Chapter 11 The Hunt Begins
ARC II THE JESTER'S GAME
The mist never left. For three days the travelers moved through forests and forgotten valleys, avoiding roads and settlements. The feeling of being watched only grew stronger. Every morning the black fox appeared. Every evening it vanished. And every night something followed them through the darkness. Nobody slept well anymore. Not even Kev. That alone worried Toivo. The demon steward usually treated danger as a minor inconvenience. Now the red-haired demon spent every evening perched atop the palanquin roof in cat form, watching the darkness with narrowed crimson eyes. Waiting. Listening. Something was coming. Everyone felt it. The fourth night arrived beneath a sky hidden by clouds. No moon. No stars. Only darkness. The small winged fairies glowed softly around Moon's floating shrine. hundreds of tiny lights drifted through the forest like silver fireflies. Their presence should have felt comforting. Instead it only made the surrounding darkness seem deeper.
Gret rode beside Toivo. The old warrior rested his massive greataxe across one shoulder.
"You feel it?"
Toivo nodded.
"Yeah."
"Good."
"Good?"
"If you stop feeling fear, you're already dead."
Toivo wasn't sure that was comforting.
Suddenly every fairy froze. Thousands of glowing lights stopped moving. Moon looked up. Kev stood instantly. The marble horses halted. Silence swallowed the forest. No wind. No insects. No sound. Then A laugh echoed through the trees.
"Hahahahaha..."
The sound drifted through the darkness. Light. Playful. Wrong. Toivo felt ice crawl down his spine. The laugh came again. Closer.
"Hahahahahaha..."
The forest answered. Laughter echoed from every direction. Gret's hand tightened around his axe. Brother wolves would have fled. Even predators knew when something dangerous had entered their territory. The shadows beneath the trees began moving. Not naturally. As if darkness itself were walking. Then someone stepped into view. Alone. Standing atop a fallen stone pillar. A tall figure. Black clothing. Silver embroidery. Long coat tails fluttering in the wind. A white mask covered his face. The mask wore a smile, A permanent grin. And resting casually across one shoulder was an enormous scythe. The blade gleamed silver in the fairy light.
The stranger bowed theatrically.
"Good evening."
Nobody answered.
The man chuckled.
"Oh dear."
He placed a hand against his chest.
"Where are my manners?"
The scythe spun lazily through the air.
"My name is Matias."
The smile on the mask somehow seemed wider.
"Though some people prefer another title."
The scythe struck the ground. The earth cracked.
"The Laughing Reaper."
Toivo immediately stepped forward. Frostfang appeared in his hands. Gret moved beside him. Kev in his cat form dropped from the palanquin roof. His body expanded. Shadows gathered around him. transformed into his human form. Short red hair. Crimson eyes. Claws extending. The atmosphere became deadly.
Matias laughed.
"Oh, wonderful."
His gaze settled on Kev.
"The cat."
Then Gret.
"The giant."
Then Toivo.
"The wolf cub."
Finally His masked face turned toward Moon. The laughter stopped. Complete silence followed. For several moments neither moved. The forest itself seemed to hold its breath.
Then Matias spoke quietly.
"Hello, Moon."
Toivo had never heard anyone address Moon so casually.
Moon's expression remained unreadable.
His silver eyes reflected the pale mask.
"Matias."
The Reaper spread his arms.
"As beautiful as ever."
Kev growled.
"Watch your tongue."
Matias laughed again.
"I've missed you too, Kev."
That startled everyone.
Even Gret blinked.
He knew Kev?
Moon slowly stepped from the palanquin. Silver silk drifted around him. Fairies gathered overhead.
"Why are you here?"
Matias tilted his head.
"To see you."
"That's a lie."
"It is."
The Reaper seemed delighted by the answer.
Then he pointed toward Toivo.
"That one interests me."
Toivo felt every instinct screaming danger.
Matias studied him carefully.
Blue eyes.
Blond hair.
Frostfang.
Then something behind the mask changed. Recognition. Confusion. Almost surprise.
"Huh."
The Reaper stared.
"Interesting."
Moon stepped between them. Immediately. Protectively. Matias noticed. The smile widened.
"Very interesting."
The forest exploded. Corpse puppets erupted from the ground. Dozens. Perhaps hundreds. Dead warriors. Dead knights. Dead monsters. An Army of the dead. All moving. All laughing. The heroes reacted instantly. Toivo charged.Frostfang split a corpse warrior in half. Gret's axe shattered three more. Kev vanished into shadows. Bodies flew apart moments later. Liese would have called it a massacre. Yet Matias never joined the battle. He simply watched. Watching Toivo fight. Watching Moon. Watching everything. Testing them. Learning. After several minutes he seemed satisfied. The corpse army collapsed. One by one. Returning to lifeless bodies. The forest became silent once more. Toivo looked around. The battle was over. Too quickly. Too easily. Which meant it had never been a real battle. Only a test.
Matias slowly stepped backward.
"Well."
He spun his scythe.
"That was fun."
Kev snarled.
"Running already?"
"Running?"
The Reaper laughed.
"No."
His gaze shifted northward.
"I'm merely making room."
The words chilled Moon more than anything else. Because he understood. Someone else was coming. Someone worse.
Matias gave a final bow.
"See you soon, Moon."
The darkness swallowed him.
Gone.
Just like that.
Silence returned. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke.
Finally Toivo looked toward Moon.
"Who is he?"
Moon stared at the empty darkness where the Reaper had stood. For a long time he said nothing. Then his voice became very quiet.
"An old friend."
The answer somehow felt worse than if he had said enemy.
Far away. Beyond the forests. Beyond the mountains. Beyond the northern horizon. Within the black Mirror Tower a magical mirror rippled. A masked figure appeared within its surface.
Matias smiled.
"The hunt has begun."
And somewhere in the darkness, countless shadow wolves lifted their heads and howled.
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