't it feel familiar to get back here? Why did it feel like Niyari had never set foot into this region before? Surely just imagination... Niyari had been on the road for far too long and was just tired, paws already looking forward for a nice hot bath to relax in. The last days had been spent washing up in rivers and seas and napping on trees. Nothing new for the Elnin, they were well equipped to handling nature and outdoor activities, but once you settled down for a bit it was easy to miss the luxuries of living in a home.

Still. Something just didn't feel right. After another half an hour Niyari turned around to look back on the path. It was now completely surrounded by orange trees, the green leaves from Faerindell could not be seen anymore. Only a sea of brown earth with pale grass, brown and white tree trunks and warm leaves. Only earth, grass and trees. It was now that Niyari noticed what had felt unsettling. There was no sound. Now that they didn't take another step but were standin still it seemed like everything was frozen in place, it felt like being a character in a painting. It was a warm and sunny day but there should still be at least some wind rustling through the foliage, right? And where were the animals? Niyari didn't remember what kind of animals were all living in Bellmoril, but shouldn't there be at least some birds? Maybe none of the shyer animals like deers and rabbits or the ones waiting until darkness but surely there should be some birds? Something definitely wasn't right. Niyari tried to remember if they had heard any news about Bellmoril before starting this journey but couldn't remember anything that would explain this eery forest. They could... just ignore it. Yes. Just followe the road and find the trader. That was the mission, that was the goal. They slowly started walking again, having to rely on the sun and shadows being cast to find the right direction again. At least the sky was still visible in parts and not completely being blocked out by the tree crowns.

Niyari made their way forward but it wasn't five minutes after that the feeling grew stronger and stronger. The colors were looking darker. Maybe the tree crowns were just blocking more light... They stopped again. Animals ran over this path. There were a lot of paw and hoof prints but strangely enough they all went into the same direction. Curiosity now peaked Niyari took a blue scarf out of their bag and put it around a tree to have a marker to find their way back too. Then they took a deep breath and went off the path. But instead of following the animal tracks Niyari went into the opposite direction. The direction the animals had come from. Ran from? Now that the trees were right next to each other with no path to break them apart it felt even darker. Niyari could feel their heart beat inside their chest, being irritated by their own apprehension. They had been in far more dangerous situations in their life, why was a stroll through the forest feeling so threatening?

Sadly, it didn't take long for Niyari to reach the source of the strange feeling. Trees. Large trees. Not yellow, orange or red but a sickly dark green that almost looked black. It looked like a black hole inside the otherwise warm colors. Niyari stepped closer and cold feel the shift in the air. They were so mesmerized that it took them embarassingly long to realize what they were looking for. The large trees were the ones growing around the mana well. The mana well that was now dark and crumbled, turning the nearby area black as if a volcano had erupted and left ash everywhere. Niyari felt sick. They couldn't look away. Something drew them closer to the miasma while their legs were starting to shake and give up at the same time. Nausea was building up and threatening to make them pass out. Then there was suddenly movement from the well and another wave of miasma seemed to engulf the nearby trees. Niyari finally unfroze and turned around. Ran.