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CHAPTER 1
- part 1 -
Rylan Stone

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The night had finally approached, and the chill in the air intensified. The trees blew gently, wind mixing with the ever-falling snow.

The crackling of burning wood was the only other sound to disturb this peaceful night. Not even the birds seemed to speak. Perfect.

Lyla Firn, my beloved fiance, sat across from me on the log that rested beside our campfire. Her gorgeous white hair fell like rivers over her shoulders. She sighed contentedly, taking in the cool night air.

"I think this was your best idea yet, Rylan" she admitted, her pink lips raising in a small smile. I smiled even wider at the name. Here in the dimension of Laestrithan, everyone had two given names -- you used the first one alone only to show affection. Like a nickname.

It sounded nice when she said it.

I lay my hand gently atop hers, my own white hair bristling in a strong breeze. "I told you it would be fun."

She giggled shyly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Don't let my family hear about this, though... my father especially will panic."

"I thought your family liked me," I said, watching her blue eyes that lingered on the fire.

"They do," she stated, "but you know how they are. If they heard you took me out into the woods at night, it would be the equivalent of you throwing me into a hoard of hungry sea-cats."

I chuckled. "They're just being protective of their only girl."

Lyla Firn nodded, her eyes downcast. "Maybe a bit too much."

I brushed my thumb gently over her hand. "That's enough about them, Lyla... We're here now. We may as well enjoy ourselves."

She smiled at that, lifting her head so our blue eyes met. Her beautiful, crystalline eyes -- like two pools of iceless water. They remained on mine, unwavering for a moment. Then they flickered.

Her eyes focused beside my head. A gentle frown creased her brows, then her pupils grew wide.

"Lyla?"

She didn't respond. Her hand began to tremble under mine, and her face grew pale until her pink lips looked white.

I shifted in my seat, turning to see what she was seeing. Then I began to tremble.

There it was, stalking us like prey. Ten-feet-tall and faceless, with an ever-whirling wind in its place. Five, long, icicle fingers dragged from each of its lanky arms, leaving a trail behind it in the snow. Its white, scaled body looked neither human nor animal.

I felt the blood drain from my face as Lyla Firn stuttered from beside me. "S-s-soul-ripper."

Soul-ripper. Our young lives were being cut short, just like that. As I saw it, approaching us slowly like a predator to its prey -- I knew it was inevitable. People say soul-rippers are like the grim reaper -- once you see one, you know your end has arrived.

It tilted its head as if assessing us, taunting us. I could feel Lyla Firn trying to crawl backwards, but my limbs were made of led. My eyes were locked onto this creature, this nightmare. I was being suffocated by fear, but I couldn't seem to look away.

"R-Rylan Stone, move!" Lyla Firn whispered urgently from behind me, but she had barely moved an inch herself. It was like our bodies were no longer ours -- unresponsive.

The soul-ripper was only a few feet away when she screamed at me, "please, Rylan!" But her voice barely reached my ears, the throb of my own blood pumping through my head drowned it out.

I was shaking, sweating, trying to push myself to move. But what was the point? No one escaped a soul-ripper.

The rasp of the creature was so quiet, yet I could almost feel its breath. Black crept into my vision, clouding it until I couldn't see.

The last thing I was aware of was Lyla Firn's desperate tugging at my arms.

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CHAPTER 1
- part 2 -
Lyla Firn

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My nails dug into his arm as I shook him with what strength the creature hadn't sucked from me by simply existing.

His body slumped backwards, rolling off the log and almost landing into our campfire. "N-no! Rylan, please don't do this to me!" I sobbed as I knelt in front of him, grabbing him by the shoulders and trying to drag him back.

But my arms lost their strength, and his head dropped limply into my lap as the clawed foot of the soul-ripper landed gently beside him.

I looked up, shivering -- my sobs turning into silent tears and whispered prayers. It was faceless, yet I could feel it looking at me -- into my soul. Its giant, lanky form was hunched over so our gazes met.

The scales shifted on the back of its skull and front of its neck. Its skin seemed to peel away from it, folding forward to reveal a long mouth with teeth like a shark. A thick, wet tongue snaked out of it, licking its maw like a taunt.

"N-n-no, p-please... p-please, I'll do anything..."

Its tongue dragged, wet and cold over my cheek, tasting its prey. I wanted to close my eyes, to move, to do anything. But I couldn't look away from the horrific sight that was my end.

Its impossibly long jaw opened, its tongue retracting so it could snap my head off in one bite.

"N-no! No-!" My words were cut off as its mouth flew down around me. But a second before its teeth made contact with my skin, it yanked away. Its icicle-like claws swiped something at its side, almost catching the blur of a person.

But they were faster, jumping over his attack and landing the butt of their weapon into its face. It recoiled, its attention drawn to this new person. I tried to inhale in relief, but my body wouldn't let me.

All I could do was uselessly shake Rylan's limp body.

"Hurry! Hurry!" I sobbed to him, "it's coming back!"