Chapter 333 - Angling around
Scarlett and Fynn moved through the thinning veil of trees. The air was noticeably warmer than the night before, and patches of snow had melted, revealing damp earth beneath. Still, it was no true thaw — just a brief reprieve before winter tightened its grip again.
Soon, they emerged into the familiar glade where their battle had taken place only half a day earlier. Scarlett’s gaze locked onto the remains of the three big creatures at the centre of the clearing.
When she and Fynn had finished with them, the beasts had been left scorched and beaten, but still largely recognisable. Now, all that remained were piles of bones, stripped clean of flesh.
Something had erased the rest.
Above them, pale morning light filtered through skeletal branches, casting elongated shadows across the glade. But at its heart, beside the bones, there was an unnatural pocket of darkness — one that didn’t shift with the wind or bend to the sun’s touch.
Fynn watched it closely. So did Scarlett.
As they neared, the shadow stirred, twisting and unravelling like smoke before coalescing into a small, childlike figure. A crimson hood draped over its shoulders, and beneath it, a stark white mask emerged. Wisps of pale hair framed it, while three lavender eyes adorned the smooth surface — two wide, translucent irises with small black pupils, and a third vertical eye in the centre of the forehead.
Nol’viz of the Hallowed Cabal.
The masked girl tilted her head, observing Scarlett with an inscrutable gaze before shifting her attention to Fynn. They regarded each other in silence.
“I assume you have a message for me,” Scarlett eventually said.
Nol’viz’s focus returned to her. After a pause, the girl reached into the folds of her robe and produced a reflective shard of grey metal. A [Mirror of Communion].
Fog spread across the artifact’s surface, darkening it.