The shadows lingered, even as we left the ruins of Redstone behind us. They seemed to cling to the edges of my thoughts, slipping in whenever I let my mind wander. As we descended the mountain, the wind whistled through the trees, carrying with it a soft, eerie hum that echoed in my ears like the whisper of something sinister, something lurking just beyond our sight.
Karis walked ahead, her eyes forward, her body stiff with purpose. Leon trailed behind, his shoulders hunched and his face still drawn with grief. It was clear he was carrying the weight of what we had discovered in Redstone—an Order destroyed, and an enemy we knew nothing about. The silence among us was heavy, broken only by the occasional rustling of leaves and the crunch of gravel beneath our boots.
The mountain path was narrow and treacherous, winding through dense woods that seemed to grow darker the further we descended. The rain had stopped, but the air was thick with mist, and the cold clung to my skin like a damp shroud. The world around us felt muted, as if nature itself had retreated in the presence of the growing darkness.
As we rounded a bend in the trail, the landscape opened up, revealing a valley below. The trees thinned out, and I could see the faint outline of a village in the distance, nestled against the base of the mountains. It was small, a collection of cottages and farms, with a single stone watchtower standing sentinel on a hill. Smoke rose lazily from a few chimneys, and the sight of it brought a flicker of hope to my heart. After the emptiness of Redstone, the idea of life—any life—was a welcome relief.
"We should stop there," I said, breaking the silence for the first time in hours. "See if we can find any information about what's been happening."
Karis glanced back at me, her expression thoughtful. She nodded slowly, as if weighing the decision. "We need to rest, and we need supplies. But we can't linger too long. If what the old man said is true, those shadows could be anywhere."
Leon didn't respond, his gaze fixed on the ground, lost in his own thoughts. I could feel the tension between us—Karis, always pragmatic and focused on the mission, and Leon, who was growing more distant by the day. I wasn't sure how much longer we could hold together as a team.
We made our way down the rest of the mountain in silence, our steps quickening as the village grew closer. The mist thickened as we approached, swirling around us like ghostly fingers, and I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. Every now and then, I would catch a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my eye, but whenever I turned to look, there was nothing there.
By the time we reached the outskirts of the village, the sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows across the ground. The houses were small, built of wood and stone, their thatched roofs slick with rain. The air smelled of wet earth and woodsmoke, and there was a quiet stillness to the place that made me uneasy.
As we walked down the narrow dirt road that led into the heart of the village, a few villagers emerged from their homes, their eyes wary as they watched us approach. They were simple folk, dressed in plain, homespun clothing, their faces lined with age and worry. One man, tall and broad-shouldered, stepped forward to greet us. He carried a woodcutting axe slung over his shoulder, and his gaze flicked between us, assessing.
"Travelers," he said, his voice gruff. "We don't get many of your kind around here."
"We're just passing through," Karis said, her tone polite but firm. "We've come from the mountains. Is there an inn where we can rest for the night?"
The man studied us for a moment longer before nodding. "There's an inn, just down the road. The Old Stone. You'll find a warm bed and food there, but I warn you—things aren't what they used to be."
Karis raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
The man's expression darkened. He shifted the axe on his shoulder and glanced around, as if to make sure no one else was listening. "Strange things have been happening in these parts," he said quietly. "People have been disappearing. At first, we thought it was bandits, but… there's something else out there. Something in the dark."
I felt a chill run down my spine. "What have you seen?"
The man shook his head. "Not me, but others. Shadows, they say. Moving through the woods at night. And those who go looking for them… don't come back."
Karis exchanged a glance with me, her face grim. "We've heard similar stories. We'll be careful."
The man nodded, though his eyes remained wary. "See that you are. We've lost too many good people already."
With that, he turned and walked back toward his house, leaving us standing in the middle of the road, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the air.
"We should go to the inn," Karis said after a moment. "We'll rest, get some food, and figure out our next move."
Leon didn't say a word, but he followed us as we made our way down the road to the inn. The building was small but sturdy, its stone walls weathered and worn by years of exposure to the elements. A sign hung above the door, creaking in the wind—"The Old Stone." The windows were dark, but a faint light flickered inside, and the scent of stew wafted out through the cracks in the door.
Karis pushed open the door, and we stepped inside, the warmth of the hearth immediately enveloping us. The common room was dimly lit, with a few tables scattered about and a fire crackling in the stone fireplace. A handful of villagers sat at the tables, their faces weary and lined with the strain of recent hardships. They glanced up as we entered, but quickly returned to their meals, uninterested in the presence of strangers.
A woman stood behind the bar, wiping her hands on a stained apron. She looked to be in her forties, her hair streaked with gray, and her eyes sharp and shrewd. She eyed us as we approached, her gaze lingering on Karis's sword and the travel-worn state of our clothes.
"Travelers?" she asked, her voice tinged with suspicion.
Karis nodded. "We need rooms for the night, and some food if you have it."
The woman studied us for a moment longer before nodding. "I've got rooms, and stew on the fire. It'll cost you, though."
Karis pulled a small pouch of coins from her belt and set it on the bar. "This should cover it."
The woman took the pouch, her eyes gleaming as she weighed it in her hand. Satisfied, she nodded and gestured toward the back of the room. "Rooms are upstairs. Help yourselves to the stew. I'll have bread and ale brought out."
We thanked her and made our way to an empty table near the fire. The warmth was a welcome relief after the cold and damp of the mountains, and I could feel my muscles beginning to relax for the first time in days. A young girl, no more than twelve, came out from the kitchen with a tray of bread and ale, setting it down on the table with a shy smile before retreating back to the safety of the kitchen.
Karis ladled out bowls of stew for each of us, and we ate in silence, the weight of the day's events pressing down on us. The food was simple but hearty—chunks of beef, potatoes, and carrots, swimming in a rich, savory broth. It wasn't much, but it filled the emptiness in my stomach, and for a moment, I allowed myself to enjoy the warmth and the comfort of the inn.
After we finished eating, Karis leaned back in her chair, her eyes flicking between Leon and me. "We need to talk about what's next."
Leon didn't respond, his gaze fixed on the fire, but I nodded. "What do you think those shadows are? Do you think they're connected to the Abyss?"
Karis sighed, rubbing her temples. "I don't know. The old man said they weren't the Abyss, but something worse. I can't imagine what that could be, but if they're taking people, it's only a matter of time before they find us."
Leon finally spoke, his voice low and filled with a quiet intensity. "They're hunting us."
I turned to him, surprised. "What do you mean?"
"They've been following us since Redstone," he said, his eyes dark and distant. "I can feel them. They're not just random shadows—they're looking for something. For us."
A shiver ran down my spine at his words. I had felt it too—the sensation of being watched, of something lurking just beyond our sight. But hearing it spoken aloud made it all the more real, and all the more terrifying.
"We need to keep moving," Karis said, her voice firm. "We'll rest tonight, but we leave at first light. If these shadows are after us, we can't afford to stay in one place for too long."
I nodded in agreement, though the thought of facing whatever was out there filled me with dread. We had been running from the Abyss for so long, and now it seemed that there was something even worse on our heels.
As we finished our meal and made our way upstairs to our rooms, I couldn't shake the feeling