The teasing between Lyra and Rook gradually faded, replaced by a more serious tone. Evan, now feeling a bit more relaxed, noticed the shift in their expressions, especially when Lyra set her empty Ramen bowl aside.
"I didn't just come back for food," she said, her voice more measured. She glanced between Evan and Rook. "I ran into someone today... someone we all thought was gone for good. Jarin."
Rook's smile instantly vanished. He leaned forward, his arms crossing over the table. "Jarin? That can't be. He disappeared into the Twilight Woodlands months ago. No one expected him to come back."
Evan, unfamiliar with the name, looked between them. "Who's Jarin?"
Rook rubbed his temples before explaining, his voice more serious than Evan had ever heard it. "Jarin was one of the strongest adventurers around here. Skilled, smart, the kind of guy who could take on entire packs of Dire Wolves without breaking a sweat. But a few months back, he led a group deep into the Twilight Woodlands, chasing rumors of some powerful relic hidden there. None of them came back."
Lyra leaned forward, her expression dark. "Until today. But the Jarin I saw wasn't the same man. I found him wandering the marketplace, hollow-eyed, like a ghost. He didn't even recognize me."
Evan's stomach twisted with a mix of fear and confusion. "The Twilight Woodlands... what are they?"
Lyra sighed. "The Twilight Woodlands are one of the deepest and most dangerous parts of the Great Forest—the third region after the Outer Grove and the Elder Thicket. It's a place where magic runs wild, warping everything it touches. Even experienced adventurers rarely make it out unscathed."
Rook nodded grimly. "The Outer Grove's just the entrance, filled with low-level monsters—Horned Rabbit, Wild Boar things like that. Dangerous but manageable. The Elder Thicket is where things start getting tricky—Razorclaw Bears, Dire Wolves, creatures that blend into the darkness and strike without warning."
"But the Twilight Woodlands?" Lyra picked up where Rook left off. "That's where magic has truly warped the land. The monsters there are fused with magic—Vine Wraiths that strangle you from the shadows, Glade Serpents as thick as trees, with venom that paralyzes you on contact. The deeper you go, the less natural everything becomes."
Evan's eyes widened as he tried to take it all in. "So Jarin went into the Twilight Woodlands?"
Rook nodded. "He led an expedition deep into the woods, further than anyone had gone in years. Everyone thought he'd find something big, but he didn't come back. Not until now, anyway."
Lyra's voice lowered. "He wasn't just some fool adventurer, either. Jarin was one of the strongest—an expert swordsman, quick on his feet, and smart. If anyone could have survived in the Twilight Woodlands, it was him. But when I saw him today, he wasn't... whole."
Evan felt a cold shiver run down his spine. "What do you mean 'not whole'?"
Lyra shook her head, her eyes haunted. "His eyes were empty. It was like something had drained the life out of him. He barely responded when I called his name. He just... drifted away. It wasn't the Jarin I knew. Something in those woods changed him."
Rook leaned back, his expression dark. "The Twilight Woodlands have a reputation for doing that to people. The magic there warps you—physically and mentally. Some say it messes with your head, makes you see things that aren't there. Others say it drains your will to fight. But no one's ever come back from that place looking like themselves."
Evan sat back in his chair, his appetite long gone. "How could someone like Jarin get lost like that?"
Lyra sighed. "That's the thing. Jarin was a fighter. He wouldn't have given up easily. Whatever did this to him... it's worse than any monster or trap."
Rook added, his voice low, "There's a reason adventurers don't go past the Twilight Woodlands. The deeper you go, the more the forest itself becomes a threat. I've heard rumors of places even beyond the Woodlands—regions where the magic is so thick it warps reality. No one's ever come back from those parts. They call them the Lost Depths."
Evan shuddered at the name. "The Lost Depths?"
Rook nodded. "It's mostly legend, but adventurers talk about it. A place so deep in the forest that not even the monsters dare to live there. Magic pours out of the earth like mist, twisting everything it touches. People say that those who enters never returned."
Lyra frowned. "Whatever happened to Jarin, it happened in the Twilight Woodlands. But if the magic there is growing stronger, if it's starting to leak into other parts of the forest..."
Rook finished her thought. "It means trouble for the rest of us."
Evan felt like the room had gotten colder. His shop, so close to the forest, suddenly seemed like it was sitting on the edge of a powder keg. "What... what should I do?"
Lyra stood, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. "For now, stay out of the forest. Let us handle Jarin and whatever's happening in there. If he's a warning of something bigger coming, we'll figure it out."
Rook grinned, though there was no real humor in it. "Yeah, don't worry about it, shopkeeper. We've got this. You just keep doing what you're good at—selling Ramen and Cola. Leave the forest business to us."
Evan forced a weak smile, but his mind was swirling with questions and dread. The Twilight Woodlands sounded like a place out of a nightmare, and the fact that someone as strong as Jarin had been broken by it? It didn't bode well for anyone
"Thanks," Evan said quietly. "I appreciate you both looking out for me."
Lyra gave him a nod, her expression softening. "You've got a good thing going here, Evan. Just stay safe."
As they made their way to the door, their banter resumed, but the weight of their conversation hung heavy in the air. Evan sat back down, staring at the empty bowls of Ramen and cans of Cola on the table.
The Great Forest, the Twilight Woodlands, and whatever dark magic was stirring inside were more dangerous than he could have imagined. And Jarin's return was just the beginning.