Midnight came with a chill that seemed to seep through the walls of the inn. Adrian stood by the window of his room, watching as thin clouds drifted across the star-scattered sky. His conversation with Lina had left him with more questions than answers, each revelation like a stone dropped into still water, sending ripples through what he thought he understood.

A soft knock at his door broke his reverie.

"It's open," he said, recognizing the particular pattern of the knock as Carl's.

The historian entered, followed by Elarala. Both wore expressions of contained urgency.

"We may have something," Carl said, his voice low. "One of the villagers reported remains of a Shadow Eater found at the edge of the forest—killed during tonight's attack. It hasn't fully dissipated yet."

Adrian straightened, immediately alert. "That's unusual. The ones I fought before vanished almost immediately after death."

"Precisely why we should examine it," Elarala said. "Whatever is preserving this one might reveal something about their nature."

"The villagers are too afraid to approach it," Carl added. "And with good reason. But if we move quickly..."

Adrian grabbed his sword. "Where's Lina?"

"Waiting for us at the village's eastern gate," Carl replied. "She's arranged for the guard patrol to be... conveniently occupied elsewhere for a short time."

The three slipped out of the inn, moving through the sleeping village with practiced stealth. The night had grown colder, their breath forming small clouds in the air. Adrian noticed a strange quality to the cold—it felt hollow somehow, as if it originated not from natural weather but from something else, something that drank the warmth from the world.

Lina awaited them as promised, her form partially concealed in the shadow of the gate's wooden arch. She carried a small lantern, its light dimmed to the barest glow.

"The remains are this way," she whispered, leading them along a narrow path that skirted the village palisade. "One of the village hunters found it while checking his traps after the attack. He came to me instead of my father, knowing I've been... curious about such things."

The path led them to a small clearing not far from the village wall. There, partially hidden among fallen leaves and twisted branches, lay what remained of a Shadow Eater. Unlike the creatures Adrian had encountered earlier, which had been amorphous and flowing, this one had solidified in death, taking on an almost crystalline appearance. Its form was vaguely humanoid—a torso, limbs, and a featureless head—but composed entirely of what looked like black glass or obsidian.

Adrian approached cautiously, the Evermark on his arm pulsing in warning. "Stand back," he advised the others. "I'll examine it first."

He knelt beside the remains, studying the strange transformation. Where the creature had been wounded—presumably the killing blow—a jagged tear revealed its interior. Adrian had expected emptiness, void, perhaps. Instead, he found structure—crystalline patterns that reminded him of frost on a winter window, but black as starless night.

"Elarala," he called softly, "what do you make of this?"

The blind seer approached, kneeling opposite him. Her silver-white eyes seemed to see more than mere physical form as she extended her hands over the remains, careful not to make contact.

"Fascinating," she murmured. "In death, its essence is crystallizing, becoming solid matter." She tilted her head, as if listening to something beyond normal hearing. "These are not natural creatures, Adrian. They were made."

Carl and Lina joined them, the historian producing a small tool from his pack—a thin metal rod with a crystal tip.

"May I?" he asked, motioning toward the crystalline body.

At Adrian's nod, Carl carefully inserted the tool into the tear in the creature's form. The crystal tip glowed faintly on contact with the black material.

"Just as I suspected," Carl said. "It's absorbing energy—even the minor enchantment on my probe. These creatures don't just feed on life force; they store it somehow."

Adrian frowned, peering deeper into the tear. At the center of the creature's chest cavity, a darker object nestled among the crystalline structures—a perfect sphere about the size of a child's marble, so black it seemed to absorb even the lantern's meager light.

"There's something here," he said, pointing. "Some kind of core."

Elarala's expression tightened. "Do not touch it directly, Adrian. Not with your bare skin."

Using the tip of his sword, Adrian carefully widened the tear, exposing more of the interior. The sphere remained motionless, embedded in the crystalline matrix.

"What is it?" Lina asked, leaning closer despite her obvious apprehension.

