The sun rose over Ashvale like it did every morning.
Golden light touched the small houses first. Then it spread across the dirt roads. The village sat at the edge of the Scorched Reach, far from the big cities. Far from the wars. Far from danger.
Or so everyone thought.
Anna Verr opened her bakery door and breathed in the cool morning air. She was thirty-two years old. Her hands were strong from kneading bread every day for fifteen years. Her brown hair had some gray in it now, but her smile was still warm.
"Mama, can I help today?"
Little Lily stood behind her mother. She was eight years old. Her hair was the same brown as Anna's, tied in two braids. Her eyes were bright with excitement.
Anna smiled. "Of course, my sweet. Come."
They walked into the bakery together. The ovens were already warm. Anna had started the fire before dawn, like always. The smell of fresh dough filled the air.
Lily climbed onto her little stool. Anna had made it for her three years ago, when Lily first said she wanted to be a baker too.
"Today I will teach you something special," Anna said. She pulled out a ball of dough. "The braid."
"Like my hair?" Lily touched her braids.
"Yes, exactly like your hair." Anna began to roll the dough into three long strips. Her hands moved fast, but not too fast for Lily to see. "You take three pieces. You cross them over each other, one at a time. Left over middle. Right over middle. Left over middle. Right over middle."
Lily watched carefully. Her little tongue stuck out as she concentrated. That's what she always did when she was thinking hard.
Anna laughed softly. "Here, you try."
She gave Lily a smaller ball of dough. Lily's small hands began to work. She rolled the dough into strips, but they came out in different sizes. One was fat. One was thin. One was somewhere in between.
"That's okay," Anna said. "Your first time is never perfect. Mine wasn't either."
"Really?" Lily looked up at her mother.
"Really. When I was your age, my bread looked like rocks." Anna touched Lily's cheek gently. "But I kept trying. Every day. And now look."
She pointed at the shelves. Fresh loaves sat cooling. Golden brown. Perfect shapes. The smell made your stomach rumble just looking at them.
Lily smiled and went back to her dough. Left over middle. Right over middle.
Outside, the village was waking up.
Old Marten opened his vegetable stand. He was seventy years old, but he still carried heavy sacks like a young man. His wife had died five years ago, but he kept working. "Keeps me young," he always said.
The blacksmith Garron was already at his forge. Smoke rose from his chimney. The sound of a hammer on metal rang out. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. His apprentice Jory, a boy of fifteen, worked the bellows. Making the fire hotter.
"Put your back into it, boy!" Garron shouted. But he was smiling. He always smiled when he worked.
Children ran through the streets. A group of them played tag near the well. Their laughter filled the air like music.
"You can't catch me!" a little boy yelled.
"Yes, I can!" a girl shouted back.
They ran past the bakery. Lily looked up from her dough and waved. They waved back, still running.
Everything was normal. Everything was peaceful.
Everything was perfect.
Then the riders came.
Anna heard them first. The sound of horses on the road. Many horses. Moving fast.
She wiped her hands on her apron and walked to the door. Lily followed her.
Twelve riders entered the village. They wore armor that shone in the morning sun. Silver plates on their chests. Blue cloaks on their backs. Each one carried a sword at their hip.
Knights. Real knights from the capital city.
The villagers stopped what they were doing. They stared. Knights never came to Ashvale. They had no reason to. This village was too small. Too far from everything important.
The lead rider stopped in the village square. He was a tall man, maybe forty years old. His face was strong. His eyes were kind but serious. A scar ran down his left cheek.
He took off his helmet. His hair was black with gray at the sides.
"I am Captain Rhen Moss," he said. His voice was loud enough for everyone to hear, but not angry. "We mean no harm. We're on patrol from Ironhold. We need to water our horses and rest for one hour."
The village elder, Old Marcus, stepped forward. He walked with a cane, his back bent from age. But his mind was still sharp.
"You are welcome here, Captain," Marcus said. "Ashvale is honored to host the King's knights."
Captain Rhen nodded. He gestured to his squad. They began to dismount.
Anna watched them carefully. There were twelve knights total. Seven men. Five women. They all looked tired. Dust covered their armor and clothes.
One of the women knights stretched her arms over her head. She had short red hair and a friendly face. "Finally! My backside has gone numb from all that riding."
"Serra, mind your manners," another knight said. He was young, maybe twenty-five. Blond hair. Nervous eyes.
"Oh, relax, Kev," Serra said. She walked to the well and began pulling up water. "We're among friends here."
But Anna noticed something. Captain Rhen wasn't smiling. His hand stayed near his sword. His eyes kept moving. Looking at the forest around the village. Looking at the sky. Looking everywhere.
Like he was expecting something.
Lily tugged on Anna's apron. "Mama, why are the knights here?"
"Just passing through, sweet one." Anna pulled Lily close. "Come. Let's finish our bread."
But she didn't move. She kept watching.
Captain Rhen walked to Old Marcus. They spoke quietly. Anna couldn't hear the words, but she saw Marcus's face change. He looked worried.
What were they talking about?
Inside the bakery, Anna and Lily went back to their work. But Anna's hands weren't as steady now. She kept glancing at the door.
"Mama, you're squishing your dough too hard," Lily said.
