The next morning began like any other.
The river flowed through the center of the village.
Farmers headed toward their fields.
The blacksmith’s hammer rang through the streets.
Children chased one another between the houses.
And Arix was late for breakfast.
Again.
“Arix!” “I’m coming!” “You said that five minutes ago!” “I was coming slowly!” His mother sighed.
Arix rushed down the stairs, his black hair sticking out in every direction.
He nearly tripped on the last step.
His father looked up from the table.
“Careful.” “I am careful.” “You almost fell.” “I was testing the stairs.” His father laughed.
Arix climbed onto his chair.
Breakfast was already waiting.
He immediately reached for the bread.
His mother slapped his hand away.
“Wash your hands.” Arix looked at them.
They looked perfectly clean.
He looked at his mother.
She stared back.
Arix sighed.
“Fine.” After breakfast, Arix went outside.
He had promised to help his father.
He had also promised himself that he would find a way to finish his work quickly.
The two goals were not necessarily compatible.
His father handed him a bucket.
“Take this to the well.” Arix stared at it.
“That’s all?” “For now.” Arix smiled.
“Easy.” He grabbed the bucket.
It was heavier than expected.
His smile disappeared.
“Why is water so heavy?” His father laughed.
“Because it’s water.” “That doesn’t explain anything.” By the time Arix finished his chores, the sun was already high.
He wiped his forehead.
“Done.” His father nodded.
“Good.” “Can I go to the guild?” His father looked at him.
“To do what?” “Nothing.” “That usually means something.” Arix thought quickly.
“To learn.” His father smiled.
“Fine.” Arix immediately ran toward the village center.
The Adventurer’s Guild was crowded.
Arix pushed through the doors.
The familiar smell of food, leather, metal and old wood filled the hall.
Several adventurers were eating.
Others were checking requests.
A few were discussing monsters they’d encountered.
Arix searched the room.
No Kael.
No Mira.
No Renn.
No Lena.
He sighed.
“They’re still gone.” “Who?” Arix turned.
The woman behind the counter smiled.
“The adventurers from the other day.” Arix nodded.
“Yes.” “They haven’t returned.” “Are they okay?” “They’re experienced.” “That doesn’t answer the question.” The receptionist laughed.
“You worry too much.” Arix crossed his arms.
“I don’t.” “You’ve asked about them every day.” Arix paused.
“…That’s different.” “Of course.” Arix walked toward the notice board.
There were several new requests.
Herb Gathering.
Monster Subjugation.
Merchant Escort.
Forest Survey.
Arix stared at the last one.
“Forest survey?” An adventurer standing nearby noticed him.
“Interested?” Arix nodded.
“What does it mean?” “Checking the forest.” “For monsters?” “Among other things.” “Is it dangerous?” The adventurer laughed.
“Everything involving a forest can be dangerous.” Arix looked at the request again.
“Then why do it?” “Because someone has to.” That answer stayed in Arix’s head.
Around midday, a small group of adventurers returned from the northern forest.
Arix recognized one of them.
The bearded man from yesterday.
But something was different.
He wasn’t laughing.
His clothes were dirty.
One sleeve was torn.
The other adventurers looked equally exhausted.
The guild became quieter as they entered.
The receptionist stood.
“What happened?” The bearded adventurer placed a sack on the counter.
“Nothing good.” She opened it.
Inside were herbs.
But several were covered in black spots.
The receptionist frowned.
“Where did you collect these?” “Near the northern edge.” “That’s unusual.” “We thought so too.” Another adventurer spoke.
“There were fewer animals.” The receptionist looked up.
“Fewer?” “Almost none.” Arix stepped closer.
“What about monsters?” The man looked at him.
“There were plenty.” Arix frowned.
“Then what’s wrong?” The adventurer hesitated.
“They weren’t acting normally.” The guild fell silent.
“What do you mean?” someone asked.
The man looked around.
“We saw goblins.” “That’s normal.” “They were running.” “From what?” “We don’t know.” Another adventurer spoke.
“We found a group of kobolds too.” “And?” “They had abandoned their camp.” The receptionist frowned.
“Why?” “They left everything behind.” Tools.
Food.
Weapons.
Everything.
Arix listened carefully.
“Were they fighting something?” The adventurer shook his head.
“No.” “Then why run?” Nobody answered.
Arix followed the group outside.
He wasn’t supposed to.
He knew that.
But curiosity was stronger.
He stopped beside the guild entrance.
The bearded adventurer was speaking with another man.
Arix listened.
“Did you see the wolves?” “Yes.” “How many?” “Too many.” “Were they aggressive?” The man shook his head.
“No.” That surprised Arix.
“What did they do?” The adventurer looked toward the forest.
“They just stood there.” “Stood?” “Watching.” “Watching what?” The man’s expression hardened.
“Us.” Arix felt a chill.
Later that afternoon, Arix went to the river.
He sat beneath a tree.
He tried skipping stones.
Plop.
Again.
Plop.
Again.
“Stupid river.” He picked up another stone.
This time— Skip.
Arix froze.
The stone bounced once.
Then sank.
His eyes widened.
