Lena closed the textbook she had been reading. She had almost forgotten about the strange dream she had the night before. She had been sitting at her desk for about five hours, trying to focus on homework, but she kept thinking about black leather jackets... beautiful auburn hair... green eyes...

Green eyes... black jacket...

The one the legend foretells is the one who wears black armor...

Lena jumped to her feet. A leather jacket was hardly armor, but... was the dream a coincidence? Could Enigma have been trying to tell her something about Etna? Etna... Now that Lena was thinking about both of them, Etna looked really similar to Enigma.

Lena walked to the window. She needed to clear her head. She looked out at the treeline visible in the distance past the sweeping lawn. It was early evening. Lena could see a few other students walking around the lawn, sitting on the grass, and even several people who seemed to be napping under a tree.

Lena then noticed one specific figure walking among the treeline in the forest. Lena's eyes were drawn almost magnetically to that person. The forest was far away, but Lena was positive. It was Etna.

Lena hesitated and then made up her mind. She grabbed a sweatshirt and quickly jogged down the hallway and out of the building. She quickly ran across the lawn and eventually arrived at the edge of the forest.

The early evening light, the feeling of looking for someone out of sight in the trees, Lena had a strong feeling of deja vu. Her thoughts went back to the dream. She walked a few steps into the forest, and as the trees closed around her, it suddenly became much darker. Somewhere deeper into the forest, a bird called. It sounded almost mournful. Lena crossed her arms in front of her, hugging herself.

Lena thought of herself as a brave person, she watched horror movies, she read thriller novels, and even high school wasn't very scary for her, but now, as the dense forest closed in around her with every step, she felt afraid. She could feel her heart racing, but she felt compelled to continue.

A twig snapped somewhere in the trees in front of Lena. She stopped, listening intently. She saw a flash of movement between the trees. Something black. It was Etna's jacket. It had to be. Who else would be here in these woods when it was almost night?

That thought made Lena hesitate. What was she doing in the woods? What was Etna doing in the woods? Why did Lena feel like she needed to follow Etna? Lena didn't know. Etna was so mysterious... but also... Lena didn't want to admit it, even to herself, but Etna was beautiful. Not the way anyone could be pretty, but... beautiful. Lena felt her heart speed up at the thought.

The forest was beginning to come alive with night sounds that pulled Lena from her thoughts. The forest had become even darker as she'd stood there, lost in thought. She considered turning back, leaving the forest, going back to the security of her dorm room, her bed, her familiar surroundings... Lena was curious though. That overruled any other thought, even though in her head she was screaming at herself.

YOU'RE AN IDIOT LENA! Sensible Lena shouted in her mind. THIS IS JUST LIKE EVERY HORROR MOVIE WHERE THE STUPID FOOLISH CHARACTER GOES INTO THAT ROOM AND WHEN YOU'RE WATCHING IT YOU'RE SCREAMING "DON'T OPEN IT! DON'T GO THERE!" BUT THEN THEY DO ANYWAY AND THEY DIE AND YOU KNEW IT WOULD HAPPEN ALL ALONG BUT THE CHARACTER JUST HAD TO BE AN IDIOT!!!

But this isn't a horror movie. This is real life. Curious Lena retorted. Besides, I can run if something happens. I don't think I'm in danger though, and I am not too far from the school. I can go back whenever I want to. But I want to see why Etna is here.

An owl hooted nearby, causing Lena to jump.

Okay, maybe I am a little bit scared Lena thought. I'm just a bit jumpy though. I'll be fine. It's probably just thinking about horror movies that made me nervous.

Lena thought she heard quiet footsteps nearby, but when she tried to listen closer, she couldn't hear them anymore. Now every noise seemed to sound louder than it should. A twig snapping underfoot. The wind in the tops of the trees. The sound of water somewhere in the distance, probably from a small stream...

Suddenly a new sound joined the ones Lena was used to hearing. This sound made Lena look around in confusion and shock. She distinctly heard the sound of people shouting, a female's voice screaming, and someone crying. She couldn't make out the words, but she could tell the shouting was angry and afraid. The screaming went on and on, without pause.

Lena stood there, rooted to the spot in the middle of the forest, only now the forest looked different somehow. The trees around her seemed much larger, and yet ahead of her there stretched a huge expanse of flat land. She could see people fighting, blades flashing, arrows flying, and the ground littered with the dead, glistening with blood. Flames burned, sending smoke skyward. The scent of smoke and blood hung thick in the air. In the sky was a dark purple storm. Lena was gripped with a fear so strong she felt paralyzed. She became aware of terrible pain in her side.

She closed her eyes tight, and when she opened them, she was very confused by what she saw. The forest just looked like a normal forest. The trees were dense but average sized. There was no storm, there were no bodies, there was no screaming. Lena blinked several times, but every time she opened her eyes, she saw only the forest. She didn't smell smoke or blood, and she couldn't feel any pain either.

What had she seen? Was it some kind of hallucination? Lena knew it hadn't been real, but that didn't stop her heart from trying to beat out of her chest like a caged bird.

Lena knew she should turn back. She wanted to run back to her room and hide in bed, but her legs wouldn't listen to her. As though in a dream, Lena felt herself walking deeper into the forest. She walked up to a small ridge and looked down into a small swale.

A body. A body was lying on the forest floor below her. She could make out the long hair, the thin braids on one side, and an elegant gown. Lena blinked, and she realized that the body was not who she thought she had seen.

Long hair on one side, very short hair on the other. Black leather jacket.

Etna.