Anna looked down. She was right. Anna had been kneading the same piece of dough for too long. It was tough now. Ruined.
"You're right. I wasn't paying attention." Anna took a breath. "Let's start a new one."
Outside, the knights watered their horses. They sat in the shade. They ate dried meat and hard bread from their packs. They talked quietly among themselves.
Serra walked to the bakery. She poked her head in the door.
"Excuse me," she said with a smile. "Any chance we could buy some of that fresh bread? It smells amazing, and I'm tired of eating leather."
Anna smiled back. "Of course. Free of charge. You're protecting us, after all."
"You're too kind." Serra came inside. She was tall. Her armor had dents and scratches. This was a woman who had seen real fighting.
Lily stared at her with big eyes.
Serra noticed. She knelt to Lily's level. "Hello there. What's your name?"
"Lily," the little girl said quietly.
"That's a beautiful name. I'm Serra." She pointed at the dough in Lily's hands. "Are you making bread?"
Lily nodded. "Mama is teaching me the braid."
"The braid? That sounds fancy." Serra looked at Anna. "You're raising a good one here."
"I try," Anna said. She wrapped several loaves in cloth and handed them to Serra. "Here. Share with your friends."
"Thank you." Serra took the bread. Then she paused. Her smile faded a little. "Listen... if Captain Rhen tells you to get inside and lock your doors, you do it immediately. Don't ask questions. Don't wait. Just do it. Understand?"
Anna's stomach went cold. "Why? What's happening?"
Serra glanced at the door. Then back at Anna. "Probably nothing. We're just being careful. There have been... incidents. In villages north of here."
"What kind of incidents?"
"The kind we don't talk about in front of children." Serra looked at Lily, then back at Anna. Her eyes were serious now. "Just remember what I said. Captain Rhen gives an order; you follow it. Fast."
She left before Anna could ask more questions.
Anna stood there, holding her dough. Her heart was beating faster now.
"Mama?" Lily's small voice broke the silence. "Is something wrong?"
"No, sweet one." Anna forced a smile. "Everything is fine."
But she didn't believe her own words.
Outside, the village continued its morning. But Anna noticed things now. Small things.
The birds weren't singing anymore. The sky was still blue, but something felt different about the light. And the forest around the village... it was too quiet.
Where were all the animals?
Captain Rhen stood in the center of the square. He was talking to his knights now. His voice was low, but Anna could hear some words through the open door.
"...three villages completely gone... no survivors... corruption spreading faster..."
One of the knights asked something Anna couldn't hear.
Rhen shook his head. "We don't know how it spreads. That's why we're scouting. Looking for patterns. Looking for—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
His head turned toward the forest. His hand went to his sword.
All twelve knights stood up at the same time. Their hands went to their weapons. They formed a circle, backs to each other, facing outward.
The villagers noticed. People stopped working. They looked around, confused.
"What's happening?" someone asked.
Old Marcus walked toward Captain Rhen. "Captain? What is it?"
Rhen didn't answer. He was staring at the forest. His jaw was tight.
Then Anna felt it.
A coldness in the air. Like winter had come early. But it was the middle of summer. The cold wrapped around her like invisible hands.
Lily felt it too. "Mama, I'm cold."
"Come here." Anna pulled Lily against her side.
The sky began to change.
The blue faded. Gray clouds rolled in from nowhere. They moved fast. Too fast. Like someone was pulling them across the sky with a rope.
The temperature dropped more. Anna could see her breath now. Little white puffs in the air.
"What in the world...?" Garron the blacksmith stood outside his forge, staring up at the sky.
Captain Rhen drew his sword. The sound of metal sliding from the sheath cut through the silence.
"EVERYONE GET INSIDE!" he roared. His voice was like thunder. "NOW! LOCK YOUR DOORS! DO NOT COME OUT UNTIL WE TELL YOU!"
The villagers didn't move. They were frozen with confusion.
"MOVE!" Serra shouted. "GET INSIDE NOW!"
That broke the spell. People started running. Mothers grabbed their children. Men ran for their homes. Old Marten dropped his vegetables and hobbled toward his house as fast as he could.
Anna grabbed Lily's hand. "Come. Quickly."
But before they could move, the screaming started.
It came from the south side of the village. A man's voice. High and terrible. Full of pain.
Then another scream. A woman this time.
Then more. And more.
"Close the door!" Anna yanked Lily inside the bakery. She slammed the door shut. Her hands shook as she pushed the heavy wooden bolt across.
Through the small window, she could see the square.
Captain Rhen and his knights were running toward the screams. Their swords were drawn. Blue light began to glow around some of their weapons. Magic. Essence. Whatever the stories called it.
"Mama, what's happening?" Lily's voice was small and scared.
Anna pulled her daughter away from the window. She held Lily close to her chest.
"I don't know, my sweet. I don't know."
Outside, the screaming got louder.
And louder.
And louder.
Then something else joined the screaming. A new sound. Like metal scraping on stone. Like bones cracking. Like something wrong and unnatural being born into the world.
Anna closed her eyes and prayed.
She prayed to the old gods and the new gods. She prayed to anyone who might listen.
Please, she thought. Please let this be a nightmare. Please let us wake up.
But she knew.
Deep in her heart, she knew.
This was no nightmare.
This was real.
And Ashvale would never be the same again.