The night air was crisp, cool, and absolutely not peaceful.
Somewhere outside, chaos was brewing. Loud voices, hurried footsteps, and the unmistakable sound of someone having an emotional breakdown shattered the previously calm village atmosphere.
Inside the small house, Aron, Zander, and Livia were gathered in the living room, all looking absolutely dead inside.
For good reason.
"Remind me," Livia mumbled, rubbing her temples, "what exactly have we done since arriving in this world?"
Aron, lying face-down on the wooden table, groaned. "Run. Almost die. Sleep for four hours in a cave. Run again. Get harassed by a ten-year-old."
Livia pointed a finger at him. "Don't forget the marriage scams."
"Right. That too." Aron sighed dramatically.
Zander, far too composed for someone who also suffered through all of this, simply walked to the door and peeked outside. His sharp scarlet eyes scanned the street, taking in the commotion.
Then he turned to Livia and Aron.
"Stay inside," Zander said firmly. "I'll go see what's happening."
Aron lifted his head just enough to glare at him. "Oh, of course. Leave us here, alone, where we can continue our descent into sleep-deprived madness."
Zander ignored him.
With that, he stepped out into the night, closing the door behind him.
Zander quickly spotted Ray, Tayo's father, standing near the center of the village. He looked exhausted, his clothes rumpled, and his wife, Kinisha, was in his arms—crying and muttering curses under her breath.
Chief Saya stood nearby, her expression unreadable, but her sigh made it clear she had seen this situation before.
Zander approached and asked in his usual blunt manner, "What happened?"
Ray lifted his head, his eyes red and tired. "Tayo. He's missing."
Zander immediately tensed. "What?"
Ray swallowed thickly. "Him and a few others. They disappeared."
Before Zander could ask further, Kinisha snarled.
"It's the fairies of the mountain!" she spat, shaking with anger. "Those cursed creatures took my son!"
Chief Saya rubbed her forehead, exhaling. "Kinisha, we have no evidence that the fairies—"
"Oh, shut up!" Kinisha snapped, whirling on her. "You and that damn Fairy Lord have always been suspicious! Maybe you're both in on this! Maybe this was your plan all along!"
Zander, very much an outsider to this drama, stood there thinking, Oh. So this is going to be one of those situations.
Chief Saya's entire demeanor shifted.
Gone was the exhausted old woman—replaced by an ice-cold matriarch who could probably kill someone with a single glance.
"Take your wife inside, Ray," Chief Saya said, voice calm but sharp. "She's not in her right mind."
Ray hesitated, but seeing his wife's wild expression, he nodded and gently led Kinisha away, her cursing fading into the night.
Now, all that was left was Zander and Chief Saya.
The older woman turned her gaze to him, and—**to Zander's absolute irritation—**she smiled.
"You should also take good care of your wife," she said lightly. "Don't let him go insane."
Zander narrowed his eyes.
There was no point in correcting her, not now.
So, without another word, he simply turned and left.
Zander stepped inside the house, shutting the door behind him.
Immediately, he spotted another problem.
Zane.
Awake.
Fully awake.
And grinning.
Zane, sitting cross-legged on the floor with his back against the wall, tilted his head with interest.
"Oh? Our fearless leader is back." His smirk widened. "And what's that look for? Did your beloved wife miss you?"
Aron, still sitting at the table, threw a spoon at him.
Zane dodged effortlessly. "Tch, missed."
Livia, watching this interaction like an entertained audience member, raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What's this? Did something interesting happen while you were outside?"
Zander exhaled slowly, moving to lean against the wall.
Aron, rubbing his temples, asked, "So. Anything weird happen?"
Zander nodded. "Tayo and a few others are missing."
The room immediately sobered.
Aron sat up straight. "What?"
"Ray told me," Zander explained. "They disappeared at some point tonight. Kinisha, his wife, believes the fairies of the mountain are responsible."
Zane snorted. "Fairies?"
Livia frowned. "That's… unexpected."
Aron rubbed his chin. "So, what, fairies kidnap kids now?"
Zander crossed his arms. "Chief Saya doesn't believe they're responsible. She says the Fairy Lord has always been the guardian of the MoonVale Region."