“I did it!” He jumped up.
“I DID IT!” A farmer nearby looked at him.
“What?” “I beat the river!” The farmer laughed.
Arix grinned.
For a moment, everything felt normal again.
Then he noticed something.
Across the river, near the edge of the forest, several birds suddenly flew into the air.
All at once.
Arix stopped smiling.
He watched them disappear into the sky.
Nothing followed.
No predator.
No noise.
Just silence.
Arix slowly stood.
Deep within the forest— The monsters were moving.
Goblins abandoned their usual camps.
Kobolds left their underground tunnels.
Small beasts fled deeper into the woods.
Even the orcs had begun behaving strangely.
An orc patrol stood at the edge of a clearing.
One of them pointed toward the trees.
“What is that?” Another looked.
Nothing.
Then— A faint vibration passed through the ground.
The orcs froze.
The leader raised his hand.
Everyone became silent.
Another vibration.
This time, they heard it.
A deep sound.
Not loud.
But impossible to mistake.
Crack.
The ancient wall shifted.
The fracture had widened again.
A small stone fell.
Then another.
The dark essence leaking through was now visible even in daylight.
It clung to the surface of the wall like black mist.
The orcs backed away.
One whispered something in their language.
The leader immediately ordered them to leave.
They didn’t argue.
The demonic wolf remained.
It stood closer to the wall than anything else.
Its black fur moved despite the absence of wind.
Its eyes glowed faintly.
The crack was larger now.
Still sealed.
Still no opening.
But the stone around it was beginning to deteriorate.
The wolf raised its head.
Something was coming from the other side.
Not physically.
Not yet.
But it could feel it.
A pressure.
A presence.
A distant awareness.
The wolf lowered itself.
Then— Knock.
It froze.
Knock.
Again.
The wolf’s ears flattened.
It slowly backed away.
For the first time since the darkness had touched it, the creature looked genuinely afraid.
That evening, Arix sat with his father near the front door.
The village was quiet.
His father sharpened a farming tool.
Arix stared toward the northern road.
“Dad?” “Yes?” “Do monsters ever leave their homes?” His father looked at him.
“Sometimes.” “Why?” “Food.
Territory.
Weather.” Arix nodded.
“What if they run away?” His father stopped sharpening.
“From what?” “I don’t know.” Arix explained what he’d heard at the guild.
His father’s expression became serious.
“Did the adventurers say anything else?” “They said the monsters were acting strange.” His father looked toward the forest.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he returned to his work.
“Stay away from the forest.” Arix frowned.
“You already told me that.” “I’m telling you again.” “Why?” “Because I said so.” Arix didn’t like that answer.
But he nodded.
“Okay.” That night, the village celebrated the return of the adventurers.
The tavern was louder than usual.
People wanted stories.
The adventurers gave them.
They spoke about monsters.
Lost trails.
Strange camps.
A broken wagon.
Nothing too serious.
Nobody mentioned the wall.
Nobody in the village even knew it existed.
And while everyone laughed inside the tavern, something moved outside.
A small shadow.
Then another.
Three pairs of eyes watched the village from the distant tree line.
Goblins.
They had never come this close before.
One held a crude spear.
Another carried a small sack.
The third was staring toward the village with a frightened expression.
None of them attacked.
They simply watched.
Then they turned around.
And ran back into the forest.
The following morning, Arix woke earlier than usual.
He didn’t know why.
He simply felt restless.
He got dressed and went outside.
The village was still quiet.
The sun had barely risen.
Arix walked toward the river.
Then stopped.
There was something floating on the water.
He stepped closer.
A small black feather.
Arix picked it up.
It was unusually cold.
He turned it over.
Nothing.
Just a feather.
He threw it away.
“Probably from a bird.” He continued walking.
He didn’t notice that the feather had landed on the riverbank.
The black surface slowly began to spread across it.
Just for a moment.
Then disappeared.
Deep within the forest— The ancient wall remained.
The crack had grown.
A little more.
Not enough.
Not yet.
But the darkness continued to leak through.
And the monsters continued to change.
Some became stronger.
Some became more aggressive.
Some fled.
Others began gathering around the wall.
They didn’t know why.
They simply felt something calling them.
The demonic wolf looked toward the crack.
The sound came again.
Knock.
This time— Something answered from the forest.
A distant howl.
Then another.
Then dozens.
The wolf raised its head.
And for the first time, the monsters surrounding the ancient wall began moving together.
Not randomly.
Not like animals.
Like an army.
Back in the village, Arix was eating breakfast.
His mother placed another piece of bread on his plate.
Arix looked at it.
Then at her.
“Can I have another?” She smiled.
“You don’t need to steal this one.” Arix grinned.
“I learned my lesson.” His father laughed.
“Miracles do happen.” Arix took a bite.
Outside, the river continued flowing.
The village continued living.
Nobody knew what was happening beyond the trees.
Nobody knew what the Empire had found.
Nobody knew what lay behind the ancient wall.
And nobody knew that the crack was slowly becoming something more.
Not today.
Not tomorrow.
But eventually— It would open.
And when it did…
The quiet little village would never be the same again.