The news didn't spread in panic.
It moved slowly, carried from one voice to another, quiet but heavy enough that people stopped what they were doing to listen.
"They didn't return last night."
"…From the mine?"
"Yeah."
That was enough.
No one needed more explanation than that.
A small group gathered near the edge of the settlement, not soldiers, not trained fighters. Just men who had gone into the mine enough times to know what it meant when someone didn't come back.
"We go in, check, and come back," one of them said, adjusting his grip on the blade at his side.
"And if it's goblins?"
"Then we deal with it."
No one argued.
There wasn't anything to argue about.
The walk to the mine was quiet. Not tense, not rushed, just silent in a way that made every step feel louder than it should.
When the entrance came into view, nothing about it looked different.
The same dark opening.
The same stillness.
But something about it felt wrong.
"Stay close," someone muttered, lighting a torch.
The others followed, one by one, until faint light pushed back the darkness just enough for them to step inside.
The cave swallowed them.
The air changed immediately, cooler, heavier, pressing in around them.
"…Feels off."
"Yeah."
They moved deeper.
Carefully. Quietly.
At first, it was just one body.
A goblin.
Then another.
"…That's… odd."
"They don't come this close to the entrance usually."
They kept walking.
And then there were more.
Not scattered randomly.
Not like a normal fight.
"…Wait…"
The man in front slowed, his torch lifting slightly.
"…What happened here?"
The bodies increased.
Two.
Five.
Ten.
Each step forward revealed more.
No one spoke for a few seconds.
Not because they didn't have anything to say,
but because none of it made sense.
"…Something went through here."
"…Yeah… but what?"
They turned deeper into the cave.
And that's when they saw them.
Two figures.
Human.
Still.
"…Darius…"
The name came out low, almost like saying it louder would change what they were seeing.
One of the men stepped forward quickly, crouching beside him.
A hand reached out.
Checked.
Nothing.
"…He's gone."
Another moved to the second body.
"…Kael…"
Same.
No movement.
No breath.
Silence settled heavily over them.
For a moment, no one said anything.
No one moved.
Then,
"We keep going."
The voice wasn't confident.
But it didn't hesitate either.
Because stopping there…
wasn't an option.
They moved again.
Deeper.
The torchlight flickered as they walked, shadows stretching across the cave walls.
And then,
they saw it.
Bodies.
Too many.
Goblins, everywhere.
The ground was covered.
Blood darkened the stone beneath their feet, still fresh in places, still wet.
"…This… doesn't make sense…"
One of them stepped forward slowly, turning slightly as he looked around.
"There's no way this many, "
He stopped midsentence.
Because there was no explanation.
No signs of a group.
No signs of a battle that made sense.
Just…
this.
"…Someone's here," another said quietly.
Not guessing.
Not hoping.
Knowing.
They moved carefully now.
More alert.
More focused.
And then,
"There, "
The voice came out sharper this time.
Elios lay on the ground.
Still.
Covered in blood.
At first glance,
it didn't look like he was alive.
One of them rushed forward, dropping to his knees beside him.
"…Wait…"
A hand pressed near his neck.
A pause.
Then,
"…He's breathing."
Relief didn't come.
Not yet.
Just confusion.
"…How is he alive?"
No one answered.
Because no one could.
"Careful, lift him."
Two men moved in, supporting him as they raised his body slowly.
Elios didn't react at first.
Then,
a faint movement.
His fingers twitched slightly.
His lips parted.
"…Father…"
The word came out weak.
Barely audible.
The men froze for a moment.
"…We found them," one of them said quietly, not even sure if Elios could hear him. "They're… they're behind."
Elios' head shifted slightly, his breathing uneven.
"…Kael…"
His voice cracked.
"…They… they were, "
The words broke apart.
His eyes didn't open fully.
Didn't focus.
"…Goblin…"
A pause.
"…From behind…"
One of the men glanced at the others.
"…Don't push him," another said quietly. "He's barely holding on."
Elios didn't seem to hear that.
"…I… tried…"
His grip tightened weakly against the man holding him.
"…I couldn't…"
The words faded again.
His body went slack.
Not gone.
But drifting.
"…We need to move," someone said, a little more firmly now.
No one argued.
They turned back, carrying him carefully.
Faster than before.
Not running.
But not slow either.
Because staying here,
didn't feel right anymore.
As they moved toward the exit, the cave behind them remained silent.
Filled with bodies.
Filled with something none of them could understand.
And in their arms,
the only one who had seen it all.
End.