Chapter 49: The Village Below
For a few seconds, Aren simply stood there. The valley below was supposed to be familiar. He had walked those roads countless times. He knew where the houses stood, where the hunters usually gathered, and where the children played when they weren’t supposed to.
But from the ridge, something felt wrong. Smoke drifted above the trees. Not much. Just enough to be seen.
Doran moved closer to the edge. "I don’t see anyone."
"Neither do I," Lira said.
Jarek swallowed. "Maybe everyone went inside."
Aren shook his head. "They would’ve left smoke from the cooking fires."
He kept watching. There should have been movement. Someone carrying water. Someone repairing a roof. A hunter returning from the forest. Anything. Instead, the village looked almost abandoned.
Varek stood several steps behind them. His eyes remained fixed on the valley. "This wasn’t an accident."
Aren turned. "You know something."
"I know what an empty village looks like." Varek’s voice was quiet. "And this isn’t one."
Doran frowned. "What does that mean?"
Varek didn’t answer.
Aren didn’t wait. "We go down."
Doran immediately raised a hand. "Slowly."
---
The warriors spread out as they descended the ridge. No one spoke. Even Jarek had stopped making jokes. The path was steep in places, forcing them to move carefully between the trees. The closer they got, the stronger the smell became. Smoke. Burned wood. And something else. Aren couldn’t identify it. Not yet.
They reached the first line of trees surrounding the village. Doran stopped again. He pointed toward the ground. There were footprints everywhere. Some belonged to villagers. Others didn’t. Several were deep enough to show the weight of whoever had made them.
Aren crouched. "How many?"
Doran followed the trail with his eyes. "At least ten."
Jarek’s face tightened. "Ten?"
"Maybe more."
Lira looked toward the houses. "Where are our people?"
Aren stood. "We’ll find them."
He said it confidently. But he didn’t know if it was true.
---
They moved forward. The first house they reached had its door hanging open. Aren pushed it wider. Empty. A clay cup lay broken near the table. A blanket had been thrown onto the floor. Nothing else.
Doran checked the back room. "Nobody."
The next house was the same. Then another. No bodies. No villagers. No attackers. Just signs of a struggle.
Aren’s chest tightened. "They took them."
Doran looked at him. "You sure?"
Aren pointed toward the ground. There were marks where several feet had dragged through the dirt. "Nobody leaves like this."
Lira walked toward the doorway. She picked something up. A small wooden bracelet. Aren recognized it. It belonged to one of the children. His expression hardened. "They were here."
---
A faint cry suddenly came from somewhere nearby. Everyone froze.
Lira turned. "Did you hear that?"
Another sound followed. A sob. Aren immediately moved toward it. They followed the noise behind the storage huts. A small figure was hiding underneath an overturned wooden cart.
Lira crouched down. "Hey." The child didn’t move. "It’s okay." Her voice was softer now. "You can come out."
Two frightened eyes appeared beneath the cart. The child recognized Aren. "Aren..."
He dropped to one knee. "It’s me."
The boy crawled out and immediately grabbed his arm. "They came."
Aren’s heart sank. "Who?"
The child looked toward the forest. "The people in black."
Doran exchanged a glance with Aren. "How many?"
The boy shook his head. "I don’t know."
"What happened?"
"They came before the sun was high." His voice trembled. "They asked about you."
Aren went still. "Me?"
The boy nodded. "They said they wanted the one who knew the old stones."
Varek’s expression changed. Doran noticed. "You know what that means?"
Varek didn’t answer.
Aren helped the child stand. "What did they do after that?"
"They took the hunters."
"All of them?"
The boy nodded. "Some tried to fight." His eyes filled with tears. "Then they used something."
"Something?"
"Smoke."
Aren frowned. "Smoke?"
The boy nodded. "Everyone fell asleep."
Lira’s face became serious. "That’s why there are no bodies."
"They’re alive," Aren said.
The boy nodded quickly. "They took them toward the old forest."
Aren looked toward the trees. "Which direction?"
The child pointed. "The ruins."
Silence. The word settled over the group. Doran’s grip tightened around his spear. "They found something."
Varek finally spoke. "Or they already knew where to look."
Aren turned toward him. "You knew this could happen."
"No." Varek’s expression was grim. "I knew it was possible."
"That’s not the same thing."
"I know."
Aren stared at him for another moment. Then he looked toward the damaged village. The Seekers had come looking for him. When they couldn’t find him, they had taken the people who knew him. It wasn’t random. They wanted leverage. Or information. Maybe both.
Aren’s eyes hardened. "We’re getting them back."
