The following days blurred by quickly. The captives had all reached the little settlement, and the girl whom I had mistaken as a woman from all the grime on her had been reunited with her family. I watched from above as she clung to them, weeping into her mother's chest while her father wrapped his arms around them both. The sight stirred something faint in me, a warmth which I quickly buried with a sigh.
Not long after, she and her people began kneeling before my faceless statue. Hour after hour they prayed, lips moving in fervent whispers, their hearts pouring out into me, and with every plea, every bowed head, faith energy surged into me.
It was… intoxicating.
But I noticed something unsettling. The stronger that energy grew, the heavier I began to feel. My powers pressed against invisible limits, as though the earth itself could no longer bear the weight of me walking upon it.
I was getting too powerful for the earth to handle.
The girl's name, I soon learned, was Anna. She was tireless, always the first to rise, the last to rest. When workers were tasked with duties that would take three hours, she'd stay four, quietly picking up the burdens of the weary. She often took chores from the elderly, insisting they shouldn't exhaust themselves.
Her heart was good, very kind.
But her flaw was obvious even to me. She was a hopeless romantic. Every sunrise seemed to bring with it another boy who made her cheeks flush, and every sunset left her pillow wet with tears when reality crushed her fantasies. She loved too quickly, too foolishly.
Her parents noticed, of course. One night, over a modest dinner in the communal log cabin, her father set down his spoon and sighed.
"Wait for the right moment, Anna. Don't rush," he said, his voice steady.
Her mother smiled gently and added, "Yes. Look at us. We only began our relationship in our late thirties. You're not late, sweetheart. You have time."
Anna only nodded, slow and quiet, pushing food around her bowl. The rest of dinner passed in awkward silence, broken only by idle chatter here and there.
When the meal ended, the families laid out mats and quilts. Anna settled down beside her two closest friends, Alicia and Jude.
"Anna," Jude whispered after the room fell still, "we're sneaking out tonight. Alex says he found something amazing in the forest, apparently there is a glowing waterfall."
Anna's eyes widened. "But… we aren't allowed to leave after curfew. The guards will—"
"Alex knows a way out without the gate," Jude cut in, grinning.
Alicia leaned closer, excitement glimmering in her eyes. "So… are you coming?"
Anna hesitated. Her lips parted, closed again. Finally, she gave the smallest nod.
The two girls stifled squeals, hugging each other before lying back down and feigning sleep.
The lodging grew quiet. Alicia peeked around, scanning the room. When she was sure no one was watching, she nudged Anna and Jude awake. The three tiptoed toward the door, only to freeze at a voice slurring in the dark.
"Hey… where d'you think you're going?"
They whipped around, hearts hammering. An old man sat upright on his mat, eyes closed, muttering.
"Yeah, I see you… you little c**ts. You stole my… damn… my damn cigars…" His words trailed into a snore.
The girls nearly collapsed from relief.
They slipped out, easing the door shut behind them. Shadows cloaked the wall, and they crept along it, avoiding the sweep of torchlight until they reached a shack. Inside, six other teens waited, they were four boys, and two girls.
"Took you long enough," grumbled Alex, a boy with sharp eyes and a scar on his cheek.
Jude shot him a glare. "We had to wait for them to fall asleep. Not all of us bunk with old folks who pass out at sundown."
The group chuckled, but when their eyes shifted to Anna, there was no humor, only veiled hostility. Their stares lingered too long. She stiffened, and Jude's hand quickly found hers, squeezing reassuringly. She returned the squeeze, though her heart raced.
"Let's just go," said a red-haired girl with freckles, hugging herself against the cold. "The sooner we see this miracle, the sooner I can crawl back into bed."
Alex grunted and moved a dresser against the shack's wall, revealing a crude tunnel. One by one, they crawled through it and emerged outside the walls, among the ruins. They whispered and laughed nervously, picking their way through shattered stone until they reached a broken gate that gaped open into the dark forest.
No children had business wandering there.
Anna fell in step beside another girl, Daphne, who smiled warmly. They struck up a conversation, quickly discovering their shared love of romance.
"I just know my soulmate's out there," Daphne whispered. "Someone who'll sweep me off my feet."
Anna giggled softly. "I… I feel the same."
Their laughter broke when Aiden, one of the boys, let out a sharp whistle. The group followed his gaze, and there it was.
A waterfall glowing blue and shimmering green, casting strange light into the night.
I separated myself slightly from the group, drifting closer to the pool's edge. The water pulsed with an energy not of this world. Even I felt its effects, soothing, relaxing, almost intoxicating when inhaled.
The teens drew near, awed, their faces lit by its glow.
Anna crouched and dipped her hands into the water. She cupped some and lifted it toward her lips.
Suddenly, the pool thrummed. Then it thrashed violently.
The teens screamed and staggered back as the water erupted. A colossal crab surfaced, its shell glistening with unnatural light, its mandibles clacking. It screeched, spraying spittle into the air, and the ground trembled beneath its massive claws.
Fear froze them in place.
Alex collapsed onto the dirt, trembling, a dark stain spreading across his trousers. The others stumbled back, legs quaking, all except Anna, who stood rooted to the spot, eyes wide with terror.
She couldn't move. She couldn't even breathe.
And Alex, the brave leader who brought them here, had gone soft as jelly on the ground.