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Chapter 7 - Chapter 7: Shadows and Secrets

After the bartender's chilling warning, I decided to act like a frightened child, begging Aria to leave that place. My performance, in my opinion, was flawless; in hers, not so much.

—"Your 'poor attempt at acting,'" as she called it with an exasperated tone, didn't fool her. According to Aria, I was just looking for an excuse to escape the miserable inn where we were staying. She was right.

And so, here I am, lying on the piece-of-crap couch in our room, staring at the tin roof reflecting the faint moonlight. Meanwhile, Aria was sleeping soundly on the bed, which, though not exactly first-class, looked infinitely more comfortable than my makeshift corner. I swallowed my envy—not out of nobility, but because I knew, somehow, she could sense it even while asleep. I wasn't about to give her that satisfaction.

I tried to distract myself by going over the facts. According to reports, the local church had requested our help to investigate several disappearances, most of them involving young women who went out for walks at night. Although I hated to admit it, everything pointed to some macabre ritual. The bartender definitely knew more than he let on, that much was certain. And the shadowy figure I had seen in the tavern... well, it had something to do with this too. Or maybe I was finally developing some kind of mental disorder, and that figure was just a projection of my growing paranoia. Strangely, the latter option seemed far more appealing than continuing to risk my life. Maybe I could even retire early if I got a diagnosis.

The sound of the tin roof rattling in the wind pulled me from my thoughts. I sat up, careful not to make noise, and glanced at Aria. She was sleeping deeply, though something in her expression hinted at accumulated exhaustion. "How ironic," I thought. She, with all her air of righteousness, looked just as drained as I felt. Sometimes I forgot that behind all that rectitude was someone carrying her own demons.

I sighed and got up from the couch. The night air seeped through the cracks in the walls, bringing a chill that prickled my skin. I walked to the window and looked outside. The street was deserted, but something felt off. It was as if the silence itself was hiding a secret, one that didn't want to be uncovered.

And then, I saw it. A shadow. It wasn't the figure from the tavern, but something about its movements made me tense. It looked human, but its gait was erratic, as if it were fighting against its own body.

Without thinking, I grabbed my weapon—a blessed dagger I always kept nearby. I knew I shouldn't go out without waking Aria, but curiosity and instinct got the better of me. I carefully opened the door and stepped out into the street, feeling the cold intensify. I followed the shadow at a safe distance, my steps nearly imperceptible on the dusty ground.

The shadow stopped in front of an old, abandoned house at the end of the street. The place was in ruins, with shattered windows and walls covered in mold. "Great," I thought. "Just what I needed—a haunted mansion in a forgotten town."

Suddenly, the shadow turned. It wasn't human. Its eyes glowed with an unnatural red light, and its face was covered in deep scars, as if someone had tried to erase its identity. My body froze as the creature stared at me, its lips curling into an unnatural smile.

—"I knew you would come," it said, its voice sounding as if it came from multiple throats at once.

I took a step back, my hand tightening around the dagger. Before I could react, the creature vanished in the blink of an eye. The air around me felt heavier, as if something invisible was pressing down on me.

—"Ignis, what the hell are you doing outside?" Aria's voice made me jump. She was standing behind me, her expression a mix of anger and concern. Her hair was disheveled, and she was wearing her usual robe, clearly ready for action.

—"There was something here…" I tried to explain, pointing toward the abandoned house.

—"The only thing here is your stupidity. Don't you dare go out again without me," she snapped, pushing me back toward the inn.

As we walked back, I couldn't shake the memory of that creature's gaze. Something told me this mission was going to be different—and not in a good way.