It is the crux of midnight, and Birger finds them face to face with a shadowy figure with piercing red eyes. Unable to see for himself, Izzimar tries to sniff the air to see if he can sense something. He wrinkles his nose as a pungent smell of roses and rotting flesh hit his nostrils.

Before the younger elf can speak, Birger snatches him up and bolts inside the cabin, slamming the door shut. After he drops Izzimar on the floor, he begins to grab any piece of furniture not nailed down and push it towards the door.

“By Lumineon’s light, not now!”, he exclaims as he pushes the dining table in front of the door. Izzimar sits on the floor confused about what’s going on when a suffocating feeling washes over the cabin. Whispers can be heard around them as the air gets freezing cold and a gust of wind blows into the cabin.

“Izzimar, go to Arjana! Quickly!”Birger yells in a panic as he goes to his room to grab something.

Izzimar gets to his feet, the air is heavy, making him struggle to breath as he makes his way to their room. He feels along the walls until he touches the wood frame of the door. Izzimar pulls himself into the room, but stumbles and falls to the floor. Without his cane, he had to maneuver towards the wall to help pull himself up. Upon touching the wall, a wet substance is felt coating his hand. Unable to see, Izzimar ignores the substance, supposing it was sap from the wood of the cabin. He makes his way towards Arjana’s sleeping figure and feels her neck for any sign of life. 

Cold. No pulse. No breathing. Nothing.

Izzimar panics and grabs Arjana from the bed to bring to Birger. Upon making it to the hallway, Birger steps out of his room to meet him, but when he sees Arjana, his heart stops. In Izzimars arms, Arjana lay pale as death, and his robe is covered in blood.

Birger quickly grabs Arjana and brings her into his room.

“Is she dead!?”, Izzimar asks worriedly as Birger places the poor girl in the middle of a ritual circle. 

“I won't know unless we try this! Izzimar, barricade the door!”, Birger shouts orders as he pours a blue powder around Arjana.

Izzimar quickly begins pushing objects in front of Birger’s door as the wind outside begins to howl loudly. To Birger’s horror, blood starts seeping from the walls, hardening and forming sharp spikes that portrude out towards them. The whispers from before start to become audible as they echo throughout the room.

“Mine...”

“Mine.....”

The whispers say as Birger mumbles a prayer. The ritual circle glows, causing runes to circle Arjana before latching itself onto her skin. 

“O’ god of light, Lumineon, I ask that you purge the darkness from this child's veins! Remove its claws from the confines of her blood!”, Birger chants before cutting his hand and dripping his blood into the circle.

 His blood reacts with the circle and a flash of light engulfs the room. This causes Arjana’s unconscious body to finally react as she screams in pain. Birger watches as the light strips a pitch black substance from Arjana’s old wounds. As the substance is extracted, Birger’s expression turns into horror as he witnesses the substance turn into a living wriggling creature screeching as it burns in the light. Such power was required to burn the creature, that when the creature was destroyed, the whole cabin is rocked with shockwaves.

When things settle, the whole room is quiet, except the soft breathing of Arjana. Izzimar feels his way to Arjana’s side, grabbing her hand and giving it a little squeeze.

“Arjana…?”, he whimpers before moving to cradle her. She’s still not conscious, but is breathing normally as life returns to her. Seeing his new friend like this, fills him with a sadness he hasn't felt since leaving home. Ashamed that Arjana is in this predicament because of him, he holds her close before whispering, “I’m sorry.”

Birger leaves the room abruptly to gather his thoughts. Upon leaving his room, he sees scratch marks all over the cabin, and blood spattered about as if there had been a fight. After surveying the damage, he goes into the kitchen and rummages through the cabinets, grabbing a pouch filled with wine. He sets a flipped chair back up and sits down, exhausted and stressed out. With a heavy sigh, he takes a large gulp of wine before sitting in silence at what just occured.