Razan took Eren to a quieter place away from the narrow alley so they could speak privately.
The black piece of cloth lay between them, stretched carefully across Razan's palm.
The symbol stitched into it seemed almost meaningless at first glance.
A circle.
Thirteen thin marks.
Nothing more.
Yet Razan couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen something similar before.
Not the symbol itself.
The feeling behind it.
That same sensation he had experienced in Dhulmir Forest when the strange voice had whispered inside his mind.
Take.
Consume.
Absorb.
Razan's fingers slowly closed around the cloth.
"Where exactly did you find this?" he asked.
Eren pointed toward the eastern market.
"Near the alley behind the old storage buildings."
"Was it attached to anything?"
"No. It was caught on a nail."
"Did you touch it?"
Eren hesitated.
"Only after I found it."
"Did anything happen?"
"No."
Razan studied his face.
Eren looked genuinely uneasy.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you're the first person I've seen actually investigating the disappearances without pretending they're ordinary."
Razan frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"The guild has already posted the request, but no adventurer has accepted it. Even the seasoned adventurers refuse to take the job."
"Then why are you investigating it?"
"Because someone should at least try to understand what happened."
Razan studied him carefully.
"Do you have any idea what you're looking for?"
"Not yet. That's why I need information."
Eren looked toward the end of the alley.
"You didn't."
"I have a reason."
"What's that?"
Razan glanced at the cloth.
"I don't like unanswered questions."
Eren gave a weak laugh.
"That's a dangerous habit."
"So I've been told."
The two remained silent for a moment.
Then Eren spoke again.
"Be careful."
Razan looked at him.
"Why?"
Eren's expression became serious.
"Because whatever took those people..."
He swallowed.
"...it doesn't want to be found."
Razan slipped the piece of cloth into his pocket.
"Then I suppose we'll have to find it before it finds us."
Eren stared at him.
"You really are strange."
Razan smiled faintly.
"I've heard that before."
They separated shortly afterward.
Razan continued walking through Vareth.
He returned to the eastern market.
Then he checked several alleys.
He questioned shopkeepers.
He examined the locations where previous disappearances had occurred.
He searched for anything unusual.
But the town remained frustratingly normal.
People laughed.
Merchants argued over prices.
Children ran between stalls.
Adventurers returned from hunts carrying monster parts.
Nothing suggested that six people had vanished from this place.
Nothing suggested that something was hunting people from the shadows.
By late afternoon, Razan returned to the Adventurers' Guild.
The moment he entered, he noticed Zailthar.
The Black Dragon Tyrant stood near one of the windows, speaking quietly with a guild official.
Razan approached.
"Zailthar."
The man turned.
His golden eyes immediately noticed the change in Razan's expression.
"What did you find?"
Razan glanced around.
"Can we talk somewhere private?"
Zailthar studied him for a moment.
Then he nodded.
They moved toward a quieter corner.
Razan told him about Eren.
The witness.
The black cloth.
The thirteen-mark symbol.
The figure seen near the market.
The sudden disappearance.
He explained everything.
When he finished, he pulled the piece of cloth from his pocket.
Zailthar took it.
For the first time since Razan had met him, his expression became noticeably colder.
He turned the cloth over.
Examined the stitching.
Then held it beneath the light.
"Where did you get this?"
"Eren found it near the eastern market."
"Who is Eren?"
Razan explained.
Zailthar listened without interruption.
When Razan finished, Zailthar folded the cloth and handed it back.
"Don't show this to the guild."
Razan frowned.
"Why?"
"Because we don't know who we can trust."
Razan's eyes narrowed.
"You think someone inside the guild is involved?"
"I said we don't know."
That answer was enough.
Razan understood.
Zailthar wasn't accusing anyone.
But he wasn't willing to trust anyone either.
"Did you find anything else?"
"Nothing important."
Zailthar nodded.
"Good."
Razan blinked.
"Good?"
"Yes."
"I spent hours searching."
"And you learned that the enemy doesn't want to leave obvious evidence."
Razan sighed.
"You're really good at making failure sound like training."
"It is training."
Zailthar looked toward the guild entrance.
"Come."
"Where?"
"An inn."
Razan followed him.
"Why?"
"You need food."
"I can buy my own."
Zailthar glanced at him.
"With what money?"
Razan stopped.
"...Right."
Zailthar continued walking.
They eventually reached a modest but clean inn a few streets away from the guild.
Zailthar paid for two rooms.
Then he paid for several meals.
