Botolex

In a quaint, mist-cloaked village nestled amidst the rolling hills of England’s countryside, an ominous tale began to unfold. The village of Windermere, known for its peaceful charm, had become a place of whispered dread. One by one, the children began to vanish, leaving behind only echoes of laughter that once filled the cobbled streets. Yet, no trace of them could be found. Fear gripped the hearts of the villagers, but none dared speak of it.

And so, our tale begins with Rosé, a young woman with eyes sharp as a hawk’s, and a mind twice as keen. Sent by the crown under mysterious circumstances, she arrived in Windermere not for leisure, but to unravel the enigma of the missing children.

Rose: The Missing Children

The forest stretched before them, a tangle of twisted limbs and grasping shadows. Each step Rosé and Helene took seemed swallowed by the earth itself, the silence between the trees thick, oppressive. The air was damp with the scent of moss and decay, and overhead, the moon struggled against the dark canopy, its light fractured into trembling beams. 


Rosé’s breath came slow and measured, her fingers wrapped tightly about the hilt of her sword. The deeper they wandered, the more the shadows pressed in, as though the forest itself sought to smother them. 


Helene, a step behind, carried herself with a quiet resolve, yet the stiffness in her posture betrayed the weight of her own thoughts. Her single arm, the bandage wrapped tight about her shoulder, throbbed with a dull ache—a constant reminder of her failure, of her powerlessness. And now, walking this path, she feared she would be made to feel it once more. 


CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: WHISPERS IN THE DARK