Zario, along with the three, moved through the narrow, deserted streets of an unfamiliar village, where any semblance of communication was impossible, and so he only indicated the direction with short, clear gestures, forcing them to go ahead, while they, occasionally exchanging quick remarks and glances at each other, periodically turned back, throwing wary, tense glances at him.
Zario himself did not take his eyes off them for a moment; his attention, focused and cold, recorded their every movement, every attempt to slow down or deviate, while he continued to follow in the same direction in which the entire stream of inhabitants had previously rushed, without the slightest intention of changing the chosen course.
After a few minutes of walking, during which the surrounding area gradually lost all signs of habitation, massive outlines began to appear before them, and soon a huge gate built into a high wall opened completely into view, the size and design of which clearly indicated that all this time they had been on the outskirts of a much larger entity than just a village - on the border of some kingdom.
The wall, stretching to the sides, lost in the darkness, looked strong and ancient, and the gates themselves, massive and heavy, seemed designed not only for entry and exit, but also to contain something located on the other side.
And yet…
There was no one in front of them.
There were no guards, no inhabitants, not the slightest sign of life, as if this place, so significant in its function, had suddenly been abandoned, left without explanation, adding to the overall feeling of uneasy emptiness.
When they were only a few steps away from the gate, the three suddenly stopped, their movements became sharp, almost synchronous, after which they turned back, throwing quick, furtive glances at Zario, in which now one could read not just tension, but obvious anxiety.
Their lips began to move.
Fast. With persistence.
With a clear desire to convey something important.
And even without sound, without the ability to understand specific words, the meaning of their behavior became obvious, since their gestures, their facial expressions, their attempts to point to the gate and at the same time step back, added up to one simple, but extremely clear message.
They didn't want to go out.
And what's more…
They insisted that one could not go beyond these gates.
They stood there for a few more moments, remaining in place as if trying to maintain the boundary they had already drawn for themselves, their bodies tense, and their gazes directed at the gate and back at Zario making it clear that, despite everything that was happening, they were not going to cross that line.
The reason remained unclear, hidden behind their silent words and gestures, which Zario could neither hear nor fully interpret, and the impossibility of asking a direct question only intensified this irritating feeling of incompleteness, leaving him with only guesses.
"How funny… do they think they can insist on their own…" the thought that arose in his mind was cold and almost mocking, since the very idea of resistance coming from those who were already in his power seemed to him nothing more than an illusion of choice.
In his perception, everything was extremely simple.
If he wants something...
He will do it.
***
The three of them, exchanging one last tense glance, finally decided to take action, and, approaching the massive gates, cautiously peered into the narrow gap separating the interior and the outside world, after which, as if checking the reaction, they turned back to Zario, in whose gaze there was neither doubt nor hesitation.
Realizing that they would not go against him, that any resistance would only hasten their end, they slowly, almost hesitantly, reached for the small gates built into the very structure of the enormous gates, and, applying force, began to open it, although the very fact of the existence of such a massive barrier, clearly intended not for symbolic protection, but to contain something, already hinted at a hidden threat.
When the gates opened just enough to let a glimpse out, their movements froze.
Their eyes narrowed.
In an instant, everything disappeared from them except pure, primal fear, which did not need any explanation or awareness, since it arose at the level of instinct, as a reaction to something that exceeded the boundaries of what was acceptable.
They, paralyzed by primal terror, were unable to take a single step, their bodies frozen in tension, as if their very will had been torn from within, and the next moment, unable to withstand the pressure of what they saw, they abruptly recoiled, losing control of their balance, after which they collapsed right at Zario's feet, while the small gate, torn from their weakened hands, slammed shut with a dull, heavy bang, cutting off everything that was on the other side.
Zario, without moving or changing his facial expression, slowly lowered his gaze, fixing his gaze on their bodies lying in unnatural positions before him, still retaining the remnants of their previous position, but already deprived of what defined them as living beings.
The heads were missing.
And the blood, dark and thick, began to slowly spread across the ground, filling the space around, as if a silent confirmation of what had happened not somewhere far away, not in the past, but right now, at the very moment when they looked beyond the gate.
Zario stood motionless over the bodies, his gaze cold and unwavering as it slid over the headless corpses, taking in the details without the slightest response, and the only thought that formed in his mind sounded calm, almost contented, despite what was happening.
"How wonderful… now all that remains is to find out what is hidden beyond these gates…" – the thought carried neither horror nor doubt, but only pure interest, reinforced by that very nature that was always drawn to the unknown.
His hearing cut him off from half the picture, preventing him from catching even a hint of how death had occurred, not allowing him to register the sound of the blow, or the vibration of the air, or the slightest sign of an approaching threat, while visually he had no time to catch anything, since the moment of death itself occurred beyond his perception.
And yet…
The conclusion was obvious.
Beyond those massive gates, behind that wall, there was something that acted instantly, without warning, without the opportunity to react, and that was what made it truly dangerous.
However, another thought, no less important, slowly rose in his consciousness, connecting what he saw with what had happened earlier.
"But then… where did all the villagers go?.." the thought, slowly taking shape in his mind, did not give him peace, since the picture he had observed earlier did not fit into a simple explanation of flight, because their movement, although chaotic at first glance, still contained some direction.
They were running from somewhere.
Or... to something.
This ambiguity, with no clear line between fear and attraction, gradually gained more and more weight, since the very idea that people could not simply be driven by something from outside, but pulled forward by an unknown force, seemed no less, and perhaps even more disturbing, than the presence of a threat outside the gates.
The mechanism of what was happening remained hidden, the connections between events were broken, and the very logic of this world eluded us, preventing the formation of a complete picture. However, this was precisely what meant that the answers existed, they just hadn't been found yet.
And Zario, recording this with cold clarity, already understood that no matter how confusing the structure of this world might be, no matter how deeply its rules might be hidden.
He'll still have to reveal them.