Razan watched the exchange carefully.
When the innkeeper handed Zailthar the room keys, Razan finally spoke.
"How much was that?"
Zailthar gave him one of the keys.
"Enough."
"That's not a number."
"You'll reimburse me."
Razan froze.
"...I will?"
"Yes."
Razan looked embarrassed.
"I thought you were paying."
"I am."
"For now."
Razan sighed.
"So I'm in debt."
"Correct."
"To you."
"Correct."
Razan rubbed his face.
"Wonderful."
Zailthar walked toward the dining area.
"Eat."
Razan followed.
The food was simple but filling.
Bread.
Meat.
Vegetables.
Soup.
After weeks of eating whatever could be found in the wilderness, even an ordinary meal felt luxurious.
Razan ate quietly.
Zailthar barely spoke.
When the meal was finished, Razan returned to his room.
He intended to rest for a while.
Instead, he spent nearly an hour staring at the ceiling.
His mind kept returning to the disappearances.
The black cloth.
Eren.
The figure in the darkness.
And the strange feeling he had experienced when entering Vareth.
Something was wrong.
He knew it.
He just didn't know what.
Eventually, exhaustion won.
Razan fell asleep.
Night came.
Razan woke several hours later.
The room was dark.
He sat up.
For a moment, he considered going back to sleep.
Then he remembered the eastern market.
The disappearances.
Eren's story.
He reached for his clothes.
"If something is happening at night..."
He tightened his boots.
"...that's when I'll find it."
He left the inn.
Vareth looked completely different after dark.
The crowded streets had become quieter.
Most shops were closed.
The voices of merchants were gone.
Only occasional footsteps echoed through the streets.
Magical street lamps illuminated the roads.
Small magic stones had been placed inside glass lanterns along the walls.
Their pale glow spread across the streets.
Razan had seen magic stones before, but this was his first time seeing them used so extensively.
He stopped beneath one of the lamps.
The stone inside was faintly blue.
He remembered Zailthar explaining them earlier.
Magic stones were formed within monsters.
The stronger the monster, the more valuable the stone.
Some were used for weapons.
Some for magical tools.
And some—
Like these—
were used to power the city's lights.
Razan looked at the glowing stone.
"So even the city depends on monsters."
A strange thought.
Then he continued walking.
He returned to the eastern market.
Nothing.
He waited.
Nothing.
He walked toward the alley where Eren had seen the figure.
Still nothing.
Then—
The lights went out.
Razan froze.
Every magical lamp along the street died at once.
Darkness swallowed the road.
His heartbeat immediately quickened.
The lights.
Eren's story flashed through his mind.
The figure.
The disappearance.
The darkness.
Razan didn't move.
He listened.
Nothing.
Five seconds passed.
Ten.
Then—
The lamps flickered.
One after another, they came back.
Razan's eyes adjusted.
The street was empty.
But just before the lights had gone out, he had seen someone.
A man.
Standing near a small side street.
Now—
He was gone.
Razan's expression hardened.
"The same thing."
He moved immediately.
He entered the narrow street.
The passage was barely wide enough for two people.
His footsteps were quiet.
At the end of the street was a small opening between several buildings.
Razan slowed.
He didn't step into the open.
Instead, he pressed himself against the wall and watched.
Something moved.
A shadow.
Then another.
Razan held his breath.
A faint scraping sound reached his ears.
Scrrrape.
Something was being dragged.
Razan's stomach tightened.
He leaned forward slightly.
A foot appeared around the corner.
A human foot.
It moved strangely.
Dragging.
Not walking.
Razan felt a chill spread through his body.
Someone is dragging a body.
He wanted to run forward.
But Zailthar's training stopped him.
Observe first.
Razan waited.
The foot disappeared.
Then returned.
Whatever was dragging the body continued down the other street.
Razan followed.
Slowly.
Keeping his distance.
He moved from shadow to shadow.
The scraping continued.
He turned another corner.
Then—
Nothing.
Razan stopped.
Ahead of him was an empty street.
But on the ground was something strange.
A faint black mist was disappearing through a cesspit hatch.
Razan approached cautiously.
The ground trembled.
The heavy sewerage hole cap shifted with a low scrape.
A circular distortion appeared beneath it.
The earth seemed to fold inward.
Razan's eyes widened.
The hatch was opening.
No.
Something more like a passage.
It opened beneath the darkness.
Then began closing.
Razan took one step forward.
He stopped.
His instincts screamed at him.
Don't.
