A Nightmare: Shattered Garden

As Gonyual slowly rounded a hedge, a strange and unsettling sight greeted him. A small child lay on their back, their eyes fixed unflinchingly on the sky. It was… Raerestrel’vaux? Clad in a white Arisha Ikeburer… she was partially obscured by another young girl, humming the melody, this one with silver hair and clothes of the fishing village. It had to be Ylja… She crouched over Raerestrel, her back to Gonyaul. Was she attending to her?

Suddenly, the serene sounds of nature faded, replaced by a haunting, discordant drone. Smoke billowed from the hedges, grass, and flowers, some bursting into flames, tarnishing the once-beautiful garden. The sky darkened with ominous red hues, choked with smoke.

A squelching sound drew Gonyaul’s attention back to the girls. Raerestrel remained motionless, her gaze fixed on the heavens, while Ylja slowly turned to face Gonyaul. Blood smeared her mouth, her smile jagged and malevolent as she held a beating heart in her hand.

“I caught six today!” she exclaimed in a demonic multi-layered voice, the words disturbing and chilling to the bone. “See!” Standing, she revealed the bloodied, mutilated corpse of Raerestrel’vaux. Slowly, she grinned wickedly and pointed toward the fountain, where the lifeless forms of five other Vaux lay.

At that moment, Ylja's pale blue eyes ignited, glowing like smoldering embers of a furnace as she approached Gonyaul with a slow, unsteady gait.

Gonyaul, fighting against his heavy legs, turned to flee some unbearable horror that he knew innately was about to befall the young girl. He trudged along, stumbling with disorientation. He didn’t turn back to see.

The once tranquil ambiance of the garden shifted, a shadow of unease settling over the once-vibrant landscape. The air, once fragrant and inviting, now stifled with hints of smoke and a faint odor of decay, mingling with the sweet scents of the flowers.

Exotic blooms, once radiant and welcoming, now appeared twisted and macabre, their petals contorted into grotesque shapes. Familiar blossoms wilted before his eyes, their vibrant hues fading into dull, muted tones.

The foliage lost its ethereal glow, withering and decaying with each passing moment. Serene waterfalls now cascaded with a sinister murmur, their once-enchanted waters tainted by a dark, foreboding energy.

Gonyaul fled deeper into the garden, a malevolent feeling looming over him like a sinister specter. The whispers of the flora turned into eerie murmurs, filled with cryptic warnings and ominous portents.

The silver leaves of towering trees rustled with an intensity as their trunks bent over in an unseen violent wind, their whispers echoing with the voice of the ancient one…