Chapter 2

Adelaide breathed heavily, panting as her eyes frantically looked around the area in an attempt to find a hiding place or somewhere to run much faster. The sound of its gurgles and wails followed behind her, echoing around her small form.

The girl looked behind her once again before continuing to run, her olive dull eyes lit up in absolute terror as she used as much willpower as it took for her to actually move her short legs. She could only run so fast, and it’s darkness seemed to continue to engulf the forest in her tracks.

She continued to trip and clumsily stumble down sudden drops, roots, smack into branches -- within her panic, Adelaide managed to land on her face after tripping over a sudden drop, staying on the ground as pain ruptured from her nose. She shut her eyes tightly not just from the pain, but in suspenseful fear; then her eyes opened.

It was dark all around her, and everything felt cold. It felt like death itself finding it’s grip on her and trying to latch around her. It didn’t just terrify her, but it petrified her. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t breathe as a whimper escaped her lips.

The cold had disappeared when a gleam of light glowed softly within the darkness. Adelaide had been engulfed in warmth as the light continued to come closer, and closer. It was so warm, and she questioned if she was dead. She was too young to die, she didn’t deserve death. Her answer, however, came when the light seemed to be in the form of a person.

Her eyes widened for a sheer moment, a light forming as her eyes watered, the figure was coming closer and closer. She couldn’t really see the true shape of them, or any feature as the child began to sniffle, warm tears staining her usually toneless green eyes. Adelaide shut her eyes tightly as the warmth became much more intense. It felt nowhere near painful, but it had to be a natural made heat.

She felt the form of arms wrapping around her, her body quaking as she cried softly. Her fearful sobs grew louder and louder, not sure why she was truly crying. Her blonde hair stuck to her cheeks as she was pressed to that person’s chest, she could see that same blue hue from behind her eyelids.

This person-- no-- this thing was made of light. It was so comforting, as well, but why? What was this creature? What was its motive? The child simply cried, however, her lips quivering as she blubbered.

“It’s okay,” a soft spoken voice. Though, it appeared to sound staticy, was this a recorded voice? “Do not cry,” it spoke, it sounded like a young man of sorts, “it’s gone. It won’t hurt you.”

Adelaide whimpered as she cried, her soft eyes fluttering open to spot the bright light--the darkness had disappeared and she was being held by a humanoid figure of light. Blue and gold, however they were almost the same size as her, petite despite being perhaps mere inches taller.

It’s golden dots for what were assumed to be eyes stared down at her. This thing reminded her of a child, and an animal at the same time. “W-what?” she stuttered at it.

“I drove it away,” there was no recording device, nothing to make that static, and it didn’t have lips. “It doesn’t like warm light.”

“I-” her green eyes flickered around, “w-what...a-are you? What are you talking about!? What was that thing chasing me?!? What did you do!?”

“C-calm down, child!” It spluttered, “I can’t answer all questions at once!”

Adelaide pushed away from it, wiping her eyes and cheeks of tears despite the stains on her soft skin. “I can’t answer all of your questions, child,” it’s voice was so peculiar, “please, ask me simple questions.”

“Oh...o-okay,” she mumbled, sniffling and quivering. “F-first off, who- what are you?” she asked in a harsh whisper, unable to find her voice to speak any louder than a mumble. It seemed to hear her just fine, however, as it hummed.

“I am a wisp.” it said.

She raised a dark brow, “a wisp?” she asked, “like a...willow-wisp? A guide for the lost in forests?”

It nodded it’s softly glowing head, “Yes, I couldn’t help but step in when I heard your silent pleas, young one. It doesn’t appear to like warmth.”

“But wait, what is this ‘it’ you talk of?! W-what was that??” she worried.

The so called wisp cocked it’s head slightly, as if wondering what to say or how to say what it wanted to say. It wanted to censor something, she could tell, just by the way it hummed and mumbled in it’s echoing tone.

“That...it is...hmm.” It piped, “the creature I’m referring to...I can’t tell nor haven’t been told much about it, but it is a dark creature that consumes all warmth.”

Adelaide was going to question but didn’t think of the words to use. What does it mean by ‘consumes all warmth’? Like how cold it was when she was consumed by that darkness? “Do you have a name, wisp?”

“I’m afraid not, I also don’t have what other creatures call a ‘gender’.”

“Huh?” Well, it’s not that it surprised the pre-teen-- It wasn’t strange for a creature that is only made of magic and light to have the parts for a gender.

She looked around, noting the trees looked...different in color. The bark was more on the purple side, much different than others. Giving a shiver as she looked around, everything smelled different as well. It smelled sweet.

“Child?” the wisp asked with a c**k of it’s glowing head to the side. “Are you okay?”

Adelaide closed her eyes, “everything looks different…”

“It does?” it looked around childishly before jumping up. “Oh! Oh no! W-why did-?” it asked, “okay, child, come with me. This just might be an illusion…” it panicked and grabbed her tiny hand in a hurry. The girl yelped as the wisp lead her through the forest without any warning, pulling her up immediately.

“Please let it be an illusion…” it mumbled in it’s static filled voice.

“What do you mean?” She tried to ask, but found the air in her lungs to have left her body as the wisp ran. Or, well, floated. “W-wisp, w-what do you mean by-!?” she attempted once again only to have her small, feeble breath taken away as they reached the side of a hill, no trees decorated this hill despite the occasional bush or pile of leaves.

The sky was a sea green with cotton candy pink clouds that faded to a soft haze of blues and purples as they floated by within the breeze, the ground was a darker green with hints of reds, the soil was darker and a deep purple with grains of silver, purple barked trees with gold leaves that shined like the actual mineral it was colored similar to; the air smelled sweet, like...what was it? A hint of apple?

“Whoa…”

“Oh...oh..no, no no no! You can’t- oh no.” The glowing wisp sparked, “child-! This place isn’t-!”

“Where are we?” she asked it. It looked around panicked once again, proving to be a bit more nervous than she first thought. The blue creature let out a soft sigh, an audible rumble in it’s speaker-like voice sounding from it.

“Child...uh…” it appeared worried, “you...we...we’re in Fanaht Wood, in the land of Aiblune.”

She raised a brow, “Aiblune? Fanaht Wood?”

“We’re not in your world anymore.”