Zane blinked. "Wait, there's a Fairy Lord?"
"Yes."
Zane turned to Livia. "Do you think he's single?"
Livia burst out laughing.
Aron massaged his temples aggressively. "Zane. I beg you. Prioritize."
Zane shrugged. "What? If he's some mystical, powerful fairy ruler, he's probably super hot."
Zander pretended not to hear anything.
Livia wiped away a fake tear. "Oh, Zane. Your priorities in life are truly inspiring."
Aron deadpanned. "Yes. Truly. We should all strive to be more like Zane."
Zane grinned. "Exactly! Now, back to the important stuff—how much of this fairy kidnapping theory is based on actual logic, and how much of it is 'angry mother needs something to blame' logic?"
Zander sighed. "It's unclear. But Kinisha genuinely believes the Fairy Lord is behind this."
Aron leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. "So, either the Fairy Lord really is responsible… or something else is happening, and Kinisha just wants a scapegoat."
Zander nodded. "Exactly."
Livia tapped her fingers against the table. "Well, if the Fairy Lord is innocent, then who's actually behind the disappearances?"
Silence.
Then Zane snapped his fingers.
"Ghosts."
Aron, completely done, threw another spoon at him.
Zander sighed.
Livia laughed.
Zane dodged again, looking too pleased with himself.
After the nonsense settled, the group turned their attention back to the real issue.
"What do we do?" Aron asked, looking at Zander. "If Tayo is missing, we can't just ignore this."
Zander nodded. "Agreed. We'll investigate tomorrow. I want to know what this Fairy Lord's connection to the village is."
Zane rested his chin on his hand. "And if we meet him?"
Aron sighed. "Then we hope he's not some weird, insane entity that kills people for sport."
Zane grinned. "And if he's hot?"
Aron threw a third spoon.
Zander stood up. "We need rest. If we don't sleep now, we'll be useless in the morning."
Aron exhaled and got up as well. "Right. Fine."
Livia stretched her arms. "Wake me up if anything exciting happens. I'll keep dreaming of Zane's future romance with the Fairy Lord."
Zane put a hand over his heart. "I shall wait for my sparkly, magical soulmate."
Aron nearly lost it.
Zander finally let out a small sigh, shaking his head as he walked away.
He has lead many teams but this team was weird right from start, Weird might not be doing this team justice, A weak and sick young man, a never serious young man and a young girl whom never seems to have experienced fear...
---
The smell of warm bread and herbal tea filled the small dining area where Aron, Zander, Livia, and Zane sat across from Chief Saya. The morning sun streamed through the wooden windows, casting soft golden light over the room.
Aron, sitting straight-backed with his hands resting against the table, tapped a finger rhythmically against his chin, deep in thought. His golden eyes flickered as though processing multiple layers of information at once.
Livia, next to him, was sipping her tea, her pink hair slightly tousled from sleep but her mind sharp as ever.
Zander, ever composed, quietly ate his meal, but his scarlet eyes were scanning Chief Saya carefully.
Zane, on the other hand? He was stuffing his face with bread like it was his last meal on earth.
Halfway through breakfast, Aron suddenly set his cup down and asked the question that had been nagging at him.
"Has Tayo been found yet?"
The room fell silent.
Chief Saya shook her head. "No. The villagers have searched everywhere. There's no trace of him or the others."
Aron steepled his fingers, his sharp mind already racing through possibilities. "Would you allow us to help with the search?"
Livia set her tea down, nodding. "Tayo saved us from a Baan, so the least we can do is return the favor." She flashed a charming grin. "Besides, the villagers have been kind to us. We should show our gratitude."
Chief Saya glanced at them, then turned her gaze toward Zander, as if assessing whether this group was truly capable. After a long pause, she nodded. "Very well."
Zane, his mouth still full of bread, muttered, "I regret agreeing to this already."
No one paid attention to him.
As they continued their meal, Chief Saya suddenly set her spoon down, the clink of metal against ceramic echoing in the quiet room.
"There's something you should know," she said, her voice measured.
The group immediately snapped to attention.
