The group set out at dawn. The road to Velgris, a small farming village on the edge of a dense forest, was steeped in uncertainty. According to the Duke's report, the village had been completely abandoned in a single night—with no signs of struggle, but leaving a trail of fear that had spread to neighboring settlements.
Alex walked slightly behind EMI and Aria, observing the landscape with a mix of tension and curiosity.
"Do you think we'll find anything useful?" asked Alex, breaking the silence.
"If we're careful, yes," replied EMI, her gaze serious as she mentally reviewed the report. "What worries me is that we don't know what kind of magic we're dealing with."
"Whatever it is, we can't let our guard down," added Aria, her hand resting lightly on the hilt of her ornamental sword, useful now more for caution than defense.
Upon arriving at Velgris, the sight was desolate. The village was completely empty. The doors of the houses stood wide open, and belongings were scattered on the ground, as if the villagers had fled in terror.
A shiver ran down Alex's spine. The silence was deafening, broken only by the crunch of their footsteps on dry leaves.
"This is... unsettling," murmured Alex, looking around.
Aria nodded.
"Too much. It's as if something ripped the villagers from here."
EMI examined the ground for clues. Finally, she stopped by a charred circle in the center of the village.
"This isn't normal. This circle looks like part of a summoning ritual, but it's incomplete."
Alex crouched to examine it more closely. The marks were burned into the earth, but some of the runes were unfamiliar even to him, who had studied the basics.
"Do you think this is the dark mage's work?" he asked.
"It's the most likely," replied EMI, frowning. "But what worries me most is that it doesn't seem recent. This has been here for weeks."
They decided to investigate the mayor's house, a larger building compared to the others, but equally abandoned. Inside, they found scattered papers, a map marked with nearby villages, and a journal that had belonged to the mayor.
Aria picked it up and began to read aloud:
"Something dark approaches. The villagers have begun having strange dreams—all the same: a hooded figure calling them toward the forest. At first we didn't pay it any mind, but last night, three entire families disappeared. If this continues, no one will be left to protect Velgris."
EMI crossed her arms, thoughtful.
"It seems this mage isn't acting alone. He's using some kind of mental magic—compulsion, perhaps—to control people."
Alex felt a knot in his stomach at the thought of families walking helplessly toward their doom.
---
As the sun began to set, they decided to venture into the nearby forest—the direction the villagers seemed to have gone. Shadows lengthened beneath the tall trees, and the air grew colder with each step.
Suddenly, Aria stopped.
"I heard something."
Everyone froze. Alex heard it too—a low whisper, like a thousand voices murmuring in unison.
"I don't like this at all," murmured Alex.
They advanced cautiously until they reached a clearing in the forest. There, they found symbols carved into the trees and a stone altar covered in dark runes, similar to those in the village circle.
EMI approached carefully, studying the runes.
"It's an anchor point. They probably use it to stabilize their magic in this area."
Suddenly, the whispers intensified, and shadows began to move among the trees. Alex, EMI, and Aria raised their guard as humanoid figures—formed entirely of darkness—emerged from the forest.
Alex swallowed hard, remembering the techniques he had practiced.
"Let's hope this works."
Using his attack rune, he unleashed a burst of energy toward the figures. The explosion illuminated the forest for a moment, but the shadows quickly reformed, as if nothing had happened.
"Normal attacks don't work," said Aria, drawing her sword, whose blade began to glow with a silver light. "Use your light magic!"
EMI nodded and began casting light spells, managing to disperse some of the shadows, but they kept advancing, relentless.
---
Determined not to be a burden, Alex tried another technique, but his attack still wasn't strong enough. Just as it seemed the shadows would surround them, EMI released a massive spell, forming a barrier of light that protected them momentarily.
"We have to destroy the altar!" shouted EMI, pointing to the center of the clearing.
Aria nodded, summoned her shadow beasts, and directed them toward the altar while covering them with her spells. Alex stayed back to protect her, using his skills to keep the shadows at bay.
Finally, the summoned creatures reached the altar and, with a precise strike, shattered it. The shadows let out a deafening scream before disappearing completely.
The group, exhausted but unharmed, gathered in the clearing.
"That was just a warning," said EMI, wiping sweat from her brow. "If that dark mage can create something like that, we're in serious trouble."
Alex observed the altar's markings, unable to shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.
Aria placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You did well today, Alex. We couldn't have done it without you."
EMI nodded, though her expression remained clouded with worry.
"Yes, but we need to be better prepared. This is only going to get worse."
---
As they began their return to the village, the atmosphere remained heavy. The clearing was now calm, but the residual energy of the dark magic still hung in the air, like a metallic taste in the mouth.
"Those symbols on the trees," Alex said suddenly, stopping. "Don't you think it was as if the forest itself were infected?"
EMI looked at him, impressed by his observation.
"You're right. It wasn't just the altar. The earth, the trees… everything here has been corrupted. This isn't a simple camp; it's an outpost."
Aria, who had been examining the altar's remains, lifted a fragment of black, shiny stone.
"This is ritual obsidian. It's used to channel long-distance magic. It means Veyron, or whoever, could be operating from kilometers away, using these altars as relays."
"Which makes him even more dangerous," concluded EMI. "We don't have to find him; we have to find all these anchor points before he completes whatever he's planning."
Back in Velgris, the village seemed even more ghostly in the twilight. They decided to camp in the mayor's house, which at least offered a roof.
While Aria prepared a simple dinner with their provisions, EMI traced the symbols they had seen on the map.
"If we connect the points from the Duke's reports and what we saw today…" she muttered, drawing lines. "It seems like a converging pattern. As if everything is directed toward a central location."
Alex watched over her shoulder.
"An epicenter? Like for a large-scale ritual?"
"Exactly," affirmed EMI, her face serious. "And if that ritual is completed…"
She didn't need to finish the sentence. The air in the room grew colder.
---
That night, Alex took the first watch. Sitting on the threshold of the house, he observed the silent village. The nearly full moon cast long shadows that twisted in the wind.
"Can't sleep?" Aria's voice startled him. She had approached silently, wrapped in a blanket.
"Thoughts," replied Alex, not taking his eyes off the outside.
"What are you thinking about?"
"How easy it was for him to empty this village. How people just… left. Without a fight. That's what scares me the most. Not brute force, but the loss of will."
Aria sat beside him, her shoulder brushing his.
"That's why we have to stop him. Not just for the kingdom, but for them," she said, pointing to the empty houses. "For those who couldn't choose to stay."
From inside, EMI watched them through a broken window. A complex mix of emotions stirred in her chest: worry, determination, and something else, something warm and confusing that clung to her whenever she saw Alex step into his role with that quiet seriousness.