"Very soon, your life will be in danger, my heir." A whisper brushed Sami's ear. He jumped, his book crashing to the desk.
The library lights flickered for a moment. Shadows seemed to stretch toward him, hands reaching out to grab.
The light settled, and everything turned back to normal. Sami's heart pounded as he scanned the library, but no one was near.
His hand hovered over the book, trembling uncontrollably. "Get a grip…" he muttered, taking small breaths to steady his breathing.
The urge to read was now gone.
He lowered his hand to the table and let his gaze wander around the library, settling on the window. Something about the glass seemed to call out to him.
The glass began to warp and swirl like water.
An image appeared of a woman with red hair holding a broken sword, her armor spotted with blood. She appeared to be running away from something; fear twisted her features.
He thought he saw something big, scaly behind her, but the image was unclear, and the world around seemed dark. An ominous feeling that sent shivers down his back.
"Excuse me, can I get some help here?" a man's voice yelled out, snapping his fingers to get Sami's attention.
Sami tore his gaze from the window. Cheeks burning, he apologized and hurried to help the man.
The man left in a huff shortly after.
Sami let out a groan and put his head on the counter. "What the heck is going on with me today?" he muttered.
He lifted his head and took one last glance at the window, but the image from earlier had disappeared.
'It was just a weird vision brought on by boredom,' he tried to convince himself, while starting the chores around the library.
His first task was restocking the books; as he started stacking them on shelves, red eyes glared at him from the shadows. Sharp rows of teeth snapped at him, making him jump back.
BANG!
The books in his arms hit the ground; he checked the shelf, saw nothing, and the adrenaline racing through his body slowed. "I really need a break", he muttered to himself.
⟢
Sami soon found himself on the trails, quickly making his way through the forest. He still felt slightly off about the day, but hoped relaxing in his clearing would help.
After about ten minutes on the trail, the trees opened up to reveal a sunset shining upon quietly grazing animals.
Sami walked forward with a small smile on his face as he ran his hand over the table and chair in the center of the clearing. An addition he added so he could read in peace.
The sound of snapping branches and rustling leaves shattered his peace, sending shivers down his spine.
Sami pulled the knife out of his boot, and he slowly backed away from the bushes. Using the table as an extra defense in case it was a wild animal.
Instead of an animal, a girl who looked to be around his age stumbled out of the bushes, but for some vague reason, he felt she looked familiar.
Her messy, reddish curls stuck to her sweaty face. Her silver armor glistened in the sunlight despite the damage, openly displaying her scars.
She held a broken sword tight; a line of blood ran down her arm.
Even through the sweat, Sami found her breathtaking. His eyes went straight to her hair, enjoying the way it glistened in the sunlight. He felt his cheeks warm the longer he stared.
'Wait, wasn't this the girl from the image I saw in the window earlier?!' Forcing himself not to shudder as the image of her running earlier replayed in his mind.
Sami's stomach tightened. Taking a deep breath, he tried to approach her. "U-um, miss, are you alright?" his voice barely a whisper. 'Smooth, very smooth, now she'll think I'm so cowardly.'
Her eyes narrowed on the small blade, letting out a snort. "Might as well put that knife away, not like it'll stop me if I wanted to hurt you." The warrior sucked on her teeth in annoyance and brushed past him.
"No wonder she is by herself with such an ugly attitude," he muttered under his breath, hurrying to put his knife away and moving to follow.
"What did you say, bookworm? I didn't quite catch that," she said, her voice laced with sarcasm.
Sami stumbled before catching his footing. "Haha, I said nothing at all!"
The warrior glanced over her shoulder before speeding up her pace.
"So why are you calling me bookworm?"
The warrior shrugged, "I don't know, you just seem like one of those types who reads a lot."
He chuckled awkwardly. "I actually work at a library, so I'm around books all the time, haha."
The warrior snorted at the irony.
Sami watched as she dropped the broken sword. His eyes widened as the steel dissolved into a shimmer of golden light. He glanced at the warrior, now empty-handed, and back at the ground.
He looked back and saw the warrior had pulled ahead; he hurried to catch up 'What the hell was that?' His mind wandered if it was just a trick of the light, or even if she had a sword to begin with.
The feeling of being watched returned, just like before; the shadows seemed as if they wanted to swallow him.
He looked behind and glimpsed red eyes. When blinked, the red disappeared, returning the forest to normal. However, it didn't stop the racing of his heart.
"I suppose you can stop looking at my arse and introduce yourself, bookworm," she teased, breaking the silence.
Sami's head snapped back towards her, his cheeks heating up. "I-i wasn't, my name is Sami... short for Samuel."
"Geez, bookworm, you don't need to be scared. My name is Lyra."
Sami wanted to continue the conversation but didn't know what to say, and stayed quiet.
Walking in silence, time passed; the sun sank lower as darkness crept in.
A growing unease settled over Sami as he realized they were heading in the wrong direction. He stammered out, "Um, w-we are going the wrong way!"
For a moment, he wondered if she had even heard him over the crunch of their boots on the uneven terrain.
The air crackled with unspoken tension. Every single noise was making him nervous, and he started rubbing his hands together, ready to leave the dark first.
Finally, Lyra stopped and turned to look at him. The sun cast a long shadow across her face, making it hard to see her, yet he could feel her gaze on him.
"I'm leading us as far away from the city as possible," she whispered, her voice turning sad. "The monster that attacked my team is still following me."
"M-Monster?" Sami stammered, his brain trying to catch up to the implications of something like that could exist.
Lyra's face was full of confusion as she stared at Sami. "Have you not heard of the increased attacks happening in cities?"
"I haven't heard of any recent attacks," his voice shaking as he tried to stay calm. "Maybe a while ago we dealt with a bandit raid, but that was it."
Lyra shook her head, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. She opened her mouth to speak, but a loud sound ripped through the air, cutting off her words.
ROAR
The loud noise sent vibrations through Sami's body.
The ground shook violently beneath their feet.
"The monster that's been chasing me is called a Gbahali. It is a large, reptile-like monster with very sharp claws," she growled, her voice tight with urgency.
Lyra forced Sami behind her, taking a protective stance in front of him. "Promise me, bookworm, if you see a chance to leave me, take it. I'll hold the monster back for as long as I can."
Sami couldn't speak. He nodded, his body trembling.
Soon, a blur passed by, a sharp gleam in the dark reflected the moonlight.
Lyra stepped forward, deflecting the attack; a sword flashing into previously empty hands.
The Gbahali's claws slashed the ground, creating a giant gash.
His heart beat rapidly, his breathing shallow, fast as he took as much of the fight as he could. "They're moving so fast. Is she truly only a knight in training?"
With the Gbahali, now standing still, Sami was able to take in its monstrous form. It was tall, easily twice the height of Lyra, with red eyes that burned with anger.
Its long arms ended in claws that resembled small blades, and its teeth were pointy with meat and metal still stuck in them. The creature's body was covered in dull green scales that barely reflected the moonlight, but it felt sinister, evil.
The creature moved with surprising speed for its size, a blur of motion at them once again.
Lyra didn't hesitate.
With a fierce cry, she shoved Sami backward once again, sending him stumbling before falling on his butt.