Tamae held her breath. Her eyes shimmered with tears, but she turned her face away, suppressing the turmoil rising in her chest. That woman—they had only known her briefly... yet her kindness was still fresh in their memory. And now she was dead, murdered. It left a heavy guilt pressing down on Tamae’s heart.
"If only I hadn’t stepped out. This wouldn’t have happened," she whispered.
Alvaric clenched his fists. His jaw tightened. He was the one who had asked Tamae to come with him. Indirectly, he too had played a part in this woman’s death.
This creature wasn’t just a monster. It didn’t kill only to abduct—it killed to spread fear. And now, it had slain the only villager who had shown them kindness. But something was off. Tamae and Alvaric looked at each other.
"Where’s the child?" they both said.
Realization struck them. Without delay, they split up to search every corner of the house. But the child was nowhere to be found. Even in the smallest, most unlikely of places, Alvaric still checked—just in case.
But the result was the same. No one was there.
Tamae and Alvaric exchanged glances. Their minds reached the same conclusion.
"Don’t tell me, he..."
This house had been attacked by the creature called Shadow Stalker. The most likely scenario was that the child had been abducted. They both looked at each other and nodded.
"We need to split up immediately."
"I’ll take the north," Alvaric said, his voice cold.
"I’ll go south," Tamae replied quickly. Her voice almost broke, but her eyes were sharp. "We need to hurry."
They nodded to each other. Without another word, they vanished into the thick night mist—each one driven by a determination fueled by anger, loss, and guilt. Their bond with the mother and child wasn’t particularly deep.
But they had been treated kindly. And as beings with heart and mind, they had to return what they had received.
Neither of them would give up until the child was found.
They searched every corner of the village—even sneaking into the homes of the villagers. They had to do it quietly to avoid causing panic. But despite all their efforts, the result was always the same.
From narrow alleys between crumbling houses, to unused animal pens, to an old, nearly collapsed well—still, nothing. No traces. No sounds. Not even blood.
The child... was gone.
Alvaric returned to their starting point—near the house now stained with blood. Not long after, Tamae emerged from the opposite direction, sweat trickling down her temple. They stood in silence for a moment, letting despair press against their chests.
"There’s nothing on the southern side," Tamae said.
"North is clear too," Alvaric replied shortly.
They stood quietly for several seconds, only the wind and falling dead leaves accompanying their thoughts. Something was strange. The mist was thinning, but not because of the weather. It was as if the village itself... was being slowly abandoned by the light.
Suddenly, Alvaric lifted his head. "Wait..."
Tamae glanced at him. "What is it?"
"This afternoon... the child said something. About the creature." Alvaric tried to recall the brief conversation they’d had before night fell. "He said... the creature came from the forest."
Tamae quickly turned, her eyes locking onto the dark silhouette of the forest beyond the village. Mist hung between the towering trunks, a thick, ominous fog. The forest emanated something eerie—unsettling.
"You mean the Forest of the Lost?" Tamae pointed toward it. "Are we going there?" she asked softly, almost whispering. Follow current novᴇls on 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅✦𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾✦𝗇𝖾𝗍
Alvaric didn’t answer with words. He simply stepped forward, shoulders tense, hand gripping the hilt of Vapper’s Dagger. He was ready to fight whatever the Shadow Stalker was. He’d caught a glimpse of it earlier.
The creature had a hunched posture, a long tongue, and glowing red eyes. Its full form was hidden by the dark. Whatever it was, Alvaric would face it. Not only to save the child, but to complete his mission.
Alvaric nodded. "Of course."
The forest was dark—darker than the village’s night. As if even the moonlight refused to pass through the thick canopy above their heads. Branches reached out like thin hands trying to drag them deeper in.
Step by step, they pushed through the undergrowth, holding back the stench of decaying plants and damp, rotting earth. But not long after...
A monster appeared—a horned wild dog, its teeth layered, its green eyes glowing. But it posed no threat to them. Tamae immediately slashed it down in one swift stroke. Blood spurted, and the creature collapsed without a sound.
Moments later, two more monsters appeared. Alvaric leapt forward, slashing one in a flurry of strikes and impaling the other against a tree trunk. None of these creatures were a match for them now.
The fight was swift—not exactly easy, but not enough to stop them for even a few seconds. The monsters seemed to be stalling them on purpose...
The deeper they went, the stranger the monsters became. Some had transparent bodies, mist-like skin, and footsteps that barely made a sound. The most bizarre was a humanoid figure—naked, faceless, but with a mouth full of jagged teeth on its stomach.
It looked terrifying and powerful, but as Alvaric stepped forward and slashed, the creature was cut clean in two and died instantly. Alvaric looked mildly disappointed.
"Isn’t this a bit too easy?" Alvaric complained.
They continued deeper into the forest. More monsters appeared. But none of them mattered. Because now, their resolve wasn’t just to save a child—but to atone for a sin and repay the kindness they had received.
"We’re getting close," Alvaric said.
Tamae turned to him. "You sure?"
Alvaric nodded. "I’m starting to feel... a different aura."
And indeed, the air around them began to change. The wind stopped blowing. The forest fell silent. No insects. No night creatures. Only stillness... and pressure. And there were no more relentless monster attacks. This confirmed Tamae’s belief in Alvaric’s words.
"Let’s go!" Alvaric urged.
Tamae nodded, and they began to move carefully. Their eyes constantly scanned the surroundings. The creature called Shadow Stalker could appear from anywhere. Their vision was limited. If they were ambushed due to carelessness, it wouldn’t be funny at all.
Alvaric didn’t want to make any mistakes. "Isn’t the oxygen thinner here?" he complained.
He was having a bit of trouble breathing. And so was Tamae. But the reason wasn’t actually the oxygen level—it was that their senses had started to fail. Their breathing became unstable, their hearing dulled, their vision narrowed, and more.
But neither of them realized this. They assumed it was just the night and the strange location.
"A cave," Alvaric said, pointing forward.
But there was no response.
When he turned—Tamae was gone.
He turned back. Still nothing.
He clicked his tongue in frustration.
"Tch, what now?" he muttered.