Submission (#6566) Approved

It had been two days since Niyari had found the poisoned mana well. Two days since they ran to the nearest village and gave that information to be send to the Adventurers and Knights for them to be aware and hopefully fight the danger. A lot of Kittoms had been given a kind of house arrest, forbidden to play in the forest. The children had been furious with Niyari, the parents were relieved and thankful, trying to keep a brave face and not feel frightened themselves even though their hard eyes said it all. It didn't feel great to deliver bad news to a whole village. Usually Niyari collected their information in private and got paid for incriminating evidence that could be used as blackmail. Delivering bad news usually meant a smile and a big paycheck. But now? Niyari felt guilty. Guilty for interrupting the peaceful lives of all these Nin, even if they weren't at fault fot the miasma poisoning... So they did their best to get out of here quickly. They spent one night in the village to recharge, then got some more food and went back on the route. Even if the concerning occurence was still on Niyaris mind, they couldn't allowe themself to get delayed any further and needed to move on. Move towards the town that the trader lived in. At least they did get that warm bath they had been yearning for before leaving the village again.

Niyari loved forests. They loved the sight, the smell of earth, finding some mushrooms the size of their head and hidden clearings with wonderful little lakes. Right now the calmness and quiet of the forest still seemed threatening though. Niyari had already seen a sleeping hedgehog and a fox running away, so there were animals at least, this part of the forest was alive and vibrant. Getting to the next town would be a long travel. Niyari could take a different route that would lead to another village but that would cost more time. So they stuck to the paths that were most often used to get to the impressive mountains present in Bellmoril and kind of traveling in a "V" route instead of taking an even longer route through the villages. Travelling through the mostly untouched land had its disadvantages but it was the travel path that seemed the most straight on. Of course the trails still curved and bent and weren't just a direct connection to the town Niyari needed to reach but it did have the advantage of seeing more of the beautiful orange-red country and some amazing sights. This path didn't bring Niyari to the great Eldertree but the route did go near enough to catch a glimpse of it above all other tree crowns. Maybe there was enough time on the travel back to take it slow and enjoy the region....

This time it was completely different. There was no growing sense of concern, no feeling of having to look out for threats or be cautious of whatever would happend after the next curve. No, there was no clear warning sign as Niyari continued on their way to the next town. Everything looked normal and right and then there was a flash of something and Niyari stopped walking. They weren't sure what they had seen, their body had just reacted on instinct and decided it was best to stay still. Niyari tried their best to stay completely motionless before slowly turning their head around to get a better view of the forest area. There had been a flash of something. A trap laid out by some hunters? Niyari did their best to look at every part of the path and trees around it but couldn't find anything strange. Maybe it had been just an animal going past, an unexpected movement? Niyari tried their best to keep a clear head. The miasma poisoning at the void well was still playing in Niyaris head, an image they would not be able to forget for quite a while. There was no trace of that here though. The trees looked warm and welcoming, they didn't have that sickly dark shadow that had been present as a warning around the poisoned mana well. These trees looked healthy. The wind was rustling through the leaves and the light grass was looking strong and healthy, not hanging down and almost dying. Then why was Niyari still feeling this cautious? Probably just because of all their training to always stay vigilant and to never relax when on a mission. And even if the goal of this travel was to just find a remarkable trader, it still counted as a mission they were on.

Niyari started walking again and as soon as they took another step the flash happened again. A flickering. Niyari squinted. No. It couldn't be. They looked up towards the sun before stepping side ways into the row of trees to see the thing from a different angle. Niyaris heart dropped as their theory got confirmed and they got a better look at the barrier in front of them. It was a border to the overwild. Why was this happening? Why here? The shimmer of it was clear though, that weird mix between black and the colors of a rainbow, both reflecting every light it came in contact with while also swallowing ever colors in darkness. Niyari took a deep breath and tried to keep a cool head. Whatever was happening, it was spreading. The breach didn't happen only at the mana well, it was manifesting here as well....