The caravan resumed its journey.
No one spoke about the little girl on the bridge.
No one mentioned the smiling guard.
But every member of Squad Seven remained alert.
The forest had already taught them one lesson.
Not everything dangerous looked dangerous.
The road gradually widened.
The towering pines began to thin.
Sunlight finally broke through the canopy.
Fresh air replaced the damp chill of Graypine Forest.
Rowan let out a quiet breath.
"We’re almost there."
An hour later...
The caravan climbed the final hill.
At its peak...
Eldermere came into view.
It was a small mountain village nestled between rolling hills.
Stone cottages with moss-covered roofs lined winding streets.
Fields of wheat swayed gently in the afternoon breeze.
Children ran through the marketplace.
Blacksmiths hammered glowing steel.
Smoke rose peacefully from dozens of chimneys.
It looked...
Perfectly ordinary.
Eric smiled.
"...After everything we’ve seen..."
"This place almost feels too peaceful."
As the caravan entered through the wooden gate...
The villagers greeted Rowan warmly.
"You’re back!"
"Rowan!"
"Did the roads treat you well?"
Rowan laughed.
"Well enough."
Several villagers noticed the academy uniforms.
"They brought students this time."
"They’re younger than I expected."
"I heard Valhalla only sends the best."
Eric quietly whispered,
"I like these people already."
An elderly woman approached carrying a basket of freshly baked bread.
"You must be hungry."
Without waiting for an answer...
She handed each member of Squad Seven a warm loaf.
Sophia smiled brightly.
"Thank you."
The old woman laughed.
"No one works well on an empty stomach."
Noah accepted the bread with a polite nod.
For the first time since leaving the academy...
He relaxed.
Just a little.
The village chief soon arrived.
A man in his sixties with silver hair and kind eyes.
He carried himself with quiet dignity.
"Welcome to Eldermere."
"My name is Elias."
He shook Rowan’s hand.
Then turned toward Noah.
"So..."
"You’re the young leader."
Noah bowed respectfully.
"Noah Blackwood."
Elias smiled.
"I’ve prepared rooms for your squad."
"You’re welcome to stay as long as your mission requires."
Professor Astrid’s words echoed in Noah’s mind.
"Do not ignore what the villagers consider ordinary."
As the caravan unloaded supplies...
Noah quietly asked,
"Chief Elias..."
"I heard there have been disappearances."
The chief’s smile faded.
Only slightly.
"...There have."
"When did they begin?"
Elias looked toward the mountains.
"...Long before I was born."
Squad Seven exchanged glances.
Eric frowned.
"...That long?"
Elias nodded.
"It doesn’t happen often."
"Sometimes years pass peacefully."
"Sometimes..."
"...three people vanish in a single month."
"And nobody knows why?"
Sophia asked gently.
"We’ve searched."
"We’ve prayed."
"We’ve sent hunters."
"We’ve even hired adventurers."
He lowered his head.
"No one ever finds anything."
Noah hesitated.
Then asked,
"...Have you ever heard of a girl named Lily?"
The village chief froze.
The smile disappeared completely.
Around them...
Several nearby villagers suddenly fell silent.
One woman accidentally dropped the basket she was carrying.
Apples rolled across the street.
No one picked them up.
Elias slowly looked at Noah.
"...Where..."
"...did you hear that name?"
"We met her."
Eric answered honestly.
"At Whisper Creek."
The entire street became deathly quiet.
A young mother instinctively pulled her child closer.
An old man quietly made a strange hand gesture over his chest.
Almost like a prayer.
Chief Elias closed his eyes.
When he opened them again...
There was fear behind them.
Real fear.
"...Come with me."
His voice had become much quieter.
"Not here."
He led Squad Seven away from the marketplace.
Past the cottages.
Past the chapel.
Until they reached a modest stone building overlooking the village.
Once inside...
He carefully locked the door.
Closed every window.
Only then did he speak.
"Lily..."
He stared into the fireplace.
"...Disappeared."
Noah remained silent.
"...One hundred and twelve years ago."
The room fell completely still.
Eric blinked.
"...What?"
Elias slowly nodded.
"She was eight years old."
"She vanished together with her older brother."
"We never found either of them."
Noah felt a chill run down his spine.
He remembered her smile.
Her voice.
"If you see him... tell him I’m still waiting."
Chief Elias looked directly at Noah.
His face had gone pale.
"...Tell me."
"...Exactly."
"...What did she say to you?"
The fire crackled softly.
No one spoke.
Chief Elias stared into the dancing flames as though they carried memories he wished he could forget.
Finally...
Noah broke the silence.
