AN: As promised, a slightly longer chapter. I will try my best to update this at least once a week. I'm estimating this to be no more than ten chapters, but we'll have to wait and see. Now, I hope you enjoy reading~!

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Chapter 2:

The town of Mintas was more peaceful and serene than Duran had anticipated. He honestly didn't have any set expectations, but he did expect things to be a little more...rowdier. Instead, he was greeted with placidness and tranquillity. Modern homes, well-kept paths, vibrant gardens, and lush forests.

It was quite beautiful.

It was also dark. The middle of night kind of dark. The only sources of light came from the lanterns that dotted the landscape and from the windows of homes and shops alike.

The trip was long and winding, true. But it shouldn't have taken that long. He didn't remember it taking that long. It shouldn't be close to midnight.

Hmm, maybe the Moonstone was somehow responsible for the perpetual night?

Ah, it didn't matter! The townsfolk seemed nice enough. Peaceful and easy-going. Maybe they should stop by a couple of the shops to pick up some new equipment before heading into Duskmoon Forest. Better be prepared for not only the other rogue beastmen and other monsters.

...that power...I want it...

"Huh?" Duran muttered as he spun around to look behind him.

A sound. A voice. He could have sworn it was right behind him. Practically breathing down his neck. But there was no one standing there. There was no one to be found close enough to have uttered anything to him. Certainly not close enough to say something and scurry away in the amount of time it took him to turn around.

Maybe it was one of the Elementals?

"Um, we didn't say anything," Faerie answered, her voice holding an edge of concern. "We didn't hear anything either."

They didn't? Odd.

"Something wrong?" Kevin asked.

Duran turned back around to see that both Kevin and Hawkeye had stopped when he did. Kevin with his head tilted curiously to the side while Hawkeye stood casually, though his eyebrow was raised in question.

"Did you two hear anything?" Duran asked.

However, much to his disappointment, they both shook their heads.

"Only the sound of our footsteps," Hawkeye went on to add.

Duran rested a hand on his hip as the other raked through his hair, both mildly frustrated and confused. Had he imagined it? No, he heard a voice. He definitely heard a voice. It...wasn't exactly a nice voice. It gave him the creeps, actually. Why he spun around so quickly.

Still, there was no denying that there was no one behind him.

"Maybe we should spend a few hours at the inn?" Hawkeye suddenly suggested. A suggestion Duran couldn't help was directed more toward him than anyone else.

"No, I'm fine," Duran immediately insisted. "I'm just used to the chattering voices of the Elementals, I guess. Starting to hear things."

Yeah, that was it.

"Oh, come now," Hawkeye continued. "Don't you want to get some new equipment? A couple of hours getting to know the area wouldn't hurt."

Duran took a moment to consider before he nodded. "Yeah, that sounds reasonable. Someone might be able to point us in the direction of the Mana Stone."

He also wanted to check out the wares. Picking up a new sword wouldn't be a bad idea. If so, a few hours to break it in before heading out into the forest would be called for.

"Alright, let's meet up at the inn in a couple of hours."

With a few words of agreement, the three of them parted ways.

Duran's first stop was, of course, the weaponry shop. A large, broad sword immediately caught his attention. It definitely felt heavier than his previous blade, and would take a couple of hours training for him to get used to the weight. But it felt powerful, and he would do anything to become stronger than that blasted Crimson Wizard.

There was a set of claws and knives that Kevin and Hawkeye might find useful, but he'd leave it up to them to choose. As Hawkeye would often tell him, he had an eye for quality. Although, Kevin would probably be happy with anything he got him.

With his new blade in hand, Duran headed out in search of a secluded corner of the town to get a bit of training in.

He soon found a quiet little spot near the back of a house and the tranquil creek that flowed through the city of the town. The clearing was open, and well-lit with lanterns. The trees were far and few between, preventing anyone from sneaking up on him. And preventing him from alarming anyone with his training.

The last thing he wanted was to frighten one of the townsfolk and provoking them into action. Battling a local in the middle of town would not be well received, to say the least.

Planting himself in the centre of the clearing, Duran turned his attention to his knew sword. He soon began his ritual of readjusting himself to the weight, taking experimental swings, purposely moving the blade in slow, long arches. Allowing his muscles time to adjust, to bare the extra weight.

His practice training soon followed. Raising the blade above his head, pulling his arms behind him as far as he could. Followed by the sharp lowering as he took a step forward. Step back. Repeat, leading with his other leg.

The act of training was somewhat mediative for him. Calming and reassuring.

That was until something dark darted from his side.

