The night had fallen fully now, and the village square was even quieter than before. Aedan and Kael stood outside the inn, their minds heavy with the old woman's cryptic warning. There was an unsettling chill in the air, and the faint rustle of the wind seemed to whisper something just out of reach.
"I don't trust this place," Kael muttered, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "And I don't like that woman's warning. We've got no idea what we're walking into."
Aedan nodded but didn't speak immediately. His thoughts were racing, and his eyes were scanning the village once more. The streets were still empty, but now, they felt suffocatingly so. It wasn't just the absence of people—it was as if the whole village was holding its breath, waiting for something. Something... dark.
"Let's go to the town hall," Aedan said finally, breaking the silence. "If there's anything left to find out, it'll be there."
Kael raised an eyebrow but didn't protest. "Fine, but we should be careful. Whatever happened here is no accident."
They moved quickly through the narrow streets, their footsteps muffled against the cobblestone. The moonlight barely penetrated the thick canopy of trees surrounding the village, adding to the sense of isolation. As they approached the town hall, Aedan's senses began to tingle, the same strange sensation he had felt earlier now intensifying. The place was eerily silent, but there was something lurking beneath that silence—a deep, unnatural quiet that sent a shiver down his spine.
The large wooden doors to the town hall creaked as Aedan pushed them open. The air inside was thick, the dim light from a single lantern casting long shadows against the walls. As they stepped into the main hall, Aedan's eyes were drawn to a strange symbol etched into the floor. It was a circular shape, with jagged lines radiating outward like the rays of a sun. The symbol was faint, as if it had been worn away by time, but Aedan could feel an undeniable pulse coming from it—an energy that resonated with the shard he carried.
"What is that?" Kael asked, his voice quiet as he knelt beside the symbol.
"I don't know," Aedan replied, his voice low. "But I've seen something like it before. It's related to the shards. I can feel it."
Kael frowned, his eyes narrowing as he examined the symbol. "Another damn mystery. This whole place reeks of something foul."
As they moved deeper into the hall, they heard a faint noise—a soft scraping sound, like something moving just out of sight. Aedan froze, his senses on high alert. Kael drew his sword, eyes darting toward the noise.
"It's coming from the back," Kael whispered, motioning for Aedan to follow.
They crept forward cautiously, their footsteps barely audible against the cold stone floor. As they neared the back of the hall, they found a door—one that looked even older than the rest of the building, its wood dark and warped with age. The scraping sound grew louder, accompanied by a low, guttural growl that made Aedan's blood run cold.
"What the hell is that?" Kael hissed, his grip tightening on his sword.
Aedan didn't answer. He could feel it now—the presence, something watching them from beyond the door. Slowly, he placed his hand on the door's handle, his pulse quickening. There was no turning back now. Whatever was behind that door was the key to unraveling the mystery, and they had to face it.
With a deep breath, Aedan pushed the door open.
Inside, the room was pitch dark, the air thick and oppressive. As their eyes adjusted, Aedan saw a figure standing in the center of the room. It was tall, cloaked in tattered black robes, and hunched over a strange altar. The figure's face was obscured by shadows, but there was an unmistakable aura of malice surrounding it.
"Who are you?" Aedan called, his voice steady despite the growing unease in his chest.
The figure didn't respond immediately, instead continuing to scrape something against the altar. But then, as if sensing their presence, it slowly turned. The figure's face was hidden beneath the hood, but Aedan could see the outline of a twisted grin—sharp teeth gleaming in the dim light.
"I've been waiting for you," the figure rasped, its voice low and distorted. "The shards... you've come for them, haven't you?"
Aedan's hand instinctively went to the shard in his pack. The figure's words hit him like a punch to the gut. How did it know about the shard? How did it know him?
"We're not here for any of your tricks," Kael snapped, stepping forward, his sword raised. "We'll take you down if we have to."
The figure chuckled darkly. "You don't understand, boy. The shards were never meant for you."
Before Aedan could react, the figure raised its hands, and the air around them thickened, warping as if the very fabric of reality was being stretched. A black, inky substance began to seep from the cracks in the walls, pooling at the base of the altar. The air grew colder, heavier, as if something ancient was awakening.
Aedan's heart pounded in his chest. "We're not leaving without answers."
The figure's grin widened, and it lifted its hands, releasing a pulse of dark energy. The force was enough to knock Aedan and Kael back, sending them crashing into the walls. Pain flared in Aedan's chest, but he managed to push himself to his feet, blood rushing in his ears.
"This is your last chance," the figure whispered. "The Darkness cannot be stopped."
But as it spoke, something shifted. The shard in Aedan's pack began to glow—weakly at first, then brighter. The pulse of energy from the shard began to push back against the dark force, creating a shimmering barrier of light.
Aedan's heart skipped a beat. The shard... it's reacting to him.
With newfound determination, Aedan held out the shard, his grip tightening around it. A surge of energy coursed through him, not as a violent force but as a steady, controlled flow—a power he had never felt before. The Darkness recoiled, as if it were being repelled by the very presence of the shard.
"What are you?" the figure hissed, its form writhing as if trying to escape the light. But Aedan didn't let up. He pushed forward, focusing all his energy on the shard.
For a moment, the room was filled with a blinding light. The figure screamed in agony, but Aedan stood firm, his mind focused on one thing—destroying whatever dark force had been unleashed upon this village.
And then, with one final pulse of energy, the figure dissolved into nothingness, vanishing into the shadows from which it had emerged.
Aedan collapsed to his knees, exhaustion overwhelming him. The shard in his hand flickered before dimming once more, its energy spent. He could barely stay conscious, but he felt something inside him shift—a connection forged with the shard, a bond that would take him further down a path he was only beginning to understand.
"Kael... are you alright?" he managed, his voice hoarse.
Kael groaned, slowly getting to his feet. "I'm fine. That was a hell of a fight, though. But we... we've got answers now."
Aedan didn't respond. His mind was racing. The Darkness... the shards... the forces at play here were far beyond what he had anticipated. And as he looked around the room, he knew one thing for certain.
This was only the beginning.
The real test had yet to come.