"We met her at Whisper Creek."
Elias slowly closed his eyes.
"...Tell me everything."
Noah recounted the encounter.
The bridge.
The blue dress.
Her question.
"Have you seen my brother?"
And finally...
"If you see him... tell him I’m still waiting."
By the time Noah finished...
The old chief’s hands were trembling.
Sophia quietly poured him a cup of water.
He accepted it with a grateful nod.
"...Those were her exact words."
He whispered.
"My grandmother..."
"...used to tell me the same story."
Eric leaned forward.
"So she really existed?"
Elias nodded.
"Oh, yes."
"Lily Rowan."
"Her brother..."
"...was named Owen."
Noah noticed Rowan, the caravan leader, suddenly look up.
"...Rowan?"
The merchant gave a small, bittersweet smile.
"My family name."
Elias nodded.
"They were his ancestors."
The room fell silent again.
Elias stood and walked toward an old wooden cabinet.
He unlocked it with a small iron key.
Inside rested several journals.
Their pages had yellowed with age.
He carefully removed the oldest one.
"This..."
"...was written one hundred and twelve years ago."
He opened it carefully.
The ink had faded.
But it remained readable.
Summer, Year 314
"Lily and Owen disappeared near Whisper Creek today."
"Search parties found no tracks."
"Only Owen’s carved wooden sparrow."
Rowan lowered his head.
"...My grandfather carved sparrows too."
Elias turned another page.
Three days later
"Several villagers claimed to see Lily standing upon the old bridge."
"She asked if anyone had seen her brother."
Eric’s face lost all color.
"...That’s impossible."
Another page.
One week later
"Hunter Gareth followed the girl into Graypine Forest."
"He never returned."
Damien quietly folded his arms.
"So that’s why..."
"No one follows."
Elias nodded.
"My grandfather made it a village rule."
"If anyone sees Lily..."
"...answer politely."
"...But never follow her."
Noah reached into his pocket.
He unfolded the strip of cloth.
Don’t follow it.
He placed it on the table.
Elias stared at it.
"...Where..."
"...did you get this?"
"It rolled into our camp tied to a stone."
The old chief carefully picked it up.
His expression became unreadable.
"This handwriting..."
He whispered.
"...belongs to Father Alden."
Sophia frowned.
"The village priest?"
"No."
Elias answered.
"He died..."
"...forty-three years ago."
Another silence.
Eric rubbed his temples.
"I’m starting to hate this forest."
Luna replied quietly.
"I started yesterday."
Elias returned the cloth.
"There are two stories the elders tell."
"The first..."
"...is about Lily."
He paused.
"The second..."
"...is about the one she waits for."
Everyone leaned forward.
"They say Owen entered the old shrine deep inside Graypine Forest."
"He went looking for help."
"He never came back."
"What’s inside the shrine?"
Noah asked.
Elias slowly shook his head.
"No one alive knows."
"Every group that has entered..."
"...has either vanished..."
"...or returned without their memories."
Damien’s eyes narrowed.
"...Returned?"
"Very few."
"They remembered their names."
"The village."
"Their families."
"But nothing..."
"...about the shrine."
A knock interrupted the conversation.
Knock. Knock.
Everyone looked toward the door.
Elias frowned.
"I wasn’t expecting anyone."
He opened it.
A young village guard stood outside, breathing heavily.
"Chief!"
"What is it?"
"The shepherds..."
"They found another one."
The chief’s face paled.
"...Where?"
"Near the northern pasture."
Elias immediately grabbed his coat.
He looked toward Squad Seven.
"If you’re truly here to investigate..."
"...then you should see this."
Twenty minutes later...
The villagers gathered around a lonely oak tree overlooking the fields.
Nobody crossed the rope barrier.
They simply watched in silence.
Noah stepped closer.
At the base of the tree...
Rested a pair of worn leather boots.
Neatly placed side by side.
Beside them...
A walking stick.
And...
A freshly carved wooden sparrow.
Nothing else.
No blood.
No struggle.
No footprints leading away.
Only the belongings.
As if...
Their owner had simply...
Vanished.
Rowan recognized the walking stick immediately.
"...Old Marcus."
One of the merchants lowered his head.
"He left the village this morning."
"He was only gathering herbs."
Noah slowly knelt beside the carved sparrow.
Unlike the others...
This one wasn’t old.
The wood still smelled fresh.
It had been carved...
Today.
As Noah reached toward it...
The rusted iron key beneath his shirt grew warm.
Warmer than it ever had before.
For the first time...
It wasn’t a faint pulse.
It was almost...
Calling to something.
Somewhere...
Deep inside Graypine Forest.