"A void stone," Elarala answered, her voice grim. "Or at least, that's what the Silver Covenant called them. They are condensed fragments of void energy—the essence of emptiness given form."

Carl produced a small cloth pouch lined with silvery material. "Can we take it for study? I have containment fabric here—enchanted silver thread that should prevent it from absorbing energy while we examine it."

Adrian looked to Elarala, who nodded after a moment's consideration.

"Carefully," she cautioned. "And be aware—where there is one void stone, there are likely others. These creatures don't form naturally."

With delicate precision, Adrian used his sword tip to lever the black sphere from its crystalline nest. It came free with surprising ease, as if it had been waiting to be released. Carl quickly opened the pouch, and Adrian guided the sphere inside without touching it. The historian sealed the pouch immediately, tying it with a complicated knot.

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"There," Carl said, the tension leaving his shoulders. "That should hold it safely."

As if triggered by the removal of the core, the crystalline remains began to change. Cracks appeared across the surface, spreading like lightning through the black material. Within seconds, the entire form shattered into thousands of tiny fragments, which crumbled further into a fine, dark powder. A cold wind gusted through the clearing, scattering the dust into the night.

"It's returning to the void," Elarala explained, rising to her feet. "Without the core to anchor it, the material has no reason to maintain form."

Adrian stood as well, sheathing his sword. "Someone is creating these creatures," he said, voicing what they all were thinking. "Someone with knowledge of void energy and the skill to shape it into servants."

"The Obsidian Circle," Carl muttered, carefully stowing the pouched sphere in his pack. "It has to be."

Lina's face had paled in the lantern light. "Why would anyone create such things? The risk alone..."

"Power," Elarala said simply. "Void energy is the antithesis of elemental magic—it consumes, reduces, simplifies. In the hands of someone seeking to manipulate or destroy elemental forces, it would be a formidable tool."

They made their way back toward the village, each lost in thought. Adrian felt a growing unease, not just at the discovery itself, but at its implications. If the Obsidian Circle possessed knowledge of void manipulation advanced enough to create Shadow Eaters, what else might they be capable of?

Once safely back within the village walls, they gathered in the small storehouse behind the inn as originally planned. Carl produced his pack and carefully removed the sealed pouch, placing it on a barrel in the center of their small circle.

"I need to examine this properly," he said. "But not here. We need space, equipment, reference materials."

"The repository would have what we need," Lina suggested. "If we could gain access."

"First, let's understand what we're dealing with," Adrian said, turning to Elarala. "You called it a void stone. What exactly does that mean?"

The blind seer settled onto a wooden crate, her staff across her knees. "To understand void energy, one must first understand the nature of the elements. Fire, water, earth, air, lightning—these are the building blocks of creation, the patterns through which the Source manifests itself in our world."

She gestured to Adrian's arm where the Evermark lay hidden. "Your connection to fire is not merely an affinity for flame, but a resonance with the essential nature of fire itself—transformation, passion, will."

"And void energy is... what?" Lina asked. "The absence of these elements?"

"Not merely absence," Elarala corrected. "Active negation. Void consumes, reduces complexity to simplicity, form to formlessness. It is the counter-rhythm to creation's song."

Carl had been rummaging through his pack and now produced an old, leather-bound book. "I've been searching my grandfather's journals since we encountered the first Shadow Eaters," he said. "There are references that might relate to what we're seeing."

He opened the book to a marked page and read aloud: "'Where boundaries between realms grow thin, shadow shall inevitably seep through. Not mere absence of light, but conscious darkness—void given purpose and direction. The ancients knew to seal such weak points with wardstones of elemental power, for once void takes root, it feeds and grows, drawing more of its kind.'"

Adrian frowned. "Boundaries between realms? Your grandfather believed in other worlds?"

"Not believed—knew," Carl replied, turning another page. "His research suggested our world is one of many, separated by what he called 'the veil'—a barrier of energy and law that keeps each realm distinct. But this veil isn't uniformly strong; there are places where it grows thin."

