They drove for another hour before reaching the small, isolated village where they had booked rooms, a cluster of slate-roofed homes huddled around a dimly lit inn called Corbul Negru, The Black Raven Inn
Their guide, Marius, was waiting. He was a local liaison, hired for his knowledge of the dangerous terrain leading to Aethelred Castle.
"We will begin the ascent tomorrow, just after dawn," Isolde explained, pointing at the map. "We need a full day to survey the exterior and stabilize some baseline readings.
Marius nodded, his gaze distant. He gathered his coat to leave for the night, but suddenly stopped in his track, his eyes shooting up as if startled by a sound only he could hear. He offered a simple, unexplained advice.
"Do not wander in the night."
He didn't wait to give an explanation. He just left, slipping out into the cold twilight, leaving the team exchanging confused glances.
************
Inside, the inn was warm and cozy.
Exhausted by the long journey and the emotional shock of seeing Aethelred, Isolde fell into a fitful sleep.
Not long after they had lodged, the village fell into a profound, suffocating silence. Leo and Maya were attempting to connect a satellite terminal to upload some of their preliminary research notes, working outside the inn.
Are you sure this satellite thing is even pointed the right way? Maya asked
Yes, Dr. "I-Got-An-A-in-Art-History." It's literally a plug-and-play transmitter. Leo chuckled
We've been here for two hours. My fingers are frozen, Leo. Maya protested
You said you wanted "authentic atmosphere." This is atmosphere. Cold, foggy, ominous… very on brand. Leo reminded her
I meant museums, not mountaintop Wi-Fi.
Sighs....Can we take a break? My brain stopped working twenty minutes ago. Maya pleaded
Fine. The upload can finish on its own. Let's take a walk to the village. Leo agreed.
After walking a bit, Maya broke the silence
You know the tour guide scares me, Maya protested.
Leo chuckles...yeah he looks pretty tough
A long, low howl rises from the distant forests. They both freeze.
Is that a wolf? Maya eyes widened
No... it's a dog, Leo replied
Transylvania are historically known for it's wolves Maya reminded him
Yeah I remembered..... The Carpathian mountains has one of the largest population of wolves, in Europe
I actually paid attention in history class, Leo winked
They laugh nervously as they walk through the quiet street.
Wolves travel fast. But it's fine they don't come into the village often.
I made appropriate research before venturing out on this journey. Leo assured Maya.
A low growl echoes between the buildings.
Please tell me that was the dog again. Maya said frantically
Suddenly, a massive, scraping sound echoed from somewhere they couldn't make out, followed by a terrible, guttural roar that sounded like grinding stone.
I.... don't....think.... that was a dog, Leo starting to move backwards
Leo....don't look behind you. Maya panicked
What! Leo shocked and wanted to look back
Maya voice stopped him,
I said not to look back! she cried. Her eyes fixed above Leo's head like something is towering over him
Maya taking gentle steps backwards,
A silent of 2 seconds
Then.....
Ruuuuuuuuuunnnnn Maya screamed
Before she could finish, A massive, shadowy shape surged towards them, a monstrous presence too large to be an animal, yet moving with the desperate fury of one.
It was covered in ash, and in the fleeting flashlight, Isolde saw wicked, upward-curving tusks.
Leo screamed as the creature brushed past him, its immense force sending him sprawling and leaving a deep, ragged laceration across his right shoulder.
Leo slumped to the ground
Maya grabbed a stick she found close by and swung wildly, backing into a dark Alley
The creature roared again, a sound of profound hunger, Maya fell to her butt. her eyes closed, heart hammering in her chest, waiting for the deadly beast fangs to shred her. But instead there was total silence
The beast vanished as quickly as it had appeared, melting back into the impenetrable darkness.
Maya shivering with anxiety scrambled off the ground but something caught her eyes, a man in full black regalia and face pale and white as the moon
but the image dissappeard quickly, making her think she was seeing stuff
or the panic got the better of her
She rushed to Leo, tearing fabric to make a compress. He was bleeding profusely.
"We need a doctor, Maya stammered,
Leo's face pale with shock. "What in God's name was that?"
"It was a monster," Maya whispered, weeping silently, and looking here and there like the monster could reapper at any time.
Can you manage to walk? Maya asked Leo. We need to get you back to the inn
With sheer force and clenched teeth, Leo got up with Maya's help and they limped their way back the inn.
************
Isolde
The nightmare came fast a flash of silver, the sickening, wet sound of something tearing, and a feeling of profound, glacial cold pressing against her throat. A woman's scream, not her own, echoed in the blackness, utterly devoid of hope.
She woke with a sharp, ragged gasp, heart hammering against her ribs, the vision of a black, shapeless horror already receding. The remnants of the scream still vibrated in the air when a frantic, violent pounding erupted on her door.
"Isolde! Open up! Please!" It was Maya, her voice stripped bare by panic.
