Night had fallen by the time I made it back to my room.
I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind refusing to quiet down despite the exhaustion sitting heavy in my bones.
There's something in that forest that could still destroy this village.
The guard captain's words kept circling back.
Two men gone without a trace.
Beast activity increasing steadily.
And whatever was at the center of it all, sitting in the dark of Thornwood Forest.
I frowned at the ceiling.
But the system marked the quest complete.
The notification had been clear. Beast wave cleared. Village survived. Rewards distributed.
Which should mean the immediate danger was resolved. The system didn't hand out completion rewards for half-finished jobs.
So why do I have this uneasy feeling?
Maybe the quest had only ever covered the beast wave itself.
Not the underlying cause.
The quest was complete. The village was safe.
For now.
I turned onto my side, pulling the blanket up.
