They crossed through.
Cold air struck them immediately.
Not freezing.
Just damp.
Heavy.
A strong wind rolled across the dirt road beneath their feet the moment they emerged on the other side, carrying the smell of wet soil, old wood, and something faintly rotten hiding underneath it all.
The village stretched ahead quietly beneath dark gray skies.
Too quiet.
Han Islat slowly lifted his head.
Above them, thick clouds churned across the sky in massive layers, swollen and dark enough that rain looked inevitable within the hour.
The air itself felt wrong somehow, dense and oppressive, like the world was holding its breath before something terrible arrived.
Wooden fences creaked softly in the wind.
No villagers walked kn the streets.
No lights shone from windows.
Only silence.
Then—
Flap.
Something dropped from the sky.
Several people jerked backward instantly before realizing the creature was small.
Round.
Oddly chubby… and damn it looks cute?
