Chapter 1: The Lunch That Smiled
Bright noon sunlight poured over the fields. Wandering clouds drifted lazily across the blue sky while a slightly cold wind moved through the grass.
Valkyrie Village felt like a natural heaven on earth.
Astrid's House
The group was having a lunch that somehow felt bigger than dinner.
Don't ask what they were eating.
Ask what they weren't eating.
Fruits to vegetables.
Grains to meat.
Bread to curry.
Everything was on the table.
Strom leaned back in his chair, a satisfied grin across his face, his spoon still in hand.
Strom: "This... this is just too good. Wraith, you can't compete with this even in your dreams."
Across the table, the innocent soul was enjoying food in silence.
Then Strom involved her cooking skills and stole the peace.
Wraith: "Excuse me?"
Strom: "Your cooking is witchcraft, seriously!"
Wraith: "I was born as a princess, Strom! Cooking is something I never touched."
Wraith gently placed her spoon down before starting the war.
Wraith: "And what about your handwriting skills, huh?"
Sam immediately joined in.
Sam: "Once I tried to read his writing and accidentally summoned a devil."
Strom: "What?!"
Sam: "Go to school, bro."
Sam and Wraith exchanged a victorious handshake.
Nobody could shut Strom up except them.
Astrid continued eating peacefully. She didn't like talking while eating.
Unfortunately for her, Sam apparently did.
Sam (teasing): "So, Astrid, do you always fight, or can you actually cook something yourself?"
The room went silent for a second.
Astrid, all six feet two inches of red-haired Valkyrie muscle, slowly turned toward him with a smile that did not feel safe.
Astrid: "So, you want something cooked by me?"
Sam (panicking): "Ah! No, nothing. Just asking."
Astrid: "What about mage curry?"
Strom: "Try harder!"
Astrid: "Or little human pancake?"
Strom: "Hmm... interesting."
Astrid cracked her knuckles.
Astrid: "Or my special dish... Fried Sam."
Sam instantly raised both hands in surrender.
Sam: "I... think I suddenly lost my appetite."
Flora: "No, no. One will hurt my cuti Sam."
Astrid (raised an eyebrow): "New name unlocked. Mom's favorite guy."
Strom: "Or, more accurately, all moms' favorite kid."
Sam: "Don't be jealous of me..."
The room filled with laughter.
For a while, there was nothing strange about the day.
And that was exactly what made it feel so peaceful.
____
After lunch, Astrid led the group outside for a small tour of the village.
The village was calm. Golden wheat fields surrounded the houses, and villagers waved politely as they passed.
Astrid looked around proudly.
Astrid: "This is where I grew up. Where Valkyries learn to swing swords before they can even spell their names."
Sam: "You guys are born with weapons?"
Astrid: "Almost."
Strom looked across the peaceful village.
Strom: "You always talk about fighting, but your village is so calm."
Astrid's expression softened.
Astrid: "Someone has to stay up at night so the others can sleep peacefully."
Nobody argued with that because it explains how she is...
Wraith, however, had stopped listening and she had slowed down several steps behind them.
Not because she wasn't interested.
Something had caught her attention.
The wind moved through the wheat.
She looked toward the fields.
But nothing happened.
She waited more but...
Still nothing.
Wraith quietly moved closer to Strom.
Wraith (quietly): "Does it feel... too perfect here to you?"
Strom looked around.
Golden fields.
Blue sky.
Quiet houses.
Nothing suspicious.
Strom: "Just enjoy the vacation, babe. Chill out."
And he walked ahead.
For Strom, spending an entire day without chaos was already suspicious enough.
Wraith remained still for another moment.
Then she followed.
They soon passed a small temple.
A woman was kneeling silently in front of it, her hands clasped and her eyes closed.
She was smiling.
Not happily.
Not peacefully.
And not gently.
Just...
smiling.
Sam: "Astrid... who is that?"
Astrid (turned): "That's... old Lena."
She looked at Lena for a moment.
Something about the woman's smile made Astrid narrow her eyes.
Astrid: "Wait... why is she smiling?"
Strom: "Who are we to judge someone's happy moment?"
Astrid: "She lost her husband years ago. She hasn't laughed since."
Strom's smile disappeared.
Strom: "Sorry."
Lena slowly opened her eyes.
She stood.
Then she turned toward the group.
Her smile remained.
For one strange second, her eyes settled directly on Strom.
Strom frowned.
He didn't know her.
Lena turned away and began walking down the street.
Wraith watched her carefully.
There was something wrong.
She could feel it.
But she couldn't identify what it was.
Wraith (quietly): "There's something here."
Strom: "Something what?"
Wraith looked back toward Lena.
Wraith: "I don't know."
The group continued walking.
After a while, they decided to head back toward Astrid's house.
The village remained peaceful.
Almost too peaceful.
Wraith couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching them.
She stopped and slowly turned around.
The temple stood at the end of the street.
Empty.
Lena was gone.
Wraith stared at it for a few seconds.
Then she noticed someone standing far down another street.
An old woman. Looking directly at them with a...
Smile.
Chapter 2: Smiles at the Edge
The next morning, near the meadow, Strom quietly picked flowers.
The field was full of colourful flowers, each with different shapes and shades, swaying gently in the morning breeze.
Wraith (offended): "Five years together and not a single flower for me... but for Astrid, a whole bouquet? Huh."
Strom (grinning): "Not for Astrid. For her mom. We should thank her for this much love, don't you think?"
Sam: "Can't you stop being so damn good in front of them? Or she will marry you."
Wraith: "Not on my watch. Strom, you're marrying me or no one."
Strom: "Easy, guys! You're taking this the wrong way. She's like a female bro, nothing else."
Wraith: "Female bro?"
Sam: "Didn't get anything better to describe her?"
Strom: "So now I think you two can shut the fuck up and let me focus on Flowers quest."
Sam: "I won't let you steal my almost-girlfriend."
Strom: "Nah, man. She loves you... at least I think."
Wraith stepped closer, eyes narrowing with a dangerous smile.
Wraith: "If you or she ever get too close, I'll kill Sam."
Sam jumped back.
Sam: "Wha-WHAT?! Why me?!"
Wraith: "Because it's your fault. You were the one who wanted big mommy, and now look what's happening."
Sam stared at her.
Sam: "I regret everything."
Wraith and Sam continued their word war in the peaceful field while Strom carried on with his flower hunting.
Strom (under his breath): "Monkeys."
____
When Strom finally gathered enough flowers, they headed back toward Astrid's house.
But before they could reach it, voices echoed from deeper within the village.
A crowd had formed near the base of a steep cliff.
Villagers whispered nervously, their faces pale.
Strom pushed through the crowd, with Wraith and Sam following closely behind.
At the center was a man who had fallen from the cliff.
He was clearly dead.
But his face carried a wide, unnatural smile.
Strom said nothing.
He simply stared.
It was the same smile.
The same impossible smile they had seen on Old Lena.
Sam gave a nervous laugh that immediately died in his throat.
Sam: "Maybe... he remembered a joke while falling?"
But nobody laughed.
Not even him.
The villagers murmured prayers while others looked away and some of them just leave.
Strom kept staring at the man's face.
Strom (quietly): "Why smiling if nothing's funny?"
But nobody knows the answer.
____
Hours later, the mood had lightened slightly by the time they reached Astrid's home.
Strom presented the bouquet to Flora, holding it out with genuine warmth.
Strom: "This beautiful bouquet... for the most beautiful Valkyrie of all time."
Flora accepted the flowers with a genuine smile.
She seemed completely happy to have guests around.
Sam looked at Wraith.
Sam (annoyed): "You were right, Wraith. I should've learned witchcraft and turned him into a rat."
Wraith: "A cockroach would've been far better."
Astrid looked between them.
Astrid: "You two smell suspicious. What's going on?"
Wraith: "Nothing."
Sam: "I said your mom is beautiful."
Astrid narrowed her eyes.
Sam immediately began panicking.
Sam: "In... a... a respectful way, you know, because she's... uh... healthy?"
Astrid's eyes never left him.
Sam slowly looked away.
____
Evening:-
Strom asked Astrid to take another look at the temple.
She asked why, but Strom didn't give her a proper answer.
Strom: "Maybe it needs some godly blessings."
Astrid rolled her eyes.
By evening, the village had changed.
Dark clouds covered the sky.
Cold wind moved through the streets.
Even the sound of leaves felt uncomfortable, as though someone had stolen the beauty from nature.
Near the Temple
The atmosphere was strangely quiet.
Candles flickered against the stone walls.
