The village didn't feel like a safe zone anymore.
It felt like a front line.
I noticed it immediately as we walked in—guards were more alert, conversations were quieter, and people kept glancing toward the forest.
"They can feel it," I said.
"Yeah," Pip replied. "Even if they don't understand it."
We headed straight for the elder's house.
No detours this time.
No distractions.
The door creaked open, and once again, he was waiting.
"You returned sooner than expected," he said.
"And with more questions than answers," I replied.
"Good," he said. "That means you are paying attention."
I stepped forward.
"It's not just strong," I said. "It's… wrong. My attacks don't work properly. It controls the other creatures. And it's getting stronger."
The elder listened carefully.
Pip floated beside me. "Also, no level reading."
That caught his attention.
"None at all?" he asked.
"Nothing," Pip confirmed.
The elder closed his eyes briefly.
Then—
"It is worse than I feared."
I crossed my arms. "I'm getting tired of hearing that."
"As you should be," he replied calmly. "It means the situation is escalating."
The menu appeared again.
---
Quest Updated:
Investigate the Forest Disturbance
New Objective:
Discover the source of the Corruption
Identify a weakness
---
"Yeah," I said. "That's exactly what we need."
The elder stood and walked slowly toward a carved symbol on the wall—the same one above the door.
"You are not the first to face something like this," he said.
That made me pause.
"There have been others?" I asked.
"Long ago," he replied. "Before your time. Before even mine."
Pip tilted his head. "You're talking about recorded history?"
"Fragments of it," the elder said.
He reached into a small compartment beneath the carving and pulled out a thin, worn object.
A book.
Old.
Very old.
He placed it on the table carefully.
Dust rose slightly as it settled.
"This village was built near something," he said.
I frowned. "Something like what?"
"A seal."
That word hit differently.
"A seal… like something was locked away?" I asked.
"Yes."
Pip's voice dropped. "Let me guess… not anymore?"
The elder didn't answer directly.
Instead, he opened the book.
Inside were drawings.
Rough.
Faded.
But clear enough.
Creatures.
Twisted.
Merged.
Very similar to what I had seen.
"That's it," I said. "That's the same type."
The elder nodded.
"These were called 'Bound Ones'," he said. "Creatures altered by corrupted energy. They do not behave naturally. They do not follow normal rules."
"That explains the no-level thing," I said.
"Correct."
I leaned closer to the book.
One drawing stood out.
Larger than the others.
Surrounded by smaller creatures.
Controlling them.
"That's the one," I said quietly.
The elder's expression hardened slightly.
"Then the seal is weakening."
Silence filled the room.
I straightened.
"So we're not just dealing with one monster."
"No," he said. "You are dealing with what it represents."
"Which is?"
"A breach."
Pip let out a low whistle. "Yeah… that's bad."
I exhaled slowly.
"Okay. Let's simplify this," I said. "There's something in the forest. It's corrupting creatures. It's connected to an old seal. And if we don't stop it—"
"It will spread," the elder finished.
"Right."
I tapped the page.
"So how do we kill it?"
The elder finally looked directly at me.
"You do not," he said.
I blinked. "…What?"
"You cannot defeat a Bound One through strength alone," he continued. "That is why your attacks fail."
I thought back to my Energy Strike.
How it just… dispersed.
"Then what works?" I asked.
"Disruption," he said.
Pip frowned. "That's vague."
The elder turned a few pages.
There.
Another drawing.
This time—not a creature.
A symbol.
Complex.
Circular.
Glowing faintly even on paper.
"What is that?" I asked.
"A binding mark," he said. "Used to contain corrupted energy."
I stared at it.
"You're saying we need that to weaken it?"
"Yes."
The menu appeared again.
---
New Objective Added:
Obtain a Binding Mark
Use it to weaken the Corrupted Entity
---
I rubbed my forehead slightly.
"Okay… where do I get one of those?"
The elder closed the book.
"There is one nearby."
Of course there is.
"Where?"
"Ruins," he said. "South of the forest. Older than this village. That is where the original seal was maintained."
Pip crossed his arms. "Let me guess… not exactly safe?"
"No," the elder said. "It will be guarded."
"By what?"
"Remnants."
I frowned. "That's not a real answer."
"It is the only one you will get."
I sighed.
"Alright. So step one: go to ruins. Step two: get binding mark. Step three: somehow use it on that thing without dying."
"That is correct," the elder said.
Pip looked at me. "Still want to do this?"
I didn't answer immediately.
Instead, I looked at the book again.
At the drawing of the corrupted creature.
At the smaller ones around it.
Then I thought about the village.
The people.
The tension.
If that thing spreads…
This place won't survive.
I straightened.
"Yeah," I said. "I'm doing it."
The menu flashed.
---
Quest Progress Updated
---
The elder nodded once.
"Then you must move carefully."
"When do I not?" I said.
Pip raised a brow. "You want a list?"
"Not right now."
I turned toward the door.
"South ruins, right?"
"Yes."
I stepped outside.
The sun was higher now.
Brighter.
But it didn't change how this felt.
"We're not going back into the forest yet," I said.
"Good," Pip replied. "Because that thing would destroy you right now."
"Yeah, I figured."
I adjusted my grip on the dagger.
"New target."
Pip floated beside me.
"Ruins."
I started walking.
Not toward the forest—
But around it.
Toward something older.
Something connected to all of this.
"Hey Pip," I said.
"Yeah?"
"If this works…"
I glanced back briefly toward the forest.
"Then next time… we fight it properly."
Pip didn't smile this time.
"Next time," he said, "we end it."
And for the first time—
That didn't feel impossible.