After what felt like endless hours wandering the unfamiliar village, Valeria and Celeste finally spotted a modest tavern tucked between two crumbling brick buildings.
It wasn't much, but it was something.
The moment they stepped inside, they were greeted by the sour smell of ale and the low mumble of conversation. Most of the patrons were older men, slouched over their mugs like wilted flowers. A few glanced at them, adventurers were rare in quiet towns like this, but quickly returned to their drinks.
Valeria wasted no time. She marched up to the counter.
"Hey. You got any commissions?" she asked bluntly.
The tavern keeper, a tired-looking man wiping a mug with a rag that probably made it dirtier, shook his head.
"Commissions? Haven't had one of those in years."
Valeria groaned audibly, and Celeste slumped beside her. Their pouch jingled weakly with only three coins inside.
"Of course not," Valeria muttered. "Why would anything go our way today?"
As she turned to leave, the barkeep spoke again. "Hold on."
Valeria raised a brow and looked back over her shoulder.
"There might be someone who can help," he said, voice quieter now. "Old woman. Lives a few houses down. Third building from here."
Celeste perked up. "Really? Who is she?"
The man just shrugged. "Weird one. Keeps to herself. But... folks say she knows things."
Valeria and Celeste exchanged a glance, equal parts skepticism and desperation.
"Well," Celeste said, squaring her shoulders, "we've got nothing to lose."
They stepped back out into the street and headed toward the third building down. It looked... barely livable. The wood was weathered and split, the windows clouded with dust, and vines crawled up the walls like claws.
Valeria eyed it warily. "This is it… I think."
Celeste nodded, unconvinced. "Looks more like a haunted shed than a house."
Valeria approached the door and gave it three sharp knocks. "Hello? Anyone in there?"
She leaned in, trying to hear movement.
Suddenly, the door creaked open by itself—and Valeria, still leaning, stumbled forward and fell flat on her face.
"Dammit!" she grumbled, pushing herself up. "What kind of haunted nonsense is this!?"
"Patience, young one."
A soft, gravelly voice echoed from inside.
"Great things come to those who wait."
Valeria looked up. An old woman stood a few feet away, hunched over a gnarled walking stick, her hair silver and her eyes deep with something unreadable.
Celeste helped Valeria to her feet. "Are you... the one the tavern keeper mentioned?"
"I am," the old woman said. "And I've been expecting you."
Valeria blinked. "You what?"
"Come. I'll show you what has already been written."
She turned and walked deeper into the house, leaving the door wide open behind her. The two adventurers hesitated only a moment before stepping in.
The interior was thick with dust and age. Cobwebs danced in the corners. Faded furniture lined the walls like forgotten memories.
"Don't touch what you don't understand," the woman warned as they passed. "Focus on what is."
Eventually, they reached a small round table. Atop it lay a stone tablet, ancient and worn, covered in intricate, spiraling script.
"This," the woman said, "is the Tablet of Prophecy. It tells of a path, one that leads to the power of the Tree of Life."
Celeste furrowed her brow. "The Tree of Life? But that's... just a myth."
The woman turned her gaze toward her. "The only things that don't exist are the things you refuse to believe in. Most truths hide in plain sight, dismissed by those too bound by fear or comfort to seek them."
She leaned closer to the tablet.
"Take it. It will guide you. And if you are brave enough to follow where it leads... it will grant what your hearts desire."
Her face darkened.
"But heed this: of all the heroes foretold, only one lives to tell the tale."
A long silence followed. Then, the woman added, "You are missing one. A third. The rope that binds your fates. Find them, and your journey begins."
Before they could speak, before they could ask, the world around them shimmered, and they were suddenly no longer in the house.
They stood outside, in the street again, blinking in the sunlight.
Valeria looked around. "What the hell just happened...?"
Celeste clutched the tablet to her chest, still reeling. "She said… a third. Someone to bind us. But she never told us who."
A thought sparked in Celeste's mind.
"Noir," she said softly.
Valeria turned to her. "The boy?"
"He said he wanted to be an adventurer. Maybe this is the sign he was waiting for."
Valeria frowned. "He's a kid, Celeste. He's not ready."
Celeste's voice was steady. "He showed kindness when no one else did. That has to mean something. Maybe fate isn't as cruel as we think."
Valeria sighed, brushing her hair back. "Alright. Fine. We'll ask him. But if something happens, I'm not babysitting him."
Celeste smiled faintly. "Of course not. Besides-"
She glanced up at the sky, where clouds had begun to shift and darken.
"-I think fate just gave us a name."
Valeria rolled her eyes. "Then let's get this over with."
[—To Be Continued—]