The next day, Valex was in his study, seated in his chair behind his desk, wearing his glasses while reviewing some papers. Suddenly, Kael barged into the office with full force, his face filled with anxiety.
"Your Highness, pardon my intrusion, but there is a big problem!" Kael exclaimed.
Valex looked shocked. "What has happened?" he asked.
"Your Highness, people are dying! There is madness everywhere, and houses are being destroyed!" Kael reported.
Valex stood up immediately. "What?!" He walked around his desk and approached Kael. "How did all of this happen?"
"I have no idea, Your Highness," Kael replied.
Valex quickly walked out the door, with Kael following closely behind. Instead of heading toward the palace door, Valex turned toward Odesse's room.
"Your Highness..." Kael started, but Valex opened the door slowly and saw that Odesse was asleep. He let out a sigh and closed the door gently. Kael watched him, not believing what he had just seen.
Valex then made his way toward the palace exit and said to Kael, "Get my horse." Kael signaled to Eryx to bring both his and Valex's horses. Eryx quickly brought the horses around, and Valex and Kael mounted them, riding out of the palace.
As they rode, Eryx asked, "What happened? Why do they look tense?" He looked up and saw dark smoke rising in the distance, his eyes widening in realization. Staggering back, he took in the scene. The road to the village had never felt so long.
As Valex approached the village, he saw the gray shape of smoke rising beyond the hills. The closer he rode, the thicker the air became with smoke, drifting upward in dark coils that stained the sky and carried a bitter scent that clung to his throat.
When they reached the outskirts, Valex noticed the gates stood wide open—far too open. One gate hung crooked on its hinge, swaying slightly in the wind. There were no guards. No farmers tending to their fields. Only a strange heaviness in the air.
Then the sounds reached him.
These were not the normal sounds of the village. There were no merchants shouting prices or children laughing in the streets. Instead, he heard ragged and desperate shouts, cries of anguish, and the sharp crack of burning wood.
Kael and Valex dismounted their horses.
Ash drifted through the air like gray snow.
As Valex walked forward, the village unfolded before him, and the sight stopped him cold.
Houses burned along the street, flames crawling along rooftops and spilling through shattered windows. A shop that once sold cloth had collapsed inward, its wooden frame blackened and twisting under the fire. Smoke rolled through the narrow roads, thick enough to sting their eyes.
Desperate people ran through the chaos.
A woman stumbled past them, clutching a child to her chest, her face streaked with soot and tears. A group of men shouted as they formed a line from the well, throwing buckets of water at a house already half-consumed by flames. But the water hissed uselessly against the fire.
Some villagers weren't fighting the flames at all; they were shouting—angry voices rising above the chaos. Others simply stood in the streets, openly crying, watching their homes burn.
Valex's jaw tightened.
Kael and Valex dismounted their horses.
Ash drifted through the air like gray snow.
As Valex walked forward, the village unfolded before him, and the sight stopped him cold.
Houses burned along the street, flames crawling along rooftops and spilling through shattered windows. A shop that once sold cloth had collapsed inward, its wooden frame blackened and twisting under the fire. Smoke rolled through the narrow roads, thick enough to sting their eyes.
Desperate people ran through the chaos.
A woman stumbled past them, clutching a child to her chest, her face streaked with soot and tears. A group of men shouted as they formed a line from the well, throwing buckets of water at a house already half-consumed by flames. But the water hissed uselessly against the fire.
Some villagers weren't fighting the flames at all; they were shouting—angry voices rising above the chaos. Others simply stood in the streets, openly crying, watching their homes burn.
Valex's jaw tightened.
Further down the road, a man rolled desperately in the dirt while two others tried to smother the flames clinging to his clothing. The smell of burning cloth and flesh filled the air. Nearby, a woman knelt beside the remains of a cart, rocking back and forth as if the world around her had vanished.
The heat pressed against Valex's face. His hands curled slowly into fists.
This was his village. His people.
