The three of them stared at one another for a few tense seconds before Zay shifted his gaze to the right. A large wooden wall blocked the view entirely, separating them from the coachman up front. The sound of footsteps crunching into damp earth echoed beneath the caravan, slow and deliberate. Rain whispered against the rooftop in soft sheets, tapping in uneven rhythms.
Curious, Zay turned his head left and peered over the low wooden tailgate, the thick slats darkened from years of wear. Rain streaked down its surface in glistening trails, dripping steadily onto the muddied stone below.
Rei Alvor followed his line of sight, turning his head as well. Through the faint mist curling around the caravan's edges, he saw the dense line of trees—tall, imposing things with snow-cloaked branches. Their trunks twisted upward, while the ground outside was patchworked in a strange combination of heavy snow, crusted ice, and untouched patches of dirt. A soft wind blew flakes across the open stretch like scattered ash.
"It seems like this sequence is a sort of snow-based one," Rei muttered, brows narrowing. "Though, by the name of it, it sounds like an entire continent. That means we're just in the northern part of said continent?"
Zay blinked once, his breath fogging faintly in the cold air as he looked over the shrouded forest beyond. "That's the best we have to go off of. A continent by the name of Eclipse. Snow, rain currently. Our clothes… this caravan... that's all the information we have."
The caravan creaked quietly around them, shifting slightly on its wheels. Then came a sudden, sharp sound—a low, guttural crack. The unmistakable noise of splintering wood cut through the ambiance like a blade.
Both Zay and Rei turned toward the noise, eyes narrowing. Naomi stood in the middle of the caravan, hunched over one of several old barrels stacked in the corner. Each barrel was thickly constructed, reinforced with rust-tinged iron bands that had corroded slightly with time. The wood itself was swollen with moisture and cracked in places, darkened to a near-black in the shadows. She had pried one open with blunt force, bits of splintered wood scattered around her boots.
Rei was the first to speak, his voice dry.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"I'm going through these barrels, and it seems to have been a good idea."
"And how could that exactly be a 'good idea'?"
"I'm saying that because if you would get the hell up and look, you would notice, instead of sitting there being useless in this current situation."
Rei's eye twitched slightly, a visible nerve pulsing at the corner of his eyelid. He stood slowly, the caravan rocking ever so slightly under the shift of weight. A low thunk followed as one of the wheels rolled over a small stone or rise in the road, causing the interior to jostle. He caught his balance, then made his way to Naomi's side.
As he looked into the opened barrel, his eyes widened in surprise.
Inside, resting atop a few frayed, rotting linens, lay the faint glint of metal. He reached in with his right hand, fingers wrapping around the hilt of a simple katana. The handle was leather-bound, but flaking. The blade itself was long and straight, though its edge had long since dulled. Corrosion had crept up the steel like rot—faint orange and brown flecks littered the surface, with larger veins of rust scarring the middle. Dried sap or blood—he wasn't sure which—stained part of the guard. It smelled of cold iron and wet bark.
Rei gently set it down on the seat beside Zay, who rose to his feet and approached the next barrel. His hand rested against the curved top, fingers twitching slightly as a soft violet glow shimmered along his fingertips.
'If there's one thing I've always hated, it has to be damn barrels. They're just annoying since anything can be inside.'
A sharp snap! rang out as his aura surged, forcing the old wood apart. He peeled the top off and placed the lid gently on the damp floorboards, its surface scarred and splintered from years of use.
Inside was a dull metallic sheen—something not quite gold, not quite iron. Zay's brows furrowed.
"What... the?"
He bent forward, reaching deep into the barrel until his fingers closed around a small object. Slowly, he pulled out a coin—unlike any he had seen before. It was jet-black, unnaturally so, with smooth edges and a cold, almost oily surface. One side bore a single silver letter: "A". He flipped it. The other side showed a golden number: "4", etched in sharp, pristine lines.
He turned to face the others and opened his palm, revealing the coin to both Rei and Naomi.
Naomi halted her rummaging and stepped closer, squinting at the object. Her eyes narrowed. "I've never seen such a coin before. It looks valuable though."
Rei glanced down at the coin, still gripping the rusted katana in one hand. After a pause, he spoke. "Can you turn it over?"
