Two days have passed since I left Kaipo. When I first arrived at Mist, thick, pearly, mist surrounded the village. As I tried to enter, a female voice came at me.

"Lone Bard, what brings you to Mist?"

I responded, "I am traveling the world. I wish to see it all. Now is the time, as I will have more strict duties in a few years. Who are you?"

"I see... And yet you are also the crown prince of Damcyan; Edward, the only child of King Henry and Queen Jacqueline von Muir," She said, not answering my question.

"How did you know?!"

"I am the Eidolon of Mist; the Mist Dragon... I know many things, child. I've seen your heart; you mean the people of Mist no harm. Thus, you need not fear my fangs nor my claws. You can stop trembling, Edward- I will not hurt you. I guard Mist from those who wish us harm." She stopped. "You say you wish to see everything as you travel the world... Are you sure of your wish?"

"Of course," I answered. "Its been my dream since I was a child." The voice sighed.

"You don't want to see everything in this world, child. You are determined though... I can only warn you: Things aren't always what they appear. And you would do well to be careful as to what you wish for. It might come true in ways you never imagined." The mist gathered, and formed into a huge white dragon with a green mane. The Mist Dragon.

Upon hearing legends, I had thought the Eidolon of Mist would be a ferocious, horrendous beast... not this... beautiful, graceful creature. As I stared into the Dragon's deep blue eyes, I saw the truth.
The Mist Dragon's duty was to guard Mist from intruders who mean harm... Those tales of a terrifying beast... Those were naught but the lies of men who attempted to enter Mist, but whose evil had been sensed by this eidolon. This wonderful eidolon...

The majestic Dragon dipped her head towards me. "Prince Edward Chris von Muir; I hereby grant you passage into the Valley of Mist. You may lack bravery, but you make up for its loss with your kind heart and good nature. Be careful." The Dragon dissipated into mist again.

"Thank you," I called out, but the mist had already dissolved. I nearly stumbled on the rolling hills leading to the village, but I managed to arrive in Mist.

A woman waited for me at the entrance, seeming like she knew I was coming. She had auburn hair, and a two-colored dress. The top part was red, but the skirt was green.

"Welcome young man," she called to me.

"Greetings," I responded. Two men soon flocked the sides of the woman.

"Lydia! How has this man breached Mist?!" One shouted.

"And without any wounds?!" The other shouted as well.

The woman silenced them. "Simple. The Mist Dragon granted him passage. Now, get on with your life as if he weren't here." The men glared at me before trudging someplace else. The woman glanced at me. "Come with me, we must talk, Edward."

"You know who I am?" The woman laughed lightly.

"The Mist Eidolon is my dragon. Our lifelines are connected. I am aware of everything the dragon senses, and I can ask her to guard our village if need need be. The only consequence is that should the Mist Dragon be slain- I will die also." Shock of her revelation hit me.
"You- you are a Summoner!"

"One of the few of our race. Mist is the home of Summoners and their families.
"I am Lydia. I lead Mist; overseeing protective measures, keeping stray monsters out, and making Mist a safe place for children." She lowered her tone. "Especially for my daughter. She's only ten, but its obvious that she is a Summoner. She can summon Titan! She can even do spells for Black and White magic!" I heard the pride in Lydia's voice. And she should be proud. I couldn't even use Bardsong at that age...

Lydia brought me to the inn, where she paid for my stay for a night and for food. She then left, as she said she had to prepare dinner for her daughter.

As I lay in bed, one face wouldn't leave my mind. Anna... I fully remembered when we were children; mainly that moment before we parted.

"You're my new friend! I don't if care if you are a prince. I'll always be your friend!"

She was my first true friend. Kristoff, some of the guards, and some of the staff eventually became friends of mine, but, Anna was the first...the first to offer the friendship.

I wonder if she remembers that day also, I wondered before falling asleep.

_____________________________________________________
Later that night...

"I don't like him."
"I don't trust him."
"I don't know why Lydia does."
"I don't think he's really a bard."
"Really? I thought it was just me..."
"No, he's different, I can feel it."
"I think he is a bad omen."
"What will we do about it?"
"I say we go in and kill him."
"Too messy."
"How about we gag him, take him outside of Mist, and then kill him?"
"Great idea! Let's go-!" A new voice entered.

"How could you?! Shame on all of you! That poor man doesn't have the heart to hurt anyone! Yet, here you are - WITH PLANS OF KILLING HIM. The eidolon passed his judgment, and I agree with it. He hides his identity for reasons that aren't your concern. He is not a criminal, nor one who means us harm. Now return to your homes!"

"Yes Lydia..." they groaned dejectedly.

I sat upright, shaking my head. I can't stay here, where I'm not wanted. I fixed the bed, grabbed my things, and left two Gil on the front desk before heading for the exit of the village.

"Going somewhere?" Lydia said behind me. I nodded my head.

"I can't stay here. Your people do not want me here, and though you stopped them tonight, they will just wait for a time when you aren't there. I can't take that risk."

Lydia sighed. "You are right though. I just understand what's happening. Peaceful monsters now attack humans, generally benevolent people act viciously..." she shook her head. "You aren't the bad omen...those are. I sense a tragedy unfolding." I didn't understand.

"Farewell. Take care, Lydia."

Before I could leave, Lydia pressed two scrolls into my hand.

"Take these so that your journey here has not been in vain."

"Thank you." I left the village.