He stared at the narrowing opening.
Whatever had been dragging the body had gone through there.
And whatever waited beyond it—
Razan knew he wasn't ready.
His fingers tightened.
He wanted to investigate.
Every instinct inside him demanded that he follow.
But another part of him remembered the wolves.
He remembered what happened when he underestimated danger.
He knew the difference between courage and stupidity.
Following whatever had entered that passage alone would not be bravery.
It would be suicide.
Razan backed away.
The hole disappeared completely.
He returned to the inn.
Razan lay on his bed.
His hands were shaking.
But strangely—
he wasn't afraid.
His heart was pounding with excitement.
Something real had finally appeared.
A clue.
A trail.
A door into the mystery.
But beneath the excitement was something colder.
His instincts had warned him.
Danger.
Serious danger.
Razan stared at the ceiling.
"That man..."
He closed his eyes.
"He was already dead."
The dragging movement.
The foot.
The unnatural way it had moved.
Whatever was down there wasn't taking someone alive.
It was taking a corpse.
There was no reason to risk his life chasing it.
Not yet.
He needed Zailthar.
That thought finally calmed him.
Razan turned onto his side.
Tomorrow.
He would report everything.
With that thought in mind, he fell asleep.
Morning arrived.
Razan woke early.
He immediately went to the Adventurers' Guild.
He intended to speak with the receptionist.
But the moment he entered—
he saw Zailthar.
The Black Dragon Tyrant was sitting alone in a corner of the guild, eating breakfast.
Razan stopped.
Of course.
Zailthar noticed him.
"You're early."
Razan walked over.
"Can I sit?"
"You were going to regardless."
Razan pulled out the chair.
Zailthar signaled toward the server.
"Bring him breakfast."
Razan blinked.
"I can—"
"Eat."
"...Thank you."
A plate arrived.
Razan began eating.
Zailthar watched him for several seconds.
Then—
"You went out last night."
Razan nearly choked.
He swallowed.
"How did you know?"
"You smell like the streets."
Razan stared.
"That's disturbing."
"Did you find anything?"
Razan nodded.
"Yes."
Zailthar waited.
Razan explained everything.
The darkened lamps.
The man near the alley.
The disappearance.
The dragging sound.
The foot.
The underground passage.
The hole closing.
When he finished, Zailthar was silent.
Then he said:
"You did well."
Razan blinked.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"You actually said I did well."
"Don't become sentimental."
Razan smiled.
"Sorry."
Zailthar finished his meal.
Then he stood.
"Show me."
Razan's smile faded.
"The place?"
"Yes."
They left the guild.
The streets were busier now, but Razan guided Zailthar through the same alleys he had traveled the night before.
Eventually, they reached the small street.
Then the next.
Then the final opening.
Razan pointed.
"It was here."
Zailthar crouched beside the sewerage hole cap.
His fingers brushed across its cold, rusted surface.
His golden eyes narrowed as he examined the same cap Razan had seen the previous night.
"Interesting."
"What?"
Zailthar stood.
"Nothing."
Razan sighed.
"That word again."
Zailthar walked toward the sewerage hole cap.
Then he stopped.
"Stay here."
Razan frowned.
"Why?"
"This is beyond you."
"What?"
Zailthar looked at him.
"Whatever is beneath this city isn't something you should investigate."
Razan's expression became serious.
"But—"
"No."
Zailthar's voice was firm.
"You've done your part."
He stepped toward the wall.
A faint black energy gathered around his feet.
Razan recognized it immediately.
Shadow.
Zailthar crouched beside the sewerage hole cap and examined its edges.
The heavy iron cover had been shifted slightly, leaving a narrow gap between it and the stone rim.
He placed one hand against the cap and pushed.
The metal scraped across the ground with a harsh groan.
A foul, cold draft rose from below.
Razan covered his nose as the smell of stagnant water and decay reached him.
Beneath the cap was a narrow maintenance shaft leading into the old sewer tunnels.
Zailthar lowered himself through the opening.
Razan stared down after him.
"Go back," Zailthar said.
Then he disappeared into the darkness below.
Razan remained beside the open sewerage hole, listening to the fading sound of Zailthar's footsteps.
For several minutes, he remained completely still.
Then his heart began beating faster.
Not from fear.
Something else.
That familiar sensation.
The same feeling he had experienced in the forest.
The pull.
The curiosity.
The hunger.
Razan clenched his fists.
"I should go back."
He turned.
Took one step.
Stopped.
His fingers began trembling.
