The unsettling presence pressed more intensely against AJ's form as he climbed the stairs. The upper hallway stretched ahead into darkness, with two doorways on each side.
Emptiness and decay filled the first three bedrooms, bare walls, broken windows, accumulated debris scattered across their floors.
But the 4th room, the final bedroom, was different.
Someone had been here recently.
A broom leaned against one wall, its bristles still relatively clean. A bucket of water sat in the corner. Personal belongings had been arranged neatly on the floor near the window, there was a folded blanket, some clothing, and a few basic tools.
The woman had been trying to make this space liveable.
AJ moved through the room slowly, examining the evidence of her efforts. Part of the floor had been swept, the cleared section contrasting sharply with the dust and debris in the rest of the room. She'd started on the window, removing some of the broken glass and clearing the frame.
Her belongings told a story of optimism. The clothing was neatly folded, the blanket carefully placed. She'd brought tools for cleaning and repair, planning to transform this deteriorated space into a home.
Now she was dead, and her possessions remained where she'd left them.
AJ stood in the centre of the room, his form motionless as he processed the scene. The unsettling presence was strongest here, that uncomfortable wrongness pressing against his substance with greater intensity than anywhere else in the villa.
But there was still no obvious cause of death. No signs of violence or any other indication of what had killed her.
He searched the room thoroughly, examining every corner, every surface. Nothing revealed itself beyond the woman's abandoned belongings and her unfinished attempt at cleaning the home.
---
The stairs creaked under his weight as he descended to the ground floor. He moved through the rooms methodically, giving everything a second look in case he missed anything.
The wrongness persisted everywhere, that subtle pressure against his form. But he still couldn't understand what about this building created such an unsettling atmosphere.
AJ stood in the entrance hall as the first hints of dawn began to lighten the eastern sky.
Time to leave, before the residents began their morning routines.
---
The traveller's building was quiet when AJ slipped back inside. Richard remained asleep, his breathing steady and undisturbed. AJ settled onto his bed, maintaining his human form as he waited for morning.
Dawn arrived gradually, pale light filtering through the building's small windows. Richard stirred, sitting up and stretching before beginning to pack his belongings.
"Heading out?" AJ asked.
"East," Richard confirmed, rolling his blanket. "Got a few settlements to visit in that direction."
They exchanged brief farewells as Richard shouldered his pack and left. AJ remained on his bed for a while longer.
The morning was cool and clear when AJ finally stepped outside. Residents moved through their routines, some heading towards the fields beyond the walls, others tending to tasks within the settlement.
He made his way toward the well, where two women were drawing water.
"can you believe they thought they could just claim it," one said, shaking her head. "Like it was some abandoned property."
"Getting greedy over a cursed building." The other woman hefted her bucket. "They should've known better."
They moved away, their conversation fading. AJ continued past the smithy, where the sound of hammering rang out, then toward the eastern gate. Two men were checking the wall's integrity, their voices carrying.
"The husband left after she died, you know."
"Can't blame him. The way people talked, mocking them for their greed." The other man replied. "Heard he headed west."
"That's not so bad if you ask me. We don't need that kind of person around here."
AJ paused near the gate, the pieces falling into place. A couple attempting to claim the villa. The wife's death. The husband fleeing west, shamed and grieving. The pack leader's desire for revenge made more sense now.
Time passed, as the afternoon advanced towards evening, AJ completed another circuit of Millbrook. The sun descended steadily, painting the settlement in a golden hue.
His wandering brought him back to the northern edge, where the villa stood in its isolated position.
One more look, he decided, before leaving Millbrook. While the building was strange if he couldn't discover anything useful in it there wouldn't be much point in staying.
---
AJ entered through the tilted doorway, the eerie presence washing over him immediately. He moved through the entrance hall into the main living area, then stood still.
He wasn't going to examine every nook and cranny, his plan was to simply observe, not just his surroundings but also himself in an attempt to understand the eerie feeling.
His human shape stood motionless in the centre of the room.
Time passed in silence.
The afternoon light shifted gradually as the sun continued its descent. Motes of dust drifted through the air, visible in the fading sunlight that penetrated the broken windows.
AJ maintained his stillness.
Then he noticed something.
A faint sensation, barely perceptible. His mana reserves felt slightly... lighter?
AJ focused his awareness inward, examining his energy with careful attention. His mana was there, circulating normally through his form. But the quantity seemed marginally reduced from what it had been.
He expanded his awareness outwards, sensing the ambient mana in the building. The energy in the air was moving, flowing in a subtle pattern towards... something. The movement was so gradual, so slight, that he'd completely missed it during his previous visit.
His mana was being drawn away. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, but definitely being pulled from his form.
The sensation was familiar.
A memory struck with sudden clarity. The wooden cabin, months ago during their journey. They'd stayed for days, using it as shelter while they trained and rested. Then Sam had noticed something wrong while meditating, the cabin had been draining their mana.
