Karla trudged through the fog, her feet crunching against the frozen ground. The eerie silence was broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves or the whimper of winds in the distance. She had been walking for what seemed like hours and the thick fog was starting to take its toll on her. Her body was weary and her mind was murky, but she was determined to press on.

Blending of grasses gradually hardens, the sound sharply changes, soft whispers of dampened blades, now a hard rocky crunch. One a split rocks made as leather boot steps. A wooden street sign came into view. Karla arrived at the edge of a ruined village.

A whisper came from her mouth.

“T’was was a solemn sight. The fog hung heavy in the air, obscuring the ruins of old houses and shops. The only sound was a faint whisper of the wind, as if nature itself was mourning the death of the village. The cobbled streets were cracked and broken, and the old buildings were crumbling, their roofs collapsed and their walls crumbling. The trees and plants were withered, their leaves long gone and their branches bare. The air was still and silent.”

Those ruminations were a passage of an encyclopaedia she read over and over again as a child in the library of Helios, it told the fate of a village called Melchior. Once a bustling city, an oasis where merchants stayed the night for a short reprieve before a long period of circulation in the kingdom of Yuthresia. Once the gate to the golden city, now the eye of an abyss.

“It was as if time had stopped here long ago“

The fog blanketed the entire village, creating a mysterious and eerie atmosphere. Despite the desolation, Karla thought, the scenery it creates is beautiful. The fog brought her a non-insignificant amount of comfort, she didn’t know why, it was taking a toll on her along the way, but here the fog embraced her, holding her in a comfortable squeeze.

She felt that the fog had grown thicker, and she could barely make out the shapes of buildings in the distance. As she stepped into the village, she noticed a strange presence. It was a figure shrouded in fog, standing in the middle of the village. .

“... !”

It had no eyes, no mouth, and no ears. It was a misshapen creature of some sort, and it seemed to be in a state of shock. It was the Refuse.

A misshapen and hairless creature. Its pale skin was almost translucent, revealing the blue veins beneath its surface. Its body was tall and thin, with long arms and legs that seemed to stretch on for eternity. Its hands were large and its fingers were long and bony, ending in sharp claws. It had no eyes, no mouth, no ears, and no nose, only a few holes that seemed to be used for breathing. Its head was round and bald, with a few wispy strands of hair that seemed to be growing atop its scalp. It had no visible clothing, and its body was covered in a thick layer of sickly grey fur.

The Refuse seemed to be in a state of constant shock. Its posture was hunched and its movements were slow and sluggish. Karla noted that It seemed to be in pain, constantly in agony. Its movements were jerky and its body trembled with each step.

The fog hung bleakly over her temple and beads of sweat formed as her eyes cautiously watched its every limb, she noted those jerky movements. The Refuse seemed to retain a sense of routine, she pondered whether there is an order to its movement. The Refuse moved its leg away from her, trembling all the while, treading its path with an occasional hesitation, towards a silhouette of a stone well covered by mist. It stopped by the well, the Refuse stayed still, it jerked its arm, then motioned with its misshapen hand full of tumours and wispy strands of hair that dotted its surface, a circular movement, before continuing its meandering, into the foggy distance. Out of her sight.

Karla stood still, watching the Refuse walk off into the foggy distance. As she watched it disappear, her gaze shifted from the creature to a dilapidated house nearby. Its roof had collapsed, its walls were crumbling and its windows were smashed. But despite its decrepit state, the house still seemed to have a certain aura about it. It was as if something important had happened here, something that could not be forgotten.

It was a two-story structure, with a sloping roof that was partially caved in. The walls were made of stone and were covered in moss and lichen. The windows were broken and the door hung crookedly. The house reminded Karla of a merchant house. Karla imagined the house was a grand structure, with brightly painted walls and ornate doors. Inside were luxurious furnishings and fine art. But now, it was nothing like that. Decrepit and desolate, with only the faintest hints of its former grandeur.

Karla cautiously entered the dilapidated houses. The room was dark, and a thick layer of dust and cobwebs blanketed the floor. A foul stench filled the air, and Karla could feel a chill run down her spine.

She slowly made her way through the room, her steps echoing against the walls. The floorboards creaked beneath her feet, and the walls seemed to be closing in around her.

Suddenly, Karla stopped in her tracks. She had come across a pile of corpses in the corner of the room. They were in various states of decay, their limbs twisted and their skin grey and mottled. Their eyes were hollow and their mouths frozen in a silent scream.

