After stumbling his way home, Elías threw open the door, breathless, his robe disheveled. "Yeah, I know I'm late!" he shouted, after dodging the ceramic mug his father hurled in his direction that shattered against the wall, before scattering shards across the floor.
"Where the hell were you, boy? I expected you to be back with my drink hours ago!" his father roared, swaying as he made his way into the dimly lit kitchen, the stink of ale clinging to him like a second skin.
"Sorry! We got a new shipment today,
..so I had to work overtime," Elías lied, carefully keeping his voice even not to give himself away. His eyes flickering to the glinting knife on the counter, then back to his father's wild, bloodshot eyes.
He softened his tone. "BUT.., I was able to get you something special tonight because of it."
He reached into his robe and pulled out a decorative bottle, its dark glass swirling with intricate patterns in the candlelight.
"Ohh, and by the way,.. Yes, I Did pay for it, but it's expensive, so try to make it last."
Elías added with a snort, barely hiding the bitterness beneath his breath.
Without waiting for a reply, he trudged up the creaking stairs, each step heavy with exhaustion. Once in his room, he locked the door behind him and exhaled, his muscles finally unclenching from the cold night air.
He crossed the room, over to his bedstand, pulling the drawer open just enough to tuck the Humorous neatly inside, but not before noticing a familiar looking rune, a fragment of something long forgotten, etched int the sidde of the bone. *"I'm going to need to carve this off tomorrow, it might interfere with my plans."* He thought to himself before going to bed.
The next morning, as Elías stepped outside an unfamiliar chill crawled across his skin. The village was different today, almost as if it was too quiet. The usual morning clamor of merchants setting up stalls and children playing in the streets had dulled to a muted hum as shadows clung to corners that were usually kissed by the dawn… something was wrong, he just couldn't realize what it was, not at first.
The feeling nagged at him throughout the day as he worked away. It wasn't until the sun dipped below the horizon, that he noticed it; The mist had seemed to thicken around the village, almost as if it was crawling twords, creeping ever closer.
As he made his way home he couldn't he but stare a t the distant fog, curling around the trees of the nearby forest where the hunters and foragers would gather their seasonal food. The mist around him slowly getting closer as the darkness approached. It carried a staring chill that settled deep into his bones, and a silence that swallowed even the wind.
Elías tightened his grip on the straps of his robes, his eyes scanning the encroaching mist, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching him back.
By the time Elías got home his father was already passed out drunk on the couch.
"Huh, I must hold my liquor better than I thought, I didn't expect that bottle to last that long. " He said after seeing the bottle only two thirds empty.
*"I'm going to need to convince the boss to give me something cheap tomorrow, otherwise I might be screwed."* He thought to himself before closing the door behind him and heading up to his room, where he began carving the bone of a crow into a hooked stencil using a letter opener he kept by his bedside. A few hours later he was finished whittling, so he snuck his way down into the pantry to grab some stale bread before heading back upstairs.