This was a very similar feeling. But this time it was even more subtle than the cabin had been, so faint that he'd been here twice and only just recognized it.
AJ remained motionless as the realization settled through his consciousness. The house they'd found during their early journey, the cabin they'd stayed in, and now this villa.
It should be the same entity, or at least the same type of entity.
But questions multiplied faster than answers. Was it the same building but transforming itself? Or were there multiple structures like this scattered across the world?
The first house had vanished after a day. The cabin had lasted about a week, long enough for them to notice the drain and leave. Now this villa had been here for months, long enough to become part of Millbrook's landscape, long enough for locals to develop stories and superstitions about it.
When would it disappear? Days? Weeks? Why was it lasting longer each time? Was it related to the presence of creatures with mana?
Why did it manifest differently? A simple house, then a cabin, now an elaborate villa.
This was connected to the Wish Event somehow. It had to be. Nothing else could explain structures that appeared and disappeared, that drained mana from their surroundings, and that manifested in different forms.
Someone's wish, perhaps? A desire for shelter or homes that had been granted in some twisted, incomplete way?
He'd encountered this phenomenon three times now, but never understood it.
His time in Millbrook would have to be extended. He needed to observe the villa, study how it functioned, learn to predict or detect it better.
This was exactly the kind of situation he'd left Valentra to find. Mysteries about the transformed world, phenomena that might provide insight into cultivation, or into the Wish Event.
AJ made his decision quickly, as long as the villa remained, he would stay to observe and study it.
The sun had set completely now, darkness filling the villa's interior. AJ left through the tilted doorway, already planning his approach.
Tomorrow he'd begin his in depth research, for now however he needed to check in with Valentra and get some rest.
---
Dawn arrived cold and clear, as the first light touched the eastern sky, AJ made his way back to the northern edge of the settlement. A faint smile crossed his face as he considered what he might learn from this building.
However once he reached the northern edge he froze, his hands clenching at his sides as shock and indignation covered his face.
The villa was gone.
The ground showed no signs that a building had ever occupied this spot. The grass was undisturbed, growing naturally as if it had never been covered by a structure's foundation.
Just like the house and the cabin it had vanished without a trace.
He exhaled sharply through his nose. He'd recognized what it was, understood the opportunity it represented only for it to disappear before he could act.
But his frustration was tempered by the confirmation, there was no longer any doubt, it was in fact the same sort of entity as the ones he had previously encountered.
AJ stood in the empty space for several minutes, his awareness extending outward in case some trace of the villa remained. But there was nothing, no residual mana signature, no disturbance in the ambient energy, no indication that anything unusual had ever been here.
There was only one question remaining in AJ's mind now, why did it leave now of all times? Did it somehow know he had discovered its secret?
He linger on it for too long, he had a feeling this wouldn't be their last encounter.
For now, he had no choice but to move on.
AJ returned to the traveller's building and grabbed his sack.
He made his way to the community hall before leaving. Inside, Thomas was organizing supplies and discussing plans with a few residents.
"Heading out?" Thomas asked, looking up as AJ entered.
"Yes," AJ replied. "I appreciate your hospitality."
Thomas nodded, setting down the crate he'd been moving. "Find what you were looking for?"
AJ considered the question. "In an unexpected way, yea."
"Well that's good," Thomas offered a slight smile. "Stay safe out there, the world's full of strange things."
"Indeed," AJ extended his hand.
Thomas shook it firmly. "May the road treat you well."
AJ wished him well as he turned and left the community hall.
Residents went about their routines, children played, smoke rose from cooking fires. Life continued in Millbrook, unconcerned with mysterious villa or the questions it raised.
The guards at the gate recognized him, nodding as he approached.
"Leaving us already?" the older guard asked.
"Time to move on I'm afraid," AJ replied.
"Watch yourself out there. There's been talk of creature movements to the north."
"Noted, take care fellas."
The guards stepped aside, and AJ walked through the gate. He paused just beyond the walls, looking back at the settlement.
His gaze drifted to the northern section where the villa had stood. It was just an empty space now, the grass undisturbed, as if nothing had ever been there.
Three encounters with the same phenomenon. Each one teaching him a little more, each one raising new questions. It appeared and disappeared, manifesting shelter for those who needed it, or thought they did, then vanishing when its purpose was served or its presence discovered.
He turned eastward, away from Millbrook and toward unexplored territory. The plains stretched before him, rolling gently under a clear sky. Somewhere out there were more mysteries, more phenomena connected to the Wish Event, more opportunities to understand this transformed world.
High-purity mana sources remained his primary goal, but he'd learned that every discovery he made, no matter how little it still contributed to his understanding, moving him forward on his cultivation path.
AJ began walking, his human form moving at a steady pace across the grassland. Millbrook faded behind him, becoming just another point on his journey.
The world was vast, and he had only begun to explore it.