The night still echoed with the fading scream. Lucian and his guild partner bolted toward the sound, weaving through narrow alleys and empty paths lit only by moonlight.
They reached the village outskirts—where farmland turned wild—and stopped. The wind stilled. The world held its breath.
Then Lucian saw it.
A figure slumped beside a broken fence, half-covered by a shredded travel cloak. The earth around him was scorched, as if lightning had struck. Lucian stepped closer, hand on his blade, eyes sharp.
"Is he…?" the girl whispered.
Lucian knelt beside the stranger. Blood stained his tunic, but the wounds looked treated—hastily, but effectively. In his hand, he clutched a dagger unlike any Lucian had seen before. Its edge shimmered with faint embers, as if the metal remembered fire.
"Easy," the stranger said, cracking open one eye. His voice was dry but steady. "If you're with the monster, do your worst. If not, I could use a drink… and maybe a healer."
Lucian didn't reply immediately. He scanned the area. No sign of any creature. No villagers. Just silence and smoke.
"You're lucky we found you first," Lucian muttered, helping him sit up.
The stranger winced, but managed a smirk. "Name's Solas. I was tracking the disappearances. Didn't expect things to get so... lively."
Lucian's partner raised an eyebrow. "Alone?"
Solas shrugged. "Didn't plan to be. Long story."
Lucian studied him for a second longer, then offered a hand. "Lucian."
Their eyes met—something unspoken passed between them. Not trust, not yet. But maybe something close.
As they helped Solas back toward the village, Lucian couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't just some reckless mercenary. There was something about him. Like a spark that refused to die out.
That night, three had come together. And none of them knew it yet—but their bond would shape the fate of this quest.