I headed towards the door in front of me to open it I came out to a completely different place to check the map I saw that I was in the cemetery elixir village
The place was completely different from how the other places I had seen this place was completely night and at the same time it kept raining without stopping
My armor got completely soaked by the rain that didn't seem to stop but even so I kept walking and looking around until I saw that the people of the place were already completely crazy
Some were like walking skeletons covered in red flames that covered their whole body these were called Ghast and there were also three other different monsters around that place a bloodsucker a ghoul and finally a necrophage that was the same as the ghoul only female version
The smell of dampness, wet earth and old meat impregnated the environment. Every breath I took seemed to filter through a cold veil that stayed stuck in my lungs.
The constant sound of the rain echoed on the tombstones, the roofs of the abandoned houses and the trees that still resisted the ruin. The whole village seemed trapped in a dark dream from which it would never wake up.
As I walked, I noticed that the ground was plagued with deformed footprints. Some seemed from animals, others from bipedal creatures… and others, impossible mixtures to understand. The earth was marked by claws and footsteps that sank deeply into the mud. That wasn't the casual passage of a solitary monster; it was a constant migration, an eternal parade of beings that no longer belonged to the kingdom of the living.
I approached a collapsed house whose roof had caved in. There were signs of struggle: splinters nailed into the walls, marks of dried blood and a putrid smell that seemed to rise from the ground.
In the middle of that scene I saw one of the Ghast, motionless. The red flames kept burning on its bones, as if the rain could never put them out. Every drop that fell on it generated a small hiss, as if the creature spat hatred even in stillness.
I didn't get too close. I knew that Ghasts could wake up at the slightest stimulus, and their only reason to exist was to consume everything that moved. I continued along the main path, where the darkness became even heavier.
Further ahead, a row of wooden posts held extinguished torches. There were claw marks on the trunks, as if someone had tried to climb desperately.
In the nearby mud there were remains of clothing: torn rags, ownerless shoes, a small children's hat covered in mud. I picked it up carefully. The size left no doubt: it had belonged to a child.
That simple object was enough to shake me more than any monster.
I kept moving forward. I noticed that the houses increased in number, but each one was worse than the previous.
Broken windows, doors hanging from a single hinge, collapsed roofs, walls stained with something I didn't want to examine too closely. There were no signs of human life. Nothing. Only the distant echo of the monsters and the relentless rain.
I saw some graves. There were several. Some were aligned with military precision, others had been destroyed or opened from inside. I approached a half-ruined grave. The name was almost erased by time and rain, but I could still make out a piece of the inscription: "May his soul find eternal rest…".
But there was no rest there.
Nothing in that village had it.
I stood watching the tall pines that surrounded the entire cemetery. Their treetops barely moved, but their black trunks seemed to lean towards me, as if listening to my presence.
The wind carried a faint murmur among their branches, a whisper that I couldn't decipher but that made me feel watched.
And then, in the distance, I saw the statue.
It was a huge stone figure, representing a woman with her arms extended towards the sky. Her face had been eroded by time; the eyes, nonexistent; the mouth, twisted in a shape that I didn't know if it was pain or supplication. In front of her was that old man kneeling. His body trembled, whether from the rain, the cold or despair.
I didn't know whether to approach, but something in his posture —that mixture of resignation and madness— forced me to do so. When I reached his side, I heard his words like a broken mantra.
—Rats… rats… Do not forget the destruction that the Pied Piper brought… The plague of rats killed us all…
His voice was a broken whisper, but also a warning. I got a little closer, trying not to startle him.
—Sir… are you okay?
He lifted his face, soaked by the rain and marked by deep wrinkles. But his eyes… his eyes seemed empty, as if they no longer belonged to the physical world.
—Aah… Mary Sue, the Creator… By your grace… at least we are registered forever and beyond…
I had never heard that name. No god, no entity in this world bore such a title. Was it a local deity? An ancient figure? Or perhaps a creation of the village's madness?
I wouldn't get answers there. I left him, still murmuring, and continued on my way.
I took the northern path, where the grass, though still green, was so wet that my steps produced a sticky sound. I reached the wooden bridge. It was old, with splintered planks and worn ropes. But it held my weight, taking me to the other bank of the dark river.
The sound of the water was strange. It didn't sound like a normal river… but as if something was moving under the surface, following the flow but in the opposite direction. I stood watching for a moment, but I saw nothing more than shadows broken by the rain.
After crossing, I came across a house surrounded by a metal fence. I tried to find an entrance, but it was locked with thick chains. There was no point wasting time there, so I continued forward.
A narrow detour appeared on the path. It was almost invisible among the undergrowth, but my steps led me towards it. I descended cautiously. The ground was slippery, and the low branches brushed against my armor. At the end of the path I found an entrance to another house. This one was open.
I entered.
The darkness was almost total. My footsteps echoed on the broken wooden floor. The smell of dampness was intense, mixed with a stench that can only come from something dead for too long. The walls were covered with deep scratches, as if someone had tried to escape.
And there, at the back, I saw it.
A still, motionless figure, but whose presence filled the entire room. Its blue hood completely hid its face, but its red eyes glowed, intense like burning coals.
The scythe it held seemed to have a life of its own: a long, curved, perfect blade that seemed to want to cut even the air.
The being tilted its head.
—Hmm… you're okay, right?
Its voice was soft, but loaded with an unnatural echo, as if it spoke from several places at once.
—Yes… I'm fine —I replied.
—I see… If you were a scoundrel, I would have taken your soul… hehehehe.
I tensed immediately.
—What the hell are you saying?
He laughed, a light but disturbing laugh.
— oh sorry I haven't introduced myself. I am the Black Arbiter Hein. We, the Black Judgment, exist to devour the souls of sinners and villains. But relax… you are not a sinner… for now. Our task is to maintain harmony… Do you understand?
—Yes… of course —I lied.
—Remember this, knight… When your sins catch up with you, we will come for you. hehehe..And if you wish to buy Black Souls, I can sell them to you in exchange for yours…
I didn't want to prolong the conversation. I said goodbye.
That being didn't seem to be lying. And that was the most terrifying thing of all.
Outside, two monsters guarded the exit. I faced them. Their movements were fast and erratic, but my skills had already grown so much that I was able to defeat them after a brief combat. Even so, one of them managed to graze me with its claws, leaving a burning mark on my armor.
I kept walking. The rain fell harder, as if it wanted to erase every footprint I left.
And then I saw it: a sign nailed hard into the mud.
The wood was swollen from the humidity, but the announcement could be read.
I approached… and read.
" Public announcement .
The disease brought by the rats is spreading.
Unless contrary instructions from the Church, all residents are forbidden to leave home
Healthy boys and girls will be regularly inspected by the Church.
Obey the instructions and dedicate your bodies to God Disobedience and signs of disease will be
quickly purged.
Please understand it.
-Cathedral of Elixir "
Said that announcement I couldn't believe what had happened and the reasons that perhaps led all these people to madness and also to the guilt of seeing their relatives die without being able to do absolutely anything