Wraith suddenly froze.
Wraith (whispering): "...Do you hear that?"
Strom: "Hear what?"
Wraith: "A sound... like something cracking."
Sam: "I didn't hear anything."
Astrid: "Maybe someone's cracking their knuckles out there. Don't be so dramatic."
They moved forward.
The moment they entered the temple, everyone stopped.
At the altar, Lena was kneeling with her hands joined in prayer.
She was facing the entrance.
Her eyes were wide open.
Her head rested at an unnatural angle.
And that smile was still there.
Wide.
Silent.
Waiting.
It looked almost like she was welcoming them.
But there was nothing warm about it.
Sam stared.
Sam (uncertain): "God..."
Astrid's face changed instantly.
Astrid (shouting): "LENA! What is this?!"
Strom: "Astrid!"
Astrid moved toward her but Strom grabbed her arm.
Strom: "She isn't alive."
For a moment, nobody moved.
Lena's body suddenly tipped forward. And that was last sound before temple went...
Completely silent.
Chapter 3: Whispers at Home
After the horrific sight at the temple, the group finally decided to head back to Astrid's house.
Sam and Astrid were already ahead.
Strom walked behind them, deep in thought.
Wraith, however, was far slower. She remained at the back of the group.
Then she suddenly stopped, because something had caught her attention.
Between the trees, someone was standing in the darkness.
It was too difficult to see the face.
But the body structure...
Wraith knew it.
She tried to ignore it and continued walking, glancing toward Strom, who was already several steps ahead.
Then...
Sifen: "My little princess... why did you leave me behind?"
Wraith stopped.
For a moment, it felt like her mind had stopped working.
Her legs slowly moved toward him.
Wraith (barely audible): "Dad..."
Sifen: "Come, sweetheart... Come back to Dad."
For a moment Wraith wasn't there, she saw the father she always seek for.
No weapons.
No armour.
No blood.
And a Smile....
Wraith stopped.
Something inside her finally screamed that this wasn't right.
She turned and ran toward Strom as fast as she could.
The moment she reached him, she immediately grabbed his hand tightly.
Her eyes were wide in terror but she didn't say anything.
Strom looked back.
Nothing.
The street was completely empty.
He looked at Wraith again, and she was genuinely scared.
Still, he didn't blame her. He didn't ask what she had seen.
Strom (quietly): "I'm here."
But the words didn't do much.
Wraith's eyes never left the empty street.
Then, from somewhere behind them...
Sifen: "Curse in our bloodline."
____
Later at Astrid's house...
The group gathered around the dinner table again, not to eat, but to talk.
Sam: "Two people and one smile. It's not a coincidence."
Astrid: "There was literally no reason for Lena to smile like that."
Strom: "Smiling with a broken neck? That's unnatural."
Wraith said nothing. She remained silent, her hands shaking slightly beneath the table.
Strom noticed.
And without saying anything, he gently locked his fingers around hers.
Astrid: "Someone is behind this. I'm sure."
Sam: "But I didn't feel any magic pulse."
Strom: "And what if it's not pure magic?"
Astrid: "It's confusing."
Strom took a deep breath.
Strom: "Those people who died... they were already broken from the inside, right?"
Astrid nodded.
Astrid: "Yes... Lena lost her husband in the war years ago. And the man from the cliff... he lost his only daughter. They never talked to anyone. Always kept to themselves."
Strom: "So it's basically depression... or something else?"
Sam: "But Strom, if that's the case... why were they smiling like that?"
Nobody answered.
Wraith finally spoke.
Wraith (calm but firm): "I don't think this was normal."
Just then, Flora walked in from the kitchen carrying a tray of hot food.
Flora (light chuckle): "You're all thinking too much. This village has people who suffer, yes, but that's life. Depression and anxiety can be heavier than swords, children. Sometimes... people simply can't carry everything alone."
Wraith wanted to say something.
But she stopped.
For some reason, something about Flora's words made her uneasy.
Strom noticed.
Strom (gently but firmly): "Maybe... but something still doesn't add up. Smiles like that don't come from peace. They looked... free."
Sam: "Yeah. Free and creepy as hell."
Flora placed the food on the table and smiled softly.
Flora: "Eat and rest. Tomorrow, the world will still be here. Overthinking won't help tonight."
Everyone quietly began eating.
Then Astrid suddenly stood, her chair scraping against the floor.
Astrid (serious): "Everyone, get ready tomorrow morning. We're going somewhere. I'm done waiting for answers to come to us."
Nobody argued with that.
They all just agreed.
After the dinner, everyone went to sleep.
____
A Midnight Wake
Everyone was asleep except Wraith.
She couldn't shake the memory of that street.
Wraith (thinking): "That... feeling again. Something's here."
She quietly slipped out of bed and walked toward the main door.
As she reached it, she paused.
Strom was already there, standing near the door frame.
Like he already knows she'd come.
Wraith (whispering): "It's midnight, Strom. Go get some sleep."
He didn't turn around.
Strom (firm): "What you saw on the street, Wraith."
Wraith didn't want to talk about it. So, she lied.
Wraith: "Nothing. Just some rats."
Strom slowly forwarded his hand into the faint moonlight.
The pale light revealed several dark red marks wrapped around his palm and fingers.
He looked at them for a moment.
Wraith stared.
She suddenly remembered how tightly she had grabbed his hand earlier.
She hadn't even realized it.
Strom: "Now... tell me what you saw."
There was no point hiding it anymore.
Wraith (quietly): "I saw him... my dad."
Strom: "Sifen. And he was smiling, right?"
Wraith: "Yes. But how do you know? Did you see him too?"
Strom: "Two people died smiling. You saw your dead father. And Lena was smiling while looking directly at me."
He lowered his voice.
Strom: "There is someone or something behind this."
Wraith: "I'm having an uneasy feeling now. Even in this house... it feels like someone is different."
Strom: "Really? Who?"
Before Wraith could answer, Astrid came out of her room.
Astrid (groggy): "Why are you two not sleeping? It's literally three in the morning..."
Strom finally turned, sighing like he'd been caught sneaking candy as a kid.
Strom: "Yeah... yeah. Almost going to."
Astrid grabbed Wraith's wrist.
Astrid: "You're using my pillow. So I need someone to sleep while holding."
She dragged Wraith away.
But Strom stood near the window for several seconds.
Then, finally, he went to sleep.
Next day___
The next morning, the group walked down a winding forest path.
The trees blocked most of the sunlight, giving the journey an eerie stillness.
Sam (grumbling): "Hey, Valkyrie... can you please tell us where we're going?"
Astrid (snapping): "You dumb mage! Why do you ask so many questions? Look at Strom. Silent and focused."
She glanced at him again.
Astrid: "God really created something insane."
Wraith immediately broke her admiration.
Wraith: "Oh, you're wrong, Astrid. He's not quiet because he's noble. He's deep in thought. He hasn't even been listening to us."
Wraith stepped forward.
Wraith: "Strom!"
No response.
Wraith looked back at them.
Wraith: "See? What did I say?"
Sam waved a hand in front of Strom's face.
Sam: "Hey, Mr. Noble as fuck, are you here?"
Strom (snapping back awkwardly): "Ah... yes. Yes, I'm listening. Totally."
Astrid (grinning): "You're even cute when you're tense."
Wraith immediately shot Sam a deadly side-eye.
Sam awkwardly adjusted his collar and looked away, whistling nervously.
Finally, Strom asked the question everyone had been waiting for.
Strom: "So... where exactly are we going?"
Astrid: "I think this is all because of black magic. And I know who's behind it."
Wraith: "Someone you know?"
Astrid (grimly): "Yes... the Black Witch."
She pointed toward the distant swamp forest.
Astrid: "She used to live near here, drinking bone soup and carrying that creepy black cat everywhere. If anyone's doing this, it's her..."
Astrid took a breath.
Astrid: "But the question is why? Because she hasn't been seen for six years."
Sam: "Six years? She might be dead by now."
Astrid (dead serious): "She was twenty-four when she left the place near the village. She's thirty by now."
Sam: "Oh!"
Astrid: "And with bone soup, I don't think we're going to see a scary witch."
Wraith: "What does that even mean?"
Astrid: "She's hot as hell."
Strom: "God is really cooking at this point."
After some more walking, the trees finally began to thin.
A crooked wooden house appeared in the distance, half-swallowed by vines and shadows.
A shattered window clung to its frame.
Dead plants sat abandoned in old pots.
Sam (whispering): "...This is friendly."
But as they approached the door, the air changed.
There was a strange rotten smell.