Isolde threw off the heavy quilt. Her head throbbed, an instant headache blooming in the wake of the dream. She fumbled with the deadbolt and pulled the door open, revealing Maya, hair disheveled, face pale and tear-streaked, dressed in jeans and a thermal shirt.
"What is it? What happened?" Isolde demanded, instantly alert.
"It's Leo," Maya gasped, clinging to the doorframe. "He's… something got him. We almost died."
Isolde pulled Maya inside, forcing her to sit on the edge of the narrow bed. "Slow down. What do you mean, 'something got him'? We were all asleep."
Maya shook her head rapidly. "No. We couldn't sleep. Leo and I... we... uhmm... we were setting up the satellite, and after some time we decided to take a walk
We didn't even make it past the old windmill outside the village line. And then it came."
"It?
Maya swallowed, her eyes wide with lingering terror.
it was animal. Massive. It looked like a wolf, but impossibly large, faster than anything I've ever seen. It had these huge, gray tusks,
It was a demon! I have never seen such thing in my entire life, Maya panicked, her lips trembled as she speak. Sweat dripping on her forehead
She shuddered, pulling her knees up to her chest. "It pinned Leo down before he could even scream.
It.... it tore a piece out of his shoulder and then it just vanished back into the dark.
Isolde stared at her friend.
Her stomach clenched.
"Where is Leo now?" Isolde asked, already moving toward the small supply bag containing their medical kit. The quiet authority of the leader had returned, replacing the anger of the rebel.
"Ben is with him. He's bleeding, Isolde, but he's alive. We need a real doctor.
Isolde grabbed the medical bag and followed Maya to the room two doors down. The door was ajar, and inside, Ben was hunched over Leo, who was sprawled on the bed, his face a sickly gray.
A ragged tear in his thermal shirt showed a dark, deep laceration across his left shoulder, just below the collarbone, pulsing slowly with blood.
"Thank God," Ben whispered, relief washing over his fear-contorted features when he saw Isolde. "He's losing too much it went deep, Isolde."
Isolde knelt beside the bed. Leo's breathing was shallow and fast. She worked quickly, her hands steady despite the frantic tremor in her chest. She stripped away the torn fabric, sterilized the wound with their strongest antiseptic wipes causing Leo to let out a low, miserable moan and then began to pack the cut with gauze, applying firm, even pressure.
The jagged edges and depth of the wound confirmed Maya's description, this wasn't a stray dog or a bear. The bite was impossibly clean for its savagery.
"He needs stitches, and antibiotics we don't have. Isolde murmured, tying the pressure bandage tight.
"But this will hold the bleeding for some time, Maya, water and sugar for him, now."
Few minutes later she was back, Ben feed Leo the water and sugar
Isolde looked up at Maya. "Did anyone in the inn hear anything?"
"No. We were out by the edge of the woods, past the few houses.
Ben scrubbed a hand over his tired face. "Isolde, what are we going to do? We can't take Leo into a crumbling, cursed castle tomorrow. We have to drive him to a proper hospital."
Isolde closed the medical kit. The practical, logical answer was a retreat. But the practical, logical answer felt wrong, like betraying the mission she had fought so hard to start. More importantly, she needed to know what this creature was.
Let me make a call through the tour guide, Isolde announced, he can be of help
Ben frowned. "The guide? He's barely said two words to us."
He knows these woods better than anyone. He warned us not to wander out after dark. He knows what's out there, whatever it is. If we're going to survive this trip, let alone finish our project, we need to understand the actual dangers, not just the medieval myths."
Leaving Leo in Ben's care, Isolde quietly slipped out of the room.
Few minutes later, Isolde reappeared, with a sad expression on her face
We can't move him until the sun is fully up," she stated, glancing at the moon outside the window.
What?? Ben half yelled
So we are gonna watch him die???
The guide said we will all be risking our lives if we take him out to the hospital at this hour, said it's too dangerous and we.... we.. might not even make it
Maya's shoulder slumped.
Ben's mouth open ajar, there was total silence
A knock on the door, broke the silence.
Isolde approached the door and opened it, the sound feeling jarringly loud in the pre-dawn quiet.
Isolde pushed the door open to find Marius fully dressed, a long, wicked-looking hunting knife by his side
His eyes, fixed on her, were perfectly steady, entirely devoid of surprise.
They were attacked an hour ago. Outside the village, near the windmill.
A large beast, It tore his shoulder." Isolde announced to Marius
Likely a wolf he said bluntly, taking a look at Leo where he laid
Maya stood up, trust me I know a wolf when I see one... that thing is no wolf, she sobbed
"I warned you about the night," he stated, his voice flat and heavy, his English thick with the local accent.
"The old path belongs to the quiet things. They do not welcome strangers."
Quiet things?? Isolde wondered, Ben's face laced with curiosity.
