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  I slowly come to, my vision blurry at first. As it clears, I realize I'm in a cave. A large curtain blocks my view of whatever lies beyond. The floor is rough and cold. I try to move but find my arms bound by rope. I struggle, but the bindings hold fast. Leaning against the cave wall, I breathe heavily, panic setting in. I hear faint voices from behind the curtain, one of them hollow and monotone—the creature that 'rescued' me, and the other male.

  I strain to listen, trying to make sense of the conversation. It starts with a frustrated shout from the man.

  "Dammit, IG-22!" His voice is sharp, filled with irritation. "You weren't supposed to stun her like that!"

  "She was panicking and fled," IG-22 responds, the same hollow monotone sending chills through me. "I simply acted quicker."

  "You don't get it," the man says, pacing. I hear the sound of his boots scuffing against the cave floor. "We don't need her to fear us or consider us a threat. We need her calm, compliant—not scared out of her mind."

  IG-22 is silent for a moment before it responds. "There was a 94% probability she would continue fleeing without intervention. Stunning her minimized further complications."

  The man groans. "That's not the point. You can't just act like everyone's a damn data point. She's not a target you can just neutralize. If she thinks we're the enemy, we're done for."

  "I disagree," IG-22 replies calmly. "She is, in fact, a target of importance. My primary objective was to secure her, which I did with optimal efficiency."

  The man lets out a heavy sigh, clearly exasperated. "We're not trying to secure her. We're trying to get her to cooperate. If she thinks we're dangerous, she'll never trust us. We need her to trust us, not fear us."

  "I could render her more compliant through other means," IG-22 suggests coldly.

  "No," the man snaps. "No more of your methods. Just... step back and let me handle this. We'll talk to her, convince her we're not the enemy."

  There's a brief pause before IG-22 responds, "Understood. I will await further instructions."

  The man sighs again, quieter this time, his voice muttering something as their conversation fades. "Of all the droids to be stuck with on this..."

  I hear footsteps approach me. Thinking quickly, I pretend to be asleep, one eye half-open, as the curtain moves. Instead of that being or that man, I see a little girl peeking out with cat ears and a cat tail.

  The cat girl has long blond hair, bright blue eyes and wears a practical adventurer's outfit: a brown tunic, matching pants, sturdy boots, and I notice a knife sheathed by her hip. Her tail, blonde with a white tip, swishes behind her, and her ears are perked up with curiosity. She doesn't look like a prisoner, nor is she wearing a slave collar. What is a beast person doing all the way out here? I wonder. Maybe she can help me.

  "Psst," I whisper, trying to get the cat girl's attention. She looks over as I open one eye. "Little girl," I whisper again.

  This gets the cat girl's attention, but instead of approaching, she turns and shouts, "Papa! The pretty lady is awake."

  Pretty lady? But I panic as I hear footsteps approaching. A deep male voice says, "Step away from her Nikko. For now, she can't be trusted."

  "Can't be trusted?" I mutter to myself. "I'm the one that's bound."

  The cat girl looks sad, her ears drooping and tail slowing its swishing. "Sorry, Papa," she says before darting off.

  In steps a large man, dressed in a leather tunic with leather gloves, black pants, a hilt dangling from his belt, and a black cloak. The hood is down and his face is hidden completely by shadow, and his presence is imposing. This man's appearance scares me even more.

  "Please don't hurt me!" I cry out.

  "I'm not going to hurt you," the man says as he flicks his right hand, and a throwing knife appears in his grasp. He kneels before me, and I start to freak out, but he tells me in a calm tone, "I'm just going to cut your bindings." I stop struggling, and as he said, he cuts my bindings. With another flick, the knife disappears.

  "You must be hungry," he says, pulling aside the curtain and gesturing to a set-up table with bowls, silverware, a pot of bubbling stew, a large bowl filled with small loaves of bread, and a pitcher of clear water. The aroma of the stew hits me, reminding me of my hunger.

  I sit at the table, where the cat girl is already seated, her tail swishing in excitement. Across from her sits a beautiful elven woman with platinum hair, dressed in elegant yet practical adventurer's attire. The elf's presence is serene and welcoming.

  I take in the cave, spotting several metal tables near the entrance with various objects on them. A large object in the center of the cave is covered by a cloth. By the entrance stands the being that knocked me out, its small red eyes turning towards me, observing me. It gives me the shivers.

  "Please, have a seat," the elven woman says, a warm smile on her face.

  I sit down, not far from the cat girl, who gives me a welcoming smile. "My name is Ryu," the man says. "This is my daughter, Nikko," he adds, gesturing to the cat girl, who waves at me with a warm smile on her face. "And this is my partner, Talia," he continues, gesturing to the elven woman. I notice Talia's cheeks turn a bit rosy when he introduces her. "You've already met IG-22," Ryu says, gesturing to the strange being observing me. "I apologize for his behavior. He was instructed to help you, not stun you and tie you up," Ryu says as he begins dipping a ladle into the pot of stew and handing out bowls full of stew for everyone, including me.

