The wind coldly blew through the dense trees. Julia stood at the edge of ck Hollow, her red hair catching in the icy breeze. Her magic sword rested at her side, aforting weight against her hip as her sharp eyes scanned the vige, noting the eerieck of movement. No children ying, no farmers tending the fields, just empty streets and shuttered windows.


    The snow crunched beneath her boots as she took her first step toward the heart of the vige, the rest of her team following close behind.


    Rina walked beside Julia, her armor nking softly with each step. The scars on her left arm—her only arm—stood out against the steel of her armor. Despite her missing right arm, she wielded a massive sword, farrger than most would think possible for a single-handed fighter. Her short-cropped hair barely moved in the wind.


    "You think this ce is deserted?" Rina asked.


    "It''s too quiet," Julia replied. "Something is wrong."


    Behind them, Hima hummed lightly, her golden hair flowing in waves down her back, stark against the bleakness of the vige. She had a flirtatious smile on her lips, but even the bubbly magician couldn''t mask the tension in the air. Her staff tapped softly against the ground as she walked, the enchanted wood gleaming with traces of magic.


    "Looks like someone forgot to invite us to the party," Hima said with a teasing lilt, though her eyes darted cautiously toward the shadows. "Where is everyone? A whole vige doesn''t just vanish unless something''s having a bit too much fun out here."


    Olive, the quietest of the group, was nothing more than a shadow. Dressed in her usual ck attire, her dark hair and eyes allowed her to blend into the fading light of the afternoon. Her knives were hidden, though Julia knew she had them at the ready, as always. Olive never spoke unless absolutely necessary, her sharp gaze always fixed on her surroundings. She was the assassin of the group.


    As they entered the vige square, an old man emerged from one of the dpidated houses. His face was drawn with age and fear, his hands trembling as he clutched a staff for support. The faint sound of a door creaking behind him made Olive flinch slightly, her hand drifting toward her knives. Julia motioned for her to hold back, stepping forward to meet the elder.


    "Are you the ones sent to help us?" The elder''s voice cracked with age, but the desperation in his tone was unmistakable.


    Julia nodded, her hand resting on the hilt of her magic sword. "We''vee to investigate the disappearances. Can you tell us what''s been happening?"


    The old man nced around nervously. He licked his chapped lips, his eyes darting between the trees and the vige, before finally speaking in a hushed voice. "It started a few months ago. People would disappear in the night—no sign of struggle, no sound to warn us. Just...gone. It was like they were swallowed by the dark."


    Hima raised an eyebrow, ncing around the quiet square. "And no one''s seen what''s taking them?"


    The elder shook his head. "No one...who''s lived to tell about it. Some say it''s a demon, others think it''s the forest itself. All I know is we can''t stop it. You can hear it, though...a whispering in the trees, a dark presence that watches us. We''re too afraid to leave our homes at night."


    Julia frowned, ncing over at Rina, who stood silent and still as ever, her eyes narrowed as if calcting something. "Has anyone tried to leave the vige?" Julia asked, though she already suspected the answer.


    "Once. A few families fled in the middle of the night...but we never heard from them again."


    Silence settled over the group. Hima twirled a strand of her golden hair around her finger, "Sounds like we''ve got ourselves a real monster here, huh? It''s always the quiet little viges, isn''t it?"


    Rina''s gaze remained fixed on the treeline, her expression hard. "If it''s a demon, we need to prepare."


    The elder stepped closer to Julia, his frail hand clutching her sleeve as if she were hisst hope. "Please...whatever it is, it''s too strong for us. My granddaughter...she was takenst week. We can''t go on like this."


    Julia ced aforting hand on the man''s shoulder. "We''ll stop it," she promised, "You don''t have to live in fear any longer."


    The elder looked at her with teary eyes, but before he could respond, a rustling sound echoed from the edge of the vige. Olive was the first to react, her body shifting slightly, her hand instinctively moving to her knives. Rina''s sword was already half-drawn, her muscles tensed and ready.


    "What was that?" Hima whispered, her fingers glowing faintly with the beginnings of a spell.


    The group turned toward the sound, eyes sharp, breath held. For a moment, everything was still again—the wind, the trees, the very air around them. Then, like a flicker of shadow, something moved between the trees.


    Olive was gone in a heartbeat, her form melting into the shadows as she pursued the figure. Julia signaled for the others to stay back, following Olive''s path into the woods with Hima and Rina close behind. The elder''s warnings echoed in her mind, but her instincts as a leader pushed her forward. They needed to find out what was haunting this ce.


    As they ventured deeper into the forest, the atmosphere shifted. The air grew colder, heavier, as if the very forest was alive and watching them. The trees twisted unnaturally, their branches gnarled and reaching like skeletal hands toward the sky. The ground beneath their feet became uneven, and Julia could feel the oppressive weight of something far darker than she had anticipated.


    Rina moved up beside her, her voice low. "This ce...it feels wrong."


    Julia nodded, her grip tightening on the hilt of her sword. "Stay alert. Whatever''s out here, it''s powerful."


    Suddenly, Olive appeared before them, silent as always, her dark eyes narrowing as she pointed ahead. Julia followed her gaze, and there, just beyond the twisted trees, she saw it. A shadowy figure, barely more than a silhouette, stood watching them. Its form was vague, shifting in and out of focus as if it were not fully part of this world. Julia''s heart raced, but she forced herself to remain calm.


    "Do we engage?" Rina asked, her massive sword already raised in preparation for battle.


    "Not yet," Julia whispered. "We need more information. It could be a scout."


    Hima, her fingers still glowing faintly, stepped forward, her voice soft but confident. "Let me try something."


    She raised her staff, and a small pulse of magic radiated out from her, harmless but probing. The figure didn''t move, but something about it seemed to shift, as if acknowledging the magic. The air grew colder still, and a deep, unnatural whispering filled the forest around them. It was faint, almost unintelligible, but it sent a chill down Julia''s spine.


    "This isn''t good," Hima muttered, "That thing...it''s not human."


    Before Julia could respond, the figure vanished, melting into the darkness as if it had never been there. The whispering stopped, leaving the forest eerily silent once more.


    Julia exchanged a nce with Rina, who was already scanning the area, her body tense. "We need to head back," Julia said, her voice steady despite the dread building in her chest. "Whatever that was, it''s watching us."


    As they made their way back to the vige, Julia couldn''t shake the feeling that they had juste face-to-face with something far more dangerous than a simple demon. The presence in the forest wasn''t just powerful—it was ancient, and it was waiting for something. What exactly, she didn''t know.


    But one thing was certain: the team wasn''t dealing with a normal threat, and they were going to need every ounce of strength to survive whaty ahead.


    Back at the vige, the elder was waiting for them, his face etched with concern. Julia''s expression was grim as she approached him.


    "There''s something in the forest," she said quietly. "Something powerful."


    The elder''s face paled, but he nodded, as if confirming his worst fears. "Then...there''s no hope?"


    Julia nced back at her team—at Hima''s glowing hands, at Rina''s massive sword, at Olive''s silent, unwavering stance.


    "There''s always hope," Julia said firmly. "But we need to prepare. This fight is just beginning.