Astrid pushed the door open, blade raised.
Inside, the air was thick and stale.
Dust floated through narrow beams of sunlight that slipped between the broken wooden planks.
And there...
On the center table sat the Black Witch.
Dead.
She was still holding an old book.
Her face was turned toward the entrance, frozen with that same unnatural smile.
Even death hadn't erased it.
Sam (disgusted): "Oh fuck! Not again."
Wraith: "How is this even possible?"
Astrid: "If she's dead... then who's doing this?"
Strom: "Now what clue do we have?"
Sam carefully took the old book from the table.
Sam: "We have her books!"
The whole group stared at him like he had just volunteered to die here.
Sam: "For education purposes only."
Apparently, though, he wasn't completely wrong.
Sam gathered every book that looked useful.
Then they left the house.
As they walked back from the witch's home, Strom's mind suddenly returned to something from earlier.
Flora's face.
That smile.
It had seemed just a little too wide when she waved goodbye.
At the time, he had brushed it off as kindness.
But now...
After seeing all those unnatural smiles...
Something about it felt familiar.
Strom (whispering to shouting): "No... NO! Not her!"
And for the first time, Strom wasn't thinking about the mystery.
Chapter 4: It Knows...
Strom didn't explain. He just bolted at full speed, his boots barely touching the ground.
Wraith quickly realized what Strom might have been thinking.
Astrid: "My mom?"
Wraith: "I think so."
Sam didn't say anything. He simply didn't know what to say at this point.
Strom ignored everything around him even the crowd of villagers and rushed toward the house, pushing the door open with full force.
But Flora wasn't inside...
Then he heard the noise coming from the village square.
People were already gathering there, pointing upward.
Strom's eyes locked onto the figure standing at the top of the bell tower.
Flora.
Her stance was loose and unnatural, and her mouth curved into that same wide smile.
Strom: "No... no, no... please, no."
Astrid was already at the top of the bell tower, her heart racing and her face pale.
Astrid (panicking): "Mom! What are you doing?! Come back!"
Flora: "Goodbye, sweetheart!"
She jumped over the tower.
Astrid (screaming): "NOOOOOOO!"
But before Flora could hit the ground, Strom caught her in time. The impact nearly sent both of them down, but Strom managed to hold on.
Nothing major happened.
Flora was there, unconscious in his arms, but the smile wasn't...
Strom (in his mind): Why aren't you smiling?
_____
Hours later, Flora lay on a bed, still pale but alive. Everyone was there.
The moment she opened her eyes, Astrid snapped in anger.
Astrid (screaming): "MOM! WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?! WHO TOLD YOU TO DO THAT?!"
Strom (cutting her off): "SHUT UP!"
The room froze. Even Sam and Wraith stiffened.
Astrid stared at Strom, her eyes wide and unsure how to react.
Strom knew one thing.
Forcing Flora to explain wouldn't help. She needed someone to listen.
Strom kneeled beside Flora and gently held her hands.
Strom (softly): "Don't panic, okay? Just tell us what you saw."
Flora's lip trembled as tears streamed down her cheeks.
With one trembling finger, she pointed toward a painting.
The painting of the strongest Valkyrie knight of all time.
Bruce.
Flora (broken voice): "I... I saw him... I saw my Bruce... my love."
Strom: "Then what happened after that?"
She started crying as the memory came back to her.
Flora (sobbing): "A... a dark shadow took him away from me... He brought a ring for me, and then everything turned dark... a void."
Strom: "And?"
Flora: "I don't know... then I... I saw nothing."
Astrid covered her mouth, trying to hold back her tears.
She knew how her father died.
Protecting the village from demons...
_____
Later that evening, when everyone was finally fine on the surface, Strom stepped outside.
Sam was already there, turning through the pages of the witch's book, but he still hadn't found anything useful.
Strom (low): "Sam."
Sam: "Hm?"
Strom: "I need your help."
Sam: "With what?"
Strom: "You know we can't stop it without knowing what it is."
Sam: "But how?"
Strom: "The old village. Its library might be useful."
Sam: "You know that village will try to kill you the moment they see your face."
Strom: "I don't care. Just tell me if you're in."
Sam: "Why not?"
And with that evening shattered like broken glass.
The sun drifted toward the horizon, and...
The moon refused to rise.
Strom and Sam reached the old village, the place where Sam lived.
The place where nobody believed Strom was human.
Everyone thought he was a monster, an evil soul meant to kill.
That's why Strom kept his face fully covered with his robe. He didn't want to be recognized.
Strom (low): "Hope they don't notice me."
Sam: "Pray they don't."
Moments later, they finally reached the Slayer Tower.
A dark stone structure pierced the sky. Inside, dust and cobwebs filled every corner, while broken lanterns swayed in the faint wind.
Strom: "Sam, do you literally have a key?"
Sam: "No, but I have a spell. Just give me five minutes."
Before Sam could even start chanting, Strom's grip broke the padlock into pieces.
Strom: "Let's go."
Sam: "Then why ask for the key?"
They climbed the spiral stairs and entered the ancient library, rows of forgotten tomes looming over them.
Night had already swallowed the horizon, so Sam muttered a spell in Latin. A faint light glowed from his staff, illuminating the shelves.
Strom: "Search."
Chapter 5: When He Plays...
The old, empty library was filled with dim lights and the sound of pages turning.
Apparently, finding something about something they didn't even know in an ocean of books... was very hard.
The only clue was:
"Dying with a big smile."
Because someone ending their life doesn't laugh or smirk... so why?
Scrolls.
Books.
Notes.
Posters.
Articles.
Everything was there, but nothing caught their attention enough to satisfy them.
Then Strom found one note about black magic with the title of.
"Soul replaced but body working."
For a moment, something about it felt off.
But Strom ignored it. It was something they couldn't understand yet, and they still weren't finding what they were looking for.
Sam: "Once I get that bitch, I'll kick his ass."
Strom: "We don't even know who to suspect."
Sam: "But when we'll find him... it'll be his last moment."
Strom's eyes caught something behind them.
Dark smoke was slowly forming.
He could see it because of the mirror in front of them.
Sam and Strom both turned back.
But...
There was no one.
The moment they turned toward the mirror again, he was there.
Standing still and silent.
Tall.
Thin.
His limbs were unnaturally elongated.
His head tilted too far to the side, and his mouth was stretched into a wide smile filled with jagged, needle-like teeth.
Parts of his body looked burned and unnatural, with pale bones visible beneath.
His eyes were hollow, pure black, as if there was nothing inside.
And that smile...
Along with the sound of his laughter.
A slow, painful laugh that sounded like old wood cracking.
He wasn't frightened because of his appearance alone.
It was his presence.
That made the air feel like it was choking them.
Strom lowered his eyes, avoiding direct eye contact because he knew this thing fed on fear.
But Sam wasn't thinking the same way.
For him, emotions were much bigger than logic itself.
He remembered all those cries.
All those smiles.
All those deaths.
Sam: "Can't even afford a full body and come to scare us?"
Strom (confused): "Sam, what are you doing?"
Sam (low): "Showing him his place... where he belongs."
Sam (out loud): "Oi, stupid! I don't fear you."
For a brief second, the smile on his face disappeared.
As if Sam's words actually meant something.
Then the smile came back.
Again.
???: "But I know someone who does..."
And suddenly, he disappeared from the room like he had never ever existed.
Sam: "See? He runs away."
Strom: "But where did he go?"
Sam: "I don't know."
Strom (quietly): "'But I know someone who does!' He said it like he was accepting a challenge."
Sam: "A challenge?"
And suddenly, before Strom could speak again...
Sam: "Oh no!"
Strom: "What happened?"
Sam: "My mother must be alone."
____
Late-night streets...
They were empty, but not silent.
The sound of sprinting was enough to make the whole town noisy.
They both ran like there was no tomorrow.
Strom and Sam.
Two people.
One street.
And one destination.
They burst into Sam's home, kicking the door to force it wide open.
Inside, the house was really dark.
Except there was only one burning lantern.
And someone holding it in the middle of darkness...
Sam's mother.
Drati.
Her head was lowered, one hand gripping the lantern while the other remained behind her back.
Like she was hiding something.
Sam: "Mom?"
When she lifted her head...
There was a big smile on her face.
Something that didn't feel normal.
Sam (breaking): "No... no, please. Don't do it."
Drati slowly brought her hidden hand into the lantern's light.
Sam froze when he saw what she was holding.
A big kitchen knife...
Sam: "Mom, put it back. It's not for playing."
