Rise of the Blood Moon

Elderwood

I stared in shock as my father's motionless body lay still on the floor. There was a crimson insignia on his head, and when I stared at it, I realized that it was marked with his blood.

"Dad!" I charged into the room and ran to his unconscious body. What the hell was going on?! I checked his body for a pulse, and to my relief, I heard a steady rhythm.

What the hell happened? He isn't dead, but he's unconscious and has a strange mark carved onto his forehead. I stared at the mark. The shape of it seemed oddly familiar to me.

Wait, isn't that the same symbol as the one on the masks the two strangers in the forest wore? Could they have been the ones to do this to father? I felt a surge of anger. Why is it that everyone in the world just has it out for me and my dad? We didn't do anything wrong to anyone, so why do terrible things always happen to us?

I glared at the damned mark, and suddenly, a projection of a masked man clothed in the same robes as the two people in the forest appeared. However, he wore a different mask.

"Greetings, y/n l/n. When you receive this message, you should have found your unconscious father lying on the floor. You need not worry, your father's life is not in any danger. I have simply cast a blood mark on him. This blood mark only seals his mind putting him in a coma. There is absolutely no danger to his life. However, I can very easily kill him a flick of my finger, as his life essence is my hands. If you want your father back, listen to me."

"I want you to pack a week's worth of rations and whatever you need to survive in the mountains, and then head towards the Elderwood Forest. Continue traveling in a straight line until you find a lone altar with a crimson jewel on top. Once you see that altar, pour your blood on top of the jewel. You will know what to do once you accomplish that. I suggest you hurry, lest your father's frail body suffers any... unnecessary harm."

"Oh, and don't try to reply to me. This is merely a projection, and you won't be able to harm me. If you want your father to live, then don't try anything funny. I'll see you when you arrive."

And with those final words, the figure vanished, leaving me with unanswered questions.

I clenched my fists and put my dad on the couch, draping a blanket over him. Whoever did this wanted something from me. I don't who he is or what exactly he gains from me pouring my blood on some crystal, but it can't be anything good. Yet, it's not like I have a choice. No matter what I have to do, I can't let my dad die.

 Thus, I grabbed dad's favorite ax, a high quality ax made out of premium Ionian steel and crafted by the best blacksmith in town, and packed a week's worth of canned food and water into a large leather pack, and set off for the Elderwood, bracing myself for the journey to come.