The sound didn't last long.
It faded almost as soon as it came, like it had never been meant to reach the village in the first place. But Riven didn't move. His eyes stayed fixed on the forest, his body stiff in a way he couldn't quite control.
"…That wasn't normal."
No one answered. Of course they didn't.
A cart rolled past behind him, its wooden wheels creaking softly. Someone laughed near the well again, louder this time, like the day had finally settled into its usual rhythm. If anything, the village felt even more alive now.
Which only made it worse.
Riven exhaled slowly and forced himself to look away from the trees. Standing here wasn't going to change anything. Whatever that sound was, whatever that feeling meant—he didn't have enough to go on yet.
Yet.
The word stuck with him longer than it should have.
He started walking back toward the center of the village, hands tucked loosely at his sides. His steps were steady, but his thoughts weren't. That strange flicker from earlier hadn't come back, but it hadn't really gone away either. It was just… waiting.
That was the best way to describe it.
Waiting.
"…For what?"
He muttered it under his breath, almost annoyed at himself.
As he passed the well, the argument had already shifted to something else. Grain prices were apparently less important than whose goat had wandered off this time. Riven barely listened. Normally, this kind of noise would blend into the background.
Today, every sound felt too clear.
Too placed.
Like it had been decided beforehand.
He stopped walking.
A thought had crossed his mind—not fully formed, not even logical, but it hit hard enough to make him pause.
What if this wasn't just familiarity?
What if it was repetition?
Riven frowned slightly, trying to hold onto that idea before it slipped away like everything else. Repetition meant something had already happened. That meant—
A sharp crack echoed from somewhere beyond the houses.
This time, everyone heard it.
The village stilled, not completely, but enough for the change to be noticeable. A few heads turned. The laughter stopped. Even the argument near the well died down mid-sentence.
Riven didn't need to turn around.
He already knew where it came from.
"…Too early."
The words left him without thinking.
Someone nearby glanced at him. "What?"
Riven didn't answer.
Because it wasn't supposed to happen yet.
At least… he didn't think so.
Another sound followed. Not a crack this time. Something heavier. Like wood splintering under force. Then a shout—distant, panicked, cut off too quickly.
Now people were moving.
Confusion spread fast in a place like this. A few villagers started toward the source, others backed away without knowing why. No one had context. No one understood what they were stepping into.
Riven's chest tightened.
This was it.
Not a guess. Not a feeling.
A certainty.
His eyes shifted toward the path leading out of the village, the one that curved toward the forest. For a second, nothing was there.
Then—
Movement.
Not clear. Not close enough to make out details. But fast.
And wrong.
Riven took a step back.
His body reacted before his mind could catch up, muscles tightening, heartbeat spiking. That same cold sensation from before returned, sharper this time, like something had locked into place.
Fragments flashed again.
Fire. Screams. Smoke thick enough to choke on.
He inhaled sharply.
"…No."
It wasn't denial anymore.
It was realization.
This wasn't something that might happen.
It was already happening.
"Everyone, get back!"
The shout came from one of the older villagers, but it carried no authority. Not really. It was the kind of warning people gave when they were already too late.
Riven's gaze moved again, scanning quickly now.
Entrances. Gaps between houses. Open ground.
Too many blind spots.
If they came from more than one direction—
Another figure appeared at the far end of the path.
This one was clearer.
Not a villager.
Rough clothing. Covered face. Something metallic in hand that caught the light for just a second before lowering again.
Riven didn't wait to see more.
He turned.
Not toward the crowd.
Away from it.
His steps picked up pace—not running, not yet, but close. His mind was moving faster than his body now, piecing together what little it had.
No system. No instructions. No safety.
Just knowledge.
Incomplete, unreliable, but still more than anyone else here had.
"…Think."
He muttered it under his breath, jaw tightening slightly.
If this followed what he remembered—even partially—then staying out in the open was the worst thing he could do.
But hiding blindly wouldn't help either.
Because if he was right…
Then this wasn't just an attack.
It was the beginning of something that didn't stop.
Behind him, the first scream broke through clearly.
Riven didn't turn back.
He already knew what he'd see.