Karla gazed at the scene before her. There is a tingle inside her stomach. She wondered how they had died and what had caused their deaths. Why hadn’t the fog that was responsible for the Refuse turned these people into one? Their twisted forms and mottled skin, spoke deeply of the pain they undergo. They seemed so still, they had frozen in time.

“I wonder what their lives had been like before the fog had taken them, and what secrets they could tell if only they could speak.”

Karla found a letter underneath the corpse, written in an unintelligible language.

“Well, the letters seemed familiar… This is probably the language of Yuthresia. Its usage is a little bit different from what I was practising though. Maybe the structures is different”

Karla stared at the letter in her hands, trying to make out the words, but it was all too foreign.

"But what is this.. a list?" She muttered. "Supplies for a mission? People to be rescued? Names and places, a record of the village's history?"

She shook her head and stuffed the letter into her pocket. She sighed. "Well if i’m lucky. Maybe this letter can hint why the fog came here, and the circumstances why those people didn't turn into Refuse. Hopefully it turn out to be a list of survivors, that would add credibility towards one hypothesis of the timing of her death… And also pile upon more questions on why some are affected by the fog and some aren't. Is there a criteria to become a Refuse and a semi Refuse?"

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Karla cautiously made her way through the rest of the house, her eyes darting around the room in search of any clues that may explain the fate of the village. Everywhere she looked, there were signs of a life abruptly interrupted. In the kitchen, dishes were piled in the sink and the cupboards were filled with jars of spices and preserves. In the living room, books lay scattered around the floor, and the furniture was covered in a thick layer of dust. In the bedrooms, the beds were unmade and the closets were full of clothes.

Karla found traces of the lives that had once been lived in the house. The rooms were filled with reminders of the people who had once lived there. Photos of happy children and smiling families lined the walls, and small trinkets and toys were scattered around the floor.

Karla slowly made her way up the stairs, her heart thudding in her chest. At the top of the stairs, she found a door that seemed to lead to an attic. She opened the door, and was met with a wave of stale air. Inside, she found a dusty room filled with old furniture, boxes of books and trinkets, and a few paintings of landscapes and portraits.

Karla rummaged through the boxes, looking for any clues that may explain the fate of the village. In one box she found a few old books, some of which were written in a language she couldn't understand, nor the Common Language nor Yuthresian. In another box she found a few documents and letters, some of them in Old Common Language, which she quickly scanned for any useful information. After a few minutes of searching, Karla found nothing of use, and decided to leave the attic.

As she left the attic, Karla noticed a strange smell. She followed the smell to the back of the house, where she found a small, dark room. Inside, she found another pile of rotting corpses, their skin mottled and their limbs twisted in unimaginable ways. Different from last time, Karla felt a chill run down her spine as she stared at the bodies.

She slowly approached the pile of corpses, her heart pounding in her chest. The smell of decay was almost unbearable and the sight of the bodies was too gruesome to behold. She forced herself to take a closer look, and soon noticed something odd about the corpses. They were not simply rotting, but had been arranged in a strange pattern.

Karla's eyes widened in wonder as she noticed the strange pattern – the corpses were arranged in the shape of a circle, with their heads all facing the same direction. She had never seen anything like it before.

Suddenly she noticed something – a small book, tucked away in a corner beside the corpses. She carefully pulled it out and examined it. It was written in the same language as the list before

Feeling a sudden surge of curiosity, Karla opened the book and started skimming through its pages. She soon noticed words that seemed to match the words from the letter she had found before.

Karla's excitement grew as she read through the book, as she began to understand the words from the letter. She was so engrossed in her discovery, that she almost forgot about the pile of corpses. The strange pattern and their silent screams seemed to fade away, as Karla uncovered the secrets of the letter.

***

Karla blinked back the exhaustion that was starting to set in. She glanced outside, only to realize that the sun had set and the night was quickly descending. She sighed, realizing that it was too dark to continue reading the book.

She understood that the letter she had found was nothing more than a list of groceries. She had been so hopeful that it would provide her with some answers, but in the end it was merely a mundane item. All her excitement and anticipation quickly evaporated and the darkness of the night seemed to close in around her. She felt a sense of profound disappointment and sadness, as if all her hopes and dreams had been crushed. She wanted to cry, but all she could do was sit in the darkness and ponder what could have been. The silence was deafening, and the darkness was oppressive. Despite her best efforts, Karla couldn't help but feel a sense of hopelessness, as if any chance of finding the truth had been lost forever.

