Three days had passed since the adventurers left the village.
For Arix, three days felt like three weeks.
He had asked his mother at least seven times whether Kael’s group was coming back.
The answer had been the same every time.
“When they finish their job.” Arix was beginning to dislike that answer.
On the fourth morning, he sat beside the river with his chin resting on his knees.
He stared at the road.
Nothing.
He sighed.
“Maybe they got lost.” A voice came from behind him.
“Who?” Arix turned.
The girl from the bread incident stood there.
She carried a basket against her hip.
Arix immediately looked inside.
She noticed.
“No.” “I wasn’t going to steal anything.” “You’re looking at my bread.” “I was checking.” “Checking what?” “If you learned your lesson.” She narrowed her eyes.
“Did you?” “No.” “Of course.” She sat beside him.
For a while, neither spoke.
The river flowed quietly beside them.
Then Arix pointed toward the distant forest.
“Have you ever been there?” She looked at the trees.
“Inside?” “Yeah.” “No.” “Why?” “My mother told me not to.” Arix nodded.
“Mine too.” They both stared at the forest.
Arix’s eyes sparkled.
“That probably means there’s something interesting inside.” She groaned.
“That isn’t what it means.” Later that morning, the Adventurer’s Guild became unusually busy.
Several adventurers had returned from the forest.
But they weren’t alone.
Arix spotted a strange creature being dragged behind them.
It was short.
Thin.
Green-skinned.
Its pointed ears were almost as large as its head.
A crude wooden club was still clutched in its hand.
Arix stared.
“What’s that?” One of the adventurers looked down.
“A goblin.” Arix’s eyes widened.
“A real goblin?” The adventurer laughed.
“You’ve never seen one?” Arix shook his head.
The creature looked nothing like the monsters he’d imagined.
It wasn’t enormous.
It wasn’t terrifying.
It was simply…
weird.
Another adventurer walked past carrying a sack.
“Kobold tracks were found farther north.” Arix turned.
“Kobolds too?!” The man nodded.
“Apparently.” Arix looked toward the forest.
“So there are goblins and kobolds?” “And orcs.” Arix’s mouth dropped open.
“Orcs too?!” The adventurer laughed.
“Kid, you’ve got a lot to learn.” Arix stared toward the forest with growing excitement.
The world suddenly seemed much larger.
One of the hunters placed several monster materials on a table.
Claws.
Fangs.
A handful of strange scales.
A dark feather.
And something that looked like a small horn.
Arix leaned closer.
“What are those?” “Monster materials.” “What are they used for?” “Different things.” “Like what?” “Potions.
Equipment.
Magic.” Arix’s eyes widened.
“Magic equipment?” “Sometimes.” He looked fascinated.
Then he noticed something among the materials.
A blackened fang.
He pointed.
“What happened to that?” The hunter’s smile disappeared.
“That?” He picked it up.
“Came from a demonic wolf.” Arix blinked.
“Demonic wolf?” The hunter nodded.
“They’re normally rare around here.” “Was it strong?” “Stronger than an ordinary wolf.” “What happened?” The hunter stared at the fang.
“We don’t know.” Arix frowned.
“What do you mean?” “It wasn’t acting normally.” The hunter put the fang away.
“That’s all you need to know.” That afternoon, Arix found himself near the northern road.
The forest stood beyond it.
He could see the enormous trees rising above the hills.
Usually, birds could be heard everywhere.
Today there were very few.
Arix noticed.
He stood quietly.
Something felt different.
Not dangerous.
Not exactly.
Just…
wrong.
A farmer walking past noticed him.
“Don’t stand there too long.” Arix looked up.
“Why?” “Because your mother will blame me if you wander off.” Arix frowned.
“I wasn’t going anywhere.” “Good.” The farmer continued walking.
Arix looked back toward the forest.
He remembered Kael’s words.
Don’t go into the forest alone.
Arix sighed.
“Fine.” He turned around.
Then stopped.
He looked back one last time.
The forest seemed to be staring back.
Deep within that forest— The ancient wall had changed again.
The crack was wider.
Not enough for anything to pass through.
Not even close.
But the thin fracture that had once been almost invisible now stretched across several sections of stone.
Tiny cracks branched away from it.
Tick.
A piece of stone fell.
Then another.
The darkness behind the fracture seemed deeper than before.
The dark essence seeped outward.
It passed through roots.
Across stones.
Into the soil.
A small group of goblins wandered into the area.
They stopped.
One pointed toward the wall.
The others stared.
They didn’t understand what they were seeing.
But they felt it.
Something ancient.
Something enormous.
Something that made even monsters afraid.
The goblins slowly backed away.
Then they ran.
Farther away, a group of kobolds did the same.
Even the creatures that lived in the forest instinctively avoided the place.
Except for one.
A demonic wolf stood beneath the trees.
Its fur was black.
Its eyes glowed faintly in the darkness.
It stared directly at the crack.
Then lowered its head.
As though listening.
That evening, Arix helped his father repair a fence.
He hammered a nail.
Missed.
Hit his thumb.
“Ow!” His father laughed.
“Careful.” “I meant to do that.” “Of course.” Arix rubbed his thumb.
“Dad?” “Yes?” “Are goblins really real?” His father looked at him.
“Where did you hear that?” “The guild.” His father sighed.
“Yes.” “What about kobolds?” “Yes.” “Orcs?” “Yes.” “Demonic wolves?” His father paused.
“Sometimes.” Arix’s eyes widened.
“So many!” His father smiled.
“Don’t let stories make you forget that they’re dangerous.” Arix nodded.
“Okay.” Then he looked toward the forest.
“Are monsters always evil?” His father didn’t immediately answer.
“Not always.” “Then why do adventurers fight them?” “Because sometimes monsters attack people.” “And sometimes people attack monsters?” His father looked at him.
“Sometimes.” Arix thought about that.
He didn’t know what to make of it.
So he went back to hammering the fence.
Night fell.
The village became quiet.
The river reflected the moonlight.
The Adventurer’s Guild slowly emptied.
Arix fell asleep.
Far away— The demonic wolf remained beside the ancient wall.
The crack had widened again.
Still only a crack.
Still sealed.
But the darkness around it had grown stronger.
The wolf suddenly raised its head.
Its ears twitched.
Something had changed.
Not in the forest.
Not in the village.
Beyond the crack.
A faint sound emerged.
Knock.
The wolf froze.
Silence.
Then— Knock.
The creature slowly stepped backward.
For the first time, even the corrupted beast looked afraid.
The crack widened by another fraction.
But it remained closed.
Whatever was behind it would have to wait.
And so would the village.