The villager showed me to a small, rustic inn at the edge of the village. The innkeeper, a burly man with graying hair, greeted me with a broad smile, guiding me to a humble room tucked away at the back of the inn.
The bed was old, creaky, and far from luxurious, but after everything that had happened, it felt like a sanctuary.
"Rest well," the innkeeper said as he left me to settle in. "You've earned it."
The events of the day played in my mind like a blurred, chaotic dream, but I pushed them away, allowing my weary body to relax as sleep claimed me.
---
I don't know how much time had passed when my eyes fluttered open, but something felt… wrong. The room was bathed in an eerie orange glow, and the air smelled thick and acrid. My heart pounded as I sat up, only to hear distant shouting and frantic footsteps outside.