Ignoring the others, she moved swiftly toward the valley's entrance, her heart pounding in her chest. The closer she got, the more oppressive the air became, as though the very atmosphere was resisting her advance.

And then, she saw it.

A tall, shadowy figure, its form shrouded in writhing darkness, moved with an unnatural, silent grace. Shadows began to twist around the figure, stretching like living tendrils.

Belan's eyes widened as soon as she saw the shadows, but she didn't falter.

It was heading toward the edge of the valley, where the sand dunes began. Something about it made her blood run cold, yet she forced herself to follow.

"Stop!" she called out, her voice echoing in the silence.

The figure slowed but didn't turn. Belan quickened her pace, her hand tightening around her sword. But as she got closer, the figure abruptly stopped and turned to face her.

That was when her resolve shattered.

There was a subtle shift in temperature, a breath of wind that carried no natural origin. The torch flames flickered, not with the typical dance of fire but with a calculated, almost intelligent trembling.

Shadows began to coalesce, forming shapes that existed between nightmares and reality.

Its eyes. Twin orbs of molten red, like pools of lava, glared at her with an intensity that burned through her very soul. The air seemed to thicken around her, and an overwhelming sense of dread engulfed her. It wasn't just fear—it was primal, an instinctual terror that froze her in place.

Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground, her breathing ragged. Sweat poured down her face as if she had run miles, her body trembling uncontrollably.

The figure stood still, watching her. Its gaze was more suffocating than the heaviest weight, its presence more oppressive than anything she had ever encountered. She couldn't move, couldn't scream—she was utterly powerless.

Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the figure dissolved into the shadows, leaving no trace of its existence.

Lysandra arrived moments later, her expression alarmed as she saw Belan slumped on the ground. "Belan! What happened?" she demanded, kneeling beside her.

Belan struggled to speak, her voice barely a whisper. "I... saw it. It... looked at me."

Lysandra frowned, her sharp eyes scanning the darkness. "What did you see?"

"Darkness…"

Lysandra saw the faint traces of darkness lingering around the area and the shadowy figure moving towards the sand dunes. But it was too late, and when she came, it was already gone.

"Let's get you back to the castle." She helped Belan to her feet, her tone softer now. "We'll figure this out."

Back at the castle, the group reconvened, and Jarl Daus listened grimly as Lysandra recounted what had happened. When she finished, he let out a heavy sigh and leaned back in his chair.

"This," he said, his voice low and weary, "is what we've been dealing with. Every night, it comes. Every night, it takes a woman. We've tried everything—guards, traps, even blessings from the goddess. Nothing stops it."

Belan, now calmer but still pale, clenched her fists. "What is it?"

Daus shook his head. "We don't know. Some say it's a spirit of vengeance, others a demon sent to punish us. All I know is that it's relentless."

A heavy silence filled the room as the weight of his words settled over them.

Whatever this creature was, it was far beyond anything Belan or even the Kaezhlar clan had anticipated.

And it wasn't going to stop.

-

Jolthar's company travelled the landscape where light and shadow performed their eternal dance, the terrain shifting beneath their travel-worn boots like a living canvas of sand and stone.

They had almost reached the valley, as they could see the tribal land. After a long journey, they had reached the valley at last.

Jolthar, who was on his drake, was watching ahead with squinted eyes. He could see a figure moving in their direction. He quickly alerted Eran.

A figure emerged from the desert's deceptive stillness, not like a mirage but as a tangible embodiment of profound human anguish.

They soon noticed that the figure was a man walking; no, he was moving like a drunk man.

The man stood weathered, his form etched with the exhaustion. His eyes—deep wells of unspoken grief—held a desperation that immediately captured the attention of Jolthar and his companions. He seemed like a lost man with tattered clothes, dishelved hair.

"My daughter," he said, his voice carrying the weight of immeasurable sorrow. "My daughter... she has vanished."

Eran, whose compassion ran as deep as his strategic mind, approached the stranger with a measured kindness. The man's narrative unfolded like a tapestry of raw emotion—his daughter had disappeared during the night, stolen from the very fabric of existence in a way that defied comprehension.

"What happened?" Jolthar prompted, his typically sardonic demeanour replaced by a profound attentiveness.

The father spoke of a night interrupted by an inexplicable darkness, of a daughter who had been there and then suddenly—catastrophically—was not.

Eran and Jolthar exchanged a glance.

Eran enquired the man where he was from. What exactly happened?

They offered the man water, sustenance, and most critically—hope.

After calming him down, he told them about his missing daughter, and he was from the valley.

Jolthar guessed that the problem they came to solve was probably related to this issue.

As dawn's first true light crested the desert horizon, they travelled together. The man rode with them, his presence a living testimony to parental love's most profound and heart-wrenching manifestation.

-

As Jolthar and Eran rode into the sprawling Daryen Valley, the air was crisp, and the scent of pine wafted from the surrounding region.

In the distance, the towering castle of the Jarl of the Jowaryan tribe loomed atop a rocky hill. Its stone walls were weathered but imposing, a testament to the tribe's resilience over the centuries.

The castle, adorned with tribal banners, exuded an air of authority, and the presence of armed guards at every corner signalled the importance of the place.