📍 Valmora Bridge, 10:42 AM
The sun sat high. The sky was clear.
Laughter filled the car like sunlight through the windows.
---
> "Mama! Mama! Tell the story again! The one with the talking squirrel!"
The boy kicked his feet excitedly from the backseat, his cheeks flushed from giggling. His sister joined in with a loud laugh, already holding her stomach from the last punchline.
> "Oh please," Elina said, half-laughing. "You're going to ruin your lungs from all that screaming."
Her husband chuckled from the driver's seat. "They got it from you. That laugh? Identical."
Elina rolled her eyes. "You're just jealous it's louder than yours."
Their car cruised smoothly along the highway, the gentle hum of wheels over concrete matching the lightness of their mood. They reached a long bridge.
---
📍 Bridge crossing into Valmora
As the car rolled past the boundary marker — Welcome to Valmora — the mood… shifted.
Elina's smile faltered. Her gaze drifted beyond the window. The trees. The river. The horizon.
Something about it felt... heavier.
She blinked.
> "Why am I suddenly tense? This is just a city..."
But it wasn't just any city.
Valmora.
> "I haven't said that name aloud in years…"
---
As the road curved, a small crowd blurred past.
Among them — a tall man, walking quietly down the sidewalk, coat fluttering slightly from the breeze.
Elina's eyes widened.
> That face.
That posture…
That walk.
Her breath caught in her chest.
> "Leo...?"
She sat straighter, leaning slightly toward the window.
> "No… it can't be. That's not possible."
But she said nothing. Looked away quickly.
Her heart, however, didn't calm.
---
📍 Outskirts of Valmora – Forest Road
They drove further. Lush trees lined the edges of the road.
Suddenly—
> Caw. Caw. Caw!
Dozens of crows burst from the treetops, wings flapping wildly across the sky. They crossed above the car, circling, restless.
The children fell silent.
Even her husband slowed down instinctively.
> "What the—?"
Elina stared out, eyes sharp.
> "This... I've seen this before."
Back then — before fires. Before screams.
The crows came first.
---
She swallowed hard.
> "Let's turn back."
Her husband glanced at her, confused. "Turn back? Why?"
The kids groaned in unison. "Nooo! We're almost there!"
But Elina's tone sharpened.
> "Please. Just trust me."
Her husband hesitated… then nodded. He always did.
The car turned.
They passed through the city once more — but it was already too late.
---
📍 Valmora Central Hotel – 11:10 AM
Chaos.
Screams tore through the lobby.
Blood splattered across the marble floor.
People stumbled over furniture, over each other, trying to escape — but there was nowhere to run.
Shadows danced along the walls.
Faceless spirits drifted through, silent but deadly, dragging blades made of darkness.
---
> "STAY DOWN!"
Leo arrived like a storm — blade drawn, coat flaring, eyes burning.
He slashed through the spirits — but they reformed. Again and again.
> "Still not working..."
> "They're learning. Adapting."
He stepped back, breathing heavy.
His blade gleamed, but it wasn't enough.
---
📍 Elina's Car – Nearby Intersection
They hit the brakes hard as screams echoed down the street.
A woman ran across the road, covered in blood.
More followed.
Then—
Leo.
Covered in soot and blood.
His sword still in hand. Eyes wild. Still fighting.
Elina's eyes met his.
They both froze.
> "It's him. It's really him."
Her daughter screamed. "Mommy!"
Her son sobbed. "What's happening?!"
Her husband clutched the wheel. "What the hell is that?!"
Elina, hand over her mouth, whispered:
> "That's why I wanted to turn back…"
> "He's alive. And wherever he is… death follows."
---
📍 Leo's POV – Street
He turned mid-strike — and froze.
Elina.
She hadn't aged.
Different hair. Different clothes.
But the same eyes.
> "You're still alive…"
He couldn't move. Couldn't blink.
Then—
> The spirits reformed.
He cursed under his breath.
> "Not now…"
He lunged forward, cutting down two more before they could reach a fleeing civilian.
But even as he fought…
his eyes stayed on her.
---
📍 Elsewhere – The Watchtower of Lysaria
Far from the chaos. High above the misty cliffs of the old capital.
An ancient tower stood beneath the storm-darkening sky.
Candles flickered weakly against the stone walls.
A circular window faced Valmora — barely visible through the fog.
But not to her.
The old woman stood there.
Eyes sharp. Wrinkled hands resting against a carved cane.
Her hair was white as snow, but her posture held power.
And in her eyes — truth.
---
She watched the panic unfold below.
The spirits.
The boy with the blade.
The girl in the car.
And the city drowning in shadows again.
She whispered — voice cracking like forgotten parchment:
> "Just like the old days…"
She didn't flinch.
She didn't panic.
But her eyes… welled with tears.
One slipped free.
> "Darkness always finds a way back."
The wind howled.
The candle blew out.
---
[BLACK SCREEN]