---
They spent the next few minutes searching the village. Not everyone was gone. A few elderly villagers had hidden inside a storage pit when the attackers arrived. They were frightened but unharmed. One of them, an old hunter named Toma, described what had happened.
"They didn’t kill anyone."
"Did they say where they were taking them?" Doran asked.
Toma nodded. "The old forest."
"How long ago?"
"Several hours."
Aren looked toward the setting sun. "Then we still have time."
Varek shook his head. "Maybe."
Aren turned. "What does that mean?"
"The old forest isn’t safe after dark."
Doran frowned. "Because of beasts?"
"No." Varek looked toward the trees. "Because of what lies beneath it."
Nobody spoke. Aren felt a familiar pressure behind his eyes. Another memory. A dark underground passage. Torches. People wearing the same symbol. A stone door. Then the sound of something moving behind it.
He blinked. The memory vanished. Aren rubbed his forehead.
Lira noticed. "Another vision?"
He nodded.
"What did you see?"
"A door."
Varek looked at him sharply. "What kind?"
"Stone."
"Was there a symbol?"
Aren thought for a moment. "Yes."
Varek stepped closer. "What symbol?"
Aren described it. Varek’s face lost its color.
Doran noticed. "What’s wrong?"
Varek stared toward the forest. "That’s not a normal ruin."
Aren’s voice became quieter. "Then what is it?"
Varek hesitated. "A seal."
---
Night was approaching quickly. Doran wanted to wait until morning. Aren refused.
"If they’re holding our people, every hour matters."
"We don’t know how many there are."
"We don’t need to fight all of them."
Doran frowned. "What are you planning?"
"Find them first."
"And then?"
Aren looked toward the forest. "We figure out the rest when we get there."
Doran sighed. "You really don’t like making things easy."
Aren almost smiled. "Neither do the people who took our villagers."
Lira stepped forward. "I’m coming."
Doran looked at her. "You’re staying behind."
"No."
"Lira—"
"I can treat injuries." She tightened the strap of her medicine pouch. "And if you’re expecting everyone to come back without getting hurt, you’re dreaming."
Doran opened his mouth. Then closed it. He knew she was right.
Jarek lifted his spear. "I’m coming too."
Aren looked at him. "You don’t have to."
Jarek shrugged. "They took people from our village." His expression was no longer playful. "I’m not staying here."
Aren nodded. "Then stay close."
The group prepared quickly. Eight warriors would go. The remaining villagers would stay inside the settlement and keep watch. Aren looked toward the damaged houses one last time. He hated leaving them like this. But there was no choice. Someone had taken their people. And Aren intended to bring them home.
---
They entered the forest just as the last light disappeared behind the hills. The path was difficult to follow. Whoever had taken the villagers had tried to hide their tracks. But they had made one mistake. They had been moving too many people at once.
Broken branches marked their route. A piece of cloth hung from a thorn. A footprint appeared in the soft earth. Then another. Aren followed them quietly.
After nearly an hour, Doran crouched. "Stop." Everyone froze. He pointed ahead. A faint orange glow flickered between the trees.
Fire.
Aren lowered himself. They moved closer without making a sound. Through the branches, he could finally see them. Several figures stood around a small camp. The black symbol was visible on their clothing. The Seekers. And beside them, a group of captured villagers sat with their hands tied.
Aren’s jaw tightened. "They’re alive."
Lira whispered. "Thank the spirits."
But there was something else. Behind the camp stood a large stone structure covered by vines. Aren stared at it. The shape was familiar. Two stone pillars. A massive sealed doorway. His breathing stopped. The same gate from his memories. The same one he had seen countless times without understanding why.
Varek slowly stepped beside him. "I’ve seen that place in old records."
Aren didn’t look away. "What is it?"
Varek’s voice dropped. "The entrance to the sealed city."
Aren felt the cold system window appear before his eyes.
[Ancient Structure Detected]
Memory Synchronization: 34%
Location Identified. Ancient Capital — Outer Seal
Aren stared at the words. Then another line appeared.
Warning: Unauthorized access detected.
His eyes moved toward the sealed doorway. One of the Seekers had placed a hand against the stone. The ancient markings began to glow. Aren’s heart started pounding.
The Seeker suddenly looked up. Straight toward the forest. Straight toward him. A slow smile appeared beneath the man’s hood.
"He’s here."
Aren’s hand tightened around his spear. The man turned toward the others. "Tell the Keeper." "The heir has arrived."
And behind the sealed gate, something knocked from the other side. Once. Twice. Then again.
Aren stared at the door. For the first time, the ancient memory in his mind wasn’t silent. A voice whispered through the darkness.
"Run."
End of Chapter 49