The rain didn't stop the entire way. Cold drops ran down the collar of my cloak, and each step echoed in the mud.
—"Almost there… we're close to the village," Zara said, looking at the map under the drizzle.
Maya walked in silence, her gaze lowered and her hand still gripping the hilt of her sword.
At last, we saw the lights of a small village. Torches and candles inside the houses flickered in the distance. As we crossed the entrance, an elderly man reinforcing the windows of his home greeted us.
—"Strangers? What are you doing out in this weather?" he asked, surprised to see us.
—"Forgive us for arriving suddenly, we were looking for shelter," I replied.
The man told us there was an inn where we could stay and get hot food. We headed there, and upon entering, the contrast with the rain outside was comforting.
While we dried ourselves a bit near the fire, I noticed some villagers seated across from us, also warming up after the rain.
—"Is it normal for it to rain like this around here?" I asked them.
—"No, it isn't normal. It started raining like this a few weeks ago, and every day it gets worse."
Zara looked thoughtful.
—"This is strange. It's not the rainy season, and for it to pour only in this area doesn't make sense."
—"That's because it's not normal rain," said another villager. "There's something behind it… a creature. It appears in the hills, and storms always follow it."
—"That story again? It's nothing but a legend," his companion refuted.
I felt Maya frown beside me.
—"A creature of the rain-nya?" Noko asked.
—"It's not a creature. It's a monster…" Maya replied, her voice subdued.
I turned to look at her: it seemed she knew something we didn't.
—"Maya… do you happen to know something about that monster?" I asked.
She nodded.
—"It's known as the Flood Beast. And it's no legend. It can flood entire villages… including mine. And now it seems to have returned."
We were all stunned, and suddenly thunder rumbled outside so loudly that the inn's windows rattled.
Maya stood up abruptly.
—"I… need to get some air," she murmured, and walked out the door.
I stared at the rain lashing the windows. Her words kept repeating in my mind… about the monster, and about her village. Then I remembered what she had confessed to me back at Purin's shrine. I need to help her.
The wind howled, and for an instant I could have sworn I saw, in the distant hills, a pair of glowing eyes watching from afar.