It had been ten minutes. Darius had circled the designated area four times now and there wasn't a sign of Elisa Young, or any other living creature. The forest was a dangerous place at night, even the wildlife knew better, but Darius was on a mission that called for such desparate measures that, if things didn't change soon, would get significantly worse.
They came to a clearing and Darius whistled softly. The familiar holding the lantern came to a hault right behind him and just stared. He never liked them, creatures with no soul nor thoughts of their own. They only followed instructions, such as his order to carry around the lantern. He hoped Elisa would see it, but he couldn't feel anyone's presence for miles. He checked his staff... it wasn't picking up on anything particularly dangerous. He looked around, the limited light from the lantern creating ghastly shadows that would frighten the weak of heart.
Twelve minutes now. His instructions were clear, he had to use it.
He reached deep into a pocket hidden in his robe and pulled out a small shard of a Herald crystal. It was a rarity of its kind, blue in color, it seemed to glow in the dull moonlight, an illusion caused by the very nature of his eyes. He had fused a steel chain to the base of the crystal. Unusual, but it was sure to work.
Darius glanced over at the familiar, frozen solid awaiting his next order. He didn't know if it could fight, if it could defend itself, if it could deliver his message if he didn't make it out of this place.
He held the end of the chain and allowed it to fall, the crystal stopping only a few centimetres from the ground. He channeled his energy through the chain. The lantern behind him flashed brighter for a moment as balls of light flared and spat from the crystal, orbiting as more lights appeared and circled faster and faster around the crystal. It was mezmirising, he couldn't look away. He felt like the light was pulling him in. He wanted to be one with the light, he wanted to become part of it, and it a part of him. He wanted to bend down and hold it closer to his face, feel its marvelous light against his skin.
The hypnotic light dulled his senses, he didn't know where he was anymore, he only wanted the light. He was so lost in the Gaze of the Herald Crystal that he didn't hear one of them jump from the tree, didn't hear the brush rustle as Elisa emerged from behind a tree.
He didn't notice her drawing her blade, he didn't hear the twang of the bow as she released the arrow.
Thanks for checking this out. Your comments are appreciated. So are your Appreciations below :D
CHECK OUT MY OTHER MANIPULATIONS
LET'S WORK TOGETHER! CHECK OUT OUR TEAM PROFILE.
THANKS!
