Home before Sunset

The chill of the early morning hours seeped into Everon’s bones as he strode along the stone paths of Avarion. The air, crisp and biting, seemed to hum with an unsettling energy, a stark contrast to the usual quiet slumber of the small town. Only the occasional magically lit torches pierced the pre-dawn gloom, casting dancing shadows that stretched and warped with every breath of wind.

He pulled his coat tighter, his mind replaying the grim details of the scroll that had summoned him: a body, found by the river, a murder in a town where such a thing was unheard of. The police department building, a squat structure of plain grey stone, loomed ahead, its unassuming facade belying the morbid task that awaited him within.

His eyelids felt heavy, sleep a distant memory, replaced by a growing knot of unease. He pushed open the heavy wooden door, stepping into the sparse entrance area where Axel, the local police officer, already waited. The silent anticipation in the room was a tangible thing, a prelude to the horrors that lay just beyond the next door.