– After Leaving the Café –
(Hikaru and Kyoji quietly stepped out of the café. The village air had grown colder with the approaching night. Mist crept through the alleys like whispers of secrets left unspoken, and shadows stretched across the mud walls like lurking phantoms.)
Kyoji (in a practical tone, glancing around):"Well, Hikaru… let's find a place to stay before nightfall. I don't think it's wise to remain in the streets after dark—especially after what we've heard."
Hikaru (nodding, his eyes scanning the narrow passageways):"As you say… let's ask one of the villagers if there's an inn nearby."
(They walk slowly down the dusty path until they come across an old man carrying a bundle of firewood on his back. His features spoke of kindness tinged with caution.)
Hikaru (politely):"Good evening, sir. Could you help us? We're looking for a place to stay tonight."
Old Man (pausing to study them, then smiling warmly):"Welcome, strangers. If you keep walking a bit further down this road, you'll see a small inn on the left—brown-colored, hard to miss."
Hikaru (with a slight smile):"Thank you very much."
(They follow the direction he gave. Soon, a faded brown building comes into view—worn down by time, flanked by wooden windows. Some parts of the roof appear recently patched. The inn is two stories tall, and a thin trail of smoke rises from the chimney, promising warmth within.)
(Kyoji pushes open the heavy wooden door. It creaks softly, revealing a small lobby lit by oil lamps. Behind the counter sits an elderly man with a thick gray beard and wise, warm eyes.)
Innkeeper (welcoming smile):"Ah, welcome, travelers. Looking for a place to rest?"
Kyoji (approaching the desk calmly):"Yes, we need a room for the night."
Innkeeper:"There's one room left—simple, but clean and warm. Ten silver coins."
(Without hesitation, Kyoji pulls out a small pouch and places the silver on the table.)
Kyoji:"That's fair. Thank you."
(The old man nods and takes a small brass key. He leads them down a narrow hallway that smells of aged wood, and up a creaky staircase. He opens a modest room with two wooden beds and a window overlooking a small, grassy courtyard.)
Innkeeper (handing them the key):"This is your room. If you need anything, I'll be downstairs. And… don't go out at night unless you must. The darkness here isn't like that of the city."
(He closes the door quietly, leaving Hikaru and Kyoji alone. Each sits on his bed, exchanging a silent look—fatigue and trust shared in the quiet. Outside the window, a dog barks faintly in the distance, and the wind howls against the inn's old walls.)
Kyoji (lying back on his bed):"Finally… some rest."
Hikaru (staring at the wooden ceiling):"Rest, yes… but only for now. The night has just begun."
(Both close their eyes, yet neither removes his weapon. In this village, sleep is never taken for granted.)
– Midnight –
(Silence blanketed the village. Only the wind could be heard breathing through the trees—like whispers from another world. The moon, half-veiled behind drifting clouds, cast a pale light over the old rooftops. Inside the room, Hikaru and Kyoji slept lightly, each with a sword within reach, their bodies refusing full relaxation.)
(Suddenly, a sharp scream split the night.)
Woman's Voice (distant, panicked):"Help! They're here!!"
(Hikaru's eyes shot open. He rose from bed like someone called from a deep dream. Kyoji sat up at once, already gripping his sword.)
Kyoji (low and alert):"…Was that a scream?"
Hikaru (opening the window slightly):"Yes… from the direction of the gate."
(They grab their swords and rush out. Down the narrow wooden hallway they go. At the ground floor, the innkeeper stands at the doorway, his face pale under the lamp's flickering light.)
Innkeeper (voice trembling):"They're back… the monsters! At the south gate!"
(Hikaru and Kyoji need no more. They bolt outside, boots striking cobblestone in urgent rhythm.)
– At the Village Gate –
(At the edge of the village, chaos blazed. Villagers—armed with rusty spears, firewood axes, anything they could find—fought to hold back creatures creeping from the dark. Pale-skinned beasts, their glowing yellow eyes and gleaming teeth snarled in the moonlight. Their roars froze blood and shattered nerves.)
