Seasons were about to change. The summer had been long, but pleasantly warm. The humble people of the Wulfing town had worked hard throughout the summer so they could have an abundant harvest by the end of the warm months. The crops had grown well and people were satisfied now that their toil had got rewarded. Now it was about the time of their annual harvest festival; they would celebrate it in order to thank the gods for blessing them with such plentiful and good quality crops. The festival was also about welcoming the autumn season when the spirits of the deceased would wander on the earth once again, visiting their loved ones before the cold months would arrive and cast them away. It was the time of being grateful and happy, so this festival brought joy into the hearts of the townsfolk.

One of the people who were excited about the festival was a young woman, Venste. This had been her favorite holiday ever since she was a child. For so many years, she had prepared for the celebration by baking different kinds of goods, from simple breads to delicious buns and cookies and other treats. She came from a long line of bakers so baking goods to sell at the festival was a tradition to her family. They always had their own stall and just like every year, Venste was eager to decorate it.

It was the day before the harvest festival. The little town of Wulfing was looking gorgeous already even though decorations weren't entirely complete. Paper lanterns were hanging above the streets, beautiful strings made of flowers decorated many of the houses and stalls, little effigies made from clay were now watching every corner of the town and banners which depicted mythical beings were standing here and there. Little by little the town was getting ready for the celebration. There were some who were still building their own stalls where they would sell their own wares, but Venste's family's own was already done. It just needed a little bit of more decorating and Venste was the right person for that job.

The young woman was happily humming as she was carefully setting up flowers to every nook of the stall. She had also painted small pictures such as pumpkins, apples and berries since they happened to be few of the ingredients she and her mother and sister had used in their baked goods. She had also done a sign that told people what they were selling. Venste had been born with a soul of an artist and year by year she was getting better at with her delightful little paintings. Sometimes, when she had time, she would also paint on stalls of other people, she wanted to contribute in making the whole town look as magnificent as it could.

Eventually Venste was done with decorating the stall and she took a few steps back to admire her own work. And in her eyes, it was excellent. It was all ready for tomorrow's festival. Diligent knocking on the wood was filling the air along with cheerful chatting as people were preparing for the great celebration. Since she was finished with the stall, Venste decided to take a little stroll around the town just to see how the preparations were going. The hard work of the townsfolk was showing, the atmosphere was filled with festive spirit. Venste was so thrilled about the festival, like so many others, and she could barely contain her excitement. She wanted to experience it already, the good food, the joyful music, the breath-taking show of entertainers and the moment when the blessed fish would swim across the river that flowed through the southern part of the little town. With a smile on her face, she then headed home to help her mother and sister with their own preparations, baking some goods already, although most of them would be made tomorrow so people could enjoy their freshness.

Just like Venste, her mother and sister were also excited for the festival. It was their thing. Their cozy little home was filled with the scent of delicious treats, more than usual. The trio was buzzing around like busy bees as they were getting all set for tomorrow. Joyfully chattering while doing their work, they were so immersed in their tasks that suddenly they realized that darkness had fallen over the town. Quickly they finished up for the day, leaving the kitchen in a neat condition for tomorrow's work. All three of them were thrilled for the next day's festivities, but it was also going to be a long day so it was important to get some rest. Even though they were so excited, they still managed to fall asleep and sleep through the quiet night.

And when the new day dawned, Venste's family was up and ready to create their wonderful baked goods. The actual festival would begin in the evening, so they had some time to bake. They spent the whole morning and most of the daytime working hard as they wanted everything to be ready by the evening. And in the end, they had managed to make quite a load of goodies, these treats ready to amaze people with the great taste.

“Good job, you two”, Venste's mother had congratulated them as she was dusting off flour from her apron.

“You too, mom”, Venste had responded and hugged her mother and sister.

“Yeah, yeah”, her sister patted Venste's back, “but we need to get these to the stall.”

“So let's do that”, Venste said.

They had a little wagon waiting outside their house, ready to be loaded. The bright afternoon sun welcomed them as they stepped out of their house and began to fill the wagon with their goods. It took them a little while to get everything loaded, but in the end it was full of the delicacies they had created together. Venste's mother had then taken it as her duty to get them to their stall and began to pull, getting the wagon moving. And together, the three of them headed towards the main street of the town where all the stalls had been constructed.