He looked toward the passage.
"Just one look."
He turned back.
And followed.
The underground passage was narrow.
Razan moved carefully.
The walls were made from old stone.
But something else had been embedded into them.
Magic stones.
Small ones.
Hundreds of them.
They emitted a faint glow, just enough to illuminate the passage.
Razan continued through the sewerage, carefully stepping around shallow streams of filthy water and piles of debris. The air was cold and foul, carrying the heavy stench of decay.
He walked for several minutes, following the narrow tunnel beneath the city.
The deeper he went, the quieter it became.
Eventually, he noticed something unusual ahead.
A section of the sewer wall was cracked.
Behind it, a faint light flickered.
Razan slowed and approached cautiously.
The wall had a small opening near its base, large enough for a person to pass through.
He placed one hand against the stone and pushed.
The damaged section shifted with a low grinding sound.
Razan glanced back at the sewerage behind him.
Then he looked through the opening.
A dark passage stretched beyond the wall.
He tightened his grip on his dagger and stepped inside.
After walking a short distance, the passage widened.
The tunnel opened into a vast underground chamber.
Razan stopped.
A huge chamber stretched before him.
The ceiling was high.
Ancient stone pillars surrounded the room.
The walls were covered in strange markings.
And in the center—
A little girl was playing on the ground.
Razan froze.
She looked around seven or eight years old.
Her hair was tied into a Two Low Braided Pigtails.
She sat peacefully on the floor.
Playing.
Razan's eyes moved toward the objects scattered around her.
He nearly stopped breathing.
Bones.
A skull.
Human bones.
Before Razan could react, Zailthar's hand suddenly covered his mouth.
"Quiet."
Razan looked at him.
Zailthar pointed toward the girl.
"Watch."
The girl picked up the skull.
She held it like a toy.
Then she began singing.
A soft, childish melody.
The sound echoed through the chamber.
Razan felt something cold move down his spine.
The girl slowly stood.
She began dancing.
One step.
Then another.
She spun around.
The skull remained in her hands.
Razan's palm suddenly burned.
He grabbed it.
The black mark beneath his skin pulsed.
His heart slammed against his chest.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Then—
The voice returned.
The same voice from his dream.
Not a whisper this time.
A command.
Kill.
Razan's eyes widened.
"No..."
His body moved.
Zailthar immediately noticed.
"Razan."
Razan didn't answer.
Kill.
His breathing became heavier.
Kill.
The black mark burned.
Kill. Kill. Kill.
Razan stepped forward.
Zailthar reached for him.
Too late.
The girl stopped dancing.
She slowly turned.
Her eyes landed on Razan.
Then on Zailthar.
A smile appeared.
It was an innocent smile.
That made it worse.
"Are you here to play with me?"
Razan couldn't hear her properly.
His vision had narrowed.
There was only the girl.
The strange hunger inside him had awakened.
The girl tilted her head.
"Hmmm..."
Her gaze moved toward Zailthar.
"You look yummy."
Her smile widened.
"But I want to play with this one first."
She pointed at Razan.
"Will you be kind enough to wait?"
Zailthar's golden eyes narrowed.
"Interesting."
The girl giggled.
Razan suddenly lunged.
His movement was fast.
Not as fast as Zailthar.
But much faster than ordinary human movement.
He swung his dagger toward the girl's shoulder.
The girl twisted sideways.
The blade missed.
She stepped inside his reach.
Her hand moved toward Razan's chest.
Zailthar moved.
A burst of shadow crossed the chamber.
His strike forced the girl backward.
Razan was thrown sideways by the force of the collision.
He landed, rolled, and immediately stood.
His eyes remained fixed on the girl.
He attacked again.
The girl blocked with her forearm.
Razan's dagger scraped across her sleeve.
She countered.
Her fingers became claws.
She slashed toward Razan's face.
Razan raised his arm.
The claws struck his forearm.
Blood appeared.
Razan didn't react.
Instead, he drove his shoulder into her.
The force knocked the girl backward.
She slid several meters across the stone floor.
Zailthar's expression changed.
He had felt it.
That same power.
The same strange force he had sensed when Razan survived the Kazgar Wolves.
"Again..."
The girl stood.
She looked at the blood on her fingers.
Then she smiled.
"That tickled."
Razan charged.
Zailthar intercepted him.
Razan swung.
Zailthar caught his wrist.
"Enough."
Razan's eyes were empty.
He pulled.
Zailthar's grip tightened.
"Razan."
