Submission (#6657) Approved

Persephone craved a reset, a sort of rejuvenation after everything she had recently been through. She embarked on a journey far from the wintry embrace of her home Strynhalde, seeking a vacation away in the beautiful and enchanting realm of Faerindell. She had been through so much recently, with the sacred mana well being broken and corrupted, coming face to face with a pocket dimension, and her nightmare of a Daeva stalking and hunting her, she really did deserve a break. Faerindell was a stark difference from her home Strynhalde; it was stuck in a perpetual spring, blooming in a beautiful combination of vibrant hues and fragrant blossoms.

Word of a magnificent shrine, whispered through the air like a gentle breeze. Intrigued by the tales of its beauty, Persephone's curiosity ignited. She resolved to pay her respects and bask in the sacredness of the shrine

Guided by the fragrance of blossoms carried on the spring breeze, she walked through winding pathways. The forest greeted her with the chirping of birds, the rustle of leaves, and the soft sounds of trickling streams.

As Persephone walked further into the forest, a feeling of dread enveloped her.

Her leisurely stroll toward the shrine took an unexpected turn as her keen eyes discerned anomalies among the pastel flora and trees. Dark violet anima, an unsettling contrast to the lively spring hues, jutted out along the once perfect and dainty trail, akin to corrupted mana crystals tainted by an unknown force.

A shiver ran down her spine at the sight, the discordant presence unsettling the harmonious essence around her of Faerindell that she had grown used to. The air felt heavy, filled with an eerie energy that clashed starkly with the vibrant life that typically thrived in Faerindell.

Faint wisps of floating violet anima, encircled by halos of white and black, danced like scary specters along the edges of the trail. It was like a nightmare had become part of real life, something no one would ever want to encounter.

Curiosity mingled with a hint of apprehension as Persephone cautiously approached, her senses on high alert. The once familiar trail now held an unsettling aura, an inexplicable distortion that disrupted the balance of the forest around her.

Torn between a sense of caution and a desire to uncover the source of what had cursed the forest and flora around her, she treaded cautiously, each step deliberate. Her pulse quickened, her thoughts a whirlwind of questions and concerns, the anomaly a puzzle she felt compelled to decipher.

Though the corrupted anima and the strange floating wisps that unsettled her, Persephone's resolve remained unyielding. With a mixture of apprehension and determination, she forced herself to keep going ahead, intent on unraveling the mystery that tainted Faerindell's forest.

Persephone's heart pounded in her chest, a surge of terror gripping her as realization dawned; the presence of a Daeva in this realm had wrought an unspeakable curse. 

As she rounded the corner, she witnessed something that would forever haunt her to her core. The horrifying sight of a corrupted Elnin before her, their form seemingly composed entirely of twisted anima, jutting out in unnatural angles, covering the Elnin in corrupted anima. Their face was frozen as if they were about to scream, trapped in a moment of extreme terror. 

Persephone let out a bone chilling, guttural scream that tore through the air as she recoiled in terror, her mind unable to comprehend the grotesque sight before her. With frantic steps, she went to turn around and run. Engulfed in feet she tripped, falling to the ground, hyperventilating as she tried to get herself back up. Once she finally got up, she bolted away, her pulse racing, propelled by an instinctual need to escape the nightmarish site she had just seen. No way did she want to stay around and see if the Daeva was still around. She didn't want to become cursed like the Elnin she just saw had.

Only when she felt a safe distance away did she finally dare to stop, her chest heaving from exertion and terror. She felt like she was going to vomit from fear. As she caught her breath, breathing in and out,, a glimmer of resolve flickered within her, a memory of a niche group of scholars in Strynhalde dedicated to handling anomalies of anima and Daeva attacks.

Gathering her wits, Persephone knew she had to act swiftly. She reached for parchment and ink, penning a detailed account of the horrifying encounter with trembling paws. Every detail, every nuance of the unsettling anomaly was carefully written down.

With the letter complete, she summoned a letter pidgin, a messenger bird trained for rapid communication across vast distances. Tying the scroll securely to the bird's leg, she whispered a fervent plea for swiftness in its flight, hoping that the scholars would heed her call for aid.

Releasing the bird into the sky, Persephone watched as it soared into the horizon, carrying her urgent plea for assistance to the scholars in Strynhalde. A wave of unease still clung to her, but amidst the fear, a glimmer of hope surfaced, hope that the scholars' expertise might bring answers and a resolution to the aberration that had marred the Faerindell. She just hoped they could help that poor Elnin, even if only to help them move again, to no longer be trapped in a statue of their own anima.