The cold morning air slowly crept through the forest.
The fire from last night had died out, but a faint warmth still lingered within the ashes—like the memories of the previous night refusing to fade away.
Soft rays of sunlight fell upon Sofiya's eyelids.
Her brows twitched slightly… and then, slowly, her eyes opened.
"Morning… already…" she murmured faintly.
As soon as she tried to sit up, a sharp pulse struck her head.
She immediately held it.
The price of Hell of Fire hadn't ended yet.
Her breathing was slightly heavy, and her body felt weak—as if her strength was refusing to fully return.
Her fingers trembled faintly… like her body was still trying to recover from the aftermath of that power.
She slowly looked around.
Green grass… a quiet atmosphere…
and her companions—fast asleep.
Even after last night's battle, they were sleeping as if nothing had happened.
"Is this carelessness… or trust…" Sofiya thought to herself.
But a faint smile appeared on her lips.
At least… everyone was alive.
Her gaze shifted to Raijin.
He was sitting against a tree, his sword planted into the ground—as if it too was standing guard.
But something was different this time—
His eyes were closed…
yet his fingers were tightly gripping the hilt…
as if he was ready to fight even in his sleep.
A short distance away, Ishan and Kade were sleeping back-to-back.
A slight movement broke Ishan's sleep.
The moment his eyes fell on Sofiya, he immediately sat upright.
"You're awake?"
There was clear worry in his voice.
"How are you feeling now?"
"Does your head hurt?"
"Is your body okay?"
He fired question after question without stopping.
Sofiya let out a small laugh.
"I'm fine," she said calmly,
"just… a bit of a headache."
Raijin, who had woken up from their voices, now looked at Sofiya.
There was no anger in his eyes… but concern was clearly visible.
He picked up his black, curved sword from the ground and slowly walked toward her. The dry grass beneath his feet crunched softly, burned from last night's fire.
He sat down in front of her.
"You knew what the consequences of Hell of Fire were," he said in a firm voice.
Sofiya lowered her gaze.
"Yet you still used it," Raijin repeated.
A moment of silence passed.
Then he stood up.
"From now on," his voice grew heavier,
"before making a decision like that… talk to me first."
He paused for a moment…
"…you're on a mission with me. Your safety is my responsibility."
His last line was quieter—
"I… don't want to lose anyone again."
For a moment, the air itself seemed to freeze.
Sofiya looked down at the green grass.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
Somewhere deep inside, she felt a strange warmth.
For the first time…
someone had taken responsibility to protect her.
"Okay…" she whispered softly.
Meanwhile, Ishan walked over to wake Kade—but Kade was already awake, rubbing his eyes.
Kade looked at Ishan and was slightly surprised.
There was a small smile on Ishan's face… and clear relief in his expression.
"What about Sofiya?" Kade asked quickly.
There was no panic in his voice…
but there was concern.
"She's fine," Ishan replied immediately.
Sofiya had already walked over to the horses and was gently stroking their faces.
But this time… the horses weren't calm.
They kept scratching the ground…
their breathing was heavy…
and they kept staring toward the mist.
As if they could sense something…
Ignar had already woken up earlier and prepared the carriage. All the necessary सामान was already loaded inside.
After a while, everyone got ready.
The horses still seemed uneasy—like they could feel something approaching.
Everyone climbed into the carriage.
Slowly, it began moving toward Mournvale.
Kade still wasn't satisfied. He turned to Sofiya and asked again,
"Are you really okay?"
Sofiya, who had been holding back her laughter for a while, suddenly burst out laughing.
Kade was confused.
He quickly looked at Raijin and Ishan.
But both of them were calm… with faint smiles on their faces.
Kade was still confused…
but one thing made him feel relieved—
everything was okay.
To lighten the weight of last night's attack, they began talking casually.
The laughter was forced…
but necessary.
After some time, tall mountains began to appear in the distance.
Ignar looked back and said,
"Not much longer now. We'll reach Mournvale soon."
For a moment, silence filled the carriage.
Everyone knew—
they were just one step away from their mission.
Breaking the silence, Raijin spoke—
"Last night… you mentioned the Elf God, Aurelius. Who is he?"
Sofiya stayed silent for a moment.
Then she said—
"He… is the god who gave life.
When the world was created… everything existed—
earth, water, air… but no life."
Raijin listened carefully.
"Then Aurelius came… and gave life to everything.
That's when we came into existence."
Silence fell again.
After a few moments, Raijin frowned slightly.
"That's strange…" he muttered.
"What?" Ishan asked.
Raijin didn't answer immediately.
He looked outside the window—
The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
No birds…
no sound of wind…
"This silence… doesn't feel right," he said slowly.
As if the forest itself was holding its breath.
After some time, the carriage began to slow down.
Ahead of them…
a place shrouded in mist began to emerge.
Mournvale.
The fog was so dense that it was hard to see even a few steps ahead.
Cold air cut against their skin.
A lantern hung outside every house—
but their light was… strange.
They flickered softly… even without wind.
As if something was touching them…
Kade tightened his coat.
"Raijin… you said it wouldn't be this cold."
Raijin looked around.
"…I didn't expect this either," he said quietly.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the mist.
A man… holding a lantern… slowly walking toward them.
He looked around sixty years old.
He wore a brown coat and a tall brown hat.
The light of his lantern wasn't steady.
It trembled… as if it was afraid.
His steps were straight…
but each one slightly measured…
as if he had been watching them for a long time.
He stopped in front of them.
"I am the priest of the Earth God's Church here," he said.
"My name is Eldred."
His eyes moved across each of them—
and for a moment…
they lingered a little longer on Raijin.
Then he asked—
"Are you from the Adventure Guild of Eldhavn City?"
Raijin nodded.
"Yes. Master Zenn sent us."
He stepped forward.
"Father Eldred… what exactly is happening here?"
Eldred gave a faint smile and raised his lantern.
"This isn't the place to talk about it," he said.
"It's cold here."
He turned around.
"Follow me."
The fog around them thickened…
And Mournvale…
slowly began to swallow them whole.
.
.
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Thank You For Reading This Chaptar.
Author: Mohammed Zaid Saifi