As the twin suns rose high in the sky, the smooth runed stones sank into the ground as if hiding from the approaching daylight. There was no trace of their existence once the sky lightened, bathing the dimension in daylight.
Drake opened his emerald eyes. The smell of seasoned meat and eggs floated around him, making his stomach growl in hunger. He frowned. He had eaten several sandwiches that night. He felt like he hadn't eaten for days.
Pulling himself up, he slipped on his boots and prepared himself for the day. As he washed up, then made his way down the stairs, he looked around him. There was a subtle pressure in the air. Frowning, he continued to the small table where his friends were.
Mayor Ivan, Mike, and Chad were sitting, devouring their breakfast as if they hadn't eaten in days. They didn't even look up to greet him. It was completely out of character for all of them.
Drake sat down, looking intently at the others. "Something's wrong. I can feel it." He stated, while quickly filling his own plate, and then he began to eat. It was much slower than the others. They didn't seem to have heard him. They were too busy eating their meal to notice.
After eating enough to satisfy his hunger, he stood up. "I'm going outside," he said calmly, looking at the others. They didn't even look up.
Thinking back to the last reward, he mentally spoke to his system.
"System, what is going on?"
{Not enough information provided}
Shaking his head, Drake left the inn. The sun was out, and the townsfolk were going about their business.
"System, scan the area."
{Not enough information provided}
Drake frowned. He wasn't sure how the information system worked. It was new and he hadn't used it yet.
"System, identify the pressure in the air."
There was a long pause before the soft voice floated through Drake's mind.
{Pressure identified.}
'Seriously? That's it?' He was expecting more information, like what the pressure was, where it was coming from, or why it was there. It gave him nothing.
"System, what is the cause of the identified pressure?" he asked, trying to word it so that the information system would be able to understand what exactly he wanted.
{Identified pressure is caused by a crystal grid surrounding the town. The pressure is the result of the power that the crystal grid is emitting.}
"Define the purpose of the crystal grid." He stated.
{The crystal grid's purpose is to trap or prevent entrance or exit}
"Who is the target of the crystal grid?"
{Target Unknown}
'Shit, I bet I'm the target.' He grumbled.
Drake walked through the town, surveying the behavior of those around him. They didn't seem to notice him either. It was as if he were a ghost walking through the streets. He knew he had to figure out what was going on and why. If the grid prevented its target from leaving or entering, why did he feel like no one could see him?
He needed to investigate.
Taking advantage of his current situation, Drake walked into the mayor's home and searched through his office. No one seemed to notice he had entered the large home. Once he found what he was looking for, he went from home to home, trying to determine if anyone had been taken.
What he had been after and was successful in finding was the list of all those who lived in the small town. There was even a section for visitors. His friends were on it, but his own name was faded out. It was as if it were disappearing out of existence.
To his surprise, he hadn't found a single villager missing. It appeared that the only one missing was him.
Drake walked to the barrier of the town and attempted to walk down the road toward the mountain.
He slammed against an invisible barrier. Since he had been slowly walking, he was not injured.
"System, if I find the power source, will I be able to destroy the trap?"
{Yes}
Drake sighed. He was expecting a little more than a one-word answer.
Drake thought about it for a moment.
"System, identify the location of the crystal grid's power source."
Drake waited, but nothing happened; he began wandering the town, thinking that perhaps it couldn't because he wasn't near it. As he approached the center of the town, a soft voice floated through his mind.
{Crystal grid's power source identified}
He knew that there would be no more information given.
"System, pinpoint the exact location of the crystal grid's power source."
A soft glow of green light left his chest. Then slowly made its way toward the center of the small town. Drake followed closely behind. He wasn't expecting his system to take him to it in that manner. He didn't even know that it could.
When he reached the glowing lights destination, the green light floated down through the dirt. Drake placed an 'x' on the spot. He watched as the green light exited, then floated back into his chest.
"System, what is the depth where the power source is located?"
{The power source is located three feet down}
'Shit!'
"System, is the crystal grid causing those around me not to notice me?"
{The effect is not created by the crystal grid}
{The effect is created by gargoyle sorcery}
Drake frowned. The system didn't say what created the crystal grid. "System, what created the crystal grid?"
{Dimensional runes were used in the creation of the crystal grid}
"System, what is the end outcome of the gargoyle sorcery?"
{The enchantment has been identified as an eraser. If the enchantment has not been countered, the target will be erased from existence.}
"System, how can the eraser enchantment be countered?"
Drake was beginning to panic. He was stuck in town, unable to leave. He was about to be erased from existence, and he didn't know what to do about either.
{Kill the enchanter or find the item that connects the enchanter to the target and destroy it}
"System, identify the item used in the eraser enchantment."
The system didn't respond, so Drake went back to the inn. He needed to find a way to get the attention of his friends.
As he entered the inn, no one seemed to notice him. Strained, he walked up the small stairs and looked for his friends in their rooms. When Drake found them, they were sitting on Chad's bed.
Drake walked into their room, slamming the door closed, hoping that the two boys would at least notice the door slamming.
Mike looked up as the loud bang sounded throughout the room, his eyes making contact with Drake's. "There you are!"
Chad looked between the door and Mike, frowning. "What are you talking about? Where is who?"
Drake frowned, not liking what he was hearing. He stepped close to Mike. "There is a gargoyle enchantment in place. I'm being erased," he said, pulling out the visitors page of the list of those in Draco Town; his name was still there, and it was still fading slowly.
Mike looked at the page, seeing the fading name of his friend. "What can we do to stop it?"
"Either kill the enchanter or destroy the link. I don't know who it is or what the link is. We are also stuck in the town; there is a magic crystal grid trapping us here." Drake grumbled.
Pulling some parchment from the desk in the corner, Mike wrote everything down. He included Drake's name. All the words remained; only Drake's name was already beginning to fade. He handed the parchment to Chad and told him to read it aloud.
Chad read the words on the parchment word for word, but stopped at Drake's name. Holding the parchment closer, he read the one fading name. "Drake?" Pausing for a moment, Chad's eyes widened. "That's what I've been forgetting? Drake, the Dimension Master's heir? How could I forget Drake! One of my best friends."
***
In Drake's room, back at home, the Dimension Master and his two companions stared at the screen in shock. They had heard every word that Chad had spoken.
The screen had been acting strangely. It had taken them on a strange walk through town. First to the border or town, before it seemed to stop abruptly. After that, the screen took them slowly to the middle of the small town.
After a while, the screen had stopped. A glowing green ball of energy had materialized and moved closer to the center of town. The screen followed the glowing energy ball. Once it reached the center, it headed for the ground in the exact center of town. It went into the ground, disappearing. The screen had kept on that spot for a while, until the glowing ball of energy floated back up, dematerializing.
The screen followed a trail to the inn. Entering the inn, it took the three watchers to the other two boys. They could not see Drake through the screen. Now they knew why.