Mikel staggered through the dense woods, his breath shallow and ragged. The storm had hit without warning—violent, unforgiving, and relentless. The trees above offered little protection as rain pelted him from all sides, turning the dirt path into a slippery, muddy mess. His coat clung to his body, soaked through, and his boots were heavy with water, each step a struggle.
The flashes of lightning seemed endless, each bolt illuminating the dark forest with jagged streaks of light. Thunder crashed overhead, louder than the crash of waves on a stormy shore. Mikel's mind raced, his thoughts jumbled and fragmented.
His heart was a dull thud in his chest, but it wasn't from the cold. No, it was something deeper—a sense of being lost, adrift in the world with no direction. He hadn't planned for this. He had no destination, no place to call home. His life, it seemed, had fallen apart some time ago.
Just when he thought he might collapse, the trees parted ahead, and through the rain-soaked haze, he saw a flickering light.
At first, he thought it was a trick of the storm—a reflection, a hallucination. But as he drew closer, it became clearer: a warm, inviting light spilling from the windows of a large, old building that seemed oddly out of place in the wilderness. It looked like an inn, though the woods around it were empty, untouched by civilization.
Mikel blinked, half expecting it to vanish, but the light remained. His weary body didn't question the logic; it just moved, as if guided by some invisible pull. His feet brought him to the door without him even realizing it.
The door creaked open, releasing a gust of warm air that made Mikel's skin prickle in contrast to the biting cold outside. He stepped inside, his eyes adjusting to the golden glow of a crackling fire.
The room was quiet, the only sound the soft hiss of the flames. The air smelled of aged wood and something unfamiliar—perhaps spices, or herbs. It felt... safe, in a way Mikel hadn't felt in a long time.
A figure stood behind the counter, watching him with piercing eyes.
"Welcome," the innkeeper said, his voice calm, measured. "I've been expecting you."
Mikel froze. Something about the man—tall, with sharp features and dark, piercing eyes—made him uneasy. But the warmth of the fire, the respite from the storm, clouded his judgment. He nodded, stepping farther inside.
"I... I need a place to stay," Mikel muttered, his voice hoarse from the cold.
The innkeeper's lips curled into a faint smile. "Of course. But know this: the price of staying here is not always what it seems. And once you enter, you may never leave."
Mikel hesitated. His instincts screamed at him to turn around, to leave before it was too late. But the storm raged outside, and the warmth inside the inn was too tempting to resist.
He nodded again. "I'll stay."
The innkeeper's smile grew. "Very well. I'll show you to your room."
As the innkeeper led Mikel down a long hallway, the shadows seemed to shift and stretch around them. The doors on either side of the corridor appeared to have no handles, only dark, smooth wood, as though the inn itself was watching him.
Mikel shuddered, but said nothing.
"This place... it feels strange," he muttered.
The innkeeper gave a low chuckle, but said nothing in reply.
When they reached a door at the end of the hall, the innkeeper stopped. "Here you are," he said, pushing the door open. "Rest well, Mikel. Tomorrow, you will begin to understand the true cost of staying at the Magic Inn."
As Mikel stepped inside the room, the door clicked shut behind him, leaving him in a silence that felt too heavy. He glanced around, his eyes falling on the bed—a large, four-poster with rich, deep green curtains, a fire crackling in the hearth, and a small table with a single chair.
He sank down onto the bed, exhausted from the storm and his own thoughts. For a moment, he closed his eyes, letting the warmth wash over him.
But as he drifted into an uneasy sleep, he could have sworn he heard the faintest whisper—a voice that seemed to come from the walls themselves, murmuring in a language he didn't understand.
It was the beginning of something. And Mikel had no idea just how deep it would go.