Is there something we should know that we don't? Isolde asked
Man you need to tell us everything, we need to know if our lives are in danger! Ben yelled
You should have listened to me! I warned you didn't I ? Marius shot back.
You don't walk around a new place like you've been around for a while.
You brought this upon yourselves. He declared
Isolde stepped forward a bit, with pleading eyes
I know.... I know we are at fault. But please..... if there's anything we need to know, please tell us.
Marius sighed, a sound that seemed to carry the weariness of the centuries she was so determined to uncover.
Then he brought out a dirty old thing, which happend to be a scroll and hung it to the wall
He pointed the tip of the knife towards thee scroll, not threateningly, but simply to guide their gaze.
The scroll was dominated by a large, crude charcoal sketch of the castle they had seen hours before. Beneath the castle, barely visible in the dim light, was another drawing, a massive shadowy creature that indeed possessed exaggerated size and tusks, standing over the stylized shape of a man.
"We call it Zimbrul Fomist," Marius said, t
"The Hungry Auroch. It is not of the forest, Miss Isolde.
"It is the Prince's hound. The castle's guard," Marius replied, his voice barely a whisper.
What prince? Isolde asked
Aurelius?? Ben knitted his eyebrows
Marius nod
"Legend says that when Prince Aurelius became the Lord of the Mountain consumed by his rage after the war for the crown, he brought forth the Zimbrul Fomist to guard the gates. It is a creature born of dark magic
A creature of pure hunger, born from the blood and darkness.
Isolde felt a cold knot tighten in her stomach,
The prince practiced necromancy? History never recorded that, this is a new fact
But the prince is dead, Isolde asked
I guess the beast is guarding his corpse, since he's the beast master. It's naturally to be around his castle. Ben suggested
So the beast has been guarding his bones for 500 years?? Maya chipped in.
"Everything in this valley is connected to the castle. Marius continued,
Isolde stared at him, scribbling furious notes.
"So, the tyrannical Prince is not a regular ghost, he's protected by a dark magical guardian, even 500 years after his death to not allow any one near his castle?
Marius's dark eyes narrowed, piercing through her scientific bravado.
He must be one greedy bastard! Isolde lamented
Marius simply nodded, desperate to keep the true, horrifying vampire lore hidden.
But what he couldn't understand is why the Zimbrul Fomist attacked so far from the castle, but he made sure not to disclose the prince being a vampire or any story surrounding it.
He rose, placing the knife into a leather sheath.
The only way you survive this is by listening to me. We wait for the day, we tend to your friend, and then we go to the castle. We do not wander the woods like fools."
Isolde knew he was right. Her parents' warnings, her academic ambition, her romanticized view of history all shattered by the reality of the Zimbrul Fomist.
She had come looking for aarchaeological myth, and instead she had found a real, bloodthirsty guardian born of ancient, unfinished evil.
Wait..... after learning all of these, we are still gonna approach the castle?? Ben asked in horror
A beast is guarding the castle and you still wanna go take a peek?? He added
The Zimbrul Fomist doesn't wander in the day, as long as we play by it rules and you take my lead you will be fine
That is..... if you're still interested in going up the castle. Marius concluded
Isolde turned to face her team, her eyes bright fear mixing with determination.
Guys.... "Think about it. Every myth, every superstition, every warning… they had to start somewhere. If we step inside that castle, we might finally uncover what those stories were covering up."
Ben shook his head, jaw tight. "Or we'll end up becoming one of those stories."
Isolde took a step closer to him.
"Ben, you're a historian,
Maya you're an ethnographer,
Leo you're an epigrapher and mythologist
I'm an archaeologist.....
This.... she gestured towards the scroll on the wall
is the kind of discovery people write entire volumes about.
What if there are artifacts inside? Records? Murals? What if the truth behind the castle isn't supernatural at all, but something we can document? Something we can prove?"
Maya's s grip on the table loosened slightly.
"And if it is supernatural?".... you don't see what I've seen... what we have seen, Maya half yelled and glanced at Leo
Isolde hesitated but only for a beat.
"Then we'll be the first to bring back evidence. The first to map the castle. The first to explain what every generation has feared but never understood."
Her voice softened.
"Think of what that means for our careers. For history. For knowledge itself."
Her team exchanged uncertain glances.
"We can't walk away. Not when the greatest discovery of our lives is right in front of us. Whatever danger is in there… we face it together."
She extended her hand.
"One step. That's all I'm asking."
Ben swallowed hard.
Maya took a shaky breath.
"…One step." Leo managed to speak
Isolde sigh in relief, a smile spread across her face
"When can we leave for the hospital?" Isolde asked Marius
Marius looked at the door, where the first faint promise of a sun still hidden behind the ridge was appearing. "Once the day breaks"
Good, we should prepare. Isolde murmured
Marius nod, then gave Isolde a long stare before exiting the room