No response.
Razan twisted his body and tried to strike with his other hand.
Zailthar released him and stepped aside.
Razan stumbled forward.
The girl attacked immediately.
Zailthar stepped between them.
Her claws stopped inches from his chest.
Zailthar's aura erupted.
The entire chamber seemed to shake.
The girl froze.
For the first time, her smile disappeared.
She slowly withdrew her hand.
"Oh..."
She looked up at Zailthar.
"You're strong."
Zailthar said nothing.
She grinned again.
"Quite strong."
Then she looked toward Razan.
"But I like eating strong ones."
Her eyes became darker.
"So I'll eat you now."
She pointed at Zailthar.
"And you there..."
Her smile returned.
"Stop interfering."
Zailthar's expression remained cold.
"You talk too much."
The girl vanished.
A blur crossed the chamber.
She attacked Zailthar from the side.
Zailthar blocked with his forearm.
The impact cracked the stone beneath his feet.
The girl spun and attacked again.
A claw swept toward his neck.
Zailthar leaned back.
The claws passed through empty air.
He countered with a short strike to her abdomen.
She twisted away.
The strike still caught her shoulder.
She was thrown backward.
She landed on one hand.
Then she looked toward Razan.
He was already moving.
The girl smiled.
"Again."
Razan charged.
He wasn't thinking anymore.
He attacked with short, wild movements.
There was no technique.
No strategy.
Only hunger.
The dagger came toward her ribs.
She stepped aside.
Razan followed.
He swung again.
She blocked.
He drove forward.
She grabbed his wrist.
Razan twisted.
The girl's grip broke.
He struck her shoulder.
She staggered.
Then her claws flashed.
Razan jumped back.
A shallow cut appeared across his cheek.
He didn't even seem to notice.
Zailthar watched carefully.
The boy was changing.
His movements were becoming less human.
His instincts were taking over.
Zailthar stepped forward.
"Razan."
Nothing.
Razan attacked again.
Zailthar struck him in the side.
The impact sent Razan crashing into a stone pillar.
BOOM!
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Razan dropped to one knee.
For a moment, he remained there.
Then he stood.
Zailthar's eyes narrowed.
"That should have stopped you."
Razan stared past him.
Only the girl existed in his vision.
He charged again.
Zailthar moved.
Razan was thrown across the room.
He struck the wall.
The impact echoed through the chamber.
He fell.
Then stood.
Again.
Zailthar's expression became serious.
He's not feeling pain.
Not completely.
Something was suppressing it.
The strange power inside him was forcing his body beyond its normal limits.
The girl watched with fascination.
"You're interesting."
She licked the blood from one claw.
"Very interesting."
Razan attacked.
The girl met him.
They collided.
Razan grabbed her arm.
She twisted.
He drove her downward.
The two crashed onto the stone floor.
Razan slammed her against the ground.
Once.
Twice.
Then he threw her across the room.
She struck the wall.
Stone cracked.
Razan moved after her.
Zailthar intercepted him.
Razan swung.
Zailthar blocked.
Razan swung again.
Zailthar blocked.
Again.
Again.
"Stop."
Razan didn't hear.
Zailthar finally struck him in the chest.
Razan flew backward.
He crashed against the ground.
Zailthar watched.
Razan stood again.
The Black Dragon Tyrant's eyes narrowed.
He's becoming stronger.
Not dramatically.
Not enough to threaten Zailthar.
But the power was growing.
The girl noticed too.
She smiled.
"Yes..."
She stared at Razan.
"I can smell it."
Razan's mark burned.
Kill.
His body moved.
Zailthar stepped in front of him.
Razan tried to move around him.
Zailthar blocked him.
Razan moved left.
Zailthar moved left.
Razan moved right.
Zailthar matched him.
The girl laughed.
"This is fun."
Zailthar's expression darkened.
"Not for long."
The girl suddenly attacked.
Zailthar met her.
Their movements became a blur.
Claws against armor.
Shadow against flesh.
The girl was incredibly fast.
But Zailthar was faster.
She attacked high.
He blocked.
She attacked low.
He stepped over it.
She twisted and aimed for his throat.
Zailthar caught her wrist.
For a moment, they were completely still.
The girl's eyes widened.
Zailthar's golden eyes hardened.
"Found you."
Darkness exploded beneath his feet.
Shadow Step.
He disappeared.
The girl looked around.
Too late.
Zailthar appeared behind her.
His blade flashed.
A single clean strike.
The girl froze.
