Kahel and Rein arrived in the village as the sun was setting. The buildings were cramped, built right next to the woods, with the air thick with unease. Making their way down dirt roads no wider than alleys, Kahel saw tight faces of villagers huddled together, whispering at the corners. It wasn’t simply a worn-out town—something was wrong.
“You feel that?” Kahel asked, nodding to Rein. Rein nodded slightly.
They came to a small inn, its keeper an older, gruff man who didn’t even seem to want to look them in the eye. When asked about the condition of the town, he murmured something about “strangers passing through” and “disappearances.”
As Kahel and Rein sat down by the fire, they turned at the sound of another patron that had entered and drawn eyes. She had an air about her that screamed ‘don’t touch,’ yet somehow her features had softened around the edges, making her face a gentle thing to behold. Wearing a travel-worn cloak which barely disguised the dagger at her side, her eyes roved the room, missing nothing.
She strode in, purpose on each step, sat at a table near the back, and Kahel somehow found himself drawn to her immediately, as if the set of her shoulders told him she was looking for something.
As the night wore on, Kahel caught bits of a conversation from other villagers—a woman asking questions, it seemed, about someone missing. Curiosity got the better of him, and with one swift glance at Rein, Kahel approached her.
“Pardon,” Kahel said, pressing forward. The woman lifted her head; her eyes were sharp, wary.
“I couldn’t help but overhear… you’re looking for someone?”
She was silent for a moment, then responded, “I am. My brother.”
There was something beneath her tone that stilled Kahel’s voice. “What happened to him?”
“He disappeared weeks ago. I’ve been tracking him ever since.” Her whole face clouded over. “I believe he was taken.”
Kahel glanced sideways at Rein, who said nothing but followed him in silence. “Taken? By whom?” She hunched over and spoke in a hushed tone.
“There’s this group. They do stuff in the dark. People get abducted when they get close to the forest, and people are quiet about it. It’s like the whole town is living in fear of forced acceptance.”
“Looks like you have been searching for him for a long time,” Kahel asked with curiosity.
The woman nodded. “I’m Seren,” she said finally, though there was no warmth in the greeting. “I’ve been trying to get answers, but no one here will talk.”
She had turned and cast an eye across the tavern to a figure seated in one of the shadowy corners and begun in that direction.
“If you hear anything, tell me,” Seren said sharply, making Kahel jump slightly as she walked away.
The following morning, on spare sleep, Kahel and Rein found Seren tucked away in a corner of the town square. All night she had been up studying maps and notes, diligently trying to pinpoint the last known whereabouts of her brother. Her quest was taking them into perilous terrain—a territory the villagers wouldn’t even speak about.
Seren had spotted them from a distance and waved them over.
“I have no other person to turn to, but I can offer some coin if you’re willing to help me search.”
Rein eyed her suspiciously. “Tell me what you know. No coin is required… for now.”
Seren leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I believe they are hiding something. There is a place deep in the forest. They say it’s cursed—out of bounds to anyone. But that’s where the trail leads.”
Kahel looked across at Rein, who listened in silence. “What do you think?” Rein’s expression didn’t change. “If the people here are too afraid to even mention it, there’s a reason. This isn’t going to be a simple search-and-rescue.”
Seren clung to her map. “I don’t care. He’s my brother.”
Just before they were about to leave, a burly, patchy-bearded man in dirty clothes named Thorne approached them. He lived near the woods and had overheard their conversation.
“You’re going into the forest?” Thorne asked gruffly. “You won’t find anything but trouble there.”
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Kahel frowned. “What do you know about it?” Thorne shook his head. “I know enough to stay away. There’re people gone missing out there, and whatever’s taking ‘em isn’t something you fight.”
Seren’s jaw clenched, but Kahel saw the flicker in her eyes. “We don’t have a choice,” she said. “My brother’s out there.”
Thorne sighed. “I’ll take you as far as I can. But if you’re smart, you’ll turn back before it’s too late.”
Before them, the treetops of the forest loomed dark and dense, full of twisted trees seeming to lean over them like sentinels. The deeper into the woods they pressed, the heavier the atmosphere of oppression weighed.
Thorne led carefully, eyes darting into shadow. Seren kept her gaze ahead, one hand clamped on the dagger at her belt, but Kahel could sense what that mask was costing her.
Peculiar signs started to appear: trees marked with carvings, symbols that looked like warnings, though nobody could recognize the language. Thorne muttered curses as with every step his apprehension grew.
“We’re close,” Seren breathed. “I can feel it.”
Just as she was uttering the words, a rustling in the trees made them jump. They stood, armed. A moment, the woods were dead silent, then out of the darkness, a figure emerged—disoriented, ragged, unmistakable.