  "I'm Rebecca," I say hesitantly. I look down at the stew, unsure, while Nikko and Talia dig in. Nikko looks over at me, noticing my uncertainty. She reaches over, dips her spoon into my bowl, and eats some of my stew.

  I watch Nikko, who grins at me, tail swishing happily. Ryu sits down next to Talia and grabs a loaf of bread. Overwhelmed by my hunger, I begin to dig in. The stew is fantastic, and despite trying to hide my enjoyment, I feel Nikko poking my arm.

  "Pretty good, right? Papa is a great chef," Nikko says.

  I smile and nod. Despite the circumstances, I feel a bit grateful. "Am I your prisoner?" I ask, dropping my spoon into the empty bowl.

  "No," Ryu replies. "You are not. But I do have some questions if you don't mind."

  "Given that you saved my life and fed me, I suppose I can answer some questions," I say, though still feeling nervous. I slowly reach my left hand to my hip and feel the handle of my knife, a small comfort that my weapon wasn't confiscated.

  "Why were those soldiers chasing you? They accused you of robbing from a Great One. What exactly did you steal?" Ryu asks.

  "How did you know I stole something?" I ask.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  "I have eyes and ears around this forest. It's how I saw you were in trouble," Ryu says, now dropping his spoon into his empty bowl.

  Nikko holds out her empty bowl, asking, "Papa, can I have more?"

  "Of course," Ryu says warmly and fills her bowl with more stew. Her tail swishes faster as she continues eating.

  I think about what to tell them, unsure if they can be trusted, when I realize my satchel is missing. "My satchel!" I cry out. "Where is it?"

  Ryu points behind me, where my satchel rests against the cave wall. I rush over and grab it, relief washing over me. Talia, Ryu, and Nikko watch me and I feel a bit embarrassed. I sit back down at the table, hugging my satchel tightly.

  "My name is Rebecca Lockhart," I begin. "And I am an archaeologist."

  "Archaeologist?" Ryu asks. "You study ancient ruins?"

  I nod. "Ruins, castles, relics, stories—I study them all. I became heavily invested in the dungeons recently. They've been here for thousands of years with little to no information on them. I dedicated many months, scouring every library I came across."

  "And let me guess," Ryu interrupts. "You found nothing."

  I shake my head. "Not at all. I've found all sorts of great journals left by archaeologists and explorers from all over Aranthia. It's what inspired me to find these ruins myself. But it's the dungeons that intrigue me the most. They're so well-known and popular with adventurers, yet there's so little actual information on them. It didn't sit right with me."

  Ryu listens intently, his expression focused. I can see his curiosity matching mine, and for a moment, I feel like I'm not alone in this. There's something deeply unsettling about the dungeons, and I'm not the only one who feels it.

  "I decided to travel to Curville to study the dungeon there," I continue, "but passing through Eldoria, seeing the calamity... it stopped me in my tracks." I pause, the scenes of the kingdom's despair flashing in my mind. The hunger, the desperation—my heart aches all over again.

  Talia watches me, sympathy in her eyes, but I quickly push the memories away. "I finally was able to continue. That's when I came across this encampment—just a small one. But there they were, these soldiers... burning books."

  "Burning books?" Ryu repeats, surprise coloring his tone.

  I nod, still frustrated by the memory. "I let my curiosity get the better of me, so I snuck in to see what was going on. That's when I overheard them. They were talking about how they needed to hurry up, because the Great One was growing impatient and wants them to leave by sunrise."

  Talia tenses at my words. "The Great One?" she asks, her voice wary.

  "That's what they called him," I confirm. "Seeing them burn those books—it really bothered me. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing, so I grabbed a few."

  Talia lets out a breath, her eyes narrowing slightly. "That was brave of you."

  I give a small, self-deprecating smile. "Or reckless," I admit, glancing at Ryu, who muttered something similar a moment ago. "But I couldn't just let them destroy those books. I managed to take one, but... well, I was spotted, and you know the rest."

  The three of us fall into silence, the weight of everything hanging in the air. I can see Ryu is thinking hard, his jaw clenched. The pieces are starting to fit together, but there's still so much we don't know.

  "You heard them mention the Great One," Ryu says, breaking the silence. His voice is more serious now, and I can tell he's thinking the same thing I am. "That's not a coincidence."

  "No," I agree, feeling a shiver run down my spine. "There's something big going on. And I think the dungeons, the calamity in Eldoria—it's all connected. The Great One, whoever or whatever it is, is involved."

  "What kind of books were they burning?" Ryu asks.

  "I haven't delved too deeply into it yet, but if the date is correct, this book is a journal of one of the adventurers who took down the Shadow Prince over two thousand years ago."

  "The same adventurers chosen by each of the kingdoms?" Ryu asks, and I nod.

  "That's right. I just realized I haven't really thanked you yet for saving my life, so thank you," I say, feeling my cheeks blush a little out of embarrassment.

  "Of course," Ryu says with a nod. "May I see the book?" Ryu asks, his hand extended.

  I hesitate for a moment but, seeing Nikko all happy and not terrified of Ryu and Talia, I nod and hand the book over. Ryu begins reading through it.

  "Talia, can we do some more training?" Nikko asks, her bowl now empty.

