What if I fail to pass this floor? Would something terrible happen?' Johan mused. 'Damn, better not think about it. Setting a flag is a big no...'
Moonlight bathed the village, transforming the modest dwellings and narrow cobblestone paths into an ethereal, silvered landscape. The cottages, usually warm and inviting, now stood like silent sentinels, their shuttered windows hiding whatever secrets they might hold. The looming trees, their branches swaying gently in the midnight breeze, cast elongated, wavering shadows that seemed to whisper of forgotten tales and hidden threats.
Johan sat still, the weight of the locket cool against his chest beneath his clothing. Every sound, every rustle, was amplified in the stillness, making him acutely aware of his surroundings. 'In such silence, secrets have a way of revealing themselves,' he thought, casting a skeptical eye towards the distant, seemingly deserted pathways.
