The sound of a raven made Lukas turn his attention. That raven gave him chills. The village had no lights, giving off a dark atmosphere. Tall trees surrounded the village, their thick leaves blocking the sunlight.
"Young man, are you the one who accepted my quest?" the old man asked in a hoarse voice.
Lukas turned his gaze toward the old man as he heard him speak. He saw his wrinkled face and pale lips. Lukas became even more worried, but he tried to hold back his feelings and think positively.
"Y-yes, sir, I am—." As Lukas spoke, his eye throbbed and gave him a glimpse. He saw a big figure, sharp teeth, and mouth covered in blood in old man eyes.
He tried to hide his expression. The old man seemed to notice it.
"I'm glad it's you, because I feel that you will finish the quest easily—." The old man slowly raised his face toward Lukas, a smile appearing.
"—it's almost night. How about you start the quest tomorrow and take a rest in the cabin?"
Lukas nodded, but he felt there was something odd, even if what the old man said made sense.
The old man then gave Lukas a sign to follow him. He smiled once again. Lukas followed him from behind while observing the surroundings.
No—there was not a single person in the village. Lukas smelled something rotten, like corpses. The source of the smell seemed to come from a big house in the middle of the village.
Lukas felt an ominous feeling coming from that house. Moreover, it was the only house made of brick.
Thump!—
The old man suddenly struck the ground with his staff, startling Lukas and making him turn his gaze toward him.
"Aren't you curious why I keep posting the same request many times, even though it has already been completed—?" Lukas wanted to answer, but he felt something telling him not to speak.
"—it's because they keep breaking the boundaries."
Hearing that, Lukas became curious.
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean—." His steps stopped. Lukas saw a small wooden cabin that looked rickety. "This is the place where you can rest. And don't forget, there is a line you shouldn't cross. Enjoy your night."
He turned, smiled, and walked away.
Lukas nodded and walked inside. As he stepped forward, the floor creaked, and even the door made noise. Inside, there was a wooden bed and a table covered with a thin layer of dust. The room was very small, and the ceiling was full of cobwebs.
He stood and looked around, then brushed off the dust and sat on the bed while drinking his water. Suddenly, he remembered the old man's words.
(What does he mean by that?)
He thought for a moment. Before lying down, he felt something—an aura he had never felt before. Lukas quickly grabbed his sword. He slowly opened the door and took a peek.
Darkness surrounded the area, and the atmosphere was quiet. He looked around and saw five figures walking toward the big house. But Lukas noticed something different about two of them.
Their appearance was not human. One of them had a horn, and the other had a skull-like face. The other three people had their hands tied and their heads covered. One of them seemed small. Could it be a child?
They stopped in front of the big house. Then the horned figures knelt on one knee and bowed. Slowly, the door opened—but suddenly it stopped.
Their gazes turned toward Lukas. Their eyes glowed red in the darkness.
Lukas's eyes widened. He quickly shut the door, trying not to make any noise. He stepped back from the door, holding his sword, his hands trembling with fear.
Slow footsteps approached. Each step grew louder, making his heart beat faster. He swallowed.
The steps stopped right in front of the door. Lukas froze.
A few moments passed. Lukas was still trembling. The sound of footsteps was heard again, but this time moving away.
Relieved, Lukas fell onto the bed. His face still couldn't believe what he had seen.
His sword dropped. He covered his head with his hands.
(What the hell was that, and what the hell is this place? I don't think I should have taken this quest.)
Lukas trembled, lost in his thoughts.
The next day, someone knocked on Lukas's door. He quickly grabbed his sword and slowly opened it.
He saw the old man standing there.
"How was your night, young man?" the old man smiled. In his hand was a plate with bread and cooked meat.
"Here is some food. Eat it before you start your quest."
"Th-thank you."
Lukas still felt sleepy. It seemed he hadn't slept at all because of the incident. He took the food.
"Then I'll wait for you near the gate." The old man walked away.
Lukas, still remembering the incident, slowly looked toward the big house. But nothing seemed unusual. He quickly ate the food. Surprisingly, the meat tasted very good.
After finishing, he went to the gate. The old man was standing there.
"Did you enjoy your food?" a warm smile appeared on his face.
"Then let's start searching for the villagers."
Lukas nodded.
Surprisingly, the old man joined him in searching for the missing villagers. So he really cared about his people.
Several hours passed. He searched everywhere possible but found no sign of them. Feeling hopeless, he decided to head west. After walking about six kilometers away from the village, he found a cave on the side of a mountain and decided to go inside.
The old man waited outside.
Lukas slowly walked into the cave without any light. When he went deeper inside, he saw a light—a torch. He quickly walked toward it.
He saw many people, maybe around thirty. They looked very thin, their eyes empty, and their appearance shabby. Beside them were some food, swords, bows, and animal bones.
One of them noticed Lukas.
"Demon!"
He shouted, making the others panic.
"I-I'm not a demon."
"Then what the hell are you doing here?"
"I'm looking for you. The village head is searching for all of you."
"What? You're cooperating with that lunatic? You bastard!"
They quickly grabbed torches and weapons, aiming them at Lukas.
Lukas froze, not knowing what to say. He wondered if he had done something wrong. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps and a staff hitting the ground approached, making the people tremble.
But this time, Lukas felt something different.
Sadness.
"You—! If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have ended up like this!" they shouted angrily when they saw the old man.
The old man gave a faint smile. Lukas could only stand there and watch. He knew something was odd in this village, but he couldn't do anything.
"Sorry, young man. I think your job ends here. I'll take care of this myself." He gave Lukas a coin as proof that the quest was completed.
"So you're helping this bastard? You're just another greedy and stupid young man!" an old woman shouted.
Lukas froze, her words making him doubt himself. His mind went blank.
"Here." The old man handed him the coin. He avoided eye contact with Lukas and turned his gaze toward the villagers. They were trembling, but Lukas remembered the goal he needed to achieve.
With hesitation, he took the coin.
As he walked out, he heard someone crying.
Lukas still couldn't understand what was really happening in this village.
He kept thinking about what the villagers meant. Not far from the cave, the same aura from that night appeared. Lukas sensed it, and his heart trembled.
(What are those demons doing there? No way they— But even if I go back, I can't do anything against them.)
Then he remembered what had happened before—Feline, who died because of him, because of his eyes. If he didn't fight against his fear, the same thing would happen again and again.
His body turned back. His feet trembled.
Lukas was confused, but suddenly his heart beat faster than before. His adrenaline surged. It felt like something was pushing him to go back.
He ran toward the cave.
He saw two demons from that night standing in front of it. The old man walked out of the cave, followed by the villagers. But the villagers looked strange—their eyes were empty.
A growling sound came from the demons as they slowly turned their gaze toward Lukas.
"Young man… what did I tell you—" the old man's eyes widened, but they looked glassy.
"You shouldn't cross the line."
-CONTINUE-