  Talia smiles and nods, and they leave the cave. "Training?" I ask. "What kind of training?"

  "Survival training," Ryu says, flipping through the book while he talks.

  "Isn't it too dangerous out there?" I ask, to which Ryu shakes his head.

  "I have eyes and ears out there. I'll be alerted if trouble arrives," Ryu responds. "Rebecca?"

  "Yes, Ryu?" I respond hesitantly.

  "Have you ever heard of a Shadowfell?"

  "A Shadowfell?" I murmur, trying to recall. "I've heard different versions of the story over the years. In some tales, it's a creature parents warn their children about, the kind that lurks under the bed or hides in the shadows to snatch misbehaving kids. Other stories talk about it as a servant of the Shadow Prince, weaving chaos wherever it goes." I pause, my brow furrowing. "The details always seem to change, but the dread in the stories? That always stays the same."

  Ryu nods. "Have you wondered why the kingdom of Eldoria is acting so strangely?"

  "I have," I say. "The dying crops, the dead livestock, the alarming number of animal attacks, the villagers acting strangely. The king says it's some sort of illness."

  "It's not an illness," Ryu says.

  "How do you know?" I ask.

  Ryu reaches into his cloak and pulls out an old, weathered book, setting it down in front of me. The cover is cracked, the pages yellowed with age. My curiosity piqued, I watch as he flips it open to a specific page, revealing a detailed sketch of a shadowy creature with haunting, white eyes. Below the drawing, a single word catches my attention: The Shadowfell.

  I begin to read the words beneath the illustration, my eyes scanning the faded but still legible handwriting.

  This creature is not to be trifled with. It slips into the minds of even the strongest and turns them against those they hold dear. Friends become enemies, trust turns to suspicion, and lovers grow to hate each other. The land itself suffers in its presence. Crops wither and die, the water becomes tainted, and the soil grows sick and barren.

  A chill runs down my spine as I stop reading and glance at Ryu, my heart pounding.

  "This... this sounds exactly like..." I start, my voice trailing off.

  "...what's happening in Eldoria," Ryu finishes, his tone grim.

  I shake my head, trying to pull myself back to rationality. "Hold on a second. Just because what's happening now resembles what some priest wrote down thousands of years ago doesn't make it real. You need proof, Ryu. Real, tangible proof," I insist, my skepticism creeping back in, even though the eerie similarity gnaws at the back of my mind.

  Ryu looks at me with unwavering calm. "You read the journal entry. You've seen what's happening. It's not just a resemblance... it's happening again."

  I frown, pushing the book aside slightly, still unwilling to accept the connection. "Look, Ryu," I say, my voice more forceful, "I get it. The parallels are uncanny. But ancient texts like these—legends—they're meant to scare people. They're myths, exaggerated stories to explain things they couldn't understand back then. What if this is just some disease, a plague? Eldoria could be suffering from something entirely not supernatural."

  Ryu listens patiently but I can tell from his posture that he's holding back from interrupting.

  "I mean, we're talking about a monster that can turn the land barren, turn friends into enemies, and destroy entire kingdoms? You expect me to believe that something so... so mythical is real? It's ridiculous!"

  I glance at the old book, frustration creeping into my voice. "For all we know, this priest who wrote this could've been delusional, or worse, trying to manipulate people through fear. You need more than this... this fairy tale to convince me. You need hard evidence—actual proof, not a bunch of scribbled notes from someone who lived in an age of superstition and fear."

  Ryu nods and raises his left arm, fidgeting with his glove. Confused, I watch silently. Suddenly, a part of his leather glove retracts, and blue lights emit from it, creating an image of a creature of shadow hovering over the table. My eyes widen, and I get up quickly as the image begins to move slightly. The shadowy figure, hovering close to the open book, resembles the drawing very well.

  "What... what is that?" I stammer, my eyes wide as I try to make sense of the strange figure floating above his gloved arm.

  "That," Ryu replies, his tone measured, "is the Shadowfell I personally encountered—and the very thing I believe is tearing Eldoria apart."

  I stare at the image, watching as it flickers and moves, a mirror of the drawing displayed before me. They look eerily similar, sending a chill through my spine. "Where did you encounter it?" I ask, my voice shaking.

  "In a dragon's den," Ryu says calmly, "feeding off the life force of the alpha and the queen. It nearly had me." He pauses for a beat. "But Talia saved my life." There's something genuine in his voice, something that tells me he's speaking the truth.

  I'm skeptical, but something compels me to keep asking questions. "I'm not sure I can fully trust you," I admit, eyeing him warily.

  "Likewise," Ryu replies, his tone steady, unreadable beneath the shadow of his hood.

  I gesture toward the now fading image of the Shadowfell, still disbelieving. "But let's assume I believe you. If this thing," I point at the now-disappeared image, "is really causing all this chaos, do you plan to stop it?"

  Ryu nods, his voice firm. "I do. Before it covers this world in darkness once more."

  His words settle in my chest, a heaviness that forces me to consider his intentions more closely. For the first time, I don't just see him as some ominous figure but as someone fighting for a cause, perhaps a noble one.

  "Then I want to help," I say, surprising even myself with the declaration.