The next morning, the princess and her bodyguard set off for Lemgan city. The latter was four hours away from the capital on horseback.

They had opted for very sober and discreet clothing to avoid attracting attention, but also warm to protect themselves from the cold and snow.

The girl wore black pants with a woolen sweater of the same color, a pair of black boots and a long burgundy colored, hooded fur cape over it. She had styled her hair into a pretty braid.

As for the captain, he wore a dark blue sweater, black pants, boots of the same color, and on top, a long dark blue fur cape, also with a hood.

The two young people were sitting on their horses, walking side by side while talking.

"It's a pity we didn't bring Leo and Lea with us. They would have been of a great help to us with their developed flair," said Luana.

"Yeah, that's true. But, two strangers accompanied by two wolves, it will attract too much attention. We can't risk that happening."

"That's for sure."

"We should also put on our hoods when we arrive to the city. To avoid any risk of someone recognizing us."

"Yeah, I understand."

A brief moment of silence settled in.

"I wonder... What is the reason of these massacres ? It's a little... Weird... Especially since these cities have been known to be very calm and peaceful since the dawn of time," Luana said.

"I don't know. I'm wondering the same thing too. But...I don't think that all of this is a coincidence..."

"Do you think that it has something to do with the Grandmaster ?"

"It's very possible... But, we'll find out soon..."

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A few hours later, the two young people saw, in the distance, a tall large wall and the big gate of the city of Lemgan.

"We've arrived," Lucas whispered.

They dismounted from the backs of their horses, put their hoods on their heads and advanced towards the entrance while leading their horses by the reins.

Once inside, they saw, on the left, a large stable for horses. A young man was standing nearby, bringing large baskets of apples and carrots for the animals.

"We should leave Piper and Evan there since we won't need them for now," Lucas suggested.

"Yeah, that's a very good idea."

The young knight took the reins of the mare from the hands of Luana.

"Wait here. I'll be right back," he demanded before leading the two horses to the stables.

Luana remained standing there. She took the opportunity to explore the city with her eyes.

In front of her was a very large market. There were stalls of all types : fruits and vegetables, meats, wheat, clothing, accessories, souvenirs...

It must have been the most popular place in town judging by the density of people there.

The young girl was so dazzled by the sight in front of her that she didn't notice the return of the knight next to her.

"Shall we go, Luana ? I have the key of the stable where our horses are," Lucas asked.

"Oh ? Yeah, yeah. Let's go," she replied, slightly taken by surprise.

"The stables owner recommended an inn not too far from here. It's a meters away from the market. Would you like to take a look at the latter before going there ?"

"Yeah, of course," she replied, smiling.

They walked straight ahead while carrying their bags that contained their belongings.

"I think it would be good to ask the townspeople about the incident that happened here. That way, things will be less ambiguous for us," the young knight suggested.

"Yeah. That's a very good idea. How about starting with the merchants since we're here ?"

"You're right."

Lucas scanned the market. Then, he fixed his gaze on the fruit and vegetable stand that belonged to an elderly merchant.

"Let's go see that man over there. The one at the fruit and vegetable stand."

The princess and her bodyguard walked towards the old man. Seeing them coming his way, the latter displayed a big friendly smile.

"Hello, Dear Customers. May I help you ? My fruits and vegetables were freshly picked this morning. I'm sure you'll love them."

"Thank you, Sir. I would like two apples, two peaches and two oranges, please," the young knight replied.

"Gladly, Sir."

The merchant took a small cloth bag and filled it with the fruits ordered.

"I've never seen you around before. You're not from here, are you ?" asked the old man.

"That's right. We came to see our friends who were victims of the massacres that took place here. One of them unfortunately died..."

"Oh, I see... My condolences," the man said with a comforting expression.

"Thank you."

"This place used to be very quiet and peaceful, sir. We were all very happy. Unfortunately, it became hell on earth."

"Do you have any idea about the cause of these massacres ?"

"To be honest with you, Sir, those who survived said that they heard some kind of whistling. The majority said that they heard it at nightfall, before returning back home."

"A whistling ?" Luana wondered.

"Yes, Miss. They lost consciousness completely after hearing it and started attacking each other. Until they got up the next morning to see the slaughter they made the night before, without remembering what happened or what they did."

"That's horrible," the girl added in horror.

"That's the reason why these days, before nightfall, all the inhabitants go back to their houses and close all the doors and windows and avoid going out at night at all costs. If you're going to spend a few days here, I advise you to do the same. Besides, there's a very strong snowstorm approaching. It would be better if you stay a few days here until it passes."

The merchant handed the bag filled with fruits to Lucas.

