The pitiful sorrowful eyes continued to gaze up at him, round and wide and full of a deep endless longing staring up at Sebastien. The glimmering pools beckoned him, pleadingly so, pulling the young nobleman into an invisible lure. The eyelids lifted the subtlest bit as that warm gloved hand reached forward, indicating that entrapment was at hand. Yet the face remained as it was, sad and yearning for an elder brother's comforting touch.<br/><br/>But it was not met to be, the web of deception broken by a mere false choice of words. The spirit's movements froze, as if stilled by the mere power of Sebastien's renewing strength. Solidity in the limb wavered, and as if in some form of last minute desperation it shot out and gripped at the brunette's wrist with a fierce hold. It held the strength no child in either life or afterlife could wield, showing that more sinister forces were at work. Instead of a set of cherub's eyes now they narrowed in contempt. With a violent tug it pulled Sebastien forward.<br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#808080">"You think you are the first to try and enter this cursed terrain?" </span>it sinisterly hissed out, grabbing for that mass of short hair so it kept the Prince close at hand. No longer did the voice hold a familiar innocence, instead filled with a vile wretched anger that was hardly contained. With a flick of it's wrist, it twisted now long knurly fingers into his scalp.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#808080">"You are a fool, trespassing here. Once he has your soul in hand, he will not let you go, just as the rest of us. He never forgives, no longer contains the remains of a decent heart. Heed this, Princeling, before we drag you down into our hell!"</span>There was a violent wrench, the being now pulling the solid man forward. That face no longer looked like Sebastien's deceased sibling, nor morphing into something dark, twisted...deformed from unrecorded years of torment. It's eyes hallowed out to bare nothingness, it's body long and sinewy like smoke. It's back elongated and bowed, arching over the traveling as it twisted and turned. A mouth full of teeth turned upright and widened into sickeningly wide jaws, their target the flesh caught in it's hands.<br/><br/>It was only by pure luck that a tree root ensnared Sebastien's booted toe that broke him free of the creature, giving him ample opportunity to tear itself away. Not for long, however, and surely even if the prince had come to the decision to flee, the way he had come was no blocked by more of the same opponents. All turned and swivelled as if part of the fog, part of the darkness that encompassed the woods and made it dark. They passed through the charred trunks as if they prosed no obstacle, clearly indicating they were not of the flesh...yet they desired it. Their own taken from them against their will, so they sought out those that entered via way to dragging any poor man's body down until it was as hollow as their own. Dark tendril fingers reached towards Sebastien, the cries from earlier now increasing in volume and intensity, truly testing the man's resolve.<br/><br/>As if by some unseen signal, they rushed forward towards Sebastian, ready to tear him limb from limb.<br/><br/>****<br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff0000">"Hmm....perhaps I am out of practice in my scrying ways, to not catch onto such a namesake." </span>mused the large beast in the shadows, a gleam going over his eye for a moment as it stared out from his cave.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff0000"> "No matter. Humans are much too sentimental to hold such things dear. Such fragile creatures....their hearts ruling over their intelligence." </span>The beast gave a great chuff, the tiniest tendrils of flame blowing out of his nose to illuminate the glistening scales around his muzzle. Red glinted in the dark for the briefest of moments, tinged by a ochre gold and dark ombre black. In the minuscule moment it revealed itself, it faded back into the shadow once more.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff0000">"Steadfast you may be, Prince, but your trials are not over yet."</span>