Drati finally spoke, but her voice didn't sound like hers, but sounded like someone else was speaking through her.
Drati: "You know how Astrid must have felt at that time?"
Sam's face went pale.
Sam: "Wait... please. Not her."
Drati: "Now you are fearing, right?"
Sam took a few careful steps forward.
Drati: "Ah... don't come near, or she won't walk again."
The knife comes dangerously close against her wrist.
Sam: "Please... leave her."
Drati: "Should I give her a permanent smile with a knife?"
Sam (crying): "Please, no."
But during all of this, the entity didn't realize that Strom had already reached Drati.
He suddenly leapt forward, trying to snatch the knife off.
In the struggle, Strom was badly cut across his forearm.
Strom: "Ah!"
Drati pushed Storm away with unnatural force and he fell to the floor.
After that she rushed toward the window and tried to escape, breaking the window by head slamming.
Sam immediately cast a spell, stopping her in place.
The moment she was caught, dark smoke left her body and flew through the broken window.
And with that, silence returned.
A silence that felt like it was waiting to bite.
____
After several moments, Sam finally cast a spell to wake his mother.
Everything was already normal, as if nothing had ever happened.
Strom even wiped Sam's tears so no one would suspect anything.
Drati opened her eyes, clutching her head because of the pain.
Sam: "Mom, are you alright?"
Drati: "Ye... yeah."
She looked around.
Only Sam was there and everything seemed cleared.
Strom was outside the door because showing his face to anyone in this village was a bad decision...
Even her.
They might have cleaned everything, but two things still remained.
The broken window.
And Strom's blood on the floor.
Drati carefully looked at Sam and there were no wounds on him.
Even she only had small scratches.
Nothing that could explain that much blood.
Drati (quietly): "Where is Strom?"
Suddenly, Sam's face turned pale, because he never thought that question would come from her.
Sam couldn't tell the truth, so he chose the lie he had been saying for years to protect Strom.
Sam: "Mom! He died years ago... You remember? He jumped from the cliff."
Drati: "He's injured, Sam! Call him inside. He needs help."
Sam: "Mom, dead people can't be injured."
Drati: "I'm not a fool. Call him inside."
Sam takes a deep breath then shouts.
Sam: "Strom! She knows. Come in."
But no reply came.
Strom simply couldn't find enough courage to meet her eyes.
So he decided to run away.
The sound of sprinting followed by dried leaf crunching and stick breaking confirmed what he did.
Sam: "I'm sorry for his behaviour."
Drati: "It's not his fault... It's ours."
After that, Sam decided to walk back to the library with Drati.
Maybe Strom went there.
As they were walking, Sam's eyes caught something strange on the balcony of a house, it was too dark to see properly.
He went closer to take a look.
It was a person.
A hanging corpse...
With that same smile.
That was the moment Sam realized something that broke his confidence even more.
If he really wanted then Drati wouldn't have survived until they arrived.
He had waited for them.
_____
When Sam finally reached the library with his mother, he saw Strom was already there.
His face was fully covered, and he was searching through the books again.
Drati: "Strom!"
Strom (immediately lying): "Who? I'm Sam's old friend. My name is... ahm... ah..."
He failed within seconds.
He had built this plan to keep himself hidden but had forgotten to think of a fake name.
Sam (firm): "She knows you, stupid. Now don't hide."
But Strom did the opposite.
He hid behind the bookshelf and continued the research.
Sam: "Mom, have a seat. We have some work to do."
And they started the mission "find anything useful"... again.
Strom was clearly trying to avoid any conversation or eye contact.
Because for him, killing a dragon was way easier than explaining emotions.
Everything was silent.
The clues simply refused to cooperate, and time was moving slowly...
Very slowly.
Either the night had become way longer, or the Earth had stopped rotating.
Suddenly, Drati's eyes caught Strom's arm.
That deep cut was still there.
Blood was still dripping from it.
And he was still busy reading...
Like pain never existed.
Suddenly, a memory came back.
Something that had been hate at that time but now it's guilt.
Years ago, when Sam had first brought Strom to his house, Strom had stood outside the door.
Still just a child.
Drati had looked at him through the doorway.
She had seen the monster everyone had told her he was.
Drati: "Go away!"
The door had slammed shut in his face.
It was the first and last meeting between them...
And that's what she had done to him.
Suddenly, she started crying silently.
Because even with all the hate from this village, Strom had never hurt anyone.
He just kept moving forward...
Until hate was all he remembered from this place.
Strom glanced toward her.
Tears were running down her face.
Again.
He walked over, crouched beside her, and gently wiped the tears from her cheek.
He didn't ask what was wrong.
He simply gave her a small nod and returned to the books.
Then Drati finally spoke.
Drati (quietly): "Strom... I'm sorry."
Strom stopped.
He already knew what she meant.
Drati: "Please forgive me."
After a brief moment of silence.
Then he gently wiped another tear from her face.
Strom: "Don't cry. I'm not angry, okay?"
Drati: "But... I... I treat you badly."
Strom: "Any act by a mother is called a blessing."
He gave her a small smile.
Strom: "I'm fine. And I'm not angry."
But Strom's words never brought satisfaction.
She knew he didn't hate her...
But the memory was real.
____
Later, after hours of frustration, Sam decided to bring everything to Astrid's house.
That might help.
All the notes, scrolls, and books.
After hours of walking with a mountain of pages, they finally reached Valkyrie Village and Astrid's house.
Wraith opened the door and paused for a second.
Two familiar figures stood behind the mountain of books.
And someone she didn't know.
Sam: "She is my mother."
Wraith (awkwardly): "Okay... come in."
Then her eyes caught the dried blood and deep wound on Strom's forearm.
Strom didn't say anything. He simply rolled his eyes up.
And somehow, that was enough for her to understand exactly what he was saying.
"Daily dose of random bullshit."
They started walking inside silently.
Then Suddenly...
Wraith (scared): "WHY ARE YOU SMILING?!"
Chapter 6: Who Is He?
Her screaming confused everyone...
But Wraith's face was already pale. She was so terrified that she wasn't even listening to anyone.
She just kept screaming:
"WHY ARE YOU SMILING?!"
But when Sam, Strom, and everyone else looked at Drati...
But smile?
It was far away from her.
Her face carried nothing but sadness.
But Wraith kept screaming again and again.
Wraith: "DON'T SMILE!"
And just before anything else could happen...
Sam: "Sleep!"
His spell instantly put Wraith into a light sleep.
Sam immediately dropped the books and caught Wraith before she could hit the ground.
Sam: "Oh God... What is happening to us..."
____
Moments later, when she finally woke up, everyone was already back at work.
The mission was still the same:
"Find anything useful."
They were all busy reading and searching through the books. If anyone found something important, they were supposed to note it down.
Wraith (confused): "What happened?"
Sam: "Nothing. You just fell asleep while reading, I think. Now let's get back to work, princess."
Sam handled it casually without turning her sudden behaviour into a dramatic argument.
He knew Wraith would never normally do something like that.
And since a dark power was already behind everything...
Blaming someone would be like adding wood to a burning house.
Wraith sat on the floor again and started searching for things she could understand easily.
Apparently, only Sam could handle the most complicated languages.
Well... not all of them, but definitely far more than the others.
Strom: "His manipulation is black magic or dark magic?"
Sam: "Both are almost the same concept. Just remember, only demonic beings can cast dark magic. Others usually cast black magic."
Strom: "Okay."
Strom wasn't trying to find information about the entity itself.
He wanted to understand how its powers worked.
He still remembered that small note with the title:
"Soul replaced but body working."
And apparently...
He found a book with the exact same title.
It was a small concept book.
Theories, assumptions, cautions, and strange ideas all mixed together.
The writing inside was incredibly complicated.
Sometimes it claimed something and three pages later...
It would say that the same thing wasn't even possible.
It wasn't even a properly written book.
But it felt more like someone had written a diary.
Or someone documenting their own research...
Strom (under his breath): "Who the hell wrote this shit?"
He checked the author's name.
And there it was...
Jason.
Strom (quietly): "Maybe I need more books from him to understand."
And he immediately started searching for more books written by Jason.
Even if Jason's notes barely made sense, they matched exactly what Strom wanted to understand.
He still remembered that Flora hadn't been smiling when Strom caught her.
So the influence on her wasn't permanent.
And that was something he couldn't ignore.
Meanwhile, Sam was completely focused on finding the entity itself.
His goal was simple...
But the conditions were really demanding.
* The entity must be dark and humanoid.
* It must be capable of manipulation or control.
* It must be able to force someone into making an irreversible decision.
