As dusk settled, a gentle breeze stirred through the bell tower.A young man stood in the dome, gazing into the distance as the wind tousled his hair.WHOOSHA sudden gust swirled around him, carrying one of his blond strands away—on a journey.A journey through his hometown.Dorinth.Between the tightly packed houses ran warmly lit streets, their murmur of life rising all the way to the sky.Everyone seemed to know each other — a seemingly cheerful togetherness.From above, the roofs looked like patchwork quilts, mended time and again.Dorinth was old, worn, held together by crude repairs.Iron lampposts stood rusted and weathered,replaced now by torches.In a dark corner, away from the busy streets, stood a small wooden cabin.Inside, a strange trumpet-shaped device.Perhaps once used for communication?Now it lay buried under a thick layer of dust, weathered and overgrown with vines.Yet in the dimming light, one could still glimpse the shine of a long-forgotten civilization.The blond strand rose higher and higher into the air.There, far above, from the many spires of the city, jutted strange metal contraptions—bluish light, dark metal, perfectly maintained.One might have mistaken them for lamps, but their cool glow was far too faint to serve that purpose.Instead, a shimmering dust drifted down upon the city.The young man leaned against the railing of the bell tower, surrounded by this cozy view.But his eyes wandered far beyond the city walls.Not even the vast lake that cradled the city at its center held his attention.Dark, mysterious, seemingly untouched.Forested mountains circled the waters, veiling the horizon.Nothing but forest, as far as the eye could see.The green lay over the hills like a blanket, concealing whatever lurked beneath.Dark gaps in the canopy—they looked like eyes.Black eyes, watching the living bustle of the city below.“The third checkpoint…”he murmured to the figure standing in the shadows behind him.Tap-ta-tap-tap.His fingers drummed against the stone railing.One might have thought he was simply enjoying Dorinth’s evening view—calm, relaxed.But if one looked closely…Beads of sweat gathered on his forehead. His violet eyes were wide open.He felt as if electricity coursed through his veins.His gaze—anchored.Fixed on a single point in the distance.The last rays of sunlight bathed a mountain peak in orange light.And there it stood.Crumbling, weathered, half-swallowed by the forest.An old tower ruin, rising from the sea of leaves as if trying, with its last strength, to make itself seen.The tattered fabric on its flagpole whispered of a time when people still walked those grounds.Drip.A droplet of sweat slid down his temple, landing on the hand that kept drumming nervously.“W-what do you think is out there?”he asked, the unease clear in his voice.“I heard from a few veterans that even around the second checkpoint, strange creatures start showing up. I mean, even here in Dorinth, we get our share of critters—but what they saw out there, they said… no one’s ever seen anything like it!”He laughed nervously.Restlessness crawled through every inch of his body.His toes clenched inside his boots.His hands balled into fists.“A-and we’re supposed to go there the day after tomorrow? The day after tomorrow?!”A chaotic energy rushed through him—it had to escape, or he’d burst.And so it did, in the most direct way possible:“I want to see it NOW!”His voice echoed through the city below.Some startled pedestrians looked up in alarm.“If you’re that eager to die, you could just jump from the tower right now…”The soft yet firm voice spoke from behind him.“Besides, we’re only going as far as the second checkpoint…” A girl had been waiting there for a while, but hadn’t found the right moment to speak.He exhaled sharply, tension fading, and turned to face her.Arms crossed. A defiant look.“Felix, enthusiasm is fine, but you really take this too lightly.There’s a lot at stake here—and it’s anything but safe!“Her golden eyes locked with his violet ones.Her brows were drawn together, lips pursed into a pout.Clearly, she did not share his excitement.The rabbit ears sprouting from her head twitched adorably with each of her movements.“Okay, okay, you’re right,”he said, lowering his head in an apologetic gesture—mostly to hide his grin.“Hmph. Just make sure you don’t have one of those outbursts the day after tomorrow…”She sighed, tilting her head as she raised her hands in a gesture of surrender.Her brown braids swayed gently in front of her chest.“I came to get you,”she said.“Drakel wants to go over the scouting flight plan again.”“Got it, thanks Lina.”“It’s Lena...”Her gaze dropped to the ground. Was she disappointed that he’d forgotten her name?“Ah, right—Lena! Sorry, I’m terrible with names.”She turned around and started down the stairs, her two brown braids bouncing with every step.Straightening up, he looked once more toward the distant ruin,as if to say, see you soon.Then he followed Lena down the tower, utterly captivated by the sway of her rabbit ears.