9th Cycle of the Year 312, Month of the Black Mists

  The return to camp was eerily silent. No one joked, no one recounted the last battle or shared an anecdote. Even the sound of boots pressing against the dirt seemed muffled, as if the very air had thickened under the weight of an invisible threat.

  Kael led the group, his gaze locked on the gray-tinged horizon. His mind replayed what they had seen in the ruins: that black door, the symbols carved into the stone in a forgotten language, the bones… not human. Part of him wanted to believe it was nothing more than a remnant of the past, a monument of a long-dead civilization. But his instincts screamed that it wasn’t that simple.

  The air was colder than it had been in the morning. A breeze picked up, carrying a metallic scent. No blood, no recent death… just that mineral fragrance, as if the earth itself was bleeding.

  When they reached the camp, the sentries' faces showed a mix of relief and unease. It wasn’t just the group's prolonged absence that had worried them—something else weighed on them.

  Barely had they entered the command tent when a scout named Ralden rushed in, breathless, his face covered in a cold sweat.

  — "Commander, we have a problem."

  Kael’s piercing gaze locked onto the soldier’s.

  — "Speak."

  Ralden bit his lower lip before explaining:

  — "A patrol of five men… They never returned last night. We followed their tracks, but they… they just stop, to the east. No bodies, no signs of struggle… Nothing."

  A heavy silence fell.

  Lysara frowned, her sharp eyes settling on Kael.

  — "That’s exactly what we saw in the ruins. A total disappearance, as if…"

  — "As if they had vanished," Kael finished coldly.

  Darius crossed his arms, skeptical.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  — "Damn it, are you saying they just evaporated? Maybe they deserted."

  Kael shook his head.

  — "We’re going now. No one disappears without an explanation."

  The sun, pale and veiled by a lingering mist, cast a dull light over the plains. Kael and his men advanced in silence, each step kicking up fine swirls of dust.

  The place where the tracks ended was a rocky expanse, marked by ancient crevices and littered with dark, smooth stones—eerily uniform in shape.

  Kael knelt, running his hand over the hardened ground. It was cold. Abnormally cold, as if the sun’s warmth had never touched it.

  Darius crouched beside him, tapping one of the black stones with his fingers.

  — "Feels like glass. Like the earth was burned at extreme heat."

  Lysara leaned in, bringing her face closer to the ground, and inhaled slightly.

  — "That smell again… metallic. It makes me nauseous."

  Suddenly, a faint noise broke the silence.

  A whisper.

  Soft. Almost imperceptible.

  Kael lifted his head, listening intently. It wasn’t the wind. It wasn’t an animal. It was… something else.

  — "Circle formation!" he ordered immediately.

  The soldiers reacted instantly, forming a defensive perimeter, blades drawn, eyes scanning the shifting shadows.

  The whisper intensified, turning into a low, insidious hum. It wasn’t a recognizable language. It was… a vibration, a presence that wormed its way into their minds, stirring something primal in their souls.

  Farren, a young warrior with a face still marked by youth, brought a trembling hand to his helmet, his features contorted.

  — "Commander… I hear it… inside…"

  Then, he screamed.

  A cry of pure terror.

  He collapsed to his knees, convulsing violently. His eyes filled with a pale glow, as if a cold light radiated from within.

  Kael lunged toward him.

  — "Farren!"

  But before he could reach him, the young man's body arched violently backward…

  … and disintegrated before their eyes.

  A wave of horror rippled through the ranks.

  Where Farren had stood seconds before, only a fine dark dust remained, scattered by the wind.

  Lysara brought a trembling hand to her mouth, unable to look away.

  Darius, frozen, let out a strangled curse.

  — "What the fuck is this?!"

  Kael stood still. A cold rage built inside him, mingling with a terror he refused to show.

  Slowly, he turned his head toward the creeping mist weaving through the rocks—the place where the other soldiers had disappeared.

  Something was here.

  Something beyond their understanding.

  Kael clenched his fists, feeling the biting cold of fear mix with his warrior’s instinct.

  — "We’re heading back. Now."

  No one argued.

  They turned and left that cursed ground behind—but Kael knew they weren’t done with it.

  No.

  This was only the beginning.