And most importantly...
* It must involve a big smile.
Even if everything else matched but the last condition didn't...
Sam immediately moved on without reading further.
Because he knew this entity had a signature move...
Smiling.
Sam rapidly flipped through pages.
Then...
He found something that matched every description.
The Death Stalker...
Something about the name felt unusual.
So Sam decided to read about him.
Meanwhile, Wraith was reading about the abilities of different dark entities.
There were many of them... So many.
Different types.
Different levels.
Different abilities.
And she was skipping most of them.
Wraith: "Crimson Witch? Skip."
Wraith: "Morvexa? Skip."
Wraith: "Demon Lord? Skip."
Wraith: "The Death Stalker? Skip."
Sam suddenly looked up.
Sam: "Wait. Did you say Death Stalker?"
Wraith: "Yeah."
She turned the book toward Sam.
His eyes widened for a second.
Sam: "Yes... It's him!"
Only Sam and Strom had actually seen the entity before.
But the picture in Wraith's book matched him perfectly.
Burned skin.
Visible bones.
Abnormal height.
Sharp teeth.
A wide smile.
And hollow eyes...
Sam: "It's really him."
Wraith: "Okay... let me read it then."
The ability of the Death Stalker...
* He could teleport in a certain distance, not a big distance but teleportation speed is inhuman...
* He could read minds and create fake visions based on them.
And that's how his manipulation worked.
Wraith slowly lowered her eyes.
Wraith (quietly): "That's why Dad was smiling..."
The Death Stalker read grief.
And the things people desperately wished for...
Then used them as weapons.
For Flora, he created Bruce holding a ring.
Nothing huge.
But Bruce had been a great knight.
Because of his duty, he had never gotten enough time to spend with his own family.
For Wraith, the Death Stalker created a version of Sifen who was far away from war...
Far away from weapons...
Far away from blood.
Someone who knew how to smile.
But...
Wraith knew her father would never smile like that.
Meanwhile Astrid was busy reading anything she could understand easily.
She didn't understand much about complicated magic, so she chose a book about dark powers.
And where they came from.
And how they were released...
And apparently...
She found something interesting.
The origin of a dark energy was connected to a small village.
River-Bone Village.
She wouldn't have paid attention to it if the description hadn't matched Sam's information.
A small village situated between a thin forest.
Located near the Blue River.
It was more like a tribal settlement.
Undeveloped and isolated.
The only major territory near that small village was...
Northern Lands.
Astrid (under her breath): "Where the hell are the Northern Lands?"
She stood up and walked toward the territory map board inside her house.
The Valkyrie Territory maps didn't even show that name.
She scratched her head as if that would somehow solve the problem.
And because Astrid's patience usually lasted approximately three seconds...
It didn't take long before she lost it.
She kicked the nearby table and shouted in frustration.
Astrid: "WHERE THE HELL ARE THE NORTHERN LANDS?!"
The moment she said that, Flora looked at her with genuine disappointment.
Flora (🤦♀️): "Told you to read history."
Astrid (face red): "What does that even mean?"
Flora: "Where do you live Astrid?"
Astrid: "In the Valkyrie Territory."
Flora: "And what's its ancient name?"
Astrid: "How would I know? I don't like history."
Flora: "Northern Lands, dumbo."
Astrid froze.
Astrid (surprised): "Wait... really? Northern Lands is our territory?"
Flora: "Modern and ancient names."
And that's how Astrid discovered the ancient name of her own territory three seconds ago.
After that, she didn't argue and immediately went out to search for an ancient map of the Northern Lands.
Hoping it might show the location of River-Bone Village.
Meanwhile...
Strom was still searching.
He found more information about the author himself.
No one knew where Jason originally came from.
Everyone said he lived in a small village.
A tribal village.
Strom: "That guy must have some serious social problems... Why the hell did he need an unknown village so far from his actual life?"
Since everyone was reading...
That also included Flora and Drati.
Flora found information about the limitations of the Death Stalker.
Not exactly what he couldn't do...
But more about what he was capable of.
The Death Stalker fed on grief.
Depression.
Anxiety.
Sadness.
Unresolved trauma.
Anything that had stolen someone's smile...
Could become his fuel for manipulation.
He always targeted people suffering from something.
But there was no explanation for why.
Then Flora found something else.
Something that made him even more terrifying.
"Anything that originated from Earth can't kill him."
Flora: "WTF."
Even Drati found something
Small...
But crucial.
The Death Stalker had once been an uncontrollable power that killed people blindly.
Nothing worked to stop him.
And after the real massacre...
After he had killed so many people that counting them felt impossible...
A wizard had finally managed to seal him.
Barely...
The incident had happened centuries ago.
The Death Stalker was an ancient entity.
And all the books written about him had been created after his capture.
Most of the information was based on what that wizard had told others.
The wizard was an ancestor of the Black Witch from the Dark Swamp Forest.
____
Astrid was finally returning from the library of the Valkyrie Territory...
Or, as she had now learned...
The Northern Lands.
On her way back, she suddenly found her old companion.
Eira.
Eira: "So, Astrid... you're planning to go to River-Bone?"
Astrid (confident): "Yes. And I'll stop this smiling-people-dying nonsense."
Eira: "Good! You can take my wagon if you want. But remember, it only has space for four people, not six."
Astrid: "Don't worry, we'll manage. The moms will stay at home."
Eira: "Okay. Just take the wagon if you must, because I'll be sleeping in my room."
Astrid: "Thanks."
Eira: "Okay, I gotta go."
Astrid: "Good night, bitch."
Eira: "Same to you."
They both continued in different directions.
Eira waved goodbye with a smile.
Was it just a small smile.
Or something else... ?
No one could tell.
The night outside was too dark for allowing it.
Astrid (low): "Damn... it's freaking me out seeing someone smile."
And after that...
She finally returned home.
Everyone was matching what they had found.
One by one, they connected their pieces.
Sam: "Everything connects back to The Death Stalker... This might be the one we're facing."
Astrid: "I got the map. We can go to that village and find more clues."
Sam: "But Astrid! It's way too far to walk."
Astrid: "Don't worry. We'll take my friend's wagon."
Strom: "That's a good idea. We could figure things out in less time."
Astrid: "But it only has space for four of us. So I'm planning that we leave the moms here."
Everyone paused for a moment.
Because leaving someone behind...
Here...
Alone...
Didn't feel right.
Wraith: "That's not a good idea Astrid!"
Astrid: "Come on. It'll be quick."
Sam: "I don't like the plan... but we don't have any better options. Let's do it."
The four of them were important, but leaving Flora and Drati behind still felt wrong.
Astrid was important because no one else could properly handle the wagon.
Without Wraith, they would never know if something unnatural was nearby.
Without Strom, who would lead them in mission?
And without Sam, who would handle curses and magic?
So...
They were the ones going.
And that's how they prepared to move forward.
Because sitting and praying didn't really work here.
You couldn't hope for the best...
If you never tried.
____
The inside of the house was almost empty.
Only two women remained.
Drati sat silently in a corner, staring toward the horizon.
Something was eating her from the inside.
Flora quietly placed a cup of tea beside her.
Flora: "Something is bothering you?"
Drati: "No... nothing."
Flora: "If you want, you can share it with me. Talking makes the heart feel lighter."
Drati (quietly): "Promise me you won't tell anyone."
Flora: "Okay. I promise."
Drati: "Just one question... What did you see?"
Flora: "See what?"
Drati: "He attacked you, right? Didn't you see an illusion?"
Flora hesitated.
Flora: "Oh... that. Ah... That was..."
For a moment, she didn't know whether she wanted to say it or not.
Then she finally let it out.
Flora: "Yeah. I saw my dead husband... He bought a ring for me and then... everything faded."
Drati: "I saw my child... My eldest child."
Flora: "You saw Sam dying?"
Drati slowly shook her head.
Drati: "My first child... My first daughter."
Flora remained silent.
Drati: "She died during a demon invasion in our village."
Flora: "I'm... I'm sorry."
Drati: "I thought I buried that pain years ago... But today..."
She lowered her eyes.
Drati: "He showed me what I lost."
Flora: "What did you really see?"
Drati: "She was three when I lost her..."
Her voice began to shake.
Drati: "And today... I saw her growing up with me."
Drati: "I saw her reaching the age she never reached..."
Flora: "A future that never happened...?"
Drati: "Yes... and..."
She started sobbing.
Drati: "It was beautiful..."
Her voice broke.
Drati: "That was something I always wished for... But it never happened."
Flora: "Does Sam know about this?"