(There weren't many, but they moved fast—tearing through the village's defenses with terrifying ease.)
(Hikaru stood still for a moment at the battlefield's edge. His eyes flared. His sword hissed as it slid from its sheath.)
Hikaru (grimly):"So… these are the creatures they spoke of."
Kyoji (drawing his blade, eyes focused):"They're not natural… something dark controls them."
(Hikaru lunged forward, blade glowing faintly. With one clean strike, he cleaved a beast from shoulder to chest. It let out a guttural cry before dissolving into a wisp of shadow.)
(On the other side, Kyoji faced two at once—moving with deadly grace, parrying, dodging, striking with precise force.)
(Screams from the villagers filled the air—but something shifted. The creatures began to falter, then retreat. Some turned and ran toward the forest, as if sensing something far more threatening.)
Villager (holding a bloodied spear, shouting):"They're retreating!"
(The monsters halted at the tree line. One looked back—directly at Hikaru—then vanished into the shadows.)
(Silence fell like a curtain. All that remained were ragged breaths, blood on the earth, and stunned faces turned toward the two strangers.)
Villager (in disbelief):"You saved us…"
(But Hikaru didn't respond. His gaze remained fixed where the beasts had disappeared. Something in his eyes hardened.)
Hikaru (softly):"This isn't the end… only the beginning."
(Kyoji stepped up beside him, eyes wide, staring into the black forest.)
Kyoji:"I felt something among them… a presence. Like someone… was watching."
(They stood in silence, the moon trembling above a forest that swallowed more than monsters.)
– After the Battle –
(The retreat of the beasts left behind a battlefield moaning in quiet. Exhausted bodies, open wounds, stunned faces still alive and unsure how. Torches were lit in haste, trying to reclaim what was left of the broken night. Amid smoke, blood, and earth, Hikaru and Kyoji stood panting, swords dripping remnants of shadow.)
(Soon, villagers rushed to the wounded, calling loved ones, tending those who had fallen, weeping and working.)
(Hikaru knelt by a young man slumped against a stone wall, blood oozing from a deep shoulder wound. Without hesitation, he tore part of his robe and pressed it down.)
Hikaru (calmly):"Hold on… I'll stop the bleeding."
(Kyoji moved to help an unconscious elder, supporting a trembling woman trying to lift him.)
Kyoji (reassuring):"Ease his weight… I've got him."
(They moved between the injured, tying makeshift bandages, speaking quietly to calm the shaken. For that moment, they were no longer strangers—but a part of this village.)
(As the moans faded and panic calmed, the young woman who had spoken to them earlier approached again, her eyes watery, but smiling faintly in gratitude.)
Woman (gratefully):"If it weren't for you… we would've all died."
(Hikaru only nodded, saying nothing, exhaustion etched deep in his face.)
Kyoji (gently):"We did what we could. Make sure someone stays on watch tonight."
Woman:"We will. We'll never forget this night."
(Silence settled again—but not the heavy kind. This one came with a breath of fragile relief.)
– Return to the Inn –
(Hikaru and Kyoji trudged back to the inn, their clothes torn, hands stained with blood—not all of it the monsters'.)
(The innkeeper stood waiting at the door. His face was tight with worry, but as soon as he saw them safe, he exhaled with visible relief.)
Innkeeper (with a weary smile):"Thank the heavens… I saw it all from here."
(Kyoji nodded silently. They climbed the stairs, steps heavy with fatigue but lightened by the quiet satisfaction of survival.)
(They entered their room once more, collapsing onto the separate beds. No words were needed—just a long, deep sigh from each.)
Hikaru (weakly):"We need to rest… the road is still long."
Kyoji (closing his eyes):"And tomorrow… we'll see if this night was only a prelude to something worse."
(The window closed on the darkened room, as the moon watched from afar… as if waiting for dawn.)