As I was at the edge of the valley, I looked at the scrolls. One was clearly old, with its yellowed edges; but the other was fairly new, still crisp and white. I glanced at the old one first.

'Feymarch.' The summary under the title read, 'A theme summarizing the nature of the Land of Eidolons.' Feymarch? Land of Eidolons? I'd heard of them before, but no one knew very much about the topics. Supposedly, the monsters and eidolons were called by Summoners from a place deep in the earth known as the Feymarch. I glanced at the other scroll.

'Rydia.' There was no description, but I suspect that Rydia was someone important to whoever wrote this piece. Just by looking at it, I could tell the song had a gentle nature. Perhaps Rydia, whoever she was... had a gentle nature, and was beloved...

My curiosity distracted me, but I snapped out of it when I saw a Desert Sahagin coming towards me. The red, finned, desert monsters were known for being violent... and breathing fire. I wasted no time getting into the hovercraft and driving off. I would pass by Damcyan, and then land near Mt. Hobs. I wanted to pay a visit to Fabul, but first, I would have to get over Mt. Hobs's slopes.

I traveled up the slopes with ease, even though it was a steep climb. This was because no monsters on the West slope. On the East slope however...

"Get him! Seize that human! Kill him!" I just had to be seen by some goblins. Their lime green caps partially covered their ugly, obnoxious faces. I picked up my harp and played a Bardsong. Please work...! I selected 'Alluring Air,' to confuse them. Confusing them would make them just stand there, or start attacking each other with their axes instead of me. Whatever works. I played quickly, and most of the goblins stopped charging. But one had plugged his ears. This one was slightly larger than the others, and wore orange garbs instead of green.

Domovoi ...stronger, and smarter relatives of goblins. This domovoi charged at me with not only an ax, but a knife also. I reached into my belt and grabbed the ice dagger. I targeted the monster and threw the dagger. I shut my eyes. I had hoped it wouldn't come to this...

Sklit!

I heard the sickening slice as the dagger found his heart. And I heard his screams. I opened my eyes just as the dagger's power froze the domovoi from the inside out. More screams followed, and I turned away. I didn't look back until the screams had ceased.

The domovoi was frozen solid. His face frozen with a contorted look of excruciating pain. This was a monster who intended to kill me... yet, sympathy and guilt wracked my heart ... Nothing deserved a death like this ... not even a monster.
The deed was done though. I had saved myself, but I had also killed the monster. I couldn't just walk away. I laidzc the domovoi on his back, and searched for a sharp edged rock. After finding one, I dug a shallow grave. I couldn't lift the domovoi, so I dragged him into the grave.

"I'm sorry..." I whispered as I pulled out my dagger. A single tear slid down my cheek as I then replaced the soil on top of his frozen body before adding rocks above the dirt. I walked away, trying not to look back.

"My, you're a strange man, aren't you? Pity for a monster that tried to kill you?" A voice said from beside me. I whipped around, but no one was there.

"It matters not whether one is man or beast," I responded. "True, some monsters seek to harm, and some humans would never intentionally hurt anyone. However, I have met despicable men, and benevolent monsters." Instantly, I thought of the Mist Dragon. Realizing my mistake, I corrected myself. "No, not monsters. Eidolons." The air beside me thickened, and a little boy with pointy ears appeared.

"Who are you, and how did you get here?" The boy grinned.

"My spirit felt your sympathy and guilt over killing me. See, when a monster is slain, they may remain monsters and go to Hell;" he paused. "Or they may choose to become Eidolons. An eidolon then has a choice:stay in the Feymarch, our home; or allow one to call us. To be able to come to a Summoner's aid."

"You-you were the domovoi?!?! But you are a child!"

He smirked. "I am decades older than you, bard. I am young-by Eidolon standards." That made me feel bright. "Anyhow," the domovoi said. "My name is actually Dom, but I am a Goblin eidolon. Will you allow me to be summoned by you? Please?"

"Why me?" I said softly. "I did nothing. I killed you." Dom peered at me and smiled.

"That's why. You feel regret, even though your life was in danger. You saw me dying, and it affected you. You felt guilt. Your weakness... Fear made you save yourself, but you then shed a tear-for me... Perhaps to other men, this is cowardice, but... I was touched," Dom mumbled.

I sighed. "I wish I could. Believe me, I would summon you. But I can't. I'm a bard-not a Summoner. I came here just recently from the village of summoners though." Dom hung his head.

"Oh well." He snapped his fingers, and a piece of parchment materialized. He grabbed it out of the air and gave it to me. I tried to read it, but the runes were unknown to me. Before I could ask, Dom explained. "This is the Summon a Summoner would need to call me. It won't do anything for anyone else, or for a Summoner who took it. I'm leaving it with you. Whoever receives this must have been given it by you." I raised an eyebrow. "What?! You're still a good human, even if you aren't a Summoner. So hold onto it for me."

I had to smile at his antics. "Sure, Dom." I placed it in my bag. Dom smirked.

"Well, that's everything! Thank you, Bard! I'll be in the Feymarch, so we may never meet again. I'm glad I met a human like you though." Dom vanished.

As I climbed down the final slopes of Mt. Hobs, I encountered no monsters. Thank the gods. Yet I wonder if Eidolon Dom had anything to do with it... He was a strange eidolon... I never knew monsters could change like that. I'd have to ask Lydia the next time I was in Mist.