Moonrise ✔ [Complete]

21 Parasite

Darkness surrounded Maeyune and caressed her skin with icy fingers. Eventually, light sprouted from a single point in front of her, and it illuminated a vast cavern that imprisoned her.  Above her head, stalactites pointed ominously, their sharpness resembling dragon teeth.

The light came from a small body of water at the center of the cavern floor.  When she approached its edge, she saw swirls of green that slithered underneath the water's surface.

"Hello, Maeyune."

The voice startled her. It tore through silence and clanged against the cave walls.

She spun.

A man stepped into the lake's dim light. She saw first his familiar, friendly smile.

Ristoff Greylord.

The Head Councilor stood with his hands folded in front of him.

"What's going on?" she asked.  "Where are we?"

"We are inside your mind," he answered.  "Although, it's rather morbid in here.  How about some more light?"

He snapped his fingers, and a searing pain pierced her skull.  She cried out, buckling onto her knees as she grabbed her head.

The cavern vanished, and the scene transformed.

When the pain subsided, she glanced up, her eyes slow to accept the sudden daylight.

In front of her loomed tall buildings constructed from white brick.  She rose from her crouch in the middle of a vacant street.  There was no sign of life.

Ursa.

But it was not the Silver City she had left behind.  It was the city from twenty years before.

Maeyune turned and found Ristoff a short distance away.  His head rolled on his shoulders as he also observed the new environment.

"How did you do that?" she demanded, alarm stirring.

He smiled.  "It was quite simple, really.  I forced your mind to change."

She stared, incredulous.  "That's not possible.  How are you even here?  How are you inside my mind?"

Still smiling, he replied, "Courtesy of our visitors."

With nonchalant grace, he raised his hand toward the sky.  Maeyune's eyes followed his gesture.

Thunder clapped. Red clouds surged across the blue expanse, and like black ink, aircrafts appeared and stained the sky.  Maeyune watched as colorful dragons slid into existence in response to the invasion.

"Mankind was denied the opportunity to determine why the Wobeck arrived," Ristoff said.  "However, through years of research, we now realize that the Wobeck possess an immense knowledge of all that we once deemed impossible, including the capabilities of telepathy."