Rose Tree

The village of Rose Tree, once teeming with life, now stood as a witness to abandonment. What used to be a lively place was now nothing but a pile of ruins. As Doren and Yuri rode their horses toward the village’s borders, the silence between them grew heavier with each passing minute. The ruined village, with its eerie stillness, seemed to draw them in like the ghosts of old times circling around them.

Doren scanned the crumbling stone walls with his eyes. He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword and said in a low voice, “Something’s off here, I can feel it.”

Yuri, with his usual grim demeanor, nodded. “Is there ever anything that’s not off? We’re chasing another curse, but this one smells... worse. There’s something bad here.”

As they entered the remnants of Rose Tree Village, the smell of the earth shifted. The scent of damp soil and burnt wood gave way to something metallic, old and decaying. The air was thick and suffocating, making it hard to breathe. The once majestic tree that had adorned the village square with its three grand branches was now just a charred trunk. The pervasive smell of soot revealed the horror that had once unfolded in the village.

Yuri’s mind drifted to Qudrin’s message: “Come to the village. An ancient power has awakened. We need your help.”

Doren furrowed his brow as he scanned the surroundings. “Where could Qudrin be? He called us here, but there’s no one around,” he said, concerned.

Yuri lifted his collar and exhaled a cold breath. “Maybe we’re a little too late,” he said.

Just then, a rustling sound broke the silence. The pair instantly reached for their weapons. They cautiously approached the source of the noise. From behind a ruined hut, a shadow emerged. It was an old, frail man, his hands and face smeared with mud, and his eyes filled with fear.

“Qudrin!” Doren shouted, running toward the man.

“It’s too late... it’s all over. The ancient power is burnt,” Qudrin muttered, struggling to breathe.

Doren, perplexed, approached the man. “What do you mean? What has awakened?” he asked.

Qudrin spoke with a trembling voice, “Once, there were three ancient spirits that protected this village. But we made a mistake. Those spirits were only shadows. The real power was sleeping beneath the village. For years, we fed these three, and now, it has awakened. It will destroy us all.”

Doren gestured toward the blackened trunk of the tree. “You’re saying it’s beneath us? Then we need to go down. If it’s awake, we have to stop it.”

Qudrin’s eyes widened with fear. “No! Going down there would be a catastrophic mistake. You would only make it stronger. That power is beyond us.”

Yuri placed a hand on Doren’s shoulder and nodded slightly. “If he’s this scared, maybe he knows something we don’t.”

But Doren was resolute. “We came here to face it, whatever it is. If something’s down there, we’ll find it and stop it. We’ve saved places like this before; we can save this one too.”

Qudrin’s fear-filled gaze turned to the entrance of a cave. But without another word, he retreated into the darkness. Doren and Yuri watched him disappear for a long while.

When night fell, Doren and Yuri had found the hidden entrance to the cave beneath the village. As they entered the cave, a boy watched them sneakily from the side. He didn’t reveal himself to the strangers.

The cave entrance led to a narrow passage descending deep into the earth. The cold air inside sent shivers down their spines. As they advanced into the cave, the stones beneath their feet creaked, their steps echoing through the passage.

“This doesn’t feel right,” Yuri said, extending the lantern in his hand toward the inner part of the cave. The flickering light barely illuminated the darkness.

Doren unsheathed his sword and took the lead. “We’ve come this far. There’s no turning back. Whatever Qudrin warned us about, we’ll find and stop it here.”

The inside of the cave was cold and desolate. Only the sound of their footsteps on the stone floor echoed. As they ventured deeper into the cave, ancient symbols on the walls became more visible. Written in an ancient language, these symbols were once believed to be protective. But now, they stood as faded reminders of a dark past.

Yuri, walking ahead of Doren in the narrow cave, would occasionally turn back and tell him funny stories.

“Hey, Doren, let me tell you about the most ridiculous thing that ever happened to a nobleman in the castle,” Yuri began, jokingly. “The guy wakes up in the morning, tries to put on his knightly armor, but can’t find his helmet anywhere. Turns out…” Yuri suddenly stopped and looked behind him. “Doren,” he called out. His voice echoed through the depths of the cave. To his surprise, Doren, who had been right behind him a second ago, had vanished. His heart raced, but he tried to calm himself.

Just when Yuri was starting to get worried, he saw a shadow ahead. As he got closer, he realized Doren was standing there. “There you are,” Yuri said, raising an eyebrow. “Where were you? You were just behind me, and then you disappeared.”

Doren smiled slightly. “I tripped, then took a wrong turn. But it led me here. Better than listening to your joke,” he chuckled softly.

Yuri rolled his eyes. “Don’t scare me like that again, alright?” they continued on their way.

As Yuri and Doren ventured deeper into the cave, Yuri suddenly spoke, “Did you hear that?” He thought he heard a faint moan.

Doren hadn’t heard anything. “You’re getting paranoid.”

The sound came again, louder this time. “There! I heard it again,” Yuri said, frowning. He cautiously walked toward the sound. “Who’s there?” he called into the darkness.

Doren nodded toward the left. “It’s coming from over there.”

As they advanced, the sound became clearer. The darkness gripped the cave tightly, and suddenly, a shadow appeared before them. When they recognized the man lying on the ground, they couldn’t believe their eyes.

“Qudrin!” Doren shouted, quickly kneeling beside the old man.

Doren looked around in disbelief. “This is impossible! You didn’t enter the cave! How can you be here?”

Qudrin slowly opened his eyes and began to speak in a trembling voice, “I don’t remember how long it’s been… But… I couldn’t escape after I sent you the message.”

Doren and Yuri exchanged glances. Yuri said, “It’s been a week.”

“But you were in the village with us just a few hours ago!” Doren exclaimed, unable to believe it.

Suddenly, a shadow reached out from behind Qudrin and grabbed him by the heels, pulling him back.

“What the hell!” Yuri shouted, grabbing his sword. “That… that’s not human,” Yuri whispered, his voice trembling.

The shadow took a deep breath and spoke. “So, you came. Foolish enough to wake me.”

Doren tightened his grip on his sword and rested it on Yuri’s neck. “You humans are quite foolish.”

As they emerged from the cave, one of the village children, Shorman, said, “We can’t thank you enough. May I ask your name?”

“I’m Doren,” he replied. Pointing to his companions, he added, “These are my friends, Yuri and Qudrin.”

Qudrin gripped the hilt of his sword and bent toward the child.