The morning sun cast a hazy gold across the foggy village, yet the air felt anything but warm.

Mia remained asleep upstairs, her breathing shallow but even. In the rafters, a tiny bat clung to a crooked beam, Sith, in her disguised form, unmoving, ever watchful.

Downstairs, the inn was empty.

The fat innkeeper seemed like he had gone. So were the pale, beast-like villagers from the night before. Only silence remained, disturbed occasionally by the creaking of old wood and Kael's soft footsteps echoing along the deserted street.

He wore a simple travel cloak, hood drawn up. He didn't call on Ignis—his fearsome Tier-8 pegasus would only cause more fear. These people needed to see a harmless man, not a monster.

He knocked, door after door.

Most ignored him.

Some shouted through cracked wood to go away.

But he kept knocking.

And finally, one door creaked open.

It was a modest house, tucked in the narrow shadow of a bamboo thicket. A middle-aged woman, with long, graying hair and hollow, pale skin, stood there. Her eyes were dull, ringed with purple. She stared at Kael, silent for a few seconds, then stepped aside.

"Please enter," she said flatly.

Kael stepped inside, cautiously.

The house smelled of herbs and dust. Sparse furnishings lined the small room—wooden stools, a square table, and a shelf of dried bamboo stalks.

She set a kettle of tea on the table and poured him a cup. Her movements were automatic, like someone going through motions they had long forgotten the meaning of.

Kael sat, watching her carefully.

He took a sip. Then gently asked, "We're travelers. Passing through. But… this village… it feels abandoned. What happened here?"

The woman sat across from him, hands folded on her lap.

Her voice was steady, but something was off. Too steady. Too emotionless.

"This village… Lira," she began, "was once known across this region for our Spirit Bamboo Wine. Grown from trees that absorb natural energy and refine it into mana during the winter. People came from far to buy it. Merchants. Adventurers. Even nobles."

She paused. Her fingers trembled slightly.

"But two years ago… a plague came and spread fastly. People died in their homes. In the fields. The streets. Children and adults alike… everyone was affected."

Kael listened intently. "And then?"

"Then… a sorcerer arrived. He wore a mask and robes. Hence, we never saw his face. But he… saved us. Or… most of us." Her gaze went distant. "But he asked something in return."

Kael leaned forward. "What was it?"

She met his eyes.

Her lips curved into a strange, bittersweet smile. "He took the dead who were affected by the plague."

Kael stiffened. "What?"

"He said they could still be of use as they died before their lifespan limit was reached," she said. "And… in our desperation, we agreed. What else could we do? We had no one. No hope. Only this stranger who promised life."

Kael placed the cup down slowly. "Do you remember his name?"

She shook her head. "No one does. But… we called him The Shepherd."

She stood up and walked toward a window. Her back turned to him.

"And so we gave him our dead. Year after year. Whenever someone died, we left the body at the edge of the eastern forest. And each time… the body would vanish by sunrise."

A chill ran down Kael's spine. "And the monsters from last night?" he asked. "Are they…?"

She didn't answer.

Instead, she whispered, "The Shepherd protects us like a guardian. He promised we would live forever, so long as we obey the Head god and serve him."

Kael furrowed his brows. "Headgod? Never heard of it."

The woman nodded slowly, still gazing into the fog outside.

"He said the Headgod is the origin of all. The creator, the mother of matter and mana… and the father of death. According to him, the true gods dwell not in the heavens, but in Navi, a queendom hidden in the clouds, untouched by mortal eyes."

Kael's expression turned more grim. No matter how it seemed, it looked like a fraud.

"He told us the Headgod chose this village to be reborn. And that our wine would become divine. For twelve days, he stayed in the village, brewing a special wine, and then on the Thirteenth day… he vanished. Just like that. Gone. Left only one thing behind. The wine."

She turned her gaze to Kael again. "Headbane. That's what he called the wine."

Kael blinked. "Headbane?"

The woman nodded. Her voice turned softer, more reverent. "Those who drank it had their wounds healed… their diseases vanish… even their scars faded. It gave strength, endurance, and clarity of mind. The warriors who tried it swore by its power. They said it extended their lives… gave them breakthroughs in cultivation. They called it the elixir of immortality."

