The Lantern of Souls

Episode 2: The First Story

Opening Scene:

The episode starts with Lina walking along a slim, muddy pathway as the sun rises. A lantern swings on her waist whose dim light has almost been swallowed by the dawn. The hushed rumors have diminished with the break of the day, although one sound persists—the sound of a woman.

In her quest to the small town, Lina realizes how voiceless the community is. The farms outside the town are bushy and untended, while the wooden barriers are somewhat bent. One female farmer turns her head to the stranger for a moment but lowers it in the hope of avoiding the light of the lantern.

Lina heads into the central part of the village where a couple of villagers are seen standing by a well. They look sickly white, with dark rings under their eyes. An older and rather gaunt woman steps forward, but very carefully.

“I’m guessing you’re not a local,” points out the woman. Her eyes went to the lantern. “That… that thing is cursed.”

Lina pauses and finally answers, “Perhaps. But, you see, cursed things are often merely tales in disguise, just waiting to be heard.

The Village's Unfortunate Situation:

The woman with glasses calls herself Mareth and considers herself the de-facto head of the village. Mareth goes on to say that there have been strange occurrences in the village for the past several months: lights turning on and off in unoccupied houses, crops dying for no apparent reason overnight, and even soundless conversations taking place in the wind. Mareth is convinced that it is the ghost of Lenora, a woman who died defending the great village many years ago.

Prior to the siege of the village by marauding elements, she was a beloved healer and a trusted defender. When foes overran the village, she was willing to lay down her life to help save other villagers. Just after her death, it was said that Lenora had switched sides and lured the villagers to the bandits, promising to protect her kin. These lies incited the villagers, who disgraced her memory to such an extent that they refused to care for her tomb.

Now, their beliefs have been warmed to think that her spirit, not at rest, seeks retribution.

Lina’s Choice:

Taken by the account, Lina could feel the lantern’s pulse begin to quicken as though asking or even compelling her to do something. She requests that she be taken to Lenora’s tomb, only for Mareth and the other villagers to stop her, citing the danger of the vengeful spirit.

Undaunted, Lina makes her way to the overgrown cemetery located at the outskirts of the village. There, she locates a faded, unmarked stone that is entangled in vines. Once again, the light of the lantern brightens, and the breathing sounds of the whispers increase.

Lina positions herself in front of the tomb and addresses it:

“Lenora, I don’t know if you can hear me. But if you can, then I want to know your story. What happened, tell me."

The lantern shines brighter, and from its halo steps a figure of a woman clad in raggedy clothes and an unyielding stare. It was Lenora.

Lenora’s Story:

Past fragments and blurred images of the past push Lenora backward and she tells her story to Lina. She left the village, or rather she did not give out the village, but rather drew the raiders away from her family and into the thick of the woods, giving herself up for the peace of the villagers. However, the rumors that sprang up following her death kept her spirit bound to this world, and it raged with bitterness and regret.

Lina stayed quiet for some time before finally, rising up, she left the village square. She has gathered the villagers, and after relating to them what happened to Lenora, she also shares with them what she has seen in the inhabitants, how they were afraid and guilty. Her words are a request and a reproach at the same time:

“You turned your back on the woman who sacrificed everything for you. But it’s not too late to honor her memory. She doesn’t want revenge—she wants to be recognized for the person she was.”

The Art of Letting Go:

The villagers encircle and pay their last respects at Lenora’s graveside after being inspired by the words of Lina, lighting candles, and bringing flowers. Lina rests her palms on the lantern, as light inhabits it more than it has ever done before. In the next moment, the peaceable semblance of the person of Lenora came into view.

“Thanks,” the ghost utters in a soft voice. Her image disperses like scattering light which enters the strange lantern. All is hushed again, and somehow, the lantern inside Lina’s hands becomes rather cumbersome.

Once the villagers thank Lina for her bravery, she catches Mareth's gaze looking at her in awe and slightly scared.

“Peace has been rendered,” Mareth says. “But danger has come along too. Handle that with care.”

Closing Scene:

Lina sets out from the village as the sun nears the horizon, with only a faint light from the lantern at her side. The woman is in a state of both worry and assurance: satisfaction after supporting Lenora, yet anxious at the increasing weight of the lantern and the demands that come along with it.

The Colossus of Souls, without a doubt too far away for any onlooker to pay attention to, stands at a higher ground at a distance from the village, watching with an evil, playful ripple across the mouth.