Venste was all smiles as she walked through the town with her mother and sister. It seemed like that the weather for the day was perfect, it was pleasantly warm and there was just a slight breeze blowing through the town. Only a few clouds were gliding in the sky. She really hoped that the weather conditions would stay like that by the evening.

And everyone was so happy. Venste didn't spot a single person who was sad or angry or anything of that sort. This event had brought the people together and everyone was ready to have some good time. It warmed Venste's heart. She and her mother and sister were greeted by a handful of people, some even letting them know that they couldn't wait to have a taste of what they had created for the festival. It was a nice feeling when somebody showed appreciation for your hard work.

Once the trio had made it to their stall, Venste's mother left the wagon behind it. Then they started to unload their goods on the stall in a perfect order: bread and pies in the back, buns in the middle and cookies in the front. All around them other people were preparing their own stalls as well. Cheerful chattering filled the main street as people were getting ready for the festivities. Along with other hard-working people, Venste and her mother and sister were soon done setting up their stall and they eagerly waited for the moment when the festival would officially start. They waited by their stall while keeping their eyes on other townsfolk.

When the sun began its descent, it was a sign to the town of Wulfing to start celebration. People had gathered on the street and were now checking the goods people were selling on their stalls. A few musicians had taken their place on the street and had begun to play cheery music with various instruments. The music, the scent of good food and the laughter of the happy people… That day the town itself was feeling joy.

Venste was so excited. She wanted to go and have a little tour around the town to experience the festival to its fullest. Her mother noticed this.

“Just go and have fun”, she said to both of her daughters with a smile on her face. “I'll take care of the business here.”

Venste gave a hug to her mother. “Thanks mom!”

Together with her sister, Venste then hurried away from their stall and they started to seek the wonders of the festival. Eagerly they walked among the crowd of people and were glancing all around them; it was hard to focus on only one thing at a time. But they decided to check the stalls that were at the end of the street because that's where the traveling merchants were selling their exotic wares and Venste and her sister were really curious about what could be found from there this year. They had a hastened pace as they made their way through the busy street; they wanted to check what the foreigners were selling before all the most interesting stuff would be sold out.

When they had managed to get to the end of the main street, Venste and her sister saw a steady flow of people coming into the town. It was not a surprise; this festival had attracted foreign people year after year. Everyone was looking forward to having some good time during this annual celebration. Venste and her sister headed to check the stalls they had been looking for, excited to see what they had to offer. And they weren't disappointed; in a couple of stalls they could find beautiful gemstones, some strange items such as eggs of mythical birds and parts of mystical beasts like horns of a dragon, skillfully crafted ornamental knives, exotic food from a land far away, clothing that makes anyone look gorgeous and magnificent jewelry. In fact, one of the necklaces had caught Venste's attention; it had a golden chain with few shining pearls attached to it and there was a blue gemstone embedded on a golden plate in the shape of a hexagon. It had a rather simple look, but still Venste admired it quite a lot.

Her sister noted this. “You like it, why don't you buy it?”

A heavy sigh came out of Venste's mouth. “It's too expensive. I don't quite have the money.”

“I bet mom has some to spare”, her sister pointed out.

“I can buy it for you.”

The unfamiliar voice came from behind them. Surprised, Venste and her sister turned around to see who had said those words. They saw a handsome young man standing behind them. A very handsome man. But there was one very strange trait that perplexed the sisters: part of his face was covered by a white mask that had a half of a wolf's face painted on it. Other than that, he looked rather ordinary: he had long blond hair and his visible eye had a deep blue color; it was the color of the ocean. He was dressed in mostly blue attire and judging by his clothes, he seemed to be a wealthy person.

He had a gentle smile on his face as he took a couple of steps closer to Venste and her sister. “It would be a pleasure to buy a gift for a beautiful lady like you.”

Venste was stunned by this and for a short moment she could only stare, baffled, at this foreign man. But then she managed to find her voice back. “Oh, no, you don't have to! I… I was just looking at it. It's fine.”

The man kept smiling. “It's no trouble, I assure you. Let me buy it for you.”

“But it's not cheap”, Venste said and shook her head in disbelief. “You're kind to offer, but I can't possibly take such money from you.”

“Please. I insist.”

And before Venste managed to say anything else, the man had already stepped to the stall and had taken a handful of coins from his pouch. He gave them to the merchant who thanked him with a slight bow. Then the man turned to face Venste once again, a charming smile still decorating his face.

“Enjoy your gift”, he said.

