Into the Vanishing Silence

Dawn arrived with a pale, cold light. The mist had settled low over the land, curling between the dead trees like grasping fingers. Kaelen stood near the fire, checking his sword’s edge as the adventurers prepared for their journey.

The scarred man, who had introduced himself as Varek, tightened the straps on his armor. "Hope you’re as good as you claim, hunter."

Kaelen barely spared him a glance. "We’ll see soon enough."

The silver-haired archer, Mira, adjusted the fletching on her arrows before standing. "We’re wasting daylight. Let’s move."

The group—seven in total, including Kaelen—set off westward.

Kaelen walked slightly apart from them, his senses stretched for any sign of movement. The village they were searching for had disappeared without a trace. That meant something unnatural was at work.

The adventurers spoke in hushed voices, their previous bravado tempered by the eerie silence of the mist-covered land. Normally, even in corrupted zones, there were sounds—crows cawing, distant growls, the rustle of unseen things moving.

But here?

Nothing.

Kaelen’s fingers brushed against the hilt of his sword.

"This place is wrong."

The system’s voice hummed in agreement. "The corruption here is deeper than elsewhere. Be prepared."

An hour passed before they reached the outskirts of where the village should have been. But there was nothing. No ruins, no debris. Just an empty, barren field where homes should have stood.

Mira cursed under her breath. "This isn’t normal. Even if monsters attacked, there should be wreckage. Blood. Bones."

Varek frowned, scanning the area. "It’s like the village was never here."

Kaelen stepped forward, kneeling down. He pressed a hand against the cold earth. It was firm, undisturbed—no signs of struggle, no signs of movement.

But something was wrong.

"There’s something beneath us."

Kaelen tensed. "Beneath?"

"Yes. The corruption isn’t on the surface. It’s below."

He stood abruptly. "Move back."

The others hesitated, but something in his voice made them listen.

Then, the ground shuddered.

A low, hollow sound—like air being sucked into a void—echoed through the empty field. The soil cracked.

And then the earth caved in.

Kaelen leaped back as a massive sinkhole swallowed the spot where he had been standing. The adventurers scrambled for safety as dark mist billowed from the depths.

Then, from the pit, something moved.

A shape—elongated, shifting—rose from the darkness. It was humanoid, but only barely. Its form was draped in swirling black mist, its limbs too long, its fingers ending in jagged claws.

Its face—or what should have been a face—was a void. A yawning abyss of nothingness.

Mira’s voice was sharp. "What in the abyss is that?"

Kaelen’s grip on his sword tightened.

"Corruption given form," the system answered. "Be careful."

The creature tilted its head unnaturally, as if examining them. Then, with a soundless scream, it lunged.

Kaelen moved instantly, his sword flashing. He slashed at its arm, but his blade barely met resistance—like cutting through thick smoke. The creature twisted, claws swiping toward him.

He ducked, pivoting around the strike.

Varek roared, swinging his axe into the creature’s back. The weapon hit—but instead of flesh, it sank into the mist-like body, meeting no solid resistance.

"It’s not fully physical," Kaelen noted.

"Then how do we kill it?" Mira shouted, loosing an arrow. It passed straight through the creature.

Kaelen’s mind worked fast. A being like this—it wasn’t just a monster. It was something tied to the corruption itself.

Which meant…

"Use fire," the system instructed. "Burn away the mist."

Kaelen didn’t hesitate. He reached into his pack, pulling out a vial of oil. With a swift motion, he flung it toward the creature.

"Mira!" he barked.

She understood immediately. Striking flint together, she ignited an arrow and loosed it.

The moment it struck, the creature let out a voiceless shriek. Fire spread through its form, the mist writhing as if in agony.

It convulsed, thrashing, before its form collapsed into the ground.

Silence returned.

Kaelen exhaled slowly, watching as the last wisps of mist faded.