Dawn arrived with a light, cool breeze, typical of the early weeks of the temperate season. From the small windows of the cottages, thin wisps of smoke began to rise, a sign of the first kitchens being lit in the village.
It was a morning like any other—or so it seemed.
Ana adjusted the wicker basket on her arm and set off down the path that bordered the forest. Her steps were nimble as she searched for the herbs the old healer had taught her to collect.
The moisture of the earth still clung beneath her sandals, and the birdsong formed a soft melody that accompanied her task. In the distance, on a rock at the edge of the village, a solitary figure sat on the rim of a stone fountain.
Lorna, as she did almost every morning, meditated for a couple of hours. It was a habit everyone in the village knew well, since she had done it ever since she moved there, though no one understood why.
In a house away from the bustle, Eresh arranged some dry branches by the fireplace. Eresh was in no hurry. His life over the past month had been simple, almost monotonous.
And that's how he preferred it. He had not been in this world long, and although curiosity brushed against him from time to time, he did not yet feel the need to explore beyond the village's limits. Not yet.
"Not so bad…" he murmured to himself, dropping a branch into the fire. "Quiet. Pleasant. Without major interruptions."
But peace rarely lasts.
---
Ana crouched beside a small clearing where bluish-petaled flowers peeked through the undergrowth. She was about to cut the first ones when a sharp crack startled her.
It wasn't the usual sound of a rabbit or a deer. It was something heavier. Frowning, she turned toward the direction of the noise and cautiously advanced.
About twenty paces ahead, she saw him.
A man, covered in dust and mud, lay collapsed among the roots of a fallen tree. His breathing was weak and ragged. His clothes were torn, and the dark stains on his torso left no doubt: he was gravely wounded.
Ana knelt beside him.
"Sir! Can you hear me?" she asked, trying to move him gently. The man's eyelids quivered. With visible effort, he parted his cracked lips.
"… Darkness… slaves…" he whispered before losing consciousness.
Ana swallowed hard, unease rising in her chest. Without wasting time, she slid her arm under the man's and, with effort, dragged him back to the village.
---
The commotion didn't take long to erupt. Some villagers, seeing Ana arrive carrying the dying man, helped transfer the wounded man to the healer's small house, where Ana began to clean the wounds with swift, steady movements.
Eresh, drawn by the unusual activity, arrived shortly after. He leaned against the doorframe, watching silently.
Lorna, for her part, greeted Eresh with a smile as she stood a few meters away, arms crossed. Her expression and gaze sharpened slightly at the sight of the injured man.
"What happened?" Eresh asked calmly, without urgency.
Ana didn't lift her eyes from the wound she was disinfecting.
"I found him near the stream. He could barely breathe. He said something… strange. Something about darkness and slaves."
Eresh raised an eyebrow. "Slaves?"
"I don't know. He only repeated those words before fainting."
With slow steps, Eresh approached the makeshift cot. He examined the wounds carefully. They weren't clean cuts; they looked more like crude gashes. Perhaps claws, fangs… or some rudimentary tool.
But he couldn't say for certain.
Beside him, Lorna silently approached, leaning slightly on the doorframe.
"Too symmetrical for common animals," she commented, not looking at anyone in particular. "If he came from the southern pass… there are forgotten caverns out there."
The nearby villagers exchanged tense glances. A murmur spread.
Eresh let out a quiet sigh. "You're exaggerating. Whatever it is, as long as it doesn't come near the village, it's not our problem."
"We won't know that if we keep acting like nothing happened," Ana interjected, her voice openly concerned. "We should limit outings for a while. At least until we know what's going on."
At that moment, a robust elderly man entered, with an ashen beard and white hair, dressed simply.
"Mayor!" someone exclaimed as they cleared a path for him.
The mayor greeted those present and Eresh with a nod, then approached Ana with a smile.
"Ana, well done. You saved this man's life," he said, his voice worn but still authoritative.
Ana smiled and simply nodded. "Madam Wyn isn't here today, so I had to treat his wounds myself."
The mayor nodded and observed the injured man's body. His eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of his condition. Sighing, he turned and smiled at Ana.
"You've done enough, Ana. I'll take care of him from here. You can go rest."
"But mayor, I can—"
The mayor silenced her with a hand gesture and shook his head.
"Remember, I know medicine. I can look after him. Go, girl, go."
Ana looked at the mayor and pressed her lips together but eventually nodded.
"Alright, good night, mayor," she said as she gathered her things. "Good night everyone, see you tomorrow."
After Ana left, the mayor's expression grew serious again as he looked at several of the village men.
"Fetch a torch. We need to burn this body, now," his voice was deep and firm as he looked back at the man.
The men exchanged glances at the mayor's request, while others in the room began whispering quietly. One of them, nervous, stepped forward.
"Mayor… the man is alive. How could we have the heart to burn him alive?" the man asked, his expression clearly uneasy.
"This man no longer owns himself. He will die tonight, that is certain… and none of you will want to witness what happens afterward."
The man's face fell as he stared seriously at the mayor, but just before he could ask more, Eresh spoke.
"It would be good for everyone here to understand exactly what's happening before agreeing to burn a man alive over words that mean nothing."
Everyone's attention turned to Eresh, a man who, despite having been in the village for only a short time, had earned everyone's affection and respect.
Just when all were expecting an answer from the mayor, Lorna was the one who spoke.
"The man was attacked by a familiar beast. He's contaminated," Lorna declared, causing nervousness among all except the mayor and Eresh.
"Contaminated? What do you mean by that? And what are familiar beasts? Explain, Lorna!"
Lorna cleared her throat, a little nervous from having all eyes on her, but her face remained serious.
"Familiar beasts are creatures that serve a master, the so-called 'necromancer warlocks.' They are entities that formed pacts with darkness in exchange for power," Lorna explained, glancing at the man's wounds.
"This man's wounds indicate that a familiar of such a warlock attacked him, and if it attacked him, once he dies his soul will no longer belong to him."
Everyone in the room shivered, cold sweat breaking over many as they turned pale, glancing at the mayor, hoping he would deny the claim. But the mayor nodded heavily.
"What Lorna says is true. I heard of them on one of my visits to the imperial city. We have no cure at this time; therefore, burning him is the only option."
In the end, almost everyone backed away from the wounded man, and the men went to fetch oil and fire to burn him.
Eresh, for his part, observed this with interest. The knowledge of warlocks sparked his curiosity to leave the village, but it was still not the time.
"And Lorna," he thought as he watched her silently leave after her explanation, "seems to be hiding more than she lets on."