Yet they looked at him as if he were a stranger.
A few villagers noticed him standing there. One pointed. Another shouted something he couldn't quite hear over the roaring fire.
More eyes turned toward him.
None held relief.
Only anger and pain.
Valex looked over the burning rooftops, the broken stalls, and the people shouting and crying in the streets. Smoke climbed endlessly into the sky above the village.
While the village burned and voices rose in panic, Valex's gaze remained frighteningly still. The flames flickered in his eyes, small reflections of a disaster far too large to contain. Valex couldn't say a thing; he stood there filled with shock and disbelief. Turning to Kael, his voice came out lower than usual as he asked, "What happened here?" The words slowly left his mouth, his throat feeling dry.
Kael replied, "Your Highness, forgive me, but no one has any idea." Just then, an old woman with a little boy fell at Valex's feet. Valex looked down, staggering. Kael spoke in a rushed, protective tone, "Hey, what are you doing?" Valex raised his hand to pause him. Kael stood straight, looking at the old lady and the boy with steady eyes.
The woman looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. "Your Highness, please help us! My son and daughter-in-law are both dead. Please!"
Valex's gaze shifted to the little boy, whose face was smeared with dust and dirt, mingled with tears. He spoke in a calm, steady voice as he bent down to help the old woman stand. "Please," he urged. They both stood up, and Valex repeated, "What happened here?"
Wiping her tears, the old lady said, "Your Highness, every midnight, I always sat outside on my chair while drinking tea. When all of a sudden, I saw a shadow pass. I asked who it was, but no one answered, so I sat back in my chair. Then again, another shadow passed. I asked who was there, but once again, no one answered. I got scared and decided to go back inside. Just as I was about to open the door, I felt something strangling me. I touched my neck but did not feel any hand." Valex looked at Kael with disbelief.
The old woman continued, "Your Highness, look at my neck." He saw it: red, burned, and raw like fire had been put to her skin. Valex asked, "How is it possible that you did not see anyone?"
The little boy replied, "It's true, Your Highness. I heard mumbling. When I woke up to take some water, I walked toward the door. When I opened it, I saw my grandma struggling. I shouted for my mum and dad, and they rushed out to help her. But all of a sudden, they were both dragged into the house. I ran to them, and Dad was still alive, but something was different. He began laughing uncontrollably and scratching himself. My mum told me in a low voice to run away. I couldn't, because I didn't understand what Dad was doing. Then he came at me with incredible speed, but my mum...my mum, she put herself in front of me." The little boy began to cry, tears streaming down his face. "He ate my mum."
Valex's eyes widened in horror, and tears began flowing down the old lady's face as she held the boy close. The boy continued, wiping his tears, "Then Grandma came and hit Dad on the head with an axe." His lips trembled, his eyes swollen with tears.
Valex bent down on one knee, looking up at the little boy. "How old are you, child?"
The boy replied, "I'm 11 years old, Your Highness."
Valex embraced the boy. "You're a brave child." He released him and gently patted his head. "Don't cry now. You are very brave. Your mum and dad love you and always will."
Standing up, Valex called for the guards. "Get them to the servant quarters."
"Yes, Your Highness," the guard replied. They left, and Kael asked, "What about the others, Your Highness? And what of the shadows they spoke of? How is that even possible? Madness?"
Valex answered with a determined tone, "Take your horse with you to the borders of our pack. Bring six men with you, and ask the guards in all border areas if anyone entered here."
"Yes, Your Highness," Kael said, bowing before he left.
Valex looked at his people with sadness and anger. "Who has done this to my people? Whoever you are, you have not just messed with me alone; you have messed with my pack, my people. I will ensure that your head hangs at the entrance of my borders when I find you. Shadow or spirit, night or day, witch or magic, I will find you."
The scene transitions to Carven, sitting on a chair outside a hut, looking at the forest trees. He said, "Ouuu, the fun is about to begin. I can feel it in the air. When will she awaken? It is taking quite a while."