The village gates loomed before Azazel, Xian Lin, and Wei Xianer. Constructed from thick logs bound with iron bands, they appeared sturdy enough to keep out most threats. Yet the eerie silence hung over the settlement like a shroud.
"No guards," Xian Lin observed, his voice low. "That's strange for a place this fortified."
Wei Xianer nodded. "Even stranger? No dogs barking, no voices, nothing. It's like the place is abandoned."
Azazel stepped forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "System, can you scan for any threats inside?"
"Scanning... Lifeforms detected: 21. None hostile within immediate vicinity."
"Twenty-one?" Azazel muttered. "That's not many for a village this size. Let's proceed carefully."
The gates creaked as they pushed them open, the sound echoing unnaturally loud in the stillness. Inside, the village was an unsettling mixture of order and neglect. The houses were intact, their thatched roofs well-maintained, but no one greeted them. Doors were shut tight, and curtains fluttered faintly in the breeze.
"Hello?" Wei Xianer called out, her voice carrying through the empty streets.
A window slammed shut in response, and a shadow shifted behind another.
"Well, that's not ominous," she said, rolling her eyes.
"They're watching us," Xian Lin murmured, his sharp gaze scanning the surroundings. "Scared, by the looks of it."
Azazel motioned for them to keep moving. They followed the main road toward the village center, passing a few abandoned carts and a market stall with withered vegetables. At the heart of the village stood a large wooden hall, its doors partially ajar.
"Looks like the headman's house," Xian Lin suggested.
"Or a trap," Wei Xianer added.
Azazel stepped forward, his senses alert. "Trap or not, we need answers."
Inside the hall, a single figure awaited them. An older man, his hair gray and his face lined with worry, sat at a large wooden table. He looked up as they entered, his eyes narrowing.
"You're not from here," he said, his voice hoarse.
Azazel inclined his head. "We're travelers. We've been passing through the forest and heard rumors about this place. Thought we'd see for ourselves."
The man let out a bitter laugh. "Rumors, huh? I'm surprised anyone speaks of us at all. What do you want?"
"To understand," Azazel said plainly. "Your village—it's too quiet. What happened here?"
The man's shoulders sagged, and he gestured for them to sit. "I'm Jian Lei, the headman. If you're looking for a tale of glory or riches, you'll find none here. Only fear and decay."
Wei Xianer leaned forward. "Fear of what, exactly?"
Jian Lei hesitated, then sighed. "A few months ago, people started disappearing. At first, we thought it was the forest—beasts, bandits, the usual dangers. But then it got worse. Those who went missing… came back."
Xian Lin frowned. "Came back?"
"Not as themselves," Jian Lei said, his voice trembling. "Their eyes… empty, their movements stiff. They'd wander the village at night, silent, watching. Those who crossed them vanished too."
Azazel felt a chill run down his spine. "And this has been happening for months?"
Jian Lei nodded. "We've barricaded ourselves in our homes, trying to keep them out. But they always return. The village is cursed."
Azazel exchanged a glance with his companions. The spectral figure's words echoed in his mind: "The Iron Soul connects us all—past, present, and future."
"System," Azazel murmured, "do you have any insight into this?"
"Analyzing... Residual energy signatures detected. High correlation with Iron Soul fragments. Possible connection to convergence points. Suggestion: Investigate further."
Azazel's jaw tightened. The system was tied to this, somehow.
"Headman," he said, his voice firm, "where are these people now?"
Jian Lei pointed toward the far end of the village. "They gather at the old granary at dusk. If you're foolish enough to go there, you'll see for yourself."
Wei Xianer whistled. "This just keeps getting better and better."
The trio left the hall as the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the village. They stood at the edge of the road leading to the granary, its silhouette dark against the horizon.
"What's the plan?" Xian Lin asked.
"We see what's inside," Azazel said. "If this is tied to the Iron Soul fragments, we need to figure out how to stop it."
"And if it's not?" Wei Xianer asked.
"Then we deal with whatever it is anyway," Azazel said, his grip tightening on his sword.
As they approached the granary, a faint sound reached their ears—a low, rhythmic chanting, like a distant echo. Azazel's pulse quickened, the system's energy thrumming faintly within him.
"Warning: High levels of corrupted energy detected. Proceed with caution."
"Corrupted energy?" Azazel murmured.
Wei Xianer frowned. "That sounds promising."
Xian Lin held up a hand, signaling for silence. He crouched, peering into the granary's broken doorway. "I count five. They're standing still, facing something in the center of the room."
Azazel crept closer, his heart pounding. Through the gap in the doorway, he saw the figures—villagers, their bodies unnaturally rigid, their eyes glowing faintly with a pale, sickly light.
In the center of the granary, an object pulsed with the same eerie glow: a shard of iron, jagged and ancient, embedded in the ground.
Azazel's breath caught. The shard radiated the same energy as the Iron Soul system.
"It's a fragment," he whispered.
Wei Xianer tightened her grip on her blade. "And those villagers? What do we do about them?"
"System," Azazel murmured, "any way to sever the connection between them and the fragment?"
"Solution available: Absorption of fragment energy. Host synchronization will increase. Side effects on corrupted individuals unknown."
Azazel grimaced. "It's not ideal, but it's all we've got."
"You're going to absorb that thing?" Xian Lin asked, his voice low.
"Yeah," Azazel said. "Cover me. If this goes sideways, I'll need you to keep them off me."
Wei Xianer grinned. "You've got a flair for dramatic plans, don't you?"
Azazel didn't respond. He stepped into the granary, the glowing shard calling to him like a beacon. As he reached for it, the chanting stopped, and the corrupted villagers turned toward him in eerie unison.
Their hollow eyes locked onto him, and they began to move.
"Here we go!" Wei Xianer shouted, drawing her blade.
Azazel grasped the shard, and the world erupted in light.