The Phantom of the Depths

Prolouge

Run. That's the only thought in my mind. I had lost my friends in the forest far behind me when we split at the fork in the path. With that thing chasing me. Only me. For what I am. What I could do. Splitting up with my friends was the only thing I could do to keep them safe. Though I didn't even know if they were safe. Could they have been caught by the guards or killed by the thing that chanced me?
I shook the thoughts out of my head, No. They will survive, they will fight. I hadn't known my friends to not be fighters, to not fight for what they think was right.
The first snow of the coming winter fell harder around me, snow coated my eyelashes and hair with thick cold mats, as I ran deeper into the once beautiful and green forest. Now, it was cold, dark, and dying. Dying and it was all my fault. My stupid, damned fault. I should have kept my mouth shut and I should have never told them what I was. Now the whole realm was in danger. This once beautiful, thriving land will perish from my stupidity.
I tried to wipe the cold, wet snow from my face, but my hands and face was too cold to feel anything. So, I gave up and kept focusing on the burning ache in my thighs and calves. I've never had to run this fast before. And it hurt. But running was the only thing I could do. If it would all be over.
     There were crashing sounds far behind me of the trees being swallowed up by the very thing that chased me, the thing that sent shivers down my spine just to think about. The thing that was unholy and created in very deep, burning pits of hell. The thing that would stop at nothing to capture me for its master or just to kill me on the spot. The sounds of the thing echoed through the forest, causing what was left of the birds to fly away with fear. Animals that hadn't left yet were now running past me. I was tempted to hop onto an elk's back and ride it to safety.
Then it hit me.
      "Wait a second. We can't start here." I said out loud as I stopped running. The scene around me stopped. The snowflakes stopped mid air as the sound of the creature and trees stopped as well. Now only a dark, cold silence remained. The cold snow and Ice that stuck to my body caused me to shiver.
      "And why not?" said the voice of a woman that I couldn't see. The voice of the person I knew followed me every second of my life. The woman who I had once met in another world.
     "They won't understand what's going on." I said to the woman, who I couldn't see as I gestured towards the reader who looked oddly confused. "We need to start from the beginning. Hmm. . ." I thought for a moment tapping my chin with my cold forefinger. "How about we start from the very beginning of this story. Like this. . ."