Drati: "No... He doesn't."
Flora pulled her into a tight hug.
Because at that moment...
It was all she could do for her.
Flora: "Don't worry... You're not alone."
Meanwhile, outside the house...
Strom was still there.
Sam and Wraith were packing all notes in the correct order.
Astrid had gone to get the wagon.
And Strom was guarding the house...
But accidentally he heard something that made his heart feel heavy.
Strom (low): "You should have stayed away from them..."
He raised his hand.
And moments later...
His spear and one blue blade came flying toward him.
He caught the spear.
Then shoved the blue blade near the wall.
A mark...
Or something like it.
Moments later, Sam and Wraith finally came outside with all the notes prepared and stacked properly.
Just then, Astrid also arrived.
Astrid: "Let's go get him!"
Strom: "Why not."
And with that...
All four of them went toward the hidden village.
Into the dark night...
When even the wind refused to move.
They didn't wait.
Chapter 7: The Truth Behind...
Night was alive.
The wheels finally stopped when they reached the location marked on Astrid's map.
But what stood before them wasn't something they had expected. Or maybe they simply hadn't thought logically before coming.
Old cobblestone houses barely stood upright. Ruins were everywhere.
Nature had swallowed the paths centuries ago, with green leaves and vines covering almost everything, wrapping themselves around the remains of what had once been a village.
Everything...
Astrid: "What?"
Sam (calm): "What did you expect from a village abandoned centuries ago?"
Strom: "What can we possibly find here?"
Wraith: "..."
Sam: "Let's at least take a look. Maybe we'll find something. Who knows?"
They spread out in different directions, although none of them truly expected to find any major evidence.
Astrid (under her breath): "That dark power originated from this tribe... But how?"
Meanwhile, near the remains of the old structures, Sam was carefully testing the area.
Something had been bothering him since they entered the jungle. Something was interfering with his magic, breaking through it from the inside.
Half an hour later, they all met again with absolutely nothing in their hands.
Strom: "I think coming here was a waste of time."
Wraith: "Let's go back then."
Astrid: "I literally read that freaking dark powers were released from here. Are the books fake?"
Strom: "Jason was living in a tribal village before he disappeared... So this village is cursed maybe?"
Sam: "Might be... Actually, I'm feeling a little uneasy here."
They all looked toward Sam.
And now that they noticed him properly, he looked different. His face had become pale, while his eyes were slowly turning red.
Astrid: "We should head back home."
They all agreed and began walking away.
But then Sam stopped as he remembered something...
Sam: "The Death Stalker came from a cave..."
Everyone froze and Strom turned around.
Strom: "What?"
Sam: "Someone saw him walking out of a cave. And after that... the murders began."
Strom: "That book mentioned a cave once."
Astrid: "I also read about a cave. A small cave... but extremely dark."
Wraith: "I saw one nearby."
Everyone turned toward her.
Wraith: "To the west."
None of them thought twice. They followed Wraith toward the dark cave.
_____
Outside the cave, darkness was all they could see. Vines covered almost everything, swallowing the entrance.
Strom: "This one?"
Sam stared into the darkness.
Sam: "I'm not feeling good about this cave... And that's exactly why we should go inside."
Astrid: "Are you mad?"
Wraith: "Wait... He's right. Checking and regretting it is better than never checking at all."
And with that, they stepped inside.
After only a short distance, nothing could be seen.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Even the air felt unwilling to enter.
A strange smell filled the cave, a smell that screamed danger.
And beneath their feet...
The ground didn't feel like ordinary stone anymore.
Sam raised his hand.
Sam: "Mana Lantern."
A glowing sphere appeared above them, slowly pushing back the darkness.
And then the cave revealed what it truly was.
Blood stains were everywhere!!!
It felt as if the stone walls themselves were bleeding.
Bones covered parts of the ground, fragments and pieces belonging to creatures they couldn't immediately identify.
Strom (shocked): "What is this place?"
No one answered, because no one could believe what they were seeing.
Sam: "So... this is what was hiding behind the darkness."
There were strange things scattered throughout the cave. Most of them made no sense to anyone, but some of them...
Made sense to Strom.
A cracked stone was covered in strange marks, as if something had been slammed against it repeatedly.
The blood around it was thicker than anywhere else, while small fragments of bone covered the ground nearby.
A sentence from Jason's book suddenly returned to Strom's mind.
"Dying on a cracked stone..."
Strom's eyes widened because other things started making sense too.
Strom: "So this is the village where he lived?"
Wraith: "Who?"
Strom: "Jason. The author who wrote that concept book, Soul Replaced but Body Working."
Sam: "What was written inside?"
Strom: "Nothing useful, in my opinion. It's full of unanswered questions and random theories. It doesn't even feel like a book."
Sam: "Strom... What did you read?"
His voice wasn't calm anymore. It sounded like Sam already knew something and desperately wanted confirmation.
Strom: "The author was searching for something. He came to live here to continue his research, that's all"
Astrid: "The book I read said someone in this village was performing forbidden dark spells... and playing with blood."
Sam slowly looked around the cave.
Sam: "I think we're all talking about the same person..."
Wraith: "So you're saying Jason is connected to this entity?"
Sam: "Astrid... How did that dark energy spread?"
Astrid thought for a moment.
Astrid: "The villagers burned someone here. And after that night... everything terrible began."
Strom: "I found traces of burned wood outside."
Sam: "After centuries?"
Strom: "Not clearly. But I know what burned wood looks like."
Sam: "Centuries are more than enough to erase it completely, Strom."
Strom: "Yeah... But what I saw was a burned plank. And strangely... there were no termites."
Sam (narrowed his eyes): "Some kind of curse?"
Strom: "I don't know."
Sam looked deeper into the cave.
Sam: "Search this place. There is something we're missing."
And they did exactly that.
For Astrid, everything was strange.
Wraith wandered near the walls, one hand slowly touching the stone. Blood-covered dust stuck to her fingers, but suddenly her expression changed.
Like now she knows something...
Wraith: "They were all killed here... Except one."
Strom: "Who?"
Wraith: "I don't know. But only one of them ended himself here."
They continued searching.
For Strom, even more things were beginning to make sense. Jason's book.
The cracked stone.
The blood-covered walls.
Ancient spells written on bones.
And then...
A carved statue.
A forgotten Demonic Knight.
Yhustle.
Only the wall behind that statue wasn't covered in blood. Instead, it was carved with bones.
Sam stared at it. The more Strom spoke about Jason's book, the more suspicious everything became.
Sam knew this was the cave the Death Stalker had supposedly come from, and now Jason's research was connecting directly to this place.
Strom continued searching through the walls, looking for another spell, another clue, anything.
Then his eyes caught something.
Something impossible because words were written on the wall.
In blood.
And somehow...
The blood looked wet.
As if it had been written only moments ago.
Strom slowly stepped closer.
"YOU DON'T FEAR DEATH..."
His eyes moved across the wall.
"YOU FEAR THE DEATH OF THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE..."
Strom immediately turned around, checking if Sam was somehow trolling him.
But Sam was genuinely busy in searching.
Strom slowly turned back.
But the words had changed.
"ANSWER ME."
Strom (low): "Y... yeah?"
The words slowly faded.
Then another sentence appeared.
"THAT WIZARD ISN'T DEAD."
Strom's eyes widened.
Strom: "What?!"
Wraith immediately turned toward him.
Wraith: "Strom! Did you say something?"
Strom instantly stepped back.
Strom: "Ah! No. Nothing."
Everyone eventually returned to their search, but when Strom looked back at the wall, there was nothing.
No words.
No blood.
Nothing.
Strom (low): "Fuck... Come back."
But nothing returned.
Even after hours of searching, they found nothing else major.
Astrid finally lost her patience.
Astrid (angry): "I'm done. There is nothing here."
Wraith: "All I found is that this blood belongs to more than one type of creature."
Sam: "You mean—"
Wraith (before he could finish): "Humans. Animals. Birds. Beasts. Demons. More than one."
Sam stared at the blood-covered cave.
Sam: "Someone was burned here... After that The Death Stalker came out of this cave..."
He remembered the creature's appearance.
Sam: "And even that entity has burned skin."
Astrid slowly looked toward him.
Astrid: "So that same person became a living demonic power?"
Sam: "Maybe... Something like that."
Then Strom suddenly froze.
Strom: "Wait... I think I understand now."
Wraith: "What?"
Strom slowly looked around the cave.
Strom: "Jason and the Death Stalker aren't connected."
He looked directly at Sam.
Strom: "They're the same person."
