"S-Seven," the villager replied nervously, then bowed deeply. "P-Please, save them."
The knight placed a hand on the villager's shoulder. "I can't promise anything, but we'll try our best."
"T-Thank you!"
The knight waved and led his party into the forest, the red-haired woman using a fire spell to light the way.
The villager watched them go, and the moment they were out of his sight, his fearful expression melted away, replaced by a mysterious smile. The next second, his body slowly turned to mist and disappeared.
"..."
A minute passed in silence, broken only by the faint whispers drifting from the forest.
Then a figure emerged from the treeline. A woman, dressed in dark leathers with a mask covering the lower half of her face. She moved without a sound, her eyes fixed on the spot where the villager had vanished.
'So I was right,' she thought, her gaze narrowing. 'He was not one of them.'
"Elea!"
