— What... — he murmured, stepping onto Ferry’s perfectly made bed and removing the paper from the window.

“Keep every note you find, so that a conclusion you may draw.”

— What does that mean? I think it must be related to them — he said to himself, crumpling the paper and stuffing it in his pocket.

Descending to the ground floor, the boy headed for the door. Upon opening it and stepping outside, he noticed it was already around four twenty in the afternoon. The silence in the village was strange, as if everyone had disappeared — until he saw Jonathan hurrying toward him.

— Are any of the adventurers inside? — Jonathan asked, his face filled with panic.

— N-no...

— Go to your house and stay there! — he ordered, pushing Beta aside and quickly entering through the door.

— Where is everyone?

— All the men went to the cave, and the women finished their chores and are in their homes. Now go to yours! — he snapped, slamming the door shut.

Not understanding, Beta simply continued walking toward his house. On the way, turning a corner, he saw a group of girls gathered around the adventurer Dereck. Curious, he went over to see what was happening — he also intended to hand him the note he had found.

— Well, well, Beta! Come here! — Dereck called with a friendly smile.

— Liz? Payton? You’re not fighting anymore? — he asked, confused.

— No! That’s in the past. Dereck is inviting us to a super fun game!

— What game?

— As I was explaining to them, I spent the last two days placing protection totems around the village. Which means, it’s now safe to wander through the forest at night. So I suggested a game of hide-and-seek, to relax a bit and have fun.

— In the forest? At night?

— Exactly! And I’ll be the seeker. Since I’m an adult, finding you will be easy. The challenge is to hide as deep in the forest as possible — high or low places. Whoever isn’t found by eight o’clock wins.

— And how will we know when it’s exactly eight?

— I’ll blow a special whistle that will echo through the forest. Here, take this — he said, opening the boy’s hand and placing a bluish stone in it.

— What is this?

— Whoever isn’t found by the end of the game must break this stone. It’ll release a bright blue smoke, revealing their location.

— Dereck, I don’t think this is a good i—

— Come on, Beta! It’s been a long time since we all played together. And for the first time in four years, we’re all here again — said Carla, gently holding his hand.

— Alright... but just for today — he relented with a smile.

— The game starts at five forty. Be ready. Just don’t go near the cave where the others are. Run into the woods, understood? Anyone who disobeys is automatically disqualified — he added in a light tone.

— Okay! — replied Sarah excitedly.

— Why don’t you take this time to chat with each other? — Dereck suggested, walking away.

— Good idea! — Liz agreed, hugging Payton.

— Let’s see what matters more to you, Tate: the children and the village... or the mission.

Meanwhile, Jonathan, who wasn’t a fool, was searching the upper floor of the church for the necklaces mentioned by Tate and Dereck. He knew something terrible was about to happen, but couldn’t identify exactly what. If only he knew the precise nature of the necklaces, maybe he could prevent the tragedy.

Using his own exhaustion as an excuse, he had sent Philipe to the cave with the adventurers without telling him anything about his findings. He wanted to be alone to search Dereck’s belongings for clues. But unfortunately, he found nothing but clothes, potions, and some medical kits.

— I knew you had listened — said a mocking voice behind him, making him take a combat stance.

— What’s going to happen here, you bastard!? — Jonathan shouted, staring at Dereck.

— Something none of us can control. Look... we had orders from the queen. Or rather, by now you’ve heard it all, haven’t you? — he said with sarcasm.

— What? The queen is involved in this!?

— Oops! — he mocked. — I’m curious... how did you find out about the necklaces?

— I’m not stupid. You wouldn’t be this calm with a catastrophe looming if you didn’t have some way to protect yourselves. Some guarantee of safety.

— Very clever of you — Dereck replied, clapping sarcastically. — But unfortunately for you, you’re at solid red stage, and I’m at light yellow. You know how this ends, don’t you? — he said, pulling a sword from his dimensional ring.

— One shouldn’t judge someone’s skill solely by their core stage — Jonathan replied, bracing for battle.

— You’re right — Dereck agreed, hurling the sword toward his opponent’s head.

Jonathan managed to block the attack with his own weapon, but didn’t notice the rope wrapping around his neck, tightening and pulling him closer. Before he could react, Dereck transformed his arm into a sharp blade and pierced the warrior’s skull, just above the left eye.