Sam: "How can you say that with confidence?"
Strom stepped forward.
Strom: "Someone was burned in this village, and the Death Stalker looks half-burned. This cave is filled with things related to dark magic, not black magic."
Then he pointed toward the only wall untouched by blood.
The wall with Yhustle's statue.
Strom: "Jason didn't come to this village because he wanted peace to continue his research. He was doing these things here... practically. "
Silence filled the cave.
Strom: "A tribal village wouldn't understand what he was doing. And nobody would come looking for him."
Sam's eyes widened as everything started connecting.
Sam: "Wait... When the villagers finally discovered what he was doing..."
Astrid: "They burned him alive."
Wraith: "And somehow... he survived the flames."
Sam: "Jason entered this cave..."
Everyone went silent.
Sam: "And what came out... was The Death Stalker."
And suddenly...
Everything connected.
Every strange detail.
Every useless clue.
Every unanswered question.
The puzzle finally became one picture.
Astrid crossed her arms.
Astrid: "But what does that change? We still can't kill him. Remember?"
Flora's discovery returned to their minds.
Anything originating from Earth can't kill him.
Sam slowly smiled.
Sam: "From Earth... right?"
Wraith: "What do you mean?"
Sam raised one finger.
Sam: "Celestial weapons aren't from Earth."
Another.
Sam: "Divine spells aren't from Earth."
Then another.
Sam: "Gods aren't from Earth."
Strom: "If we get any of those..."
Sam: "We can take him down."
Wraith: "Down?"
Sam looked toward the dark cave.
Sam: "Not just down... We can actually kill him."
For the first time in a long time, they smiled.
Not that horrifying smile.
A real one.
The kind you get after finally finding an answer you've been searching for.
Wraith: "Then let's go."
They walked out of the cave and returned to the village immediately, but...
The wagon wasn't there.
Everyone stopped.
The place where Astrid had parked it was empty.
Not just empty.
The hook and even the rope was gone.
Everything.
Astrid (rushed forward): "No..."
Strom: "Astrid! Where is the wagon?"
Astrid (panicking): "I... I parked it here. I... I don't know."
Sam looked around the ground.
Sam: "Did he really come here following us?"
Wraith: "But I didn't feel him."
Strom: "Wraith, he won't come here announcing, 'Hello, I'm here, guys.'"
The word "hello" hit Astrid's mind.
Something suddenly crawled through her chest.
A memory.
A small conversation.
Something she hadn't noticed before.
Eira.
Eira hadn't started with Hi.
Or Hello.
She had simply said:
"So, Astrid... you're planning to go to River-Bone?"
Astrid slowly looked down.
'How did she know?'
Then another memory returned.
The wagon.
"It only has room for four people, not six."
Astrid's breathing slowed.
Six people.
'How did Eira know there were six people?'
And then...
The mothers.
Drati.
'How did Eira know Drati was there too?'
Astrid's heart stopped for a second.
Then another memory returned.
Something even worse.
Eira hadn't even been in the village a week ago.
Astrid slowly stepped backward.
Normally, she would have screamed. She would have shouted. She would have cursed the entire world.
But this time...
Nothing came out.
Her breathing slowed.
Her body became heavy.
Her boot hit a stone, and she fell backward onto it.
Sitting silently.
Tears slowly fell beneath her helmet.
Everything began connecting again.
The smiles.
The deaths.
Flora crying.
Wraith acting strangely.
And finally...
The picture of the Death Stalker.
Now they were far away from home.
Her mother was alone.
With Drati.
And somewhere... Maybe he was keeping an eye on them...
Sam: "Don't lose hope."
But Astrid didn't respond.
Sam: "We can't give up without trying."
Even when his own mother was in danger, Sam refused to blame Astrid. He knew what it felt like to be trapped by something beyond your control.
But Astrid was breaking from the inside.
She hadn't simply fallen into a trap.
She had dragged everyone into it.
And now...
Their lives might be paying for her mistake.
_____
Meanwhile, inside Astrid's house...
Everything was silent.
But it didn't feel peaceful.
The silence screamed louder than anything.
Shadows seemed to move.
The feeling of someone watching crawled through their minds.
Outside, the world looked like an endless black void.
Then suddenly...
Knock.
Both women froze.
Flora: "Maybe the kids are back?"
Drati immediately looked toward the door.
Drati: "If they're back, they'll call us."
Another knock.
Knock.
Drati: "Don't open it."
Flora: "Who is there?"
The knocking stopped.
Silence returned.
Drati: "I'm not feeling good. Should we leave? Go somewhere safe?"
Flora looked around the house.
Flora: "But who can we trust? Right now... this house is the safest place I know."
Then laughter began.
Slow.
Painful.
Like old wood cracking.
It echoed around the house.
Flora (froze): "Who is that?"
Finally, a voice answered.
But it didn't sound like one person speaking.
It sounded like multiple voices stacked together.
???: "Smile for me..."
The laughter returned.
Again.
And again.
Until it became the only sound they could hear.
____
Back at River-Bone Village...
Wraith: "Sam... Can't you teleport us?"
Sam looked exhausted.
Sam: "I'm already feeling uneasy here, Wraith. I don't think I can."
Astrid suddenly stepped toward him.
Astrid (broken from inside)"Sam... Please... Please. I beg you. Do something."
Sam took a deep breath.
Sam: "Okay. Come together."
They all stepped closer.
Sam: "Hold hands. I don't want to leave anyone behind."
They formed a circle, hands tightly held and eyes closed.
Sam began casting the spell.
Mana surrounded them.
For a moment...
It looked like it was working.
Then suddenly, Sam collapsed onto his knees.
Wraith: "Sam!"
He began coughing.
Crimson fell from his mouth.
His eyes turned even redder.
Astrid: "Sam!"
Sam's body trembled.
The influence of the Death Stalker still lingered throughout the village.
And it was weakening him.
As a human, mana was never something to play with carelessly. Teleportation required too much.
And here...
It was impossible.
Wraith: "Sam!"
Astrid crouched beside him.
Astrid: "Sam! What happened?"
Sam (barely audible): "I'm... okay."
He coughed again.
Sam: "Don't worry..."
But everyone knew.
They were running out of options.
And slowly...
Hope began fading.
Nothing remained to gamble on.
The dark forest surrounded them.
Astrid silently cried.
Wraith stood frozen.
Sam could barely remain conscious.
And somewhere far away...
Flora and Drati were trapped with The Death Stalker.
But one person still stood.
Strom.
Alone beneath the moonlight.
His fingers slowly locked around the pendant hanging from his neck.
For the first time...
The Dragon Knight didn't know what to do.
Strom (quietly): "Please save them..."
Chapter 8: ...Have You Heard?
The house was quiet...
A silence that felt like someone had stolen every sound from the world.
Then...
A faint sound of someone walking came from outside.
Flora: "You heard that?"
Drati: "It came from outside the window."
The lanterns were fading slowly, their warm light giving up against the darkness...
Even the candles had turned into thin trails of white smoke.
They knew one thing...
The light would only last a few more moments.
Then darkness would consume everything.
Drati: "I... should check."
Flora: "Don't go... We are safe here."
Drati: "I'll just check from the window. It's closed, I'll be fine."
Flora (quietly): "Then why are your hands shaking?"
Drati: "I'm scared... And if I don't check it, I'm sure I'll die from fear."
She somehow gathered enough courage to check what was outside, trusting only one thing...
The window was closed.
The wooden floor screamed beneath Drati's weight, the sound agonizingly loud inside the dead-silent house.
Across the room, Flora was praying quietly.
Flora (whispering): "Do you see anything?"
Drati: "No."
Her forehead nearly touched the cold glass.
Outside, the world had been swallowed by thick, suffocating darkness.
She squinted, trying to pierce through it, looking toward the tree line where they had heard the footsteps earlier.
But nothing moved.
There was no wind.
Just an unnatural, heavy void.
She leaned closer, pressing her nose near the pane and cupping her hands around her eyes to block the faint reflection of the indoor light.
She expected to see the yard.
Instead, her eyes finally adjusted.
There was no yard.
There was only a face...
It was pressed flat against the other side of the glass, inches away from her own.
It had been standing there the entire time, staring directly at her with wide, unblinking, hollow eyes. A jagged, demonic grin stretched across its burned, skinless cheeks.
Before a scream could leave her throat...
The entity smiled wider.
CRASH!
The window exploded inward.
A black, emaciated hand burst through the showering glass, clawing violently for her throat.
