CHAPTER 5

The village of Virestead had never seen the like of it before.

Three dead wargs—creatures of shadow and legend—strewn across the hills in front of the barn, their bodies still warm with the magic of the storm that had killed them. Word spread faster than wildfire, and within an hour, nearly half the village had gathered at the edge of the fields, eyes wide with a mixture of awe and fear.

Kael stood in the center, a strange and uncomfortable hero. His shoulder was already healed, the wound from the alpha warg closing as if it had never been there, but the blood on his tunic remained, dark and stained.

Rynn stood beside him, her face pale as she looked from the bodies to Kael. "You—you did this?"

Kael didn't meet her gaze. Instead, he looked at the crowd of villagers, all murmuring in hushed voices, their eyes flickering from the slain beasts to him. Some were afraid. Others were curious.

"I didn't want to," he said, his voice carrying, "but they came after me first."

"Aye, but three of 'em?" A man near the front, an old farmer with a grizzled beard, scoffed. "You're telling me one boy took down three of those beasts all by himself?"

"I didn't do it alone," Kael said. "They were part of a pack. The alpha was the last one standing."

"Damn fool," the old man muttered, shaking his head. "Wargs don't just show up on their own. There's a reason they came."

Kael clenched his fists. He didn't have an answer for that.

Rynn placed a hand on his arm. "They're right, Kael. Something's wrong. Wargs don't wander this close to the village, especially not in packs."

Kael looked at her, a quiet understanding passing between them. She was right. This wasn't just a random attack. There was a deeper reason behind it—something bigger than a few beasts hungry for blood.

The old farmer spat on the ground. "Whatever it is, we'll find out soon enough. There's no telling how many more of 'em are out there."

"I'll keep watch," Kael said, stepping forward. His voice rang with an authority he hadn't meant to put into it, but it felt right. The words were coming out before he could stop them. He could feel the storm in his blood, in his mind. He'd been given power, and it would be foolish to ignore it.

"Watch?" The farmer's laugh was harsh. "A boy like you?"

"Enough, Garret," Rynn snapped, stepping between them. "Kael's right. He's the one who stopped them. He'll keep watch."

Garret glared at Kael for a moment longer before muttering something about foolishness and walking off to join the others.

Kael looked at Rynn, who gave him a small nod. "I'll stay with you," she said, her voice lower now, more serious. "We need to figure out what's going on."

"Thanks," Kael said, though he didn't feel entirely sure of himself. He had skills, sure—but he was still new to all this. His knowledge of the world was sparse at best. He didn't even know why wargs would be here. But he was learning, fast.

The villagers lingered for a while, but most eventually returned to their homes, leaving Kael and Rynn standing over the bodies of the wargs. The moonlight bathed them in a cold, silver glow.

"So," Kael said, finally breaking the silence. "What now?"

Rynn looked over at him, her brow furrowed. "Now we need answers."

The next morning, Kael and Rynn set off early, making their way toward the village's edge, where the forest began to thicken. The villagers were wary after the attack, but Kael's presence in the community had changed something. He was no longer just the orphan boy who helped with odd jobs. Now, there was a whisper of him being something more.

Rynn led him through the narrow paths that wound around the outskirts of the village, where the trees grew dense and thick. The ground here was soft and covered in moss, the air heavy with the smell of pine and damp earth.

"Garret was right about one thing," Rynn said, breaking the silence. "Wargs don't just wander into the area. There's usually a reason for them to come this far."

"I know," Kael replied. "It doesn't make sense. The wargs I know are wild, but they're usually kept to the deeper forests, far from civilization."

Rynn stopped and turned to face him. Her gaze was intense, calculating. "It's not just about the wargs. Something else is happening. I've heard rumors—whispers from the traders who pass through. Some say there's been a strange disturbance in the southern forests. Others claim there's a gathering of monsters near the western mountains."

Kael's chest tightened. "A gathering? What do you mean?"

"I don't know," Rynn admitted, shaking her head. "But the last time something like that happened, a horde of monsters swept through the entire northern region. Villages were destroyed, people… were…" She trailed off, swallowing hard. "It was a massacre."

Kael's hand gripped Veyrion's hilt. The blade hummed faintly, as if it recognized his unease. He didn't want to believe it—didn't want to think that something larger than just wargs was behind this—but the more Rynn spoke, the more the pieces clicked into place.

"I've been thinking," Kael said slowly, his mind churning. "These wargs… they weren't just mindless beasts. They were coordinated. They attacked in a pack, and they were clever about it."

Rynn looked up at him, eyebrows raised. "You think someone's controlling them?"

Kael nodded. "It's possible. But why would they come here? Virestead is a small, quiet village. We're far from any major cities."

"Maybe they're testing the waters," Rynn suggested. "See how much resistance they can expect. If it's part of a larger plan, this could just be the beginning."

Kael glanced over at her, noticing the concern in her eyes. She wasn't just worried for the village—she was worried for herself too. For them both.

"We should get to the village archives," Kael said, pulling himself out of his thoughts. "If there's any information on these creatures, or any history of strange events like this, it's there."

Rynn nodded and began to walk faster. "The archives are on the other side of town. But you should know—they're not much to look at. It's mostly old books and scrolls no one's bothered to read in decades."

Kael didn't care. He was used to finding answers in places others ignored. And if there was any hope of stopping whatever was coming, he needed to find those answers fast.

By midday, the two of them had made their way through the narrow streets of Virestead and arrived at the village's small stone building that housed the archives. It was tucked away in the back corner of the temple grounds, barely noticeable behind overgrown ivy and moss-covered walls.

The heavy wooden door creaked open, and they stepped inside, greeted by the musty scent of aged paper and dust. Shelves lined the walls, stacked high with scrolls and old tomes, each one coated in a thick layer of neglect.

Rynn led Kael to a small desk where a few worn volumes were piled up. "This is what we've got," she said, her voice quieter now. "The old histories, some records of local events. But I'm not sure you'll find much in here about real threats."

Kael wasn't so sure. He walked over to a nearby shelf, scanning the spines of the books. A few titles caught his eye: The History of the Northern Kingdoms, Bestiary of the Aelyrian Wilds, The Rise and Fall of Ancient Beasts.

He pulled down the latter, flipping through the pages until something stopped him. A section on Dire Creatures—beasts of massive size and unnatural power.

The passage described the Warg Alpha, a creature known to form packs with uncanny coordination. But it didn't stop there. The book mentioned something more dangerous: the Hunger of Aelyria, an ancient force that gathered monsters into horde-like groups when its influence grew.

The next line made Kael's blood run cold.

"The Hunger awakens when the land is unbalanced, when a great storm stirs in the east. It is said that the storm is coming again."

"Rynn," Kael whispered, his voice low. "I think we're in the middle of it."