The body collapsed to the ground, lifeless, blood flowing and staining the floor. Coldly, Dereck dragged the corpse to Ferry’s bed, covering it with the sheets to hide the crime. Then, he used the sheets from his own bed to wipe up the bloodstains.

— I guess it’s time to pack my things — he muttered, flicking his blade-shaped hand to shake off the remaining blood.

Meanwhile, the children chatted excitedly. The idea of giving the note to Dereck had already slipped from Beta’s mind. It was just a few minutes before five forty when the adventurer calmly approached the group, hands in his pockets.

— Well, first of all, I know some of you might still be afraid of going deep into the forest. To show that everything’s fine, those who manage to “survive” the hide-and-seek game will receive a prize — Dereck announced, using the promise as a form of manipulation.

— A prize? What prize!? — Catarina asked curiously.

— It’s a secret — he replied, ruffling her hair. — Let’s start as soon as possible. Ah, it was supposed to be a surprise, but if I did that, it would be too easy — he added mysteriously.

— What? — Beta frowned.

— Tate, Ferry, and even the miners will shout out for you, but don’t reveal yourselves. That’s already arranged between us. But since that would make things too easy, I’m telling you now — he said, giving a thumbs up. — You know the rules: you can only leave the forest starting at exactly eight o’clock. If you make it, you’ll be rewarded.

— Yes, sir! — they all shouted, excited.

— I’ll count to two minutes inside the church. After that, I’m coming after you. The whole area is fair game, so do your best — he said, turning toward the church with a sly smile, as the children dashed into the forest.

— Hey, Payton! — Beta grabbed her arm. — Before we go, what happened for you two to be friends again? I haven’t even processed it yet.

— We talked and made up. Besides, Dereck said Ferry asked him to tell us what really happened four years ago. I didn’t know she had the power to see the past — she replied with a bright, innocent smile before running into the forest.

Beta had nothing to say, no opinion to offer or judgment to make. Since Payton had considered the conflict between them resolved, all that remained was to accept it and make the most of the game — bearing in mind that after that night, he might spend the next two years training with every ounce of dedication he had.

★

As he shook the miner chief’s hand, a massive tremor began — it felt like an earthquake. Night had fully fallen, and the village lights were all lit. While everyone looked around in fear and confusion, Tate simply closed his eyes and began a silent prayer. A gruesome massacre was about to unfold in that humble village, isolated from any other community.

— Gather up! — Bob shouted authoritatively, spitting out the words.

— Tate, there’s nothing we can do! — Ferry tried to bring him back to reason.

— N-no, there has to be someth— — he murmured, in a trance, until a hard slap from the adventurer snapped him out of it.

— We have to get out of here! — she shouted impatiently.

— Do you know what that is!? — Cleveland asked, consumed by panic.

— N-no! — Ferry tried to hide the truth, just as the tremor stopped.

Whispers, sighs of relief, and confusion spread among the miners. In their minds, whatever had just happened seemed to be over. But that was only the beginning.

— I think we should go bac— — Smallters began to suggest, pointing toward the village, when an arrow pierced through his eye socket, killing him instantly.

— Smallters!!! — Bob ran to him, desperate. — Wake up! — he screamed, cradling the lifeless body in his arms.

— Get u— — Cleveland tried to react, leaping to protect the chief, but was saved by Philipe, who deflected the next arrow with a spinning sword strike that created a gust of opposing wind.

— Find Jonathan! — Philipe ordered the miners, taking a battle stance beside Tate and Ferry, who could barely see through the darkness.

One by one, the men ran in panic toward the illuminated village, forcing their bodies to move. Ferry had already surpassed her rune’s limit — any further effort could cause permanent damage.

— What are you waiting for!? Use your earth element! — Philipe shouted, distraught, dodging another powerful arrow.

— I-I can’t! — she cried, curled up on the grass.

— Why not!? — he yelled, just as an arrow hit his right shoulder, dropping him to his knees in pain. — Damn it! Just use the earth element already!

— If she does, she’ll die! — Tate roared, furious, stepping in front of his partner to shield her.

— Why do you keep— AGH!!! — Philipe screamed, trying to pull the arrow from his shoulder.

— Ferry! Go back to the village with Philipe and protect the miners as best you can. There’s no way out for us — said Tate, somber, not out of empathy, but because he knew they were all doomed to the same fate.

