The village of Oruko existed in a state of permanent twilight. It was a land where the sun struggled to pierce through the thick, magical mists of the Great Forest, and where the laws of men were often whispered away by the laws of the Shadow-Born.
Scooby sat on the edge of the communal well, his long legs dangling over the stone rim. He was trying to tie his sandal, but his fingers, thick and clumsy, seemed to be losing the battle. He let out a frustrated huff, his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth a classic goofy expression that made the village children giggle and the elders shake their heads.
"Need a hand, Scoob? Or are you planning on tripping your way into the afterlife?"
Scooby looked up and beamed. Scorpion was leaning against a nearby baobab tree, tossing a jagged dagger into the air and catching it by the hilt. He was the calm jester, a boy whose smile never reached his eyes, yet he was the only one who didn't look at Scooby with pity.
"The laces are angry today, Scorpion," Scooby said, his voice deep and slightly melodic.
"Everything is angry today," Scorpion replied, his gaze shifting to the village square.
Out of the gloom stepped Fogo. He wasn't the tallest man, but he carried a weight that made the air feel thin. His eyes were like cold embers, and he moved with a predatory grace that suggested he was always five steps ahead of everyone else. Behind him walked Lighter, a man built like a fortress.
Lighter didn't speak; he simply existed as an extension of Fogo's will the bulldog of the group.
"Scooby," Fogo said, his voice a smooth, intoxicating purr. "The village thinks you're a fool. They laugh when you trip. They mock when you stutter. But I see the ancient blood in you. I see a giant who has been told he is a dwarf."
Scooby stood up, nearly tripping over his undone sandal. "Mama says I'm just special, Fogo. She says I should keep to the farms and away from the Shadow-Covenants."
"Mama is old, and the old fear the fire," Fogo whispered, stepping closer. A faint, dark mist curled around Fogo's fingers. "Wouldn't you like to stand tall? Wouldn't you like to see Ada look at you with wonder instead of laughter?"
As if summoned by the name, Ada appeared.
She was carrying a ceramic jug toward the well. Ada was the daughter of Daddy John, the village's wealthiest merchant. She was more than just beautiful; she was light personified in a village of shadows. To Scooby, she was the only thing in Oruko that made sense.
As she approached, she caught Scooby's eye. She didn't laugh. Instead, she offered a small, soft smile the kind of smile that could intoxicate a man more than the strongest palm wine.
"Hello, Scooby," she said, her voice like the chime of silver bells. "Don't let them trouble you. The world needs people who know how to smile."
She moved past them, the scent of jasmine and rain lingering in the air. Scooby was paralyzed, his heart drumming a rhythm against his ribs that felt like a war march.
"She's a pearl," Fogo whispered in Scooby's ear, his voice dripping with manipulation.
"But a pearl belongs to the man who can take it. Join us tonight at the Black Rock, Scooby. I will show you how to stop being a fool. I will show you how to become the man Ada deserves."
Scooby watched Ada walk away, his mind a whirlwind of bright light and dark mist. For the first time in his life, being goofy felt like a cage. He didn't see the wink Fogo exchanged with Lighter. He didn't see the way Kanpe, the group's intellectual, adjusted his glasses with a look of hidden guilt, or how Poro, the oldest and dimmest of them, was already drooling at the thought of the chaos to come.
"I'll be there," Scooby whispered.
Fogo patted his cheek, a cold, sharp gesture. "I knew you were one of us."
As the sun finally dipped below the horizon, the intoxicating pull of fate had been set. Scooby didn't know he had just signed a pact with the devil, or that the romance he sought would soon be stained by a catastrophic chain of events that would leave Oruko in ruins.