"Looking at that map isn't going to bring back our horses, Arinthal, so quit it," Aetheris groaned from the bed, watching Arinthal as he stood by the window.
"The route has changed yet again," Arinthal mumbled. He unrolled a sheet of enchanted parchment; as the ancient ink reacted to his touch, a glowing 3D projection of the Tamerlein continent shimmered to life above the paper. A new golden line mapped out the trajectory to Nadindel from their current position.
Aetheris got up from her bed and walked over to the window. Outside, a crimson moon cast a faint red glow that enveloped the town. Down below, the cottages were eerily quiet, the families huddled inside behind locked doors. Judging by the old man's words, six maidens were scheduled to disappear tonight, and Aetheris seemed determined to stop it somehow.
"There seems to be something hidden deep in the history of this town. Something dark. We have to leave as soon as we can if we want to reach Nadindel," Arinthal told her before tapping the paper to dissipate the holographic glow, folding the parchment, and placing it inside a silver cylindrical canister.
Aetheris sighed and made for the door. "Follow me," she whispered, sneaking out to avoid disturbing the old man's sleep.
The silver-haired elf had no choice but to oblige. They crept past the dark cottages, catching glimpses of families eating dinner by dim lantern light, hiding from the moon. Soon, they arrived back at Moiraxys' statue.
Before they could start looking around, Arinthal asked, "What are we doing here?"
"Maybe we can find some answers here," she said, beginning to investigate their surroundings.
Arinthal groaned and leaned his weight against the idol. Immediately, his pupils contracted, his surroundings vanished, and he staggered backward for a moment before regaining his composure.
"What was that?" Aetheris asked hurriedly, walking over to check if he was alright.
"It... it was a vision," Arinthal said between heavy breaths, as though he had just run a marathon.
"A what? Since when did you start having visions?" she asked worriedly.
"You were right, Aetheris. This town needs help, or the whole place will be obliterated by tomorrow."
"What do you mean? Speak sense, Arinthal!" Aetheris demanded, frustrated.
"All I saw was a sequence of short flashes. First, a wretched hand gripping a dark sword, then the blood moon, and then this town in absolute chaos, burning to the ground. And guess what else?" Arinthal added, slowly recovering his strength. "All the townspeople had their intestines removed. It was a whole bloody mess."
"Is that so?" a voice rang out.
Arinthal spun around, slightly surprised, but it was just the old man standing in the shadows of the square.
"Why did you follow us here? We didn't want to wake you," Arinthal said.
"Believe me, I wouldn't have if I didn't see you heading toward the idol," the old man spat, eyeing the statue with hatred. "But look the six chosen maidens are already heading out. If your vision is true, something terrible will happen tonight. Hurry if you want to catch up to them."
True to his word, six young women had just walked out of the town's perimeter, moving steadily under the trance toward the mountains. Arinthal and Aetheris trailed them at a distance. After a long trek, they arrived at a massive cave opening nestled in the peaks. Pillars flanked the entrance, indicating a temple built directly into the hollow of the mountain.
The maidens entered the dark temple unguided and without any light sources. Aetheris activated her velori to help her see better in the pitch black, while Arinthal conjured a small beam orb of light. The light instantly illuminated the cave, revealing a massive temple area dominated by a significantly larger statue of Moiraxys standing at the far end.
The young women walked directly toward the base of the statue, where, even from a distance, Arinthal could spot a figure sitting in a Buddha-like pose.
To his utter surprise, it was none other than Cirien.
She looked up at them, and Arinthal immediately noticed the fresh blood smeared around her mouth. His superior elven sense of smell picked up a scent he recognized instantly:
the guts of his and Aetheris's slaughtered horses.
"So you're the one devouring the intestines, huh?" Arinthal called out.
Cirien said nothing, but Aetheris sensed a wave of fear and profound shame radiating from her.
"Arinthal, I think the poor girl has been possessed," Aetheris muttered.
"By whom?" Arinthal asked, his voice echoing through the hollow cavern.
"Please leave this place or you'll die!" Cirien shouted at them, her voice cracking as if begging for their safety.
"Why?"
Suddenly, the stone eyes of the Moiraxys idol turned a deep red, and a thick crimson liquid began to seep out from its face. Cirien started to shake uncontrollably until her screams echoed across the temple walls.
Right before their eyes, her body began to twist and change until a completely different figure stood before them. Arinthal recognized the familiar face, hair, and powerful aura instantly. It could only mean one thing:
Moiraxys herself had descended into Cirien.