"Here, Sir. The price is 10 Auvro coins."

"Here. Thank you very much for the information and have a nice day," Lucas answered while giving him the money.

Once away from the stand, the knight turned to Luana.

"We should look for the inn now so we can rest. Our mission will begin in the evening, before nightfall."

"Yeah, that's a good idea."

"Let's go then."

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After twenty minutes of walking, they saw, a few meters away, a small, 3 floored wooden building decorated with pretty black stones on the outside.

At the entrance was a small plaque displaying the name of the inn.

"Lemgan's Inn. Must be the one the stables owner told you about," Luana said.

"Looks like it is, yeah."

The two young people opened the large wooden door and went inside.

They found themselves in front of a large hall where there was a small wooden desk at the back where a young man was sitting, reading documents. Behind him was a large number of keys hanged on the wall.

Lucas walked towards him.

"Good morning, I would like two rooms, please."

The receptionist looked up and gave a small smile.

"Good morning, Sir. Welcome here. You want two rooms for how many nights ?" he asked.

"Three nights."

"You did well. There may be a huge snowstorm in a few hours. It would be the best to stay here for a few days to avoid getting stuck in the forest."

"Yeah. I had already been warned about that."

"Good. The price is 60 Auvro coins, Sir."

"Here," replied the young captain, handing him the money.

The receptionist turned around to take two keys and handed them to Lucas.

"I hope you will have a pleasant stay, here. Lunch will be served in half an hour in the great hall."

"Thank you," Lucas replied.

The princess and her bodyguard went upstairs where there were a huge number of doors. Their rooms were adjoining.

"I'm going to arrange my belongings now. See you in fifteen minutes for lunch ?" asked Luana.

"Yeah, okay."

"Good," she replied, turning to open her room's door with the key.

"Take these with you, Luana. They're for you," Lucas said, handing her the bag of fruits.

"O-oh... Thank you so much, Lucas. But, we should share them. I could never eat all of them on my own," the girl answered, chuckling slightly.

"O-oh... Yeah, you're right..." the young man muttered, scratching the back of his head, his cheeks slightly pink with embarrassment.

After having lunch, they went back to their respective rooms to rest.

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Just before dark, Lucas and Luana left their rooms to go down to the hall.

Seeing them approaching the front door, the receptionist jumped in surprise.

"Sir ?! Are you going out ?!" he asked, very confused.

"Yes."

"Didn't they warn you ?! Once night falls, the streets become very dangerous ! Besides, the snowstorm is ravaging outside ! You risk being killed like that !"

"Don't worry. I've already been warned of the danger. We won't be out for long."

"O-oh... Alright... Be careful, though..." he said worriedly.

With these words, the two young people left the inn.

Outside, the street was empty. As if the city were uninhabited.

"The contrast between day and night is blatant. It almost feels like a ghost town now," Luana remarked.

"Terror has been sown among its inhabitants," replied Lucas.

The princess and her bodyguard walked slowly through the deserted and snowy streets.

"The snow storm is intensifying," Luana remarked.

"Do you want to go back to the inn ?" asked Lucas, worried.

"No. Not before we discover something."

With these words, they heard a small whistle in the distance.

"Did you hear that ?" asked Luana, surprised.

Lucas nodded as the whistling intensified.

"I feel like it comes from the market," he says.

"Let's go !"

They ran for a few minutes until they reached the market place.

"I...I can't hear it anymore..." said Luana, breathless.

"Me niether..."

Again, the whistle echoed through the square. He was close, then, he started to slowly move away.

"Looks like... It's leaving the city... It's going to the forest !" exclaimed the princess.

"I'll bring the horses back so we can follow it. Wait for me here," Lucas said.

"Okay !"

Lucas made his way to the stables where Piper and Evan were to free them before galloping towards the large city gate.

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They spent hours in the forest looking for the source of the sound, without any result. The snowstorm was a very big disadvantage for them because it made it difficult for them to see and hear.

"What are we going to do now ? Looks like we lost him," the young princess asked desperately.

Lucas didn't answer her. He put his hand on his sword and pulled it out of its scabbard.

"Lucas ?" she asked, confused.

"Stay behind me," he ordered.

Hastily, Luana did as he told her.

At that moment, they heard the whistle right in front of them.

"There you are," Lucas whispered.

"What..." the princess said, her eyes widening in shock.

A huge snake with purple skin and eyes slowly advanced towards them while still whistling and sticking out its tongue.

"So, that's the source of the sound," Luana said.

Lucas dismounted from his horse and advanced towards the monster, sword in hand.

"So, you're the thing that killed the poor