The Death Bridge

The wind blew stronger, making the trees tremble before its might. The bushes cringed and the animals were all in hiding. The rain poured down along with the white snowflakes. Thunder rumbled in the distance. The world turned dark and grim. The air was bone-chilling.

Raven stumbled over her own feet as she ran back to her home. She could barely feel anything. Even the pain in her shoulder and leg was numb. Her breaths gradually became shallower and shallower. She reached the clearing near her home. She stumbled and fell down, her left shoulder hitting the muddy ground first. She cried out in pain.

The world around her turned even darker and she could barely see her home. She willed herself to get back up. She stumbled on through the heavy rain and snow.

_______Meanwhile________

He jerked his head up. It became so dark so suddenly. He heard thunder rumbling in the distance. He shuffled over to the window in the wagon and looked outside. His brows furrowed in confusion and worry when he saw the strange and terrifying clouds. They reminded him of something, yet he could not place what it was."Oi lads! Hold up. Looks like a rough storm up 'heid. Make camp! Quickly now!", he heard the big man say. "{Something's not right about this weather}", he thought.

Suddenly the doors of the wagon flew open and the big man stood in the entrance. "Lad, you're a scholar, tell me, what's thes thing comin' 'ere?" he said, gesturing behind him at the dark clouds. "Somethin's off 'bout it. Is thes some magic trick you're playing? Or if not you, someone?" he asked. The white-haired man slowly shook his head. "No magic trick. I don't know what it is except that it's not looking good for us."

The big man's face was filled with worry. "We're nea far from a forest, ye think we'll make it before the storm starts?" he asked. The white-haired man thought for a few seconds as he looked at the sky."If your men act fast, we might be able to reach it before the storm starts", he replied, his eyes still fixed on the sky. The big man nodded and closed the wagon's doors."Alright, lads here's the plan. There's a forest close by. We need tae get there before 'at storm starts. The trees will give us some shelter. Now, get on with it!", big man bawled as the thunder rumbled in the distance like a hungry animal.

They turned down on the road into the forest. The first snow started to fall from the sky. They struggled onwards with the wagon.

They were halfway down the road when a soft drizzle engulfed them. "Hurry up lads! Let's get to those trees! " the big man yelled. The wind burned their faces as they made their way toward the forest. Lightning struck somewhere in the forest and the deafening sound made them all shudder.

The white-haired man looked out of the window. The wind violently shook the wagon and he grabbed ahold of the bars in front of the window to steady himself. He felt a strange sensation touch his skin. A faint burning feeling crawled across his skin followed by a strange coldness that surpassed even the icy temperatures of the storm outside. The space between his brows wrinkled as he frowned at the strange feeling. "{Could this be the place I've been searching for?}"

_______In the meantime_______

Raven reached her home, shivering. She slammed her right shoulder into the door and it flew open. She rushed inside and closed the door. She started to shake uncontrollably. She looked at her shaking hands and saw patches of white on her fingers. She wrenched her hands together and held them in front of her mouth. She blew shakily on her hands, trying to feel them again. Then she started to take her clothes and weapons off with her hands still shaking. Leaving her drenched clothes and weapons on a pile on the floor, Raven rushed to get a set of dry clothes. Once she managed to finish dressing, she went over to her bed and climbed under her blanket. She pulled it up to her chin with shaking hands. She shivered and sneezed a few times.

Suddenly, she felt that same strange burning feeling, echoing through her entire being, followed by a soothing sensation that she has never felt before. She frowned, but a strange fatigue came over her. "{Why am I feeling so sleepy…}", she thought as her eyelids started to droop.

She heard thunder clash and then the darkness engulfed her…

__________________

Raven found herself standing in the midst of a strange ruin. She looked around and saw what used to be a doorway, leading into a bigger room. She walked through it and upon entering the room she saw a large stone standing in the middle of the room. Curious, she walked closer and saw strange patterns carved deep into the stone. She reached out to touch the stone but a bright light coming from behind made her hand freeze mid-air. She pulled her hand back and turned towards the light. She saw the same lean figure that she had seen before. Her eyes turned towards the source of the light. It was the same object that appeared in her dream before.

She felt it calling her like before. She felt the need to touch it but a strange coldness held her back. Then she saw the lean figure walking cautiously towards the object. She frowned. The figure reached out to touch the object but it suddenly vanished into thin air. The figure turned around, looking for the object and spotted Raven standing near the stone. The figure stiffened. Raven held her breath, her heart beating in her throat. "Who are you?", the figure's deep voice reached her ears. But before Raven could answer, darkness surrounded her…

_____________________________________

Raven opened her eyes. She heard the wind blow violently outside. Her thoughts were hazy. "{Who was that?}"