The southern plains stretched endlessly beneath the rising sun, golden light spilling over rolling fields. The wind carried hints of forest and salt, a pleasant promise of a journey meant to be peaceful. It should have been — except for Kael and his companions, who were anything but calm.
Sequoia flopped onto a wagon seat with a dramatic sigh. "Two hours. Two hours! My back is in agony. My dignity? Crushed. And my spirit? Dwindling by the second!"
Amara blinked. "We literally just left REF."
"Exactly!" Sequoia declared, flinging her arms wide as if the sky itself conspired against her. "A dreadful omen! A tragedy foretold!"
Vex, who was steering the wagon with a small magical device that hovered in front of him, muttered, "If drama produced mana, we'd reach the village in five minutes."
Lyra stifled a laugh behind her hand. "She's not the only one being dramatic," she whispered.
Kael, standing ahead of the wagon with exaggerated posture, hand resting on the hilt of his sword, squinted into the distance. Cloak flaring in the morning wind, he looked like a painting of a brooding hero.
"Kael," Brown said calmly, walking beside him, "why are you walking like you're auditioning for a tragedy?"
Kael did not turn. "I'm thinking."
Brown raised an eyebrow. "About what?"
Kael's expression darkened, voice echoing with unintentional theatrical flair. "About life, destiny… the fate of men and kingdoms. The wind… the air… the ominous feeling of foreboding that accompanies my every step."
Pallas, floating beside him in her small dragon form, giggled. "I like this Kael. Entertaining and brooding."
Brown crossed his arms, suppressing a smirk. "Or ridiculous. You're ridiculous."
Sequoia clutched her chest. "I approve!"
Lyra shook her head. "He's fully embraced his dramatic side. Watch out, everyone."
Vex muttered, "He's been repressing it for years; now it's escaping like a rogue spell."
Kael finally stopped, spreading his arms wide. "Enough. Let us focus on the task ahead."
Brown sighed. "Finally. The guild's message wasn't vague. Twenty-three men have vanished from Eldreim village in three weeks. No witnesses, no struggle, no trace. Only silence."
Amara's eyes narrowed. "Twenty-three men… gone?"
"Exactly," Kael said grimly. "The guild suspects a Hulder."
Pallas's wings fluttered nervously. "A Hulder… the forest spirit that lures men and drains them?"
"Exactly," Brown said. "And if it's the Hulder, we must proceed carefully. They manipulate minds, disguise themselves as beautiful women… and then the victim never returns."
Sequoia shivered dramatically. "Ugh, I hate things pretending to be pretty."
Vex leaned back, arms crossed. "Then why do you spend so much time in mirrors?"
Sequoia gasped, covering her face. "Vex! How dare—"
Kael groaned and turned away. "Focus! We have a village in danger."
The group approached Eldreim as the sun climbed higher. The village, situated on the edge of a dense forest, was unnervingly silent. Windows were shuttered; doors barely moved when the wind blew. Women and children peered cautiously from behind the safety of walls, eyes wide with fear.
An older woman approached, clutching a worn apron. "You're… from the guild?"
Kael bowed formally. "I am Kael Eldrath, with companions. We've come to help."
Tears shimmered in the woman's eyes. "It's the woods. The men vanish… whispers in the night, a song on the wind, and then — nothing."
Lyra exchanged a glance with Amara. "Definitely enchantment," she murmured.
Brown's voice was sharp. "Or something worse."
Pallas shifted into human form, her silver hair catching the sunlight, her eyes scanning the forest edge. "Magic residue. Faint, seductive. Three days old."
Kael nodded. "It leads deeper into the woods. Tomorrow, we follow the trail."
Sequoia flopped to the ground, sighing dramatically. "Dawn? I demand we go now! If they eat anyone else, it's probably going to be me first!"
Brown shook his head. "Daylight is safer."
Pallas smirked. "If anything happens, I'll roast it before it touches your hair."
Sequoia froze. "You promise?"
"Dragon's honor," Pallas replied.
Night fell quickly, and the group camped just outside the village, the forest looming like a living shadow. The air was thick with unease and the faint scent of decay. Firelight flickered on faces drawn with worry, laughter, or both.
Kael, despite his heroic pose earlier, flopped onto a log beside Lyra. "Even the air feels heavy here," he said dramatically, arms crossed over his chest.
Sequoia leaned over the fire. "Dramatic again! You'll get us eaten before we even reach the trees!"
Amara laughed softly. "At least he's consistent."
Brown, observing the group quietly, finally spoke. "Stay alert. The trail will take us straight into the woods. Hulders are clever — and patient. They'll test us before they strike."
Kael sat up, voice grave and theatrical. "Then we must test ourselves, sharpen our senses, and prepare for the inevitable!"
Vex muttered under his breath. "I'm fairly certain we're over-prepared for drama but under-prepared for monsters."
Sequoia threw a small branch into the fire for emphasis. "Hear that, forest? Kael Eldrath will test himself! Beware, Hulder!"
Brown sighed again, shaking his head, but even he allowed the group's humor to cut some of the tension.
The night passed with occasional sparks of laughter and exaggerated warnings. But as the wind rustled the trees and a strange song drifted faintly from the forest depths, everyone—Kael included—felt the weight of the coming danger. Tomorrow, they would face not just the forest's mystery but the cunning of a predator that had eluded the villagers for weeks.
Kael glanced at his companions: Brown, steady and alert; Pallas, watchful and ready; Lyra and Amara, resilient and unwavering; Vex, already tinkering with detection charms; and Sequoia, ever dramatic yet surprisingly brave.
He smiled faintly. "Tomorrow… we bring back those lost men."
Sequoia clasped her hands dramatically over her heart. "And I shall survive! Somehow!"
The fire crackled, the forest whispered, and the silhouettes of the party glowed in the flickering light — a team ready for anything, whether danger, drama, or both.