It had grown loud outside. Boots and what sounded like a chariot ran across the bare dry village pathways. They were followed by loud banging on the closed wooden doors of the village as they forcefully tried to open them into the abodes of the unknowing villagers. Then came the echoes of coordinated instructions passing along from door to door. They all carried the same message, the same astonishing message.
Then there was a knock at the door. It was loud and hasty. It seemed to be in a hurry and overly charged with energy. Then came a rough jingling of the loose door knob. There was so much force behind the jingling. Unneeded force.
" Oh! the door's open."
The bright light from the outside came crushing into the dark room, overpowering the small dim greenish flare that had previously illuminated the room. Some of the footsteps ran up stairs and others searched through the dusty and cobweb filled furniture in the room.
" There is someone here," a shout echoed across the two-story building.
" She's… she's awake. " it added as it moved to the corner where the girl was crouched.
" Wait that robe…"
The brown haired girl was motionless. If it wasn't for the light that spread across the room she would have easily been mistaken for a small furniture covered by a long silky curtain. Their was some dust that had settled on her clothes but she didn't seem to care nor even noticing it. Her eyes were bone dry and the tip of her nose bright red, possibly from crying.
" Are you alright, lady Liora? " the voice asked.
Liora was still stuck in her deep dark limbo. The noises in the room and outside were like static noise in the background. She could feel the warmth of the light descend upon her cold skin as the voice asked her if she was okay.
Was she okay?
In her mind she didn't have the vaguest idea of what had happened to the others ever since Sen left her with the elder. The transition part from then to here was just laughter and her screaming. It would then fade to an endless screen of black before starting all over again.
Was she okay?
Her eyes slowly raised to meet the stinging touch of the sun's rays. The voice's question beckoned and she had an answer.
" I don't know. "
…
The guild was fast and efficient in their efforts to round up the villagers. Everything was coordinated and worked like clockwork in unison. Their numbers were fee but what they managed to do wasn't. Liora could only but watch as they moved around carrying out their silent orders.
Near the village gates was a murmuring crowd. It mainly consisted of women, children and the elderly with a few men. They stood close to each other with barely any room for movement, children holding on closely onto the garments of their mothers. They looked worried, their eyes darting across from guild members to guild member as they circled them. Even more edgy were the fresh batch of people being brought to join the congregation at the gates.
Liora sat on the edge wooden porch as she watched them walk by one by one. She was wrapped in a woolen white shawl, a gift from Nexa. Her eyes still looked dead and empty… but not as much as the villagers passing by her.
One foot after the other they tried to move forward. As they paced forward Liora couldn't help but notice the hazy look in their eyes. They looked like they had just woken up but from thousands of nightmares and in each of those nightmares a piece of the was slowly chipped away. Their eyes were gradually assuming their usual shape but not after what seemed like an entity of staggering and almost falling unconscious again. This case was only for the adults. As for the children their nightmares continued as they slept in the arms of their mothers.
" What happened to them? " Liora asked her eyes unable to look the other way.
There was female guild member beside her. She was the one who had found her in the dark room and gave her the shawl from Nexa. Her eyes wavered as they watched the last group of people walk by some still unconscious.
Liora's question came to her as a surprise. She didn't show it but she was dumbfounded especially since it was Liora who asked it.
She turned to her eyes trying their best not to show judgement.
" Lady Liora forgive my rudeness but… aren't you the one who supposed to tell me that? "
Liora was quiet. The guild member eyes shifted to her face trying to see if should tread any further than this. She was too close to angering Lady Nexa.
Liora's eyes remained still. The shawl around her was warm but their was a cold feeling brewing inside. Something she had never felt before.
The lady continued.
" If I'm not wrong you and your team were sent here to investigate the activities of this village right? So shouldn't you kn… "
" Enough! " Liora snapped.
" How I'm I supposed to know that? I was —. I didn't even want to come on this stupid mission in the first place. "
" I'm sorry Lady Liora, I shouldn't have spoke…"
" Yeah you shouldn't have. You'll be lucky if Nexa doesn't hear of this. " Liora interrupted.
" Please forgive my intrusion, lady Liora," a voice came from behind her, " but we are getting ready to leave. "
The voice turned to the lady beside Liora.
" Please escort her to the gates. "
" Hmph, finally. " she said as started to walk towards the gates. As she angrily paced onwards a thought sparked in her head.
" Where are the others? "
The number of people at the gates had grown. It was split into three areas each guarded by at least four guild gentries.
In the first group everyone seemed fine. Their eyes were slowly getting back their natural glow. They stood perfectly but still had the evident worry on their faces due to the stern faces of their guards.
The second group was majorly of new arrivals. They were still hazy and wobbled back down every time they tried to stand up. Recovery was slow with some showing signs of coming to. But in the same group were those whose status was receding. It was as if their once open eyes were slowly shutting back down to their thousand nightmares. This batch was slowly hauled to the third and final group.
This group was different. Instead of being out in the open forest air they were they were inside a large white tent. It had sky blue shading at its end where it was supported onto the ground by some wood collected from the forest. All that was happening inside was hidden. And even is there was a way to know, Liora doubted that she would have.
…
As she walked closer to the gates she noticed someone familiar. His unique pattern hair stood out the most amongst the other dark haired people around him. As she walked closer to him she felt that cold feeling from before begin to creep back up.
" Why am I feeling this? Why all of a sudden? "
"This feeling of something that did was wrong… or maybe — "
And the more Liora thought about it the more her steps grew slow. The recurring thought and that recurring feeling all watered down her momentum until finally she stopped.
When Sen's face came to view thought and the feeling settled to a definite answer. His distant gaze and grey face only cemented the feeling of guilt she was currently having.
" What happened here? "