Kael muttered, "So it became a commodity. Did the village attract trouble because of that?"

"No," she whispered. "It didn't become a commodity. It became a curse in our lives instead. We used to sell our spirit bamboo wine for 200 gold per jar. When it became Headbane, that same amount went for 2,000 gold coins per cup."

Kael's eyes widened.

"Tourists came from everywhere. Nobles. Mercenaries. Warriors. Blademasters. Even officials. They all wanted a taste of immortality."

She chuckled darkly.

"And so… the competition of brewing began. People became greedy over possession of spirit bamboo trees, their groves turning into battlegrounds. Families turned against families. Friends vanished. Killings… became common."

Kael remained quiet.

The room suddenly felt colder.

"We kept brewing," she said softly. "Until all the trees were cut down. The land was bare. The Headbane ran dry. And when the headbane no longer produced…"

She paused. Her voice cracked. "The monsters came."

Kael finally spoke. "I heard they appear at sunset?"

She nodded, eyes haunted.

"Yes. They walk on all fours like beasts, but… they wear the faces of people I knew. My husband. My son. My neighbors. They don't speak, but they sniff, like hounds. Always searching for the doors that opened."

Kael turned toward the door. "What happened to the shrine?"

"Destroyed. A year ago. A traveler named Elias tried to burn it down in secret. Said he'd had enough of the nightmares. The next night… he was dragged from his home. Screaming. Never found his body."

She turned away again, staring out the window as if waiting for a shadow to pass.

"And now… we just wait. Until we're the only ones left. Unable to stay and unable to leave."

Kael said nothing.

But in his mind, the pieces were slowly starting to fall into place.

The plague.

The sorcerer.

The elixir.

The shrine.

The monsters.

And the cult of a forgotten god.

Kael could smell that something was wrong with ease.

"Thank you," Kael said at last. "I'll see what I can do."

"Don't," she said instantly, her voice suddenly sharp. "You and your sister should leave tonight. Don't get involved."

"Hmm… did you know that I came here with my sister?" Kael furrowed his brows, finding something suspicious. "I didn't tell you that."

"Oh, that…" The woman looked at him. "I know." She nodded.

Just as Kael was about to react, his fingers loosened around the ceramic cup, and it slipped from his grasp, shattering onto the wooden floor.

His vision warped.

The edges of the room stretched and contracted. The daylight pouring in from the window dimmed as if the sun had dipped behind a veil. His legs staggered, knees buckling slightly.

He looked at the woman, wide-eyed. "You…" he whispered. "What… did you do?"

The woman didn't flinch. She merely smiled like a mother comforting a frightened child. "It's alright, son," she whispered. "Everything is going to be alright. We are all the children of Headgod. Don't worry, you will soon find your solace."

Kael's vision darkened, and he fell down to the floor with a thud.

Later Afternoon — The Inn;

Mia stirred awake with a deep groan. She blinked slowly, her hand instinctively reaching to the side…

Empty.

"Brother?"

There was no response.

She sat upright, eyes scanning the silent room, a sinking feeling forming in her gut.

Grabbing the scroll from her belt pouch, she activated it and chanted a quick relay command. The magical lines glowed softly as she whispered Kael's name. The communication scroll didn't work.

Her stomach dropped.

"Dammit," she muttered, climbing off the bed. She summoned her staff into her hand, the crystals pulsing with her agitation.

As she stormed toward the door, a sudden flutter behind her made her whirl around.

A bat dropped from the ceiling.

Her eyes narrowed immediately. "That's not a normal bat—!"

Without hesitation, Mia spun her staff and launched a quick-freezing spell.

"Frostbind: Azure Crystal Tomb!"

The bat froze midair, crashing into the floor with a shattering sound as it transformed into Sith, the vampiress, who winced as she pushed herself upright from the cracked ice shell.

"Tch… overreacting, much?" Sith muttered, brushing frost from her shoulder.

Mia sighed in relief but didn't lower her staff completely. "What the hell were you doing up there? Why were you watching me?"