The sharp, quick movement from the corner of his eye prompted Duran to raise his blade defensively as he turned in that direction. Shoulders and back tense, legs parted and ready to move if necessary. Though the area was dark, the light from the lanterns were more than capable of illuminating the area.

The light meant that could survey his surroundings quickly. One of the reasons why he chose this spot.

Yet, there was nothing to be seen. No local, no monster. Nothing.

He continued to stare suspiciously at his surroundings. His guard was up, yet he argued with himself that it was just a trick of the light. A candle flicker causing a shadow. With all the battling he had done, it was to be expected that he would overly guarded.

Well, if nothing else, at least his senses were still as sharp as ever.

Duran lowered his sword to his side and roughly ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to ground himself. He quickly pulled himself back into his training, starting from the beginning. He continued to stay vigilant as he worked through his training routine, relaxing somewhat after not hearing or seeing anything untoward.

He was probably just feeling paranoid thanks to those ninjas he had encountered in Burning Sands. Those guys just loved sneaking up on him.

As Duran moved to the more technical part of his training, he suddenly bristled. It was actually a sharp, prickly feeling on the back of his neck. As if someone or something was watching him intently.

He paused in his training, agitated at being interrupted yet again. Once more, he quickly surveyed his surroundings. And once more, he couldn't visibly see anyone or anything.

That feeling of being watched was still there, though. He was used to nosy-bodies peeking in on his training. It was done out in the open, after all. Easy for someone to stumble across him.

But what he felt from the air around him was...different. He wouldn't say it was menacing, exactly. But "not very nice" wasn't exactly accurate, either.

He tensed when a dark form suddenly darted to his right. Lasting for only a second and seen from the corner of his eye.

"Who's there?!" Duran demanded as he spun around and tightened his hold upon his sword.

He received no response.

Only the light rustling of leaves.

Seriously, he could have sworn he saw someone. A broad-shouldered figure with a blade upon their back. Sure, the movement only lasted for less than a second, but he had been around swordsmen his entire life; he knows the form of a soldier carrying a sword better than anything else.

But...there was nothing there. Nothing but the feeling of being watched.

It was so quiet, so serene that he should have heard footsteps if someone had actually physically entered the same clearing as he.

"Are you ok, Duran?" Faerie asked quietly.

"Yeah," Duran answered aloud. He pulled himself out of his battle stance and lowered his sword to his side. "Did you see anyone?"

"No, nothing."

...Huh. Guess the heatstroke from Burning Sands may have finally caught up with him or something. He was starting to see shadows everywhere!

A soft flash of light to his right prompted Duran to turn once more. But he moved casually, knowing the source of the light.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Faerie immediately asked, making no attempt to hide her concern for him. "Maybe you should get some sleep. You've been working so hard."

Duran shook his head stubbornly. "What about the Moonstone? We need to find it as quickly as possible."

"It'll be ok," she immediately insisted. "It's been hidden all this time. A few more hours won't hurt."

That caught Duran off guard for a second. Faerie had been adamant from the very beginning to find the Mana Stones and Elementals, and open the portal to the Sanctuary as quickly as possible. But now?

She must be really worried about him.

That made him feel a prang of guilt.

"Alright, a couple of hours wouldn't hurt," Duran relented, much to Faeries outward relief.

"Ok. Then let's head straight for the inn!" Faerie cheered before she disappeared in a shimmer of light.

Holstering his sword upon his back, Duran took a moment to stare at the distant tree-line once more. His eyes narrow and suspicious. There had to be someone out there. Someone messing with him.

Fine. Let them remain hidden for now. They weren't going to catch him off guard.

With his back straight, Duran turned on his heel and headed in the direction of the inn. He half expected to hear footsteps behind him and he purposely changed his walking pattern so that his potential pursuer couldn't hide themselves by matching his steps.

However, once again, he got nothing. And he began to doubt himself. Maybe he was just tired and a tad paranoid.

"Hey, Kevin," Duran called out as they crossed paths. "Heading to the inn. I'll let the inn-keeper know, so turn up whenever you're ready."

"Right, got it," Kevin eagerly replied. "I'll tell Hawkeye."

"Ah, appreciate it!"

It didn't take Duran long to locate the inn. He explained to the owner that his two companions would join him shortly before handing over the money. The inn was small, but empty, and the owner seemed thrilled to have visitors.

Stretching his arms above his head, Duran walked into room and headed toward the bed furthest from the door. If he did fall asleep before his companions returned, they wouldn't worry about accidentally waking him.

Lifting his sword from his back, he rested it against his bed, within reach, and set about removing his armour. Might as well be comfortable. Armour was no doubt useful; he could still fight without it. If anything untoward was to arise, he could still fight and defend.

