act15mini

Nothing is out of the ordinary. Everything is exactly as it should be, even when she sees the reflection in the water.

Even if the reflection in the water is that of—

A musbeast.

*Squeak*

The night is dark, quiet, and full of terrors. Magallan instinctively senses danger. She quickly lies down and breezes through the bushes before climbing onto the tree marked with her secretions, the nest she calls home.

*Squeak*!

It is safe there. There, she will find her kin, her family. She stands on the tree branch and squeals, waiting for a reply.

Nothing.

She hesitates a little, but in the end hops onto the tree trunk and back into her nest.

There, her mother is fast asleep in the shadows.

She wants to snuggle up to her, to get through the night in her embrace, but once her eyes adjust to the darkness, she finds only a scattered pile of beast bones.

The nest is very wide and very dark, almost like there's something waiting for her.

Waiting for her to come home.

Waiting for her to lower her guard.

Waiting for her to be overwhelmed by fear.

Something climbs onto the back of her neck—

Mm... ugh...

The nightmare left Magallan feeling sick. She wants to walk out the door, catch her breath, and calm herself down before going back to sleep.

But the moment she steps outside, what she sees makes her doubt that she has actually awoken from her dream.

There is a large, shadowy entity roaming here.

It looks like a person, and also kind of like a tree. The large shadow is moving in a single direction at a slow yet steady pace.

The entity shrouds even the moon above, keeping the ground below out of the moonlight's reach.

What... is this?

I need to get a picture of it.

*Click*—

Th-That's not possible. It makes no sense!

In the photo she just took, the shadow was nowhere to be seen and the moonlight illuminates the ground. Everything looks perfectly normal.

But the shadow stills moves before her eyes.

Without a sound.

Magallan stands rooted to the spot.

She doesn't know if she should head back inside to sleep as if nothing had happened...

...Or go grab her equipment and measure this possibly unrecordable supernatural phenomenon as best she can.

Just as she finds herself lost in thought, the enormous shadow sweeps past her. She instinctively jumps back, and at the same time—

Something climbs onto the back of her neck—

What are you doing out here?

Ah!

*sigh* Relax, Magallan. Calm down. I'm here. Nothing here is going to hurt you.

Huff... Haah... Phew...

Don't try talk yet. Calm down first.

Mmm...

Have a seat, and drink some water. It doesn't matter how big that guy is. It's just a shadow.

Huff... huff—

Feeling any better?

Mm, thanks. You almost scared me to death.

You're stronger than I expected. I was looking forward to you screaming loud enough to wake everyone up.

Are they going to kick me out of the village tonight, then?

No, no. The Sami aren't that narrow-minded.

...Had a nightmare?

Mhm.

Let me guess. One where a beastling cub goes home, finds its mother's bones, and then gets eaten?

Did you have the same dream?

Yep. Just this afternoon in your sleeping bag.

I'm sorry...

It's not your fault. It comes whenever I rest in a safe, relaxing environment.

Like an unwelcome friend.

This is one of the bad things about Sami. The cycle of hunt or be hunted never ends, even in your dreams.

And in dreams, most find themselves on the side of the hunted...

Then... can we become the hunters?

Wouldn't you rather be the rules themselves?

Is that even possible...?

Who knows?

Maybe it is.

Once we become more mature...

When we're no longer afraid of these big guys.

Magallan, why don't we try touching it?

Huh? Isn't that dangerous?

I thought you were an explorer? Why are you so afraid?

I only ever set out after I've planned for every possible contingency, but how am I supposed to prepare for <i>this</i>?!

S-Stop pulling—

Aghhh! We stepped on the tree!

It's not the main trunk. Stepping on it a little won't hurt.

Besides, no one's around to see.

Hup.

This is a great spot. Let's sit here.

A-Are you sure we're not too close?

How are we supposed to touch it from far away?

Are we... really going to touch it?

It's just a shadow. There's nothing to be scared of.

Or to exact, it's only a shadow for now. A very, very faint one.

Maybe one day it will grow into a more concrete threat, but we'll have grown too. We'll have even more tricks up our sleeves.

So when that time comes, maybe these things won't be so scary to us anymore.

Besides, I can sometimes hear a voice in that dream where we're preyed on.

'If something ever scares you, you should attack it without hesitation.'

'If you defeat it, you will have defeated fear. If you run from it, you will always be afraid.'

Come.

But...

Magallan uneasily looks at the curtain-like shadow before her.

The cruel and oppressive feeling she felt in her dream still haunts her mind.

Part of her tells her not to take the risk, but—

She slowly reaches her hand out.

Just like that. Slowly. It'll be fine.

I'll do it with you.

Typhon places her palm on the back of Magallan's hand and gently pushes it forward.

The moment they're met with a hint of resistance, she stops pushing forward, and instead reaches forward ahead of Magallan's hand.

She dips her hand into the shadow and pulls it back out. Then, she places it back on Magallan's hand.

See? Nothing to be afraid of.

Mm... I'll give it a try...

Magallan's hand inches forward bit by bit, until her fingertips are finally submerged in the shadow.

She thought she would feel a hint of cold, or perhaps that something would suck her in or chew on her fingers.

But there was nothing.