A small, simple room.
Brown wooden panels rose about a meter from the floor. Above them stretched a white wall that continued upward until it met the ceiling.
Three vertical brown strips ran along the wall from floor to ceiling, dividing it neatly into three sections.
In the center hung a painting, and on each side of it were two lamps. The same arrangement appeared on all three walls of the room. On the fourth side stood the door leading outside, framed by the same brown wooden panels.
Right in the middle of the room stood a table.
Above it hung a glass chandelier.
Soft yellow light filled the room, like the first rays of the morning sun.
Around the table sat Sofiya, Ishan, Kade, and Raijin.
Food was placed before each of them, but no one seemed in a hurry to eat.
The only sound in the room was the faint clinking of spoons.
It felt as if everyone was tangled in their own thoughts.
The mission hadn't even begun yet…
But its weight had already settled into the room.
Steam rose from the food on the table, yet the atmosphere remained heavy—like everyone already knew that this mission was not what it appeared to be.
After learning about the danger of the mission, they all felt the same thing—
As if agreeing to it had been the biggest mistake of their lives.
Finally, Ishan broke the silence.
"Hey, what's wrong with everyone? The food is right here. Eat. Or are you planning to die on an empty stomach?"
He leaned forward and took a sip of the mutton stew.
"I definitely don't plan to."
But as he said the last words, his voice faded on its own.
He tried to laugh…
But the laugh never fully came out.
As if even he didn't truly believe everything would be fine.
Sofiya smiled faintly and said,
"Why so scared? It's just a small mission. We won't die that easily."
Suddenly, Raijin laughed.
The three of them looked at him.
Kade frowned.
"What?"
Raijin stopped laughing and said,
"Listening to you guys just made me laugh. Is the mood always like this before every mission?"
Sofiya's expression tightened. She glared at him.
Raijin immediately understood things could go wrong.
"Sorry," he said quickly. "That's not what I meant."
Slowly, everyone began eating.
The heaviness faded slightly—
But it didn't disappear completely.
After a while, Kade asked,
"So where exactly are these Grim Howler Wraiths?"
"Near the city cemetery," Raijin replied.
Kade looked startled.
"Near the city? There isn't any cemetery near the city."
"What?"
Raijin frowned.
"That's what Zenn told me."
Everyone looked at him at the same time.
Raijin saw their expressions and understood immediately.
"I mean the Guild Master," he corrected.
Sofiya looked at him in surprise.
"Who told you the Guild Master's name? Very few people know his real name.
Most people just call him Guild Master… or Master."
Raijin listened calmly.
"He told me himself," Raijin said quietly. "And he said I could call him Zenn."
The three of them stared at him strangely.
For a moment, an awkward silence filled the room.
Knowing the Guild Master's real name alone was unusual…
But Raijin could call him directly by name.
That wasn't something everyone could easily accept.
Raijin watched them carefully.
The jealousy in their eyes was obvious.
So that was why Zenn had warned him not to use his name outside.
Raijin repeated the thought silently in his mind.
After a moment of silence, Raijin turned toward Sofiya.
"Then who told you the Guild Master's name?"
Sofiya stayed quiet for a few seconds.
Then she answered,
"I used to work in the Guild."
"A few years later, I met these two…
So I left my job as an accountant and became an adventurer."
Raijin was about to ask why she had chosen that path—
But the look in Sofiya's eyes made him stop.
There was a strange stillness in them.
At that moment, Kade picked up the mission paper and began reading it carefully.
After a moment he said,
"It says here… the place is two days away from the city. The village is called Mournvale."
"What kind of name is that?" Raijin muttered.
"And why is the cemetery so far away?"
Sofiya looked at him.
"You don't know?"
"No," Raijin shook his head. "I grew up mostly in the mountains. There were no cemeteries or churches there.
Everything we needed—food, clothes, medicine—came from nearby areas.
So there was never any reason to visit cities or villages."
Sofiya nodded and began explaining.
"Cemeteries are usually built near villages. The reason is simple—monsters like Grim Howler Wraiths and Gravediggers. It keeps the cities safer."
"That's also why," she continued, "religious sites are built near cemeteries. So the Guild can always be informed if something goes wrong."
Raijin glanced at the paper again, then looked away.
"There are four religions in the Leone Continent, right?" Raijin asked.
"Can you tell me about them?"
Sofiya took a deep breath.
"Yes. Four major ones."
She counted on her fingers.
"First—The Earth God. Their followers bury the dead."
"Second—The Water God. They release bodies into rivers or seas. Because of that, some places have water that's no longer safe to drink."
"Third—The Fire God. Bodies are burned. It's the safest method, though it pollutes the air."
"And the fourth—The Wind God."
Her voice became slightly harsher.
"They're the most disturbing. They don't burn, bury, or release the bodies. They place them in coffins and leave them in open areas.
And every time… it causes some kind of trouble."
Raijin nodded slowly.
"So the cemetery in Mournvale belongs to followers of the Earth God."
"Yes," Sofiya said.
"But they don't really stop anyone from entering."
Raijin remained silent for a moment.
"Ever since my fight with the Toto Saurus… I can't remember things clearly," he said quietly. "I don't know why."
Kade shrugged.
"Hopefully it'll all come back soon."
"Yeah," Raijin said. "Hopefully."
Sofiya stood up.
"We're done eating. Tomorrow we leave for the west."
Everyone stepped outside.
Ishan paid the bill and said with a grin,
"Didn't even notice when afternoon turned into night while we were eating."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"See you at the guild tomorrow morning."
With that, the four of them went their separate ways.
But Raijin still felt that strange sensation.
Something he couldn't describe.
For a moment, he turned back and looked toward the dark alley behind him.
The air was completely still.
Yet it felt as if an unseen gaze…
had been following him for a while.
.
.
.
Thank You For Reading This Chaptar.
Author: Mohammed Zaid Saifi