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The wind swept through the canopy, its soft whistle echoing between the leaves as it danced through the towering trees. The gentle hum of the forest, like a melodic song, filled the air, its rhythm calming and tranquil. Yuna closed her eyes for a moment, allowing the natural soundscape to soothe her nerves. But before she could fully lose herself in the moment, a leaf brushed against her ear, jolting her out of her daydream.
The noise of the supplies they had gathered shifted and rattled as the group continued on their way, the tension of their situation becoming heavier with each passing step. The forest had felt endless, and Yuna's heightened senses couldn't detect any immediate danger—no rustling, no animals, no subtle shifts in the air. Everything around them was eerily still.
After what felt like hours of wandering through the thick undergrowth, they finally came across something unexpected: a dirt path. It was weathered and barely visible beneath the overgrown vegetation, but it was still discernible. They hesitated for a moment, exchanging looks, but eventually decided to follow it. The path wound deeper through the forest, the trees thinning out as they continued. Then, as if emerging from the very heart of the jungle, they saw it—an abandoned village.
The rooftops of the wooden houses peeked through the trees, their outlines sharp against the sky. The village, though weathered by time, appeared strangely well-preserved. The wooden structures and stone foundations stood strong, as though frozen in time, untouched by the passage of years. The air was still, and the silence felt unnatural.
As they approached, Yuna's sharp eyes scanned the surroundings. There were no signs of life. No children running through the streets, no laughter, no sounds of everyday life. Only the empty, abandoned houses remained.
"It's like they vanished," Lisa said, breaking the silence. "There's no trace of any life. No bodies, no signs of a struggle—just… gone."
They wandered through the village, their steps muffled on the soft earth beneath their feet. Clothes, personal belongings, coins, and other valuables lay scattered on the ground, abandoned as if the villagers had left in a hurry.
Lisa knelt down, inspecting a small bundle of clothes. "The architecture and clothing look elvish," she remarked, her brow furrowing as she stood. "I think this might be an elven village, but…"
"Could it be high elves?" Rite asked, looking around at the structures and the details in the clothes. "But… that's unlikely, right?"
Lisa nodded slowly. "The high elves were all but wiped out by humans centuries ago. The Golden Empire—what remains of it—destroyed most of their people. Their elders and their history, too. Any remnants of them are few, and even the most ancient of records have been lost."
"The Golden Empire?" Rite repeated, intrigued. "Isn't that the one that collapsed thousands of years ago?"
"Yes," Lisa responded. "It fell apart because of internal strife—military coups, instability… It's a long story. But none of that matters now. What's strange is that we're finding evidence of their existence here, in a place that shouldn't even exist anymore."
While Lisa and Rite continued discussing the implications of their discovery, Yuna wandered into one of the nearby houses. Her paws made soft scratches against the wooden floorboards as she pushed open the door with her weight. The interior felt surprisingly warm and familiar, as though she had stepped into the home of a family who had simply… vanished.
The wood stove sat cold in the corner, the remnants of meals long gone. Beds, neatly made, stood against the walls, and a large dining table in the center of the room was still set, as if awaiting its next meal. Yuna felt a strange tug in her chest, like she was intruding on something that had once been so normal, so alive.
Outside, Lisa noticed the open door and motioned for Rite to follow. They stepped into the house, the floor creaking underfoot. The lanterns on the walls, though once filled with light, were now shattered, their contents spilled onto the floor. Lisa moved past a large wooden table, tracing her fingers over some candle stubs, which sparked briefly, illuminating the room for a moment.
The space was well-kept, even in the absence of its owners. It felt strange—too still, too quiet. Yuna moved deeper into the house, her low-light vision allowing her to navigate easily through the dim interior.
Through one of the doors, Rite found a small storage room. He rifled through the shelves, finding strange bottles of liquid and piles of dried herbs, but nothing that would provide sustenance for their immediate needs. The realization that they hadn't found any wildlife in days, nor any food in the village, was beginning to take a toll on their morale.
"At this rate, we're going to starve to death," Rite said, frustration rising in his voice as he sifted through more alchemical supplies.
He stopped at a table in the center of the room, his eyes lingering on the items that lay in front of them: a dotted mushroom, aged jerky, and a bottle of wine. He hesitated before picking up the mushroom.
"Are you sure these mushrooms are edible?" Lisa asked, her voice cautious.
Rite gave a half-hearted shrug. "I think... maybe?"
Lisa raised an eyebrow, and Yuna looked up at Rite, her ears pinned back as she instinctively backed away from the mushroom. It was clear from the way she stared at it that it wasn't something to be trusted.
"Yeah, those mushrooms are out of the question," Lisa said with a grimace, shaking her head. "We'll need to keep looking. But for now, let's just rest here and figure things out."
The three of them settled at the table, the tension of their hunger weighing heavily in the air. They were lost, surrounded by an abandoned village with no answers, no signs of life, and no food. And as the fire crackled in the hearth, the silence felt all the more suffocating.