“Thank you, mister”, Venste spluttered a little and she put the necklace around her neck, admiring it. “How can I repay your kindness?”

“Well, there is one thing you could do for me”, the man responded. When Venste gave him a puzzled look, he continued: “I'd really appreciate it if somebody would show me around the town and introduce me to this festival.”

“Oh…” Venste had a little shy look on her face and she curled a strand of hair around her finger. “Well, that's something I can do.”

“Excellent”, the man said. “May I get your name?”

“I'm Venste”, Venste replied and she smiled at the man. “And you are?”

“The name is Riemen.” Somehow his smile turned even more charming. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Venste.”

Venste's sister had been quietly observing the interaction of these two and she was grinning a little bit. Venste knew exactly what her sister was thinking: she wanted to tease her for finding a "boyfriend". She just was polite enough to not do that in front of a stranger.

“I just leave you two alone”, her sister said and had already taken a few steps away. “See you later, Venste!”

And just like that, she had then disappeared into the crowd, leaving Venste alone with Riemen.

Venste looked at her new companion, still happily smiling. “So… Where do we begin?”

“I'll leave that for you to decide”, Riemen answered.

“Well… Let's see…”

Then began their little tour around the town of Wulfing. At first they walked along the main street and checked what kind of stalls had been erected that year. From one stall they bought something delicious to eat: pieces of chicken meat roasted with berries. It was one of Venste's favorite foods that were served during the festival. She and Riemen kept walking around while they were eating and the atmosphere turned more and more festive as time passed on and it became the time to light the lanterns which then shed their warm light to the joyful town. Venste tried her best to show Riemen all the best parts of the festival and Wulfing town as a whole and it really seemed like the man was having a good time with her.

Leisurely they strolled around the town, enjoying every bit of it. They visited many of the wonders of Wulfing, such as the great fountain that could be found from the center of the town and the beautiful flowers bushes that surrounded it, the district which was filled with different statues, sculpted by the craftsmen that had lived in that part of the town for generations, the gorgeous bridge that crossed the river in the south, it was a piece of art itself, made by the skilled carpenters of the past, and then there was the little pretty boutique which sold dolls that were said to be the most well done in the region and it had a beautiful display window that especially children enjoyed. Venste showed her hometown with pride and was happy to see that Riemen was interested in everything they came across. It warmed her heart a little.

And of course, they remembered to enjoy the different bits of the festival as well. Taking a little break from walking around, they stopped for a short moment to listen to the cheerful music which the musicians were playing. Then they watched the breath-taking show of various entertainers, such as fire eaters and acrobats. Their tricks and stunts were stunning to look at which amazed the whole audience and even though Venste had seen a lot of similar shows during the years, they never failed to amaze her. Riemen seemed to enjoy them as well, applauding enthusiastically after the show was over.

Venste and Riemen had chattered quite a bit while they had experienced the festival together. And she had to admit that Riemen appeared to be pretty good company and she had enjoyed spending time with him. It was a little surprising to her and even though they hadn't known each other for long, she started to feel like she had found a friend. She even took Riemen to visit her mother at their stall and she seemed to like him as well. Then her mother had given them buns to enjoy and they continued to stroll around the town.

The festivities were still going even when the curtain of the night had fallen over Wulfing. Venste knew that it was about time for the most magical part of the festival to happen soon. So she took Riemen back to the bridge around the southern part of the town and quite a lot of people had started to gather there as well, all waiting for the special moment.

“It's said that these fish are blessed by the goddess that allows the crops to grow well”, Venste had told Riemen. “They take the summer and bring the autumn, making the seasons change in our town.”

“What a peculiar little event”, Riemen had said.

Just like many other people, they had then stared at the flow of the river, waiting. And just about when the moon was at its fullest in the sky, the people could see a golden glow in the river, coming from the distance. When it was getting closer, it divided into multiple little golden spots and when they were coming near the bridge, the onlookers could now tell that they were actually fish that had a golden glow. It was a magnificent sight when they swam through the river and people followed them with their gazes all the way until the fish disappeared into the distance, merging into one wave of golden glow.

Once this brief but magical moment was over, people began to leave the bridge and get back to the celebrations again – the festival would last until dawn. Venste and Riemen dropped behind most of the crowd and lingered by the bridge for a brief moment. Venste leaned on the railing, her eyes fixed on the scenery in the distance and she was smiling a little.