"The Fairy Lord," Chief Saya began, "resides in NorthVale Mountain, which is on the other end of the MoonVale Region. Even if he wanted to, it would be impossible for him to come all the way down and kidnap villagers unnoticed."
Aron's golden eyes narrowed. "Then why is he being blamed?"
"Because people fear what they do not understand," Chief Saya replied simply.
Zander, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up.
"Has this happened before?"
Chief Saya's expression darkened. "…Yes."
She exhaled slowly before continuing, her voice carrying a heavy weight.
"Two years ago, two children and a young boy went missing. Later… their bodies were found near NorthVale Mountain."
Livia frowned. "Their cause of death?"
"Unclear," Chief Saya admitted. "There were no visible wounds."
Silence.
"Then, ten months ago," she continued, "five women disappeared."
Zander leaned forward slightly. "And now, a child and six young men."
Chief Saya nodded.
The room felt colder.
Aron's mind spun rapidly, piecing together connections. The pattern was too precise to be a coincidence.
Zander, his military instincts sharp, suddenly asked, "Did they all go missing at night?"
Chief Saya's silver eyes met his. "Yes."
Aron's fingers stopped tapping against the table. "And was there a specific date when they disappeared?"
Chief Saya gave a slow nod.
"Always the last day of the Lunar Month."
A chill ran through the room.
Zane, who had been quiet for all of three minutes, shivered dramatically. "Welp. That settles it. Ghosts."
Zander, Aron, and Livia immediately turned and glared at him.
Zane held up his hands. "Hey! What else steals people away in the dead of night with no trace? Ghosts! Or, like, really stealthy murderers. But I like my ghost theory better."
Livia sighed, rubbing her temples. "Zane, I swear, one day I'm going to throw you into a haunted mansion just to see if you survive."
Zane grinned. "Joke's on you. I would absolutely survive. I have horror movie logic. I know not to split up."
Aron rolled his eyes before turning back to Chief Saya. "Thank you for sharing this with us. If any new leads come up, we'd appreciate it."
Chief Saya nodded. "I'll inform you if we learn anything new."
With that, the group stood up and left the dining area.
The cool morning air greeted them as they stepped outside.
Livia stretched her arms over her head. "So, Detective Aron, what's your theory?"
Aron's golden eyes gleamed with intense focus. "The timing is too precise to be a coincidence. If people are disappearing only on the last night of the Lunar Month, then whatever is behind this is following a pattern."
"Agreed," Zander said, his voice steady. "This isn't a random kidnapping spree. It's planned."
Livia crossed her arms. "But what kind of criminal kidnaps a mix of children, women, and men? There's no clear victim profile."
"That's what concerns me," Aron admitted. "Normally, a pattern would focus on a specific group. But here, the only thing consistent is the date."
Zane whistled. "So, either we're dealing with a highly organized group… or a mystical curse."
Aron shot him a look. "Zane, for the last time, it's not ghosts."
Zane grinned. "I hear denial. Which means it's probably ghosts."
Livia ignored Zane's nonsense and turned to Zander. "What's your take?"
Zander's scarlet eyes were sharp. "If we assume this isn't supernatural, then we're looking for someone—or something—that only moves on the last night of the Lunar Month."
"Which means," Aron added, "if we stay awake tonight, we might find our answer."
Silence.
Then Zane groaned loudly. "Oh, fantastic. No sleep. Again. I love this world. Best vacation ever."
Aron smirked. "I thought you said you had horror movie logic. Shouldn't you be excited?"
Zane grimaced. "Excited? My horror movie logic says if we stay awake at night, I die first."
Livia clapped him on the back. "It's okay, Zane. If ghosts come, I'll use you as bait."
Zane looked deeply betrayed. "So much for our beautiful fake marriage."
Aron rolled his eyes and turned back to Zander. "What's our next move?"
"We need to figure out if there's a pattern in where the disappearances happen," Zander said simply. "If we can predict the next target, we can prepare."
Aron nodded. "Then let's start gathering information. The sooner, the better."
Livia grinned. "Alright, team! Time to play detective."
Zane sighed dramatically. "I hate all of you."
Aron smirked. "You'll hate us even more when we force you to stay awake tonight."
Zane groaned.