As the bus disappeared down the worn-out road, Belle turned toward the village with a determined gleam in her eye. The air was cold, biting at her pointed ears as she approached a tall, rusted fence. Ten feet high and as wide as an airplane, the fence had a gaping hole at its center, as if it had been blown open long ago.
As she crossed through the jagged opening, an icy breeze brushed her face, sending a chill down her spine. "Shite, it's as cold as a polar bear's lunch out here," she thought, shivering. She rummaged through her bag for a forest green bomber jacket and gray beanie, trying to keep herself warm as her thoughts wandered.
She felt a twinge of guilt for lying to the bus driver about her purpose here. Her real reason was far more personal—her parents had disappeared in this village 100 years ago, and she needed answers. She couldn't afford for the Silver Lining University to catch wind of her unauthorized investigation; they'd already spent a fortune on her research.
Grandad and Granny had been her first clue. They'd last heard from her parents when they'd taken on a quest from the Adventurers' Guild to aid a mixed village of vampires and SEF—Starry Eyed Fighters. That was before the entire village fell silent, and the Starry Eyed species mysteriously vanished from their native lands. Rumors had since swirled about powerful figures behind the scenes and possibly even angelic involvement.
No matter the facts or the gossip, Belle needed to know if her parents were entangled in this grim mystery. She slapped her freckled cheeks, the sharp clap breaking her out of her reverie. Focus restored, she took in the scene before her—a village shrouded in darkness, the only light provided by a full moon hanging over its heart.
With no other light source, Belle conjured a small orb to illuminate her way. "A wee elven light spell should do the trick. Won't use up too much mana, either." Belle thought. The village wasn't large, but not quite small either. The houses near the entrance, though decaying, still bore traces of Georgian architecture. These structures, once grand, were now overgrown and crumbling. Inside, floors had collapsed and staircases had disintegrated, forcing her to use magic to safely float from one level to the next. After thorough searches, she found no clues; the decay had devoured every hint of life.
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"This whole place can't be like this, or it's all a bloody waste," she muttered in frustration.
As she moved along a grassy trail lined with derelict houses, the once-vibrant village now felt more like a forest reclaiming its land. Trees and wild plants thrived where streets once bustled, while remnants of old furniture rotted in place. Rusted shop signs and the stale scent of long-unused well water hinted at a past life here, but even the sturdier cottages—dusty and small—seemed abandoned forever.
Belle paused at each structure, jotting notes about their layout and condition. The cottages reminded her of home, of Kinsale in Ireland, with their quaint charm. Yet each was marred by signs of violence—bloodstained walls, shattered windows, and strewn belongings. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. Her heart pounded heavily as she spun around, searching for whatever presence she sensed.
"Eejit," she chided herself. "This place wouldn't be empty." She could feel the subtle menace of a mana aura, sharp and predatory. Her nerves prickled, but nothing revealed itself. Shaking off the encounter, she pressed forward, more alert than ever.
The village center was a graveyard. Bones lay scattered across the ground, an eerie scene lit only by her conjured light. Kneeling beside two skeletons—one with fangs, the other with a different, supernatural aura—she traced the outline of their clasped hands. "They must've died together," she murmured, noting the gaping wounds in their chests. This was proof enough; the village's inhabitants had been both vampires and SEF.
Belle's anger flared as she took in the scene—a battlefield where life had been extinguished with brutal precision. Whoever attacked did so with a calculated intent to annihilate. After a moment of quiet rage, she calmed herself and knelt to pray over the bodies, wishing peace upon their souls. "If I find the ones responsible, I'll make 'em pay tenfold," she whispered with fierce resolve.
She continued searching, hoping to find any sign of her parents among the bones, but there was nothing. At the outskirts of the village, she discovered a cluster of burned houses, overgrown with unnaturally thick vines. These plants seemed almost to guard something. Curious, Belle reached out, and the vines parted to reveal a hidden passageway.
"Aha, I knew this place was hidin' somethin'," she said with a triumphant grin. Pulling out her phone to document the find, she accidentally activated the selfie camera—and froze. Behind her, reflected in the screen, were the hungry eyes of a spider-like creature. She leaped forward in terror, dropping the phone.
She whirled around to confront the beast, but only darkness greeted her. She swept the area with her light spell, but the creature had vanished. "Am I losin' me mind?" she muttered, unsettled. "Those eyes were massive. How could somethin' that big just vanish like that?"
When she looked for her phone, it was gone. "No, no, no!" she cried. "I saved up for months for that, I did!" After a fruitless search, she wiped away her tears and trudged down the newly uncovered path, her footsteps heavy with both fear and determination.
