"Inheritor Of Vitality."

Arteus watched from the shadows as the town square bustled with the chaos that had followed the grisly discovery. People whispered and pointed, their faces a mask of fear and accusation. The sun had barely risen, yet the day had already been stolen by the shroud of darkness. He knew he couldn't stay in the tavern, not with the way the townsfolk looked at him. He needed to be alone with his thoughts, to process the horror he had witnessed and the revelation that had come to him.

With heavy steps, he made his way back to the small shed that had become his refuge in the short time he had been in Sovereign. The door creaked open, and he stepped inside, the stale scent of his previous night's unease greeting him like an unwelcome guest. He had hoped to find solace here, but the walls seemed to close in on him, the shadows whispering of the destiny that had brought him to this town.

Arteus was just about to sit on his makeshift bed when a knock echoed through the flimsy wooden frame of his door. It was a tentative sound, not the demanding pound of an angry mob but the hesitant rap of someone who wasn't sure if they should disturb him. He paused, his hand hovering over the axe he had retrieved from the tavern floor. His senses were on high alert, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up.

He approached the door, his eyes scanning the shadows for any signs of danger. With a deep breath, he pulled it open to find Lilly standing before him, her eyes wide and uncertain. The early morning light cast her in a soft glow, highlighting the worry etched into every line of her face. She looked at him as if she wasn't quite sure what she was going to say, as if the words she held were too heavy for her to voice.

"Arteus," she began, her voice tentative. "Can we talk?"

He nodded curtly, his eyes never leaving hers as he stepped aside to let her in. She was trembling slightly, her cloak clutched tightly around her. He closed the door with a soft click, the sound seemingly amplified in the silence that had descended upon them. The shed was a stark contrast to the tumult outside, a sanctuary of quiet that was both welcome and eerie.

"Your humble abode," she said dryly, her voice a stark contrast to the horror that had filled the square. The attempt at humor fell flat in the heavy air, hanging between them like a leaden weight. "It's... quaint."

Arteus said nothing, his gaze still locked on hers, waiting. Her eyes searched his face, looking for something he wasn't sure he had. "What is it, Lilly?" he finally asked, his voice gruff with unspoken tension.

Lilly took a deep breath, her hands fidgeting with the fabric of her cloak. "I... I might have some information," she began, her words tumbling out in a rush. "It might help with what's going on in town."

Arteus' expression remained guarded, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked, his voice low and suspicious. "Shouldn't you be running to the city's authorities with this?"

Lilly looked down at her hands, twisting the fabric of her cloak into a tight knot. "I don't know who to trust," she murmured, her voice barely a whisper. "What Gracie, what i saw...i think it..." she took a shaky breath, "I just want to do the right thing."

Arteus crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes searching hers. "Did you tell Millie?" he asked, his voice low and hard. Lilly flinched at the question, the tremble in her hands growing more pronounced.

"Yes," she said, her voice barely above a murmur. "She said... she said. That I should tell you."

Arteus studied her for a moment, the doubt in his eyes slowly giving way to a flicker of understanding. He tapped the edge of the bed, gesturing for her to sit. The gesture was firm, yet gentle, a silent command that offered her a place of refuge amidst the chaos that had overtaken their lives.

Lilly perched on the edge of the bed, her eyes darting around the small space as if searching for an escape. Her hands remained tightly clutched around the cloak, the fabric wrinkling under the pressure of her grip. She was a stark contrast to the Lilly he had met in the wilderness, the fiery girl who had faced an alpha wolf with nothing but a twig and her wits. Now, she was a picture of vulnerability, the weight of the world pressing down on her slender shoulders.

"Gracie and I were coming home from the market," she began, her voice shaky. "It was late, and we had stopped to get some supplies. We heard them, the whispers of the children. They were in the shadows, huddled together like they were hiding something. We thought it was just kids playing a game, but..."

Her eyes grew distant, lost in the memory. "Then, she saw him," Lilly continued, her voice dropping to a hoarse whisper. "The same boy, the one they found this morning. But he wasn't dead, Arteus. He was standing there, right in front of us, smiling and huddled together with the other kids."

Arteus felt a chill run down his spine. "What do you mean?" he asked, his voice tight with disbelief. "The boy had to have been dead for longer than that."

Lilly met his gaze, her eyes filled with a haunted look. "He was alive, I swear it," she insisted. "His eyes, they were... wrong, like there was something else looking out of them. And the other children, they weren't right either. They were playing, but it was like they weren't really?"

That was when she and Gracie noticed the elderly man who was with the children, lurking in the shadows. His eyes were like twin pools of darkness, and his smile was more of a twisted sneer than anything remotely comforting. He watched them with a predatory stillness that sent a shiver down Lilly's spine. Instinctively, she knew he was the one orchestrating the horror that had unfolded in the town square.

The man was clad in the robes of the Avarician faith, the very same garb that had been worn by Barley's holy men. The sight of the holy vestments marred by such evil sent a wave of nausea through Arteus. He could see the children's trust in those eyes, their innocence shattered by the monster masquerading as a protector. The man had used the faith, their trust, to lead them astray.

"You're sure?" he asked Lilly, his voice tight with rage and horror. "You're absolutely certain he was a man of the faith?"

Lilly nodded, her eyes never leaving his. "I swear it," she said firmly, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. "The robes, the sigil... it all fits."

Arteus took a deep breath, his mind racing. "Thank you, Lilly," he said, his voice tight with emotion. "But what can we do?" His eyes searched hers for some semblance of hope, some spark that would tell him they weren't fighting a losing battle against an enemy that had wormed its way into the very fabric of Sovereign.

Lilly's eyes grew steely, determination setting in her features. "Anything. We can't let this happen to anyone else," she said, her voice firm. "We have to stop it."

Arteus nodded, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on his shoulders. "I'll see what I can do," he said, his voice a solemn promise. "But we must tread carefully. This is not just a matter of catching a murderer. It's about uncovering a plot that may go deeper than we know."

Lilly nodded, the determination in her eyes unyielding. She stood up from the bed, her cloak falling around her like a dark cloud. "I know," she said, her voice tight. With a firm nod, she turned to leave, her steps steady despite the tremor in her voice.

As the door creaked shut behind her, Arteus was left alone with his thoughts, the shed suddenly feeling much smaller and much colder than it had moments ago. He sank down onto the bed, his head in his hands as he tried to piece together the puzzle that had become his life. The second birth, the murders, the whispers of dark magic - it all swirled around him in a chaotic dance that made his head spin. He had been a simple boy once, content with helping his mom around their abode. But now, now he was a pawn in a game played by gods and monsters, his fate tied to the whims of an ancient pledge that seemed to bring nothing but pain and suffering.

What was he to make of all this?

-To Be Continued-