"Like scars in the fabric of reality," Elarala added. "Often found at sites of great power or catastrophe."

Lina's eyes widened. "The monolith," she breathed. "It's a weak point, isn't it? That's why the village was founded here—to guard it."

"Not a weak point," Elarala corrected. "A doorway. The monolith was crafted to allow controlled access between realms, when necessary. But such passages can be forced, corrupted."

Adrian thought of the repository, sealed after the scholars' visit. "The Obsidian Circle found something in the repository—knowledge of how to manipulate these boundaries, perhaps. That would explain their interest in Forest Star, in the monolith."

Carl nodded, flipping through more pages. "Here," he said finally. "Listen to this: 'The void stones are not merely receptacles of darkness, but seeds. Plant one in fertile soil—a place of fear, pain, or great emotion—and from it grows a servant of shadow, shaped by the planter's will. The Silver Covenant called these servants 'Void Thralls,' and destroyed them wherever found, for each feeds on life energy, storing it within their crystalline forms to be harvested by their masters.'"

A heavy silence fell over the group as they absorbed this information.

"Harvested," Adrian repeated, the word leaving a bitter taste. "The Shadow Eaters aren't just killing—they're collecting energy for someone's use."

"But for what purpose?" Lina asked, hugging herself against a chill that seemed to have nothing to do with the night air.

"Power," Elarala said again. "Specifically, power over elemental forces. If one possessed enough void energy, one could theoretically suppress or even temporarily negate elemental magic within an area."

Adrian's hand went instinctively to his arm, where the Evermark pulsed with a steady warmth. "Including the power of an Evermark?"

"Especially such power," Elarala confirmed grimly. "The marks are pure elemental energy bound to living vessels. They would be prime targets for void manipulation."

Carl closed his grandfather's journal. "We need to understand exactly what the Obsidian Circle took from the repository, and what they might have left behind. If they've corrupted the monolith or established some kind of void anchor in Forest Star..."

"Then the attacks will continue," Lina finished. "And worsen."

Adrian stood, decision crystallizing. "We need access to the repository. Tonight, if possible."

"Impossible," Lina said, shaking her head. "It's been sealed with protective wards, and the keys are held by my father and the village council. After tonight's events, security will be even tighter."

"Is there no other way in?" Adrian pressed. "No forgotten entrance, maintenance access?"

Lina hesitated, then said slowly, "There might be. Not into the repository directly, but into the lower levels—the catacombs beneath. Many of the older buildings in Forest Star are connected by underground passages, remnants from the early days when the village needed escape routes in case of attack."

"And you know these passages?" Carl asked, eyebrows rising.

A small smile touched Lina's lips. "I was a curious child with too much time and too little supervision. I know more of the village's secrets than most of the elders."

Adrian nodded decisively. "Then that's our path. We use these passages to access the repository, find what the scholars were seeking, and understand what we're truly facing."

"We should move quickly," Elarala advised. "The presence of a void stone suggests the Obsidian Circle's work here is further advanced than we realized. Time may be shorter than we know."

As they prepared to leave, Adrian paused to look at the sealed pouch containing the void stone. Such a small thing to represent such danger—a perfect sphere of concentrated nothingness, designed to consume and store the very essence of life. Its existence challenged everything he understood about the natural order, suggesting a universe far more complex—and perilous—than he had imagined.

The Evermark burned steadily beneath his sleeve, a counterpoint to the void's cold emptiness. Fire against shadow, creation against destruction—an ancient opposition now playing out in the small village of Forest Star, with consequences that might reach far beyond its modest boundaries.

Adrian thought of Lina's revelation, of five Evermarks being extinguished by shadow, and felt the weight of responsibility settle more firmly on his shoulders. Whatever role he was meant to play in this unfolding drama, it was clear that the opening moves had already been made. The game was in motion, and the stakes were higher than he had dared imagine.

With that sobering thought, he joined the others as they slipped out of the storehouse and into the darkness, guided by Lina toward the hidden passages that would lead them beneath the village—and hopefully, toward answers.