Darkness swallowed the land of Adna.
In the ruins of a house, the rustle of a leaf dancing in the wind broke the utter silence.
A cold, silver light illuminated the ruins, but nothing remained except the corpse of a human.
Decayed and shattered, as if animals had feasted upon it for days.
Its skull was cracked and dented; its eye sockets filled with darkness.
A tattered, filthy garment covered the remaining bones, swaying with every gust of wind.
A faint squeak came from a corner where the silver light could not reach.
A tiny creature lay in wait, ready to seize its chance.
Cautiously, it approached the bones, sometimes stopping to observe, sometimes squeaking to lure any potential enemy into a reaction.
It seemed unwilling to interrupt its feast for even a moment of danger.
After a while, with no interference, it moved closer to the bones.
It did not care; it only wanted food.
It scoured the skeleton but found not a shred of flesh, yet it did not give up.
Its teeth scraped against the bones, producing a squeal, but there was nothing to eat.
Eventually, it reached the skull, sniffing the empty sockets.
It plunged its snout in and quickly withdrew, discovering a small worm.
With relish, it devoured it, wiping the remaining mucus from its mouth with its paws.
In this perilous place, nothing went to waste.
Life was harsh.
Rustle.
The mouse froze, eyes darting for any sign of danger.
After a few seconds, it realized there was none and again delved into the socket, searching for another worm, hungry.
Its fangs seized another prey, but it failed to extract it.
It tugged, its neck twisting, one paw on the nasal cavity, the other on a sharp tooth, but its body was too large for the eye.
Seconds passed in silence as the mouse paused, sensing danger.
Just as it tried to retreat, it was suddenly pulled inside; its body tore apart, blood and filth splattering.
The remainder of it slipped into the skull.
The eerie silence reclaimed the ruins.
A silver glint of light moved, illuminating the skull from within.
A black shadowy snake, with violet eyes, lay in ambush, waiting for its next prey.
The rustle of a dry leaf in the wind broke the silence once again.