The days of mourning had come to an end.
Amelia and her family were finally preparing to leave.
Her uncle and aunt had departed the day before, but her family had chosen to stay one day longer—for her father could not bring himself to leave the place so soon.
There would be no returning after this. There was no one left to visit.
And Amelia—she would never come back. Her work would soon consume her days.
Since that night, she hadn't stepped foot in the castle again.
She dared not. Griffon's fury lingered in her mind. And though her heart ached with longing to see him once more, she buried that desire deep within herself.
Now, she would leave—and with her departure, she would try to forget.
The night before their journey home, the weather turned cruel.
Rain poured relentlessly, lightning split the sky again and again.
The wind howled like a beast, and thunder cracked above them like the roar of some ancient god. Amelia shivered, knowing it was the most terrifying night she had ever endured.
Yet somehow… it made her think of Griffon.
Her final night in that town stretched on, endlessly.
She longed to be home. She longed to erase Griffon from her memory.
But the rain did not stop when morning came.
The sky remained cloaked in storm clouds. It felt as though the sun would never rise again.
"Amelia!" her mother called from outside her bedroom.
"We're leaving soon. Pack up your things and bring them to the car!"
There was no more time to wait—they had to leave that place, and quickly.
"Alright, Mom!" Amelia grabbed her bags.
This was it. They were leaving.
And though her heart was heavy with questions that would never be answered, relief washed over her.
"Hurry! It's getting worse out there!" her mother warned as Amelia stepped out.
"We should've left with your uncle yesterday. We wouldn't be trapped in this storm if we had."
"It's too late to regret it now. We didn't expect the weather to turn like this. Your father's waiting in the car. Make sure you've got everything—we won't be coming back."
"I know, Mom."
Such a strange place, Amelia thought. The weather always seemed to echo something darker beneath the surface.
Without wasting another moment, she and her mother rushed out—braving the rain, which had become a curtain of silver sheets.
Along the road, a group of people shouted at them, pointing urgently toward the bridge. But none of them understood the warning, and Philip pressed on, driving through the storm.
They passed more villagers—gathered in the rain, busy with something serious. Amelia strained to see through the crowd, but their bodies blocked her view.
"What are they doing?" she asked.
"It's best you don't know," her mother replied tightly.
"Why, Mom? What's going on?"
"I said it's better not to know."
She didn't want her daughter tangled up in the strange misfortunes that seemed to haunt this place.
The crowd was a bad sign. Something terrible had happened.
And they needed to leave before misfortune found them too.
Amelia turned back, curiosity burning in her chest. She refused to look away—until, finally, she caught sight of it.
Several men carrying the lifeless body of a man—drained, unmoving.
Her eyes widened in horror.
Was there another victim… like last time?
The rain and thunder chased them like a curse. The wind grew louder, and Amelia's mother grew pale with worry.
"I just hope we can get out of here soon," she whispered. Her instincts screamed—something was wrong.
They should have left yesterday.
She knew what the villagers had found.
Another body. Another drained soul.
They had heard such stories too many times during their stay.
That's why she was afraid.
Amelia stared out the window, watching raindrops race down the glass. She drifted into a trance, almost falling asleep—
Until her father slammed the brakes.
The car jolted. She was thrown forward.
Her mother screamed.
"What happened?" she gasped. "Why did you stop?"
"Oh no," Philip muttered.
Amelia and her mother looked up—
And saw the bridge was gone.
Philip got out of the car.
Amelia and her mother followed, stepping carefully through the mud and rain.
Together, they stood at the edge of the chasm. The bridge had collapsed into the raging river below.
It had been the only road out.
Now, they were trapped.
"What do we do now, Dad?"
Their hearts sank. Now they understood the villagers' warnings.
They had tried to tell them. The bridge was gone.
"There's nothing we can do," Philip said. "We have to go back."
"But Philip," Margaret whispered, panic creeping into her voice.
"We can't cross the river. You see how wild it is. We have no choice but to return to my mother's house."
"That's not a good idea. You know what's happening in this town. We can't stay. I'm afraid something terrible will happen to us."
"I know."
He placed his hands on her shoulders.
"But we don't have another option. Do you want to risk your life in that river?"
Margaret's eyes filled with tears.
"How long will it take to repair the bridge?"
"I don't know. Hopefully not long."
But in his heart, he knew—it could take months, especially with weather like this.
"We should go now," he said gently.
Margaret nodded. There was nothing else they could do.
"Amelia?" Philip called suddenly.
Amelia stood at the edge, staring out into the mist.
Something was wrong.
"Amelia?" her mother echoed. Her daughter didn't seem to hear her.
Amelia's eyes were vacant. Slowly, she stepped forward.
She saw someone.
Across the river.
Waving at her.
"Amelia, what are you doing?" Margaret called out, alarmed.
Her daughter kept walking.
Toward the broken edge.
"Amelia?!" Both parents rushed forward—and just in time, Philip grabbed her arm, pulling her back.
"What are you doing?" he shouted.
"What? What happened?" Amelia blinked, dazed—as if waking from a dream.
"You see? This place is cursed, Philip!"
"I know. Let's just go back." He held Amelia tightly and guided her to the car.
Margaret followed, her heart pounding.
She didn't want to stay here another second.
They didn't want to return.
But the town refused to let them go.