“It has been really fun to spend the day with you”, she said. “And I hope you feel the same.”

The young man had taken his place by the railing as well, standing next to Venste. “This has truly been a wonderful day. I've had so much fun.” Then he turned his head to look at Venste. “You know, there's something I'd like to give you… As a memento of this day.”

“Oh?” Venste glanced at Riemen, slightly confused. “What is it?”

Riemen looked around them before he said: “I'd rather give it in private. Do you know a place where we could be alone?”

“Hmm…” Venste looked thoughtful for a while. “Most of the people are still celebrating. I think that we could be left alone around the border of the town.”

“Just show me the way”, Riemen said.

Venste nodded and they started to get going. She guided Riemen through the smallest alleys and bit by bit the sounds of the festival faded away and a strange silence fell over the town. Lanterns were lit around this part of the town as well, but the streets and alleys were completely absent of people. The echo of their footsteps sounded weirdly loud as they walked past the many buildings that were still empty. At some point one of the streets turned into a road that led out of the town and into the woods.

“I think we could find a perfect spot from those woods”, Riemen said as he pointed at the tree line.

“Uh… Sure.” Venste had no idea what Riemen was planning but still she walked out of the town with him, heading to the forest.

Somehow the night air suddenly started to feel colder on Venste's skin. And when they passed the first trees, she got this odd feeling that they had stepped into a different world. Riemen had taken the lead and was walking with quite a swift pace. Venste could only wonder what was on his mind and where he was going. What could possibly be something that could be only given in such a remote place? All of this was so strange, but still Venste was following him.

They had walked along the road a little while when Riemen finally stopped. Venste's going was halted as well.

“This should be far enough.” Riemen turned around and faced Venste, the very charming smile on his face. “Now, this gift… It will make you beautiful.”

“What is it?” Venste repeated herself. She was a little confused since she didn't see anything on Riemen. Just where was he going to cast this gift he was talking about?

Riemen slowly raised his hand and it got drawn to his face. He took hold of the half of a wolf mask.

Venste screamed in horror.

Although the visible half of Riemen's face had been very attractive, the part that had been hidden under the mask was the complete opposite. It was such a horrific sight, it made Venste feel nauseous. It was nothing but shredded flesh, still bleeding, and Venste had no idea how the mask had been able to hide all that. It was like something had gnawed at Riemen's face with very sharp teeth, leaving behind this grotesque sight. Red eye was swirling madly in the eye socket, it was nothing like the tender blue eye. Venste was absolutely horrified, the delightful festival day had suddenly turned into a nightmare.

Then she noticed yet another disturbing detail. There were fangs on the mask and they were moving in a disgusting way, desiring to tear apart more flesh. Venste got a feeling that it was her flesh that was going to be shredded next. She managed to break through her shocked state and hastily turned around and began to run back to the town as fast as she could. She had to get away, just had to.

But her attempt was in vain.

From the corner of her eye she could see a shadow quickly moving past her. And all of a sudden, it was in front of her. The blackness of this figure faded away and it was Riemen who was now standing in her way. Venste tried to make a sharp turn and run in another direction, but with inhumane speed, Riemen had been able to grasp her arm and was holding tight with an iron grip, so crushing was his force that it caused Venste to yelp in pain. She tried her best to struggle against him, but couldn't get away – she was trapped.

“You can't leave just yet”, Riemen said to her almost with a soft tone. “You still have to receive your gift.”

With one swift movement, he hit the mask against Venste's face. The little fangs immediately dug on her skin and started to tear it apart. She screamed in pain and Riemen let go of her and stepped aside, observing what he had put in motion. Venste attempted to rip the mask off of her face, but it was stuck. The fangs were shredding painfully her skin and flesh, making her bleed abundantly. And she kept screeching, still trying to get rid of the mask with all her might, but it didn't move even an inch.

“You can only get it off if you give it to someone else”, Riemen had said, sounding quite amused. “Now, this is where our paths will part. I have business elsewhere. Goodbye.”

And just like that, he started to walk away, leaving Venste alone in agony. She fell on her knees and was sobbing, the pain was just too much. The blood had stained her clothes red. And the fangs of the mask continued to gnaw and tear her face, her beautiful face. She was afraid that the pain wouldn't ever go away.

Venste was so helpless, so powerless. She could only cry and stay on the spot where Riemen had left her. She was all alone and suffering – and it all was going to get worse.