For a few seconds, no one spoke. The silence in the alley felt thicker than the mist itself, as if the entire village were holding its breath to hear what would come next. Aldric was the one who broke the stillness.

  —Start talking —he said, his voice carrying a hardness he didn't bother to hide —Now!

  The woman shifted her gaze from me to him, studying him with a calm that didn't seem wise for someone in her position. Her dark curls, damp from the mist, fell over a broad forehead that looked weathered by the sun of some other life far from the valley. Her olive-toned skin contrasted sharply with the sickly pallor we had seen on the faces of the other villagers before they disappeared. She didn't look like someone who had spent too long in this place. She looked like someone who survived in it.

  —I have nothing to say to a man who doesn't know how to listen —she replied at last.

  Aldric stepped forward, but I raised a hand to stop him.

  —Then speak to me.

  The woman fixed her eyes on my helmet again, on the dark surface where the torchlight barely managed to reflect. Her expression changed. It wasn't surprise. It was recognition. A shadow of something older.

  —You're still hiding behind iron —she murmured.

  Aldric turned toward me immediately.

  —You know her?

  I didn't answer. The woman let out a short exhale, almost a tired laugh.

  —Of course he does.

  The silence that followed was not the same as before. This one settled heavily on everyone's shoulders. Maelor's voice echoed again from the square, calling for us with urgency. Serah was holding Eldan upright, though his body seemed to be sagging more and more toward the ground.

  —We have a more important problem —I finally said. I

  released the woman's cloak, though I didn't step out of her path.

  —Walk!

  We returned to the square within minutes. The mist had sunk even lower, curling around the rim of the well as if trying to hide it. Serah was the first to look at the newcomer with suspicion.

  —Who is she?

  —Someone who wasn't dead —Aldric replied.

  The woman ignored the comment and moved directly toward Eldan. She studied him for only a few seconds before grabbing his wrist firmly. Her fingers paused over the wound. The blood seeping through the bandage was no longer red. It was dark. Far too dark. She frowned.

  —So it's true.

  —What is? —Serah asked.

  The woman looked up at us.

  —He has a black wound.

  The words fell upon the group like a sentence. Maelor straightened immediately.

  —There is no such thing.

  —There is here.

  The woman pulled the bandage away with a sharp motion. Beneath the cloth, the flesh was no longer torn as before. It looked sunken, as if the skin had been marked from within by a deep ink slowly spreading outward. Eldan clenched his teeth.

  —I knew it…

  —What does it mean? —Aldric asked.

  The woman stood up.

  —It means the valley has already chosen him. Serah stepped forward, furious.

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  —Speak clearly.

  The woman held her gaze without flinching.

  —It means that if you don't kill him first… something else will.

  The silence that followed was heavier than any before it. Aldric was the first to react.

  —Enough riddles. Tell us who you are.

  The woman seemed to consider the question for a moment.

  —My name is Lyria —she said at last —. Though he already knows that.

  She slowly turned and looked at me. The group's eyes followed her gaze. I didn't answer. Aldric narrowed his eyes.

  —Captain…

  —I don't know her —I said firmly.

  Lyria tilted her head with a faint smile.

  —She's an intruder —I continued —. And this could be a trap.

  Serah didn't seem convinced.

  —A trap from who?

  Lyria answered before I could.

  —From the one who rules this place. —She extended an arm toward the silent houses surrounding the square. —Welcome to the village of Valdrem. This is where the valley begins to devour men.

  Maelor looked again at Eldan's wound.

  —Then explain.

  Lyria turned her eyes back to the captain.

  —First, I want to see his face. —The tension returned immediately. —Take off the helmet —she said.

  Aldric turned toward me. Serah did too. Even Eldan, despite his condition, lifted his head. I slowly shook my head.

  —You're still hiding — the young woman said.

  —It's not hiding.

  —Then take it off.

  —I can't!

  —Why?

  —Because it's part of my oath.

  For several seconds, Lyria said nothing. Then she let out a short sigh.

  —Always so faithful to your promises.

  —You don't know me.

  She made a gesture too ironic to miss. Aldric stepped toward her again.

  —Start talking, or we end this right now.

  Lyria ignored him completely. Her eyes lifted toward the mist covering the square.

  —You believe you came here to face the Devil. —She pointed south, beyond the houses and the fog. —And you're right. He's here. In the heart of the valley.

  Serah crossed her arms.

  —We already knew that. —Lyria lowered her gaze slowly.

  —But what you don't know… is that you're not alone in this game. —Her eyes moved across each face of the group one by one. Maelor frowned.

  —Game?

  The woman nodded.

  —The Devil isn't satisfied with ruling. —A faint smile crossed her lips —He enjoys hunting. —She leaned slightly toward us —And to make things interesting… he has released something else into the valley.

  —Aldric tightened his grip on his weapon.

  —What?

  Lyria smiled faintly.

  —A hunter. A bloodthirsty creature that slaughters the sons of the mist.

  Silence fell over the square once again. Her eyes moved slowly across the surprise on our faces. Lyria continued, her voice sounding like she was repeating something she had heard many times before.

  —That's how he entertains himself.

  Suddenly, the wind moved between the empty houses of Valdrem, carrying with it a distant whisper that did not belong to any man. It was a howl. And it was calling for us. As if the young woman's warnings had summoned the beast itself.