Caius, sibling to Seren.
Caius stumbled toward them, his eyes wide with incredulity. Seren hurried forward to catch him as he collapsed into her arms. “Caius!” she wailed, her voice cracking. “What happened to you?”
But Caius did not say anything for a while. His breathing was rapid, he was shaking from head to toe; when and if he finally spoke, his voice came out hoarse and strained. “They… took me.”
“Who?” Seren demanded. “Who did this to you?”
Caius weakly shook his head. “You… you don’t understand. It isn’t just them. There’s… there’s something else.”
Caius struggled to explain himself, and with each passing moment, the tension mounted in the group.
For Seren, the relief and confusion fought for dominance inside a tumultuous mind that was desperate for answers yet scared of what they might reveal.
Thorne kept his distance, suspicion filling his eyes, and Rein watched with silent deliberation.
“Th… they wanted something from me,” Caius breathed. “I don’t know what it was, but it wasn’t just them. There’s something within the forest, something controlling them.”
Kahel felt a shiver run down his spine. “What do you mean?”
Caius met his gaze, his eyes running riot with fear. “You have to leave. All of you. If you stay, it’ll take you too.”
Thorne’s eyes squinted. “I am going back. You may stay if you will, but do not look for me to wait around to see if his words are true.”
Rein turned to Caius, his face grim. “Can you describe what took you, and how you escaped?” Caius nodded weakly.
“I will, but for now let’s get back to safety first.” He stumbled along, not being able to keep the pace with Thorne.
A look of concern was etched upon Seren’s face as she hastened to his side. “Let me help you, brother,” she said, supporting him as they moved.
The air was tight with tension as they walked through the forest, much of the fading daylight overshadowed by the heavy canopy above, casting long shadows.
Thorne strode quickly, surely, while Seren supported her weakened brother, who breathed laboriously and darted nervous glances at everything around him, expecting something or someone from the shadows.
Rein stayed behind, his eyes flicking between Caius and the dark woods, his visage grim. Kahel followed, his head reeling.
Something did not feel right. The Viera hummed softly beneath his skin, responding to the malaise around him.
“We’re being watched,” Kahel said in a low voice, moving in closer to Rein.
Rein gave him a sharp look but nodded. “I’ve felt it too. We need to move faster.”
Further along, Thorne stopped suddenly, his eyes on the ground. “Something’s wrong with the path,” he muttered. “It’s changed since I was last here.”
Seren, who was struggling to bear Caius now glanced back. “What do you mean?”
A low growl, the rustling of leaves, and Thorne never got to reply as the sound came from the trees in front of them. The group froze. Kahel’s heart went racing; instinctively, his hand tightened on the hilt of his sword.
“We have to go. Now,” Thorne whispered, stepping back.
But then it was already too late.
From the darkness, twisted forms sprang: men, perhaps, at one time, but now grotesque creatures. Their eyes shone dimly, and their limbs jerked grotesquely, like marionettes pulled by an invisible string.
“They’ve come for me,” Caius whispered, his voice shaking with fear.
Rein stepped forward with his drawn sword. “Prepare,” he ordered calmly, yet in a commanding voice. “Kahel, stay close to Seren and Caius, we’ll hold them off.”
Kahel wrapped his fingers tighter onto the hilt of his sword as the creatures drew closer. The Viera inside flared to life, and energy began to course through his veins. This wasn’t a moment for hesitation; he needed to act. With one smooth, swift motion, Kahel lunged forward, slicing through the nearest of the creatures. It fell to the ground in a crooked heap, but more were advancing.
“They aren’t stopping!” Seren panted, fighting to hold Caius upright while she retreated.
Thorne gutted another creature, standing almost back-to-back with Rein now, his sword flashing in the thin light as he fought to ward them off. “There’s too many of ’em!” he yelled.
Kahel’s blows fell unendingly and, despite all, with precision each time, but no matter how many these felled, even more just kept on coming, something unseen driving them forward. The very moment when it seemed they were about to get swamped, Caius—he still leaned heavily on Seren—raised a shaking hand.
“I understand now… it’s me they want,” he panted, despair in his voice. “I never escaped. They let me go.”
Kahel’s eyes went wide. “What do you mean?” Caius shuddered, his body wracked with tremors. “I’m… a signal. They sent me back to lead them to you.”
Scarcely were the words out of Caius’s mouth when the creatures began to slow, their glowing eyes fixing on him.
The air grew cold about them, and out of the darkness came a deep guttural voice snarling with cruel intent.
“He speaks the truth,” it rasped, brutal and threatening. “He served his purpose, and I still have use for him. Return him… now!”