Every building, every dock, every boat was covered in a thin layer of black frost that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. Where the frost grew thickest, the structures beneath appeared distorted, stretched as if pulling toward some central point. And at the heart of the village, where the communal meeting hall had once stood, now rose a twisted spire of what looked like frozen shadow, pulsing with sickly light.
"The breach has reopened," Professor Nyala said, her voice tight with controlled fear. "And it's been feeding."
"Feeding on what?" Osa asked, though his tone suggested he already feared the answer.
"On the villagers," Saguna realized with horror. "On their life force. On their—" He broke off, a memory surfacing from the night Sahara was taken. The shadow creature's voice in his mind: So warm... give us the warm one...
"Yes," Professor Nyala confirmed grimly. "The Soul Drainers have been harvesting them. Not killing them, that would waste the resource. But draining them slowly, over time."
"How long has this been happening?" Radji asked, his analytical mind still functioning despite the shocking scene.
"Months, at least," Professor Nyala replied. "Perhaps longer."
Saguna felt sick. He had been away in Meridian City, while his childhood home was being systematically drained by the same creatures that had taken his sister. How many people he'd known were suffering while he tried to forget this place existed?
"We have to help them," he said, already moving forward.
Professor Nyala caught his arm. "Not blindly. Not without understanding what we face." She pointed toward the shadow spire. "That is no ordinary breach. It's been cultivated, strengthened deliberately."
"By the Soul Drainers?" Osa asked.
"No. They lack the intelligence for such manipulation." Her eyes narrowed. "This is the work of a consciousness with purpose. Someone is preparing this breach for something greater to come through."
"Marius Gall," Saguna guessed.
"Perhaps," Professor Nyala acknowledged. "Or perhaps he merely serves whoever is truly responsible."
The last light of day faded, plunging the village into twilight's gloom. As darkness fell, the black frost covering the buildings began to glow with faint blue luminescence. The effect was beautiful and terrifying—a village of ghostly light that pulsed in perfect synchronization, like a massive heartbeat.
"The first threshold approaches," Professor Nyala warned. "We must find shelter before full darkness."
"Where?" Radji asked. "Every structure appears compromised."
Saguna scanned the village, searching for any building that might have escaped the frost's touch. His gaze settled on a small hut at the village's edge, set slightly apart from the other dwellings. Unlike the frost-covered structures, this one appeared untouched, its weathered wood showing no signs of the black ice.
"There," he said, pointing. "Old Man Reza's hut."
"The one who pulled you from the water that day," Professor Nyala recalled. "Yes. If anyone in this village might have protected their dwelling against spirit incursion, it would be someone who believed your story."
They made their way toward the hut, keeping to the shadows, though Saguna wondered if concealment mattered in a place so thoroughly claimed by darkness. The wooden steps creaked beneath their weight as they climbed to the small porch. Saguna raised his hand to knock, then hesitated.
"What if he's gone too?" he whispered.
"Then we use the shelter regardless," Professor Nyala replied pragmatically. "But first, we must check."
Saguna knocked softly, the sound seeming to echo in the unnatural silence of the village. For a long moment, nothing happened. Then, a shuffling sound from within. The door opened a crack, revealing a single watchful eye in a deeply lined face.
"Who disturbs an old man at twilight?" a raspy voice demanded.
"Someone who once fell into the bay after seeing shadows," Saguna answered, the words coming to him instinctively.
The eye widened, then narrowed suspiciously. "The Taksa boy? Grown now, are you?"
"Yes, Grandfather Reza. It's me, Saguna."
"Prove it," the old man challenged. "Tell me what I said to you, things only we know."
Saguna swallowed hard, the memory vivid despite the years. "You said, 'Some storms aren't made by nature. Some come from the spaces between worlds.'"
The door opened wider, revealing a stooped figure with white hair and skin like tanned leather. Old Man Reza had aged considerably in the years since Saguna had seen him last, but his eyes remained sharp, missing nothing as they swept over the four visitors.
"You came back," he stated simply. "After all this time, you came back. And you brought friends." His gaze lingered on Professor Nyala. "One of the Academy's purple robes. So they finally decided to do something about our little problem."
"You know of the Academy?" Professor Nyala asked, surprise evident in her voice.
Old Man Reza laughed, a sound like dry leaves rustling. "I know many things, Lady of the Veil. I've lived long enough to see the shadows come and go, and come again." He stepped back, opening the door fully. "Inside, quickly. Twilight is no time for standing in doorways."
As they entered the small hut, Saguna noticed symbols carved into the doorframe, patterns similar to the sigils Professor Nyala formed with her silver light. The air inside felt different, cleaner somehow, as if the corruption outside couldn't penetrate these walls.
"Wards," Professor Nyala noted, examining the symbols with obvious appreciation. "Old ones, but well-maintained. You have knowledge beyond what I would expect in a fishing village, Elder Reza."
The old man smiled, revealing surprisingly strong teeth. "I wasn't always a fisherman. Just as you weren't always a teacher." He gestured for them to sit around a small table in the center of the one-room dwelling. "But such histories can wait. First, tell me why the Triumvirate has come to Teluk Jati at the hour of its greatest peril."
Saguna exchanged startled glances with Radji and Osa. "How do you know who we are?"
"The marks you bear are visible to those who know how to look," Old Man Reza replied, tapping his own temple. "I've been waiting for you. I've been watching. Waiting for someone to finally see what's happening here. The shadows have been growing stronger for years, but in these last few months..." His expression turned grave. "I fear you may have come too late."