Late into the night, the hooting of owls echoed in the near-silent surroundings. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the trees, and the moon's reflection shimmered on the deep lake, creating a peaceful ambiance heightened by an underlying sense of impending disturbance.
A small town expanded from the lakeside, the houses appearing sturdy and uniform. A watchman dressed in black soared above the streets, occasionally whistling and muttering to himself.
"This is my final round tonight. After this, I shall rest deeply, which I haven't done in days," he murmured, looking around.
After a brief pause, he continued, "I remember the night watch duties change tomorrow, and I'll get rid of this tedious task."
Eventually, a few moments later, he vanished into a house at the edge of the town, restoring the town to the previous silence in the dark night.
Several lanes away, a young girl lay sleeping in a house. Her room appeared larger than the house itself, seemingly enchanted.
The girl awoke in a panic with a gasp, sweating, indicating that she had a troubling dream. "Not again," she said to herself as she swiped away the scattered hair from her eyes.
She had pretty blue eyes that were shimmering like gems in the dark night. She gathered her beautiful waist lenght hair in a clip to get them out of her eyes.
These dreams began when she turned eighteen, haunting her with visions of a mysterious, dark forest. At first, she dismissed them, but they began feeling increasingly real, pulling her toward the forest's depths, where shadows and whispers attempted to convey a message,she couldn't comprehend.
"I should research in the library; maybe I'll find something about this forest in those old books about hidden magical lands," she resolved coming to a decision that would drag her in a whirlpool of adventure, she always wanted to experience.
Despite feeling a little bit scared, she found herself irresistibly drawn to the enigmatic forest which seemed to be calling to her in her dreams.
"So, it's settled. Tomorrow, I'll visit the library" said
Emily Hatfield, a beautiful and adventurous young lady, was the daughter of explorers who delved into magical lands.
Her attention was suddenly drawn to a tap at her window, believing it to be a message from her mother, timed perfectly as always.
She opened the window and a small paper swan fluttered inside carrying a letter from her parents informing her of their absence during her upcoming graduation ceremony, as they would be going to explore another land that appeared in the country a few days back .
Emily decided to keep her strange dreams to herself, responding to her parents' letter securing it with a touch of magic and alsoensured that they will receive it before embarking on their mission.
With her graduation nearing, she resolved to hasten her investigations into the mysterious forest.
At daybreak, Emily decided to go all out to search for clues about the forest's possible location but after taking the last exam.
She got dressed in a navy blue dress shirt ,paired with a jeans and white sneakers. She made herself a little bit of breakfast, locked her house and went on her way to her academy.
Upon reaching the magic academy, she met her instructor in charge , Mr. Doris, and took her final magical power exam which was compulsory before graduation and important to get the magic practice license.
After the examination, she headed to the library, guarded by the watchful eyes of the librarian, Ms. Stephine, who was considered to be a great witch with strong magic powers.
Emily made her way to the back portion of the library and delved into the geography section, hoping to find hints about the elusive forest, she kept seeing in her dreams.
Despite the extensive search, she was unable to locate any relevant information about the dark forest in the various books she had opened around her .
On the table next to her sat her childhood friend and also deskmate of 4 years, Liam Humphries, who was known for his intelligence and was quiet interested in history and nature.
"What happened, Emily? Do you need help?", he inquired his light grey eyes looking at her. He had been aware of her presence since she entered the sitting area. Years of secret admiration had made him quiet aware of her habits and now he knew she was searching for something.
Emily turned around to look at him, hearing his inquiry,"Oh, you are here, too. " she exclaimed not showing any expression signaling to the fact that she had seen him when she came and chosen her seat next to him.
Both of them were aware of the strange atmosphere between them for the last couple of months after the ball but they had been avoiding the topic to talk about it.
They grew up as play mates and now were very good friend. Interested in each other ,unaware and also lacking the courage to confess, afraid of ruining the friendship they had now.
" So what are you looking for, so seriously?" He questioned again.
After contemplating for a while she shared with him all her recent strange dreams about the forest, finding solace in sharing the information with someone reducing her burden and fears unknowingly.