“Father! Father!” Tarin screamed as he ran through the darkness. There was nothing he could see except the water beneath his feet. He had heard his father's voice once in the darkness.

  “Son, here.” The voice called again, and he spun around to find nothing. He ran toward the sound, screaming his father’s name.

  He kept running until something tapped on his shoulder. He quickly turned around to find his father standing there. His father looked just as he had fourteen years ago, the last time Tarin saw him.

  “Find the prison, my son. Do not fail, no matter what." His father placed both hands on Tarin's shoulders.

  “Yes, I will, Father. But where can I find this prison?” Tarin replied.

  “You can fi– find it af– after the…” His father was about to finish when Tarin’s eyes snapped open. He quickly sat up straight, breathing hard and covered in sweat.

  “What happened?” Arix asked from the corner of the room, preparing his bag to head out.

  Tarin gasped for breath, his heart pounding. “Was it... a dream?” he whispered.

  “Get ready. We have to head out soon,” Arix said as he picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder.

  “Where’s Lyra and Meilie?” Tarin asked.

  “Outside, preparing breakfast,” Arix answered.

  “Okay. I am coming,” Tarin said as he stood up.

  - - -

  After breakfast, the group marched ahead toward the village.

  For the next four days, they walked through fields of grass, crossed one river, and saw a few creatures grazing in the distance.

  On the fifth day, they could see the village far away. Arix stood on a small cliff. Ahead of him lay a path lined with trees. It was large enough to be called a small forest, though the trees weren't densely packed.

  “Let’s be careful here. We don’t want to encounter another monster like we did in the first forest we landed in,” Arix said as he headed into the small forest.

  The forest had scattered trees, and the path ahead was clearly visible. They all walked in silence, listening to the various sounds that resembled birds chirping.

  Arix kept his eyes on the trees for any danger. Tarin walked behind everyone, also on alert.

  They walked for an hour when the sun started setting.

  “Let’s stop for today. We should not move through the forest at night,” Arix said as he looked around for a suitable camping spot.

  “I agree,” Tarin nodded.

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  They wandered around to find a suitable place. Before long, they found a tree with a thick trunk–perfect for making camp.

  They started a fire below the branches of the tree and Lyra started cooking chicken over the fire.

  Tired from the day, after eating everyone went straight to bed.

  But as usual, Arix couldn't sleep.

  He kept turning from side to side, but sleep wouldn’t come to him. After trying for a while, he got up.

  He sighed and went deeper into the forest for a walk.

  He was humming and walking with the sword on his back when he heard a noise–a river stream nearby.

  “A river?” He whispered as he went in the direction of the sound.

  “The river flowing through the forest? Or is it a pond?” He thought.

  Following the sound, he found a pond with a small waterfall.

  But Arix's attention was caught by very small creatures flying over the water. They glowed a soft yellow.

  “Whoa! Are they fireflies from the books? Those glowing little creatures.” Arix said as he looked around, taking in the beauty of the lake and the waterfall.

  But soon his attention was drawn to another creature on his left. The creature was sipping water and hadn't noticed Arix.

  The creature looked big, so Arix unsheathed his sword, ready to defend himself in case it attacked.

  After drinking, the creature looked up and noticed Arix. It growled and started walking toward him.

  The creature had three long, slanted red eyes and red fur covering its body. It looked like a dog, but twice the size of one.

  Arix stood ready, letting the monster approach. When it came within range, it lunged at him, jaws wide.

  Arix dodged to his left and ran toward the monster. He jumped when he was close enough and struck it on the head with the sharp blade of the sword.

  The creature collapsed with a whimper, its head hitting the ground.

  “This sword is awesome.” Arix’s eyes lit up with excitement as he looked at the blade.

  “How can I activate its aura thing?” Arix wondered, turning the sword in all directions and swinging it through the air a few times to see if anything happened.

  After failing to find a way, he sat near the pond for a while, staring at the fireflies and admiring the beauty of the forest.

  “Elena would have loved this pond,” he whispered.

  “I wish she were with me,” he said in a low voice.

  After a while, he sighed and went back to camp. He still struggled to sleep, but after trying for some time, he finally did.

  - - -

  In the morning, they set off once more. It took them six hours to get out of the forest.

  “Finally, we are out,” Lyra said, stretching her arms as they moved forward.

  After another three days of walking, the village entrance finally came into view.

  The sun was already setting when they reached the gates of the village.

  “Whoa. The entry gate looks so big,” Lyra said, looking up at the tall wall.

  “This village looks bigger than the previous Loms village,” Arix said as he stepped forward to enter, but something stopped him.

  “Step back and state your name and business.” A voice came from above. Arix looked up to find a few creatures holding crossbows, aiming at his head.

  Arix stepped back and raised his hands. “Whoa, stop. We are not here to harm you. We are just passing by,” he said.

  “Turn around and leave. Humans,” the creature said again.

  “They look like humans but are very small,” Lyra whispered.

  “They are like half our size,” Tarin said. He also raised his hand but stayed cautious, ready to act if needed.

  Meilie raised her hand as well, looking at the dwarves above her.

  “We are looking for a prison. Please let us know where it is, and we will be on our way,” Arix shouted.

  The dwarf with the crossbow started to shout down, “Prison? Do you mean Devi–” when someone interrupted him.

  “Wait. Look at that sword.” Another dwarf appeared and pointed toward the sword on Arix’s back.

  “He is no normal human,” the dwarf said.