Beyond the gates, I saw Paul and Rick walking toward us. They were chatting between themselves until they noticed me. The big guy waved and, veering slightly off his path, approached me.

  — “Oh, buddy! How was your outing?” he asked.

  — “All good. We’re back,” I replied, pausing for a couple of seconds in hesitation. I glanced at Sem and, seeing no objections, continued, “Be careful. Something strange happened in the fields. We didn’t see a single rink—and I think that’s odd?”

  — “Yeah, that’s pretty unusual. We’ll stay alert—thanks,” Rick said. They headed off to relieve the pair at the gate, while we moved deeper into the village. The few villagers we passed didn’t even spare us a glance.

  — “I’ll go see the village head. You head to the tavern and rest,” Sem ordered, then split off from the squad. We did exactly that.

  Inside, I spotted the same yellow eyes as before. With Scott’s permission, I went over to talk to Granny Brin. She looked at me with mild interest and an unmistakable question in her gaze.

  — “I’m back,” I began the conversation.

  — “Yeah. Your room’s free. Pay now or later?”

  — “Uh…” I remembered I hadn’t received any payment for my work and had nearly been killed by my own employers. It’s tough being different. But after a moment’s thought, I decided to use my secret status as a prisoner. “Granny Brin, that group over there is paying for me right now. You can check with them.”

  I thought this settled everything, but the guys turned out to be far more practical. They said I’d sleep in the same room as Scott—and that I’d be tied up.

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  The captain returned and told us the elder knew nothing about the rinks’ disappearance and that nothing like this—or even remotely similar—had ever occurred under his leadership. The old man promised to search through the records left by previous villagers for any traces of strange incidents, though he gave no guarantee of finding anything worthwhile. Sem also informed the elder that I’d be leaving with the rest of the squad, so there was no need to worry about me. “What a good lad!” I couldn’t help but admire his foresight.

  After a quick dinner, we dispersed to our rooms for the night: the girls in one, Sem with Drodul, and I with Scott. “This will be the arrangement from now on,” the squad captain declared. I wouldn’t say Scott would’ve minded much sharing a bed with Drodul, but his advantages remained few.

  However, my dreams of sleeping in an actual bed were not meant to come true. Scott thoroughly bound my arms, legs, torso, and even wrapped something around my head—so tightly that I resembled a caterpillar more than a skeleton. With a satisfied sense of duty fulfilled, he fell asleep, leaving me alone with my thoughts on the floor by the door.

  — “Actually, it’s not all that bad. I’m relatively alive and haven’t taken any damage. Maybe they’ll take me to some research department where I’ll become the main exhibit. Or perhaps they’ll create such a department just because I appeared. Being a sort of pioneer doesn’t sound half bad. What could they even do to me? Stick something in me or cast some magic spells? Well, I don’t care—I don’t feel pain anyway. Although… if that magic affects the soul, there might be trouble. After all, that talking artifact worked on me, which means I have at least some kind of soul—and that means it can be tortured. I hope they’re not planning to torture me?! Or maybe it’s simpler—they’ll just destroy me, calling me ‘unclean.’ Yeah, right! Who’d want to bother with filth like me? Ohhh… this all smells bad. Though I don’t have a nose, I can still sense trouble. I need to get out of here! But how…”

  A flood of ideas and theories swirled inside my skull, yet I couldn’t act on any of them. I sat there, watching through the window as everything sank into darkness. Even the moonlight couldn’t reach every corner where shadows hid. The darkness thickened, began to ooze and flow. It was no longer merely the absence of light—it had become something greater. Something we might never fully comprehend… and perhaps that’s for the best.