“The fog on morn, did it bring? A naught but bleakness, and a heavy sting. She did trudge, through the silent night. Her weary feet, in the cold snow's plight. Alas, the truth she did seek But found only despair, and a voice so meek. The people of old, in a deep dark rest. Their hopes and dreams, now a silent crest. Her heart did ache, in a deep sorrow. For what is true, no one can borrow. In darkness she sits, and sighs in despair.”

Karla closed the book and stepped towards the window, gazing out at the night scenery. The fog had grown thicker, and it blanketed everything in sight. The trees were draped in a heavy mist, and the moonlight glinted off the droplets of water suspended in the air.

“For the truth she sought, was never there.”

As Karla's gaze drifted further out, she could make out the silhouettes of crumbling ruins in the distance, barely visible in the moonlight. The old walls and broken buildings were a stark reminder of the past, and Karla couldn't help but feel a wave of sadness wash over her. The fog seemed to be a physical manifestation of sorrow, a reminder of all that had been lost.

Karla took a deep breath, pulling her focus back to her immediate surroundings, and surveyed the room. Looking around, she decided to use the dusty furniture and boxes to create a makeshift bed. She cleared off an area of the floor and spread out her cloth on top of it. She propped up a few boxes to make a headboard, and then used her knife to cut the strings off of a nearby chair and use them to tie the boxes together.

Next, she took out her flint and lit a small fire in the corner of the room. She placed a few logs around it to keep it contained, and then used her knife to cut off some of the furniture to feed the fire. She also used her knife to cut a few pieces of cloth from her pack, which she hung from the ceiling to act as a makeshift tent.

Lastly, Karla took out her map and spread it out on the floor. She studied it intently, looking for any clues that may help her in her quest. As she studied the map, she also took out her books and notes, reading them in an attempt to find some sort of clue.

By the time Karla finished her preparations, the room was transformed. She had a makeshift camp, with a fire to keep her warm and a makeshift tent to keep her sheltered. Though she didn't know what the future held, she was happy with the progress she had made. She curled up in her makeshift bed, and slowly drifted off to sleep, her mind filled with questions and her heart filled with hope.

Yet the night is still young.

As Karla was just about to drift off to sleep, suddenly the silence was broken by the loud crash of a wall collapsing. She sat bolt upright, her heart pounding in her chest as she looked around the room. In the corner of the room, she could see a figure shrouded in fog, its misshapen body trembling in terror. It was the Refuse

Karla jumped to her feet, her heart racing as she watched the Refuse crash through the crumbling wall. The creature stumbled around for a moment, its movements jerky and its breathing laboured. Its eyes were wide with fear and its skin was pale and clammy. Karla froze in terror, her mind racing as she tried to decide what to do, and then, the Refuse made a twitch, a single twitch. Karla jumped into a sprint.

Her heart raced as she sprinted up the rickety staircase, the Refuse close behind her. Its misshapen hands, with sharp claws outstretched, reached out towards her. The stairs creaked and groaned underneath her feet as she raced up them, her feet pounding the wood. As she reached the top of the staircase, she felt the Refuse's hands grab at her ankles. She screamed and kicked out with all her might, finally breaking free from its grip.

She leapt into the attic, slamming the door shut behind her. The Refuse pounded on the door, its claws scratching at the wood as it tried to get in. Karla's breath came in ragged gasps as she looked around the room desperately for a way out. She spotted a window on the far side of the room and rushed towards it.

With trembling hands, she opened the window and climbed out onto the roof. The cold night air hit her face, and she took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest. She quickly closed the window, hoping the Refuse would not be able to follow her.

Karla scrambled across the roof, the tiles slippery and treacherous beneath her feet. The Refuse pounded on the window, its claws scraping against the glass as it tried to get out. Karla felt a chill run down her spine as she made her way across the roof, when suddenly, she heard a loud crack. She looked down to see the tiles beneath her feet crumbling away, and the edge of the roof quickly coming closer. With a sudden burst of adrenaline, Karla leapt forward, her heart thudding in her chest. Just as she was about to make it to safety, she felt the roof beneath her feet give way, plunging her into darkness...