The deeper the group walked into the forest of the valley—
the worse the atmosphere became.
The trees grew taller.
Thicker.
Their twisted branches blocked almost all moonlight from reaching the ground.
Everything looked dead.
Not naturally dead—
but abandoned.
Forgotten.
And everywhere around them—
from all directions—
came the screams.
Desperate cries for help echoed endlessly through the forest.
Some close.
Some distant.
Some barely human anymore.
„Help Screamer: HEEEELP!!"
„Help Screamer: He-elp…!"
„Help Screamer: HELP!!"
The voices overlapped constantly.
Creating a horrifying chorus that never truly stopped.
Anna tightened her grip around her sword.
Her face pale.
„Anna: I hate this…"
She looked around nervously.
„Anna: I really hate walking through this while hearing those things everywhere…"
Heinrich swallowed hard.
Trying to hide his own fear.
„Heinrich: Yeah… same here."
Karoschi continued walking in front of them.
His eyes constantly scanning the darkness.
Alert.
Focused.
„Karoschi: Pay attention to the distorted screams."
The others looked at him.
„Karoschi: Those are the adult ones."
Silence followed immediately after.
Even Johann's distant cries had stopped for now.
The cold wind suddenly became stronger.
Far stronger.
It cut through their clothes like blades.
Even Karoschi began shivering slightly.
Something Noah had never seen before.
„Heinrich: K-Karoschi…"
His teeth lightly clattered.
„Heinrich: D-do you know where the nest could b-be…?"
Karoschi inhaled slowly.
Cold air filling his lungs.
„Karoschi: No."
A pause.
„Karoschi: Their nests are always different."
The wind howled through the trees.
„Karoschi: Sometimes caves."
Another step.
„Karoschi: Sometimes ruins."
Then—
another scream.
Much closer this time.
„Help Screamer: HEEEEELP!!"
Anna flinched immediately.
„Anna: Jesus Christ—that one was close…"
The forest slowly began thinning.
The trees became less dense.
Ahead of them—
the mountains surrounding the valley slowly emerged from the darkness.
Massive.
Towering.
Like giant walls trapping everything inside.
Then—
Noah suddenly stopped.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Far in the distance—
barely visible through the fog—
stood something enormous.
A tower.
Old.
Broken.
Ancient.
„Noah: …There."
He pointed toward the horizon.
„Noah: There's some kind of tower."
The group looked up.
As they slowly approached—
something else reached them first.
A smell.
Rotten.
Disgusting.
Like flesh left to decay for months.
Heinrich immediately covered his nose.
„Heinrich: Ugh…"
His face twisted in disgust.
„Heinrich: That's the same rotten smell from the Ashbringer camp…"
Noah nodded slowly.
„Noah: Yeah… you're right."
Then suddenly—
A scream.
Human.
Real.
„Johann: LET ME GO!! HELP!!"
Noah's eyes widened instantly.
„Noah: JOHANN!!"
„Anna: Johann!!"
The entire group immediately broke into a sprint.
The closer they got—
the clearer the structure became.
Not a tower.
A castle.
A gigantic abandoned castle stood before them at the edge of the mountains.
Its walls stretched endlessly into the darkness.
Broken towers pierced the night sky like giant graves.
Half the structure had collapsed long ago.
Yet somehow—
it still stood.
The massive gates were shattered open.
The stone covered in age, moss, and black stains.
And above everything—
hung silence.
No birds.
No insects.
Nothing alive.
Karoschi suddenly stopped moving.
His eyes widened slightly.
For the first time in a long while—
he looked genuinely shocked.
„Karoschi: Oh my God…"
He stared at the castle in disbelief.
„Karoschi: T-thats the Siegfried Hartmann Castle."
Heinrich looked up at the massive ruins.
„Heinrich: Is that supposed to mean something?"
Karoschi slowly stepped forward.
Still staring at the castle.
„Karoschi: Oh yes."
The cold wind roared around them.
„Karoschi: This castle once belonged to King Viktor S. Hartmann."
Noah looked at him.
„Noah: Hold on Hartmann…?"
Karoschi nodded slowly.
„Karoschi: The "S" stood for Siegfried."
His voice grew quieter.
Almost respectful.
„Karoschi: This was the final defensive fortress of Germania."
The group listened silently.
Even the screams around them suddenly felt distant.
„Karoschi: When the monsters invaded…"
A pause.
„Karoschi: Humanity made its final stand here."
The wind howled violently through the broken towers.
„Karoschi: And when King Hartmann fell…"
His eyes darkened.
„Karoschi: Germania fell with him."
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Heinrich stared at the ruined castle.
„Heinrich: Mmm that's amazing."
„Heinrich: I love history."
Before anyone could answer—
Another scream echoed through the castle.
Closer.
Much closer.
„Johann: LET ME GO!! PLEASE!!"
Noah immediately looked toward the entrance.
„Noah: That came from inside!"
Without hesitation—
the group rushed toward the shattered gates.
The closer they got—
the stronger the rotten smell became.
Now mixed with something else.
Fire.
Anna slowed slightly at the entrance.
Her grip trembling around her sword.
She stared into the darkness beyond the gates.
The inside of the castle was completely black.
Like the darkness itself was swallowing the halls.
„Anna: Should we really go in there…?"
Her voice was quiet.
Nervous.
„Anna: What if something horrible is waiting for us inside…?"
Noah looked into the darkness ahead.
His expression calm—
but determined.
„Noah: We don't have a choice."
A moment passed.
Then—
one by one—
they drew their swords.
Steel echoed through the cold night air.
,,Noah: Barry please wait here okay where back in a few minutes.
Silent.
The group stepped forward together.
And entered the ruins of the fallen king.
Deep inside the castle—
something moved.
And somewhere in the darkness—
Johann screamed again.
To be continued.