Distant Illusions II

You journey northeast, past Mount Banon, its snowy peaks rising into the clouds. As the terrain begins to give way to Highland Hills, Buddy suggests you’re going to need a more suitable set of gear for tomorrow’s journey. It only takes a few more plodding steps through the white fluff before you agree. You crest the next hill and set up a campfire for the evening. The clouds have dissipated after a long day, leaving a breathtaking vista of stars too numerous to count. You both settle in for the evening and Buddy throws another pine log on the campfire, its pops and crackles punctuating the space around you.

You hear a voice in the dark.

“Stories tell us that the stars once told their own tale and guided us to places we needed to be. Now, you are lost.”

The mysterious voice is raspy. You peer into the dark desperately and swear you see a form perched on a chair of inky black that shimmers and absorbs the firelight.

You blink, your body tense. You move to draw your weapon when the sky bursts into another dazzling display of lights. The flood of color draws your attention away and, when you look back, there is nothing but your friend Buddy staring into the same darkness.

“Well, that was weird.” Buddy shrugs his shoulders. “Guess we’ll just have to hope that was very normal and safe, unless you want to set up a watch?”

Bewildered but unshaken, you both decide that this weird phenomenon probably isn’t dangerous and agree to both getting a full night's sleep.