Then her body collapsed.
Silence.
Razan stared.
For several seconds, he didn't move.
Then—
The hunger inside him exploded.
He rushed toward her.
Zailthar turned.
"Razan!"
Razan didn't stop.
He raised his dagger.
Zailthar struck him once across the head.
Razan's eyes rolled back.
His body collapsed.
The chamber became silent.
Zailthar caught him before his head struck the ground.
He looked down at the unconscious boy.
Then toward the fallen girl.
"That power..."
His eyes narrowed.
"It really is the same."
Zailthar crouched beside the girl.
He examined her body carefully.
There was something deeply wrong about her.
She looked like a child.
But she wasn't human.
Not anymore.
Perhaps she had never been.
Zailthar opened his magic bag.
The interior was far larger than its exterior suggested.
He carefully placed the girl's body inside.
Then he lifted Razan onto his shoulder.
"You're becoming a problem, boy."
He glanced once more toward the chamber.
The skulls.
The bones.
The markings.
The underground tunnels.
There was more here than a simple monster.
And the fact that it had drawn Razan toward it could not be coincidence.
Zailthar turned.
He carried Razan back through the passage.
Razan woke to darkness.
His head hurt.
His body felt heavy.
He opened his eyes.
The ceiling of the inn came into view.
He blinked.
For several seconds, he couldn't remember where he was.
Then—
The underground chamber.
The girl.
The bones.
The voice.
His hand.
Razan immediately sat upright.
"What happened?"
A familiar voice answered.
"You tell me."
Razan looked across the room.
Zailthar sat near the window.
His golden eyes were fixed on him.
Razan swallowed.
"How did I get here?"
"You walked."
Razan frowned.
"No, I didn't."
Zailthar stared at him.
"Correct."
Razan's expression became serious.
"Then what happened?"
Zailthar remained silent.
Razan looked down at his hands.
The black mark was still there.
His palm was no longer burning.
But he remembered the feeling.
The hunger.
The command.
His voice became quieter.
"Did I hurt anyone?"
Zailthar's golden eyes narrowed.
"That's what you're worried about?"
Razan looked at him.
"Yes."
Zailthar stood.
He walked toward the bed.
"You attacked a monster disguised as a human child."
Razan's face tightened.
"Was she human?"
"You already know she wasn't."
Razan's eyes widened.
"What was she?"
Zailthar didn't answer.
Instead, he asked:
"What do you remember?"
Razan closed his eyes.
"The girl."
He swallowed.
"Then my hand started burning."
His fingers trembled.
"I heard the voice again."
"What did it say?"
Razan looked at him.
"Kill."
Silence.
"Again and again."
Zailthar watched him carefully.
"And then?"
"I don't know."
"You attacked her."
Razan looked horrified.
"I did?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"You weren't yourself."
Razan stared at the floor.
"Did I almost kill her?"
Zailthar's expression remained unreadable.
"No."
Razan's expression hardened.
Then Zailthar added:
"I did."
Razan froze.
"You killed her?"
"Yes."
Razan remembered the final moment.
The flash of steel.
The girl's body falling.
Then nothing.
"Why?"
"Because she was going to kill you."
Razan looked down.
His hands slowly clenched.
"What was she?"
Zailthar's answer came quietly.
"That is the question."
Razan looked up.
"And the disappearances?"
Zailthar's golden eyes hardened.
"They're connected."
Razan's heart skipped.
"How do you know?"
"I don't."
Zailthar walked toward the door.
"But now we have a reason to believe they are."
He stopped.
"Get some rest."
Razan stared after him.
"Zailthar."
The Black Dragon Tyrant glanced back.
"That voice..."
Razan touched his palm.
"It wanted me to kill her."
Zailthar said nothing.
"Why?"
A long silence followed.
Then Zailthar answered:
"That's what we're going to find out."
He left the room.
Razan remained sitting on the bed.
He stared at his palm.
The black mark was quiet.
Almost harmless.
But Razan knew better now.
Something was inside him.
Something hungry.
Something that had awakened.
And somewhere beneath Vareth—
in a chamber filled with bones and ancient markings—
the remains of something that should never have been there were gone.
Now Razan knew one thing for certain.
The disappearances were caused by the girl.
She had been killing the humans and dragging their bodies beneath the city.
The bones scattered across the chamber belonged to her victims.
The darkness had not taken them.
She had.
And somehow—
Razan's awakening power had recognized her as something that needed to be killed.
Or perhaps...
It had been calling to him.