99 Mistand

It took another day for them to arrive in Mistand. Thick, white mist spilt all over the place. It was impossible to even see oneself there.

Lia and the others stood in front of the mist not daring to enter. Suddenly, Susa said, "This is dangerous, we shouldn't get separated."

"Is this premonition?" Mika was curious if Susa could actually predict what was going to happen.

"Seeing into the future?" Lily thought Susa could do that and determined that they chose the wrong time.

"I only saw a fragment of where we were split and it resulted in something bad."

Susa's clairvoyance seemed to be a great asset but it was also a burden.

"Ok," Lia nodded, "Let's not get separated."

Lia thought if Susa could develop her ability to a higher level then they might be able to avoid any wrong decisions.

With one step they glided into the mist that felt and looked like a large cloud. Compared to the white veils, the mist could actually be sensed on the skin, leaving a cool, pleasant touch behind everywhere it graced the bare skin.

They all held each other's hand with Lia in the front blindly leading them. As she looked behind her, she couldn't see Nana, only her hand held in hers reassured Lia that Nana and the others were still there.

Mistand was true to its name. It was a land full of mist where absolutely nothing and no one could be seen. In short, it was a good hiding spot for the hidden families, however, danger loomed everywhere. It wasn't solely the mist that made Mistand threatening and unappealing in all of the immortal's eyes.

The dense clouds floated around and formed a resistance against any movements trying to break through it. Despite the supposed lightweightness of the mist, it was hard to march through it.

Lia only walked around 30 steps when a red spot caught her attention. Her grip on Nana tightened and she asked, "Lia? Why did you stop? What's wrong?"

Lia fully came to know the reason why Mistand was dangerous. Hidden behind the white thickness that seemed like a wall, the mist provided a great cover for ghosts to mingle and camouflage themselves until it was too late to escape them.

The translucent ghosts were now completely invisible if it weren't for their bloodshot eyes revealing them. Lia raised the knife Mika had summoned and provided her with and cut through the ghosts.

"Everyone be careful! There are ghosts looming around!"

But it seemed like Lia was a second too late as shouts appeared.

"Don't let go of anyone's hands! Stay close to each other!"

This was almost impossible because apart from Lia in the front and Mika at the rear, no one had their hands free.

If they were attacked by ghosts, they couldn't defend themselves. However, if they let go of each other, the risk they're stranded alone in the mist was worse.

Lia quickly walked closer to Nana until their bodies touched and urged everyone to stay in physical contact. This way they could see each other and not be separated.

Mika and Xavi fought off the ghosts. They haven't even been five minutes here and Mistand proved to be the most difficult obstacles they had to face.

"We're going to keep walking like this?" Mika wasn't happy about being glued to everyone and moving forwards in mini-steps.

"We have no choice," Susa was anxious, "We cannot separate under any circumstances."

If Susa said it then they couldn't allow themselves to lose each other at all costs. They walked for another 30 steps when another bunch of ghosts waited in hiding for them.

If the whole journey went on like this it'd both drain them physically and mentally. They needed to find an exit out of this mist as soon as possible if there was even any. The thought of this white eye-blinding nightmare going on endlessly was too terrifying to entertain.

A painful half an hour later that was filled with purging ghosts, they were still in the mist with no end in sight, no other lifeforms and nothing that signalised it was an inhabited place.

Even in the mist, there was only the plain land under their feet giving them some sense of comfort, so they wouldn't wander into an illusion they could never get out of.

Every few meters, new ghosts hid and they had to stop to get rid of them. It wasn't even clear what time it was, was it already night or still light?

They also couldn't rest or stand in a spot for too long as the ghosts would come to seek them out. There was an abundance of ghosts with no end to them.

It was a hellish ordeal and vicious cycle until Mika suddenly asked, "The T family's in the west?"

"Yep," Xavi answered and then it dawned on everyone that they had no sense of direction. They trusted Lia to lead them around but she herself wasn't sure where to go. Her gut feeling told her that west was wherever she headed.

"Wait," Mika stopped and used his free hand to summon something. It took him a while and at least five minutes passed. Five minutes of a bunch of ghosts crawling to them and needing to be purged.

Finally, Mika held his hand up and summoned a compass, "It's useful."

Everyone could see that.

"There," he passed it on until it landed in Lia's hand. She strapped the compass by the chain around her neck and followed the needles that pointed to the west.

It took them several hours before they saw a change of scenery. In the far back, the white was broken up and a change in colour appeared.

Dark colours made a stark contrast to the blinding white and were particularly eye-catching and attractive. It brought forth a hope that seemed long lost.

Gripping each other tighter, they picked up their pace and walked towards the spot of escape in the back. The ghosts around them were quickly taken care of.

The closer they got the sooner they saw it was a village. Compared to the seemingly abandoned village in the Veil, this small, tiny village consisting of five wooden houses was truly abandoned and deserted.

They could finally let go of each other and explored the village that only had a radius of 30 metres. The dark brown houses were broken and run down, the windows destroyed and the front doors hung crooked, slightly ajar.

The ground was muddy earth and the whole place was drenched as if it just had rained. Water soaked everything and mould grew where the wetness was present.

A few leaves laid astray on the ground and looking above, the sky was dark and cloudy, yet surrounding this village was the mist with ghosts watching them.

"The ghosts can't come in?" Lily was surprised as she moved back and forth but only the eyes of the ghosts followed her. None of them entered the village to attack them.

"I think there might be a spell," Susa answered, "It's a good thing. We can rest here for a bit."

Everyone agreed, however, for some reason Lia felt something was slightly off. Why weren't the ghosts attacking them? There were no talisman nor pattern like in the veils sealing the ghosts.

Lia had the bad premonition that the ghosts deliberately weren't entering. They could rest but they shouldn't let their guards down.

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