Chapter 4: Shadows in the Dark

Harvey and Julia crept forward, their footsteps barely making a sound on the packed dirt road. The air felt heavier with each step, thick with something unspoken, something unseen. The village, usually so full of life, stood in eerie stillness. Doors hung ajar. A lantern by the well flickered weakly, casting trembling shadows.

Something had happened here.

Harvey clenched his fists, scanning the empty streets. "Stay close," he murmured.

Julia nodded, her usual playful energy completely gone. She was tense, her eyes darting to every darkened corner.

They moved past the first row of houses, peering inside one of them. The hearth still smoldered, a meal left unfinished on the table. Chairs had been knocked over, but there was no sign of a struggle. It was as if the entire village had simply—vanished.

Then another sound—soft, almost a whisper of movement—came from the elder's house.

Harvey and Julia exchanged a glance. This time, Julia was the one who moved first, pulling him toward the large wooden structure at the center of the village. The elder's house was the heart of their home, the place where decisions were made, where stories were told, where the village's history was kept.

But now, as they approached, the air around it felt colder.

Harvey pushed the door open slowly.

Inside, the dim light of an overturned lantern barely illuminated the room. Shelves filled with old scrolls lined the walls, but some had fallen, their contents scattered across the floor. A chair was toppled near the central table.

And in the center of the room stood a single figure.

At first, Harvey thought it was the elder, but as the figure turned, the flickering light revealed someone else entirely.

A man, draped in dark robes, his face partially hidden beneath a hood. His presence was unnatural, as if he didn't quite belong to this place.

Julia inhaled sharply.

The man turned his head toward them, as if he had only just noticed their arrival. His eyes—cold, empty—locked onto Harvey's.

"You shouldn't be here," the man said, his voice smooth yet void of emotion.

Harvey took an unconscious step back, his mind racing. Who was this man? And where was everyone else?

Before he could ask, the man raised his hand.

And darkness surged toward them.