Setting his armour upon a chair located at the foot of his bed, Duran pulled back the blankets before flopping down onto the soft mattress. In all honesty, he did feel a little bit tired so a short nap should be beneficial for him. He just hoped he didn't over sleep. With the constant darkness outside, it was hard to tell what time it really was.

Oh well, he was sure someone would wake him up if he slept for too long.

With his head resting on the pillow, he closed his eyes and settled in. He stared at the blackness behind his eyelids, waiting for sleep to overtake him. And it wasn't long until he found himself drifting...

When he felt a cold breeze touch his cheek.

Snapping his eyes open, Duran found himself in a place of pitch darkness, staring up at a broken, haphazardly hanging chandelier. It was barely attached to the wooden ceiling above, the boards and beams broken and rotten.

He slowly sat up, the boards creaking beneath him in protest as he moved. The floorboards were as damaged as the ceiling above. A musky smell of dust and decay filled his nostrils.

Was he...back on that ghost ship?

No, he was somewhere different. It was dark but he could see the silhouette of a grand central staircase, indicating that he was in the foyer of a mansion. A run down, likely abandoned mansion. Left to rot.

Although, he could also see hallways. Dark and foreboding, with red carpets and gold framed paintings. But they, too, were all cast in shadows.

There was a sense that someone, or maybe that should be something, was present. All around him. Eyes everywhere.

Greatly cautious, Duran moved to push himself to his feet. The hairs on the back of his neck were raised and he felt guarded. Especially when he couldn't feel the weight or presence of his sword.

As he stood, something suddenly grasped him tightly around his right ankle. Unwillingly releasing a yelp, he immediately looked down at the floor beneath his feet. And his eyes widen.

A hand, pitch black in colour, with sharp talon-like fingers. It materialised through the floorboards. Ghostly and demonic at the same time.

"H-hey!" he uttered as he immediately attempted to remove his leg from the unknown hand's grasp.

Only for another hand to manifest, shooting up from the floor and snaring his leg. A little higher than the other hand.

The grip was tight, painful, and incredibly strong.

More hands soon appeared. All of them sprouting up from the floor like deformed, deranged flowers. Unfurling from the broken floorboards before clawing at him. Snaring his legs, snatching his arms, attempting to pull him down onto the floor. To drag him away to...somewhere.

"L-let go!" he demanded as he struggled and flailed, desperately attempt to dislodge the inhuman grips restraining him.

Sword...his sword. Where was his sword?!

His heart thundered painfully in his chest as ghostly whispers began to echo around him.

...can't run...don't run...ours now...

What? What was happening?! Get off of him!

"Duran!"

Duran snapped opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. A ceiling that was...normal. Comforting. Sturdy beams, flawless wood finish.

He rolled his head to the side and was surprised to find Hawkeye standing by his bed with his hand on his shoulder. His grip was firm, but not painful. His hand gripping his shoulder in such a way indicated that he had tried to awaken him for some reason or another.

"Hey," he said, his golden eyes inspecting him. "You all right?"

"Huh?" Duran muttered.

Hawkeye's expression remained passive, though Duran couldn't help but feel that was a sense of concern in his eyes. "You were muttering in your sleep."

Hearing that prompted Duran to immediately recall where he was and what he had just endured. Realising that he was in bed at the inn, and not in that dark place with clawing hands and whispering voices drew a sigh of relief from him.

"Ah, yeah," he replied as he sat up, unintentionally dislodging Hawkeye's hand from his should. He uttered another sigh as he raked his hand through his hair. "Just had a strange dream."

"Dream, huh?" Hawkeye sounded sceptical. "Looks more like a nightmare. You don't wake up in a cold sweat from a dream."

Duran couldn't exactly argue with that. He did feel a bit clammy and tense. "I guess."

Hawkeye took a half step back away from the bed. "Want to talk about it?" he unexpectedly asked as he folded an arm across his chest. He seemed genuinely interested.

Still, Duran shook his head in response. In all honesty, he'd rather forget that the dream even happened. "Ah, it's nothing. I must be more tired than I thought. Sorry for bothering you. Let's both try to get some sleep."

He laid back into bed and rolled over onto his side, idly pulling the covers over him. He tried to settle back in, hoping to return to sleep as, strangely, he felt fatigued. As if he had actually, physically endured all that running and scrambling from his dream.

But that wasn't possible. Right?

Duran spent a few moments just staring at his weapon before slowly closing his eyes, silently hoping that he wouldn't have that dream again.