Drati shrieked as her legs gave out instantly. She tumbled backward onto the hardwood floor just as the razor-sharp fingers grabbed the empty air where her neck had been moments earlier.
The entity let out a low, guttural laugh that rattled the walls, thoroughly enjoying the terror it had created.
Flora immediately dragged Drati away. Both women were panicking, their breathing faster than they could control...
It felt like their hearts wanted to escape...
Then...
A sudden knock came from the main door.
KNOCK!
Drati was already crying, while Flora's legs trembled beneath her.
Another knock followed.
Then the sound changed.
It was no longer just a simple knocking.
Someone was striking the door violently.
KNOCK!!!
KNOCK!!!
KNOCK! KNOCK!!!
The door shook under the pressure. Cracks began spreading through the frame.
Finally...
The wood gave up.
The door crashed inward, ripped free from its thick frame.
And what stood outside was...
The Death Stalker.
Even the seven-foot doorway only reached his chest.
He slowly bent down to look inside.
Both women had already gone pale.
Their eyes were wide with terror as tears and sweat mixed across their cheeks.
Death Stalker: "You need to smile..."
He pointed one sharp finger toward Drati.
For him, she was the unfinished work.
Because Sam had challenged him once.
So, now he wanted to complete what he had started.
But Flora stepped forward.
She stood directly in front of Drati.
Between the monster and her...
She was the only thing standing.
Flora: "Not while I'm alive..."
A larger grin stretched across his face, bigger than humanity should have allowed.
Death Stalker (smiling): "This will be fun for me..."
He stepped inside.
Heavy footsteps.
Sharp claws.
Another step...
BOOOOOOM!
The entire side of the house exploded inward.
Wooden walls shattered. Half the doorframe was ripped apart as something massive crashed through from outside.
Before the Death Stalker could even turn—
A gigantic blue claw wrapped around his waist.
For the first time...
His smile disappeared.
The claws tightened around him.
YANK!
His entire body was violently ripped backward through the destroyed wall.
Wood, stone, and broken pieces of the house followed him outside as his body disappeared into the darkness.
For one second...
Everything became silent.
---
Dravyss was here.
Strom had once shoved his blue blade into the wall outside Astrid's house. Its faint blue glow was enough for Dravyss to recognize the place.
Dravyss (cold): "Enough is enough!"
The Death Stalker struggled in her grip for only a moment before teleporting back onto the ground.
He didn't waste time talking.
He immediately entered the house again.
Death Stalker: "You thought she could sa—"
Dravyss ripped him outside before he could finish.
She threw him away again.
Then she bent down to look at the terrified women.
Her arrival should have made them feel safe...
Instead, Strom had never told them that help would be this big.
For Flora and Drati, there was suddenly another gigantic creature standing outside their destroyed house.
From behind Dravyss, a familiar voice echoed through the darkness.
Strom: "MOM! HE IS COMING!"
Strom came rushing toward the house.
But Dravyss immediately blocked his path with her claw.
Dravyss: "You thought I didn't see you smiling?"
Without another word, Strom's body suddenly collapsed into thick, dark smoke.
The smoke faded into the night.
The real Strom was never there.
But the laughter didn't stop.
It echoed through the air.
Death Stalker: "You can't stop me... I'll complete what is remaining."
Dravyss's eyes widened.
She understood it immediately.
He would never fight her.
He wanted Flora and Drati.
So she gently grabbed both women and pulled them away from the house.
Flora and Drati screamed in panic, knowing absolutely nothing about what was happening.
Dravyss lifted them from the ground, both women secured inside separate claws.
Between the trees...
An unknown figure stood silently.
Still as a statue.
Dravyss: "Hide and seek with me?"
Death Stalker: "If you want to play, then why not?"
A series of sudden teleportations began.
He appeared near the house, vanished, and reappeared beside the trees.
A second later, he was dangerously close to Flora, forcing Dravyss to turn toward him before he disappeared again.
Then he appeared near Dravyss.
Far away.
Behind the trees.
Near the house again.
His teleportation never stopped.
He wasn't attacking randomly.
He was wasting her time.
The Death Stalker already understood Dravyss's body.
She was built like a hunter predator.
She couldn't remain standing on her legs forever.
Eventually, she would need to put her claws back on the ground to balance herself.
And that was exactly what he wanted.
Dravyss knew it too.
If she fell...
The Death Stalker would complete his work before she could even stand again.
Her balance was already being violently disturbed by his constant teleportation.
Dravyss (very low): "Don't move, okay?"
She carefully put both women down on the grass.
The moment her claws touched the ground...
The Death Stalker appeared behind Drati, his claw raised to strike.
But before he could even touch her...
Dravyss's tail wrapped around him, tightly.
Too tightly.
The Death Stalker struggled to break free this time...
He tried teleporting.
But nothing happened.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
Inside Dravyss's tail grip, powers and spells like...
—Teleportation.
—Blink.
—Flash.
—Flicker.
Nothing worked.
Dravyss: "Saying something, huh?"
Even inside her grip, his smile didn't fade, even a little.
Even when there is a dragon... Nothing really changed for him.
Death Stalker: "You can't kill me, dragon... Nothing from Earth could kill me."
Dravyss looked down at him.
Dravyss (firm): "Have you ever heard about Aeltharion?"
Death Stalker: "What is this?"
Dravyss smirked.
For the first time...
He wasn't the only one smiling.
Dravyss: "It's my home planet."
His smile disappeared completely this time.
His hollow eyes couldn't properly show fear or something like that...
But that faded smile said everything in one second...
Dravyss lifted him higher, her grip never loosening.
Then...
She unleashed hell itself.
Cosmic blue flames erupted from her mouth, swallowing the Death Stalker completely.
The heat burned through the darkness.
He struggled desperately, but there was nowhere to teleport.
Nowhere to blink.
Nothing left to save him from her.
Dravyss didn't stop until there wasn't even ash remaining to tell what had happened there.
The night fell silent.
Something that didn't scream.
Something that didn't laugh.
Or Didn't smile.
Dravyss turned toward Flora and Drati.
Both of them stood completely still.
Like rocks.
Flora (whispering): "Should we go inside?"
Drati (barely audible): "She said don't move... So don't move, or she'll eat us."
Dravyss: "Come on. I don't bite."
Flora froze.
Drati: "She can hear us... Even if we whisper?"
Dravyss: "Sharp ears, I think, sis."
She didn't know how else to comfort them.
If Strom called them aunties...
Then why couldn't she call them sisters?
Dravyss (softly): "Go inside."
But neither of them moved.
Suddenly, they wanted to leave...
But they also didn't want to leave her.
Flora looked at Dravyss with a small smile.
A real one.
Flora: "My house is too small for you! But I think we have plenty of space to talk outside."
Dravyss (surprised): "Wait... Really?"
Drati: "Yeah. Why not?"
And for the first time that night...
The thing keeping them awake wasn't a dark entity.
It was a dragon.
A dragon they finally felt safe around.
Aftermath—
Next morning, was screaming peace in a very silent way...
Sun shining brightly.
Birds chirping softly.
Winds moving coldly.
It feels like a curse is lifted from the whole world.
All four of them were coming back, walking all the way...
Strom has already explained, what he have done...
Eventually everyone believes in him and though, Dravyss had save them... Everyone except Astrid.
Of course she don't know who is Dravyss?
The moment they saw Astrid's house from behind it looked like everything was calm but..
Then things changed.
Astrid sees the massive dragon peacefully sleeping outside her house and immediately goes:
Astrid: "Strom!"
Strom: "Yes?"
Astrid: "Why is there a fucking giant dragon outside of my house?"
Strom: "Be respectful to my mother, Astrid. It's bad manners."
Then Astrid's brain receives the Dragon Knight lore update:
Astrid: "Your mother?"
Strom: "So what did you think? Why do people call me Dragon Knight?"
Before they could talk even further...
They see Flora and Drati alive. They thought it's too late but...
No they still have their mothers.
Sam and Astrid rush toward them emotionally, eyes flooding with tears, hands open wide for hugs...
BUT Flora and Drati completely dodge their kids
They run directly toward Strom.
Strom (confused): "Why are both women coming here?"
Wraith (dead serious): "Not giving them the full information and then throwing a dragon in their faces... Well done, genius."
And with that she steps aside before she also gets caught
The moment Flora and Drati reached Strom, they pinched his ears.
Strom: "OUCH! My ears!"
Flora and Drati: "DON'T YOU THINK IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GOOD IDEA TO INTRODUCE US TO YOUR MOTHER?!"
And Strom's legendary defense:
Strom: "A surprise gift, I think... My birthday is coming."