Zay nodded and flipped the coin again, the silver "A" catching the dull lantern light swaying above them.
"Strange… I've never seen any sort of coin like this before. I've never even heard of a coin like this, either. It looks very well designed though."
Zay gave a silent nod, then whispered, "Arbiter: Vault."
A violet shimmer danced across his palm and the coin vanished from sight.
Zay released a small exhale of breath and sat down once more, the caravan creaking as it ran over another bump. Outside, the rain fell harder, striking against the canvas roof like dozens of tiny drums. Somewhere in the distance, beyond the reach of the snow-heavy trees, a faint bird call echoed, long, drawn out, and eerie in tone. It sounded almost like a whistle—lonely, far-off, and fading into the damp silence that followed.
—
Several hours passed, and before they even realized it, night had fallen. The rain hadn't let up once—it continued to pour relentlessly, cold and steady. Snow had begun to drift down alongside the rain, creating a thick, chaotic mixture. The white flakes clashed with the droplets, dancing together in the wind like clumps of ash and glass falling from the heavens.
The sound of rain striking the wooden roof of the caravan grew louder with each passing minute, echoing through the hollow interior in a constant, rhythmic patter. Occasional gusts of wind forced snow through the open back, flurries spilling over the tailgate. Some flakes melted instantly upon landing inside, while others clung to surfaces in scattered patches. The caravan's pace slowed, the crunch of hooves in damp earth fading into silence. Then came the sharp sound of a horse's neigh, followed by a metallic click from beyond the wooden partition at the front. A single set of footsteps approached, boots thudding into the softened dirt.
The tailgate creaked open, and a man dressed in all black hoisted himself inside. Wind howled around the opening behind him, carrying snow and rain in swirling blasts. He had to raise his voice to be heard over the roaring elements.
"Alright, here's the plan," he said, pulling a folded map from his coat pocket. His gloves left faint smudges as he pressed it open, droplets of rain landing on the parchment—but not enough to soak it. "Kiko Village is five hundred feet ahead. The spot's been marked in blue ink. We're here—red circle. And the green circle? That's the rendezvous point, two days from now."
Zay glanced over at him, squinting slightly through the dim light and the curtain of falling snow. "What's the plan again?" he asked, voice raised slightly to cut through the growing storm.
"Oh, right. I forgot to actually explain it before pulling the map out. My bad," the man admitted, shifting the map so they could all see. "It's simple. Kill everyone in the village. Every last one. They've been cursed. Some people aren't too comfortable with that, and they've paid us to take care of it. According to our surveillance over the past seven months, the village has about two hundred cursed individuals."
Rei Alvor's eyes fell to the map. He studied its layout carefully, noting how unfamiliar it looked. This wasn't Gyro. It didn't match any territory he recognized. That confirmed his suspicion—the strange coin Zay had found earlier, inside the lone barrel, meant something. Something important.
"What kind of curse are we dealing with?" he asked, barely lifting his voice above the howl of the wind.
The man looked up from the map and locked eyes with Rei, nodding slowly. "From what our sources say, it's dangerous. The curse raises intelligence sharply, enhances strength slightly, and over time... changes the body. Warps it. They turn into beasts."
Rei kept a neutral expression, hiding whatever thoughts might have surfaced. Zay remained silent as well, offering only a brief nod.
Without another word, Zay stood up and gripped the hilt of Evershade. He stepped out into the wind, his boots sinking into the slushy earth as he landed. Snow spiraled around him as he lowered his gaze to the map, committing the village's position to memory.
Rei Alvor and Naomi followed shortly after, grabbing two katanas from a nearby barrel before jumping down into the mud beside him. The cold stung their skin through their clothes, and their hair was already damp with melted snow.
"I'll be waiting at the green circle in exactly two days," the man in black called out from the back of the caravan, voice now louder to push through the wind. "If you're not there when I arrive, I leave without you. That's it. Two days. No exceptions. Good luck."
He left the map resting on the back of the tailgate before Zay snatched it, tucking it beneath his cloak. The man gave a final shove to the wooden gate, sealing it shut with a heavy thump before securing the latch.
They heard his footsteps retreat into the storm, followed by another metallic click and the sharp cry of the horse. The caravan creaked, wheels churning through wet soil and snow, and then it rolled off into the distance—vanishing into the night.