The town of Greymire sat, as always, nestled in the bowl of the valley, ringed by the dense forested hills that gave it its name. It was a place forgotten by most—a speck on a map, weathered by time, clinging to its obscurity. Yet lately, there was an unsettling shift. Ellie could feel it, like invisible tendrils creeping out from the shadows beyond the hills, winding their way toward the town.

More strangers were arriving, asking too many questions. At first, it had been subtle—a handful of unfamiliar faces in the marketplace, travelers who lingered longer than usual. But now it was undeniable. Something was stirring, like a storm gathering on a far-off horizon.

"They’re coming," Ellie muttered under her breath.

The thought lingered, heavy as she stood by the window of her small room, looking out at the rooftops of Greymire. The town looked the same: simple, unremarkable, the low hum of daily life floating through the streets. But beneath the surface, a tension pulsed. A thread pulled too tight, ready to snap.

Ellie rubbed her temples, trying to ease the headache pressing against her skull. She’d been here before—this unease, the growing weight of expectations. It had started with rumors. Whispers about her so-called feats had spread like wildfire, carried by merchants and bards. The Ellie Liddell of legend was a far cry from the real Ellie Liddell, who still struggled with basic incantations.

But now, those rumors had drawn attention from across the region. Dangerous attention.

A soft knock at the door startled her from her thoughts. Ellie’s heart leapt into her throat, and for a moment, irrational fear gripped her. She half expected another assassin, come to finish the job the first one had failed. But when she opened the door, it was just a boy—a guild runner, no older than twelve, with wide eyes and fidgety hands.

"Miss Liddell," he stammered, holding out a folded piece of parchment. "A message for you."

Ellie took it, her fingers trembling despite herself. The seal on the letter was unfamiliar—no guild crest, no local sigil. She stared at it for a moment before breaking the wax.

The words inside were few but enough to send ice coursing through her veins.

We are coming for you.

No signature. No hint of who had sent it. But the meaning was clear. They were close. Too close.

"Who gave this to you?" Ellie asked, her voice tighter than she’d intended.

The boy blinked, clearly unnerved. "I... I don’t know, miss. A man in the tavern. He didn’t say much, just handed it over and left."

"Did you see where he went?"

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He shook his head quickly, retreating a step. "No, miss. Sorry, miss."

"That’s fine. Thank you." She forced a smile, though her mind was spinning. "You can go now."

The boy needed no second invitation. He darted out of the room, leaving Ellie alone with the letter clutched in her hands. She let it drop onto the table as she walked back to the window, staring out into the twilight. Shadows stretched long across the town as the sun dipped lower behind the hills, casting everything in a dusky haze. Somewhere out there, in those dark woods, they were gathering.

"Why me?" she whispered to the empty room.

She knew why, of course. It had been building for months—ever since the assassin, ever since she’d started drawing the attention of rival adventurer guilds and dark sorcerers alike. Her reputation, once an afterthought, had ballooned beyond control. People now believed she could face anything.

Even Hargrave, the guildmaster, treated her with a reverence that bordered on obsession. He saw her as a banner to rally under, a symbol of their growing power.

And the others? They saw her as a protector.

Ellie gritted her teeth. "I can’t do this," she muttered. The pressure was unbearable. How could they not see? How could they believe in someone who wasn’t ready—who wasn’t even sure of her own strength?

A part of her wanted to run. To leave Greymire, vanish into the wilderness, and never look back. But she couldn’t. Not anymore.

A creak in the floorboards behind her made her whirl around. Her pulse spiked, but it was just Hargrave standing in the doorway, a broad smile on his face. His towering frame filled the room, casting a long shadow across the floor.

"You weren’t at the guild today," he said, his voice deep and jovial, but there was an edge to it. "Everything alright?"

Ellie forced a smile, though the tension in her shoulders remained. "I needed some air. Things have been... a bit much lately."

He nodded, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. "Understandable. The pressure’s mounting, I get that. But we all know you’re up to the task." He gave her a hearty clap on the shoulder that nearly knocked her over. "You’ve already proven it a dozen times over."

"Have I?" Ellie’s tone was sharper than she meant it to be.

Hargrave paused, raising an eyebrow. "Of course you have! The assassin, the monster in the mine, the Stonebeast in the ruins, the—"

"Luck," she interrupted. "That’s all it was, Hargrave. Luck. I’m not the person everyone thinks I am."

His grin faltered, but only for a second. "You’re just being modest. You’re the best thing that’s happened to this town in years, Ellie. We’ve got adventurers coming from all over just to join our guild—because of you."

Ellie stared at him, her frustration bubbling to the surface. "You don’t understand. There are people coming here. People who want me dead. This isn’t some guild rivalry. It’s... bigger than that."

Hargrave waved a hand dismissively. "You’re overthinking it. Whoever these people are, we’ll deal with them. You’ve got the whole guild behind you. You’re not alone in this."

She turned away, staring out the window once more. "It’s not that simple."

"Maybe not," he admitted, stepping closer, his voice lowering. "But simple or not, you’re in this now. And so are we. Whatever’s coming... we’ll face it together."

Ellie closed her eyes, feeling the weight of his words. Together. It sounded so easy when he said it. But the knot of dread in her stomach only tightened.

Somewhere out there, her enemies were gathering, growing in number, and growing bolder. And she knew that when they came, there would be no easy way out.

"We’ll see," she whispered.