The One Who Rules the Night

Every day in the secluded village was a monotonous cycle of chores and rules, all centered around staying safe from the creatures that roamed the forest after dark.
Milena, nearing her twentieth birthday and the promise of finally joining the hunters, felt the weight of the routine pressing down on her.
Today, however, was different. The hunters returned early, their faces grim, and Charles, the village leader, ordered everyone into the tunnels immediately.
A chilling sense of dread settled over the village. Something was wrong.
Later, safe within the tunnels, whispers of a captured creature spread, a beast with red eyes chained deep underground. Driven by a forbidden curiosity, Milena decided she had to see it, a decision that would unravel the carefully constructed safety of her world.