Ferry ran, dragging Philipe along as fast as she could, even though he could barely keep up.

Tate then took an offensive stance, chanting an extremely powerful fire spell. A flaming orb, resembling the sun itself, formed at the tip of his sword, growing larger and lighting up the area around him.

What he saw left him speechless. It was a true horde of monsters of every kind, not only among the trees but already spread throughout the village. It was a vision of hell. The most terrifying part was that many of the monsters were simply watching — unmoving — the despair unfolding before them.

— Fuck it — Tate muttered, sweating profusely. — Release!

He unleashed the spell, which surged toward the horde before him. The fireball erased everything it touched from existence, like a massive infernal eraser. Even so, that spell — capable of spanning kilometers — couldn’t even wipe out half of the enemy army.

— Why... Dereck... — Tate whispered, feeling small and powerless before such devastation. — This is it... — he let out a nervous laugh, teetering on the edge of insanity. He had never imagined he’d die in such a brutal way.

Inside one of the homes where people had taken shelter, Bob blamed himself for the miner’s death, slowly descending into madness.

— This wasn’t your fault. There was no way to predict what would happen — said Philipe, his shoulder being treated by one of the women who knew basic medicine.

— W-why is this happening!? What did we do to deserve this!? — he wept. — Smallters was a good man, wanted to get married, have kids, live a normal life like anyone else... — he spoke as if replaying memories in his mind.

— I know facing death like this can be overwhelming, but against it… there’s nothing we can do. It’s not something you can fight — Philipe said, concerned about his comrade’s mental state.

Far away, atop a cliff, an elegantly dressed zombie observed the massacre. With a malicious smile, he gave the command for the monsters to invade the village.

Tate knew that no matter how hard he fought, he wouldn’t drive those creatures away — let alone destroy them. All he could do now was run into the village like everyone else and try to survive.

— Cleveland — Bob called.

— Y-yes? — the young man replied, trying to hold back tears.

— Go home and stay with your mother.

— Okay... — Cleveland obeyed without question, which was rare for him.

— I’ll escort him. It’s too dangerous — said Ferry, blocking the door and heading out first.

As they carefully made their way to the boy’s house — where his mother still had no idea what was happening — Tate arrived at the village, followed by a true army of monsters. After the suited zombie’s order, every creature in the area began to invade. There were easily more than forty thousand monsters against a population of less than a hundred people.

With no options left, Tate ran to the church where he had spent the night. He shoved his bed up against the door, trying to create a barricade. But it was useless — the glass windows were easily shattered by the creatures.

Desperate, he rushed to the upper floor. He used Dereck’s bed to block the stairway and, with all his strength, tried to keep the attic trapdoor shut. He completely ignored the upper floor window — an easy path for a spider-like creature to climb through.

— Son! So? How did it go? — Cleveland's mother asked gently as she washed the dishes.

— Mom! Step away from the doors and windows! — Cleveland ran desperately to protect her.

— Cleveland, no! — Ferry shouted, seeing the boy's reckless action.

The sink where his mother was washing dishes was next to the back door, which the boy rushed toward to lock. However, the force with which it was broken down severely injured him.

— Son! — his mother screamed, also hit, though more lightly. — W-what's going on!? — she asked in panic.

— Monsters... — Cleveland murmured with difficulty.

Ferry froze in horror as she looked toward what had once been the back door. Spiders, zombies, undead archers, suicide monsters, and other abominations were calmly invading.

She knew she couldn’t fight them. Seeing Cleveland incapacitated and his mother frozen in fear, instinctively protecting her son, the adventurer decided to run toward the church.

Cleveland’s mother embraced him, tears rolling down her cheeks as she closed her eyes. One of the spiders bit her between the shoulder and neck, injecting a corrosive and lethal venom. She screamed in pain — a pain so unbearable that she let go of her son and ran out of the house. However, arrows struck her legs.

Trying to crawl to the door, she was seized by zombies who began devouring her alive in front of her son. She screamed in agony, being eaten piece by piece, slowly and cruelly. Cleveland, powerless, could only watch, heart shattered.

— STOP IT, DAMN IT!!! — he screamed from the ground, crying uncontrollably.

The monsters, though mindless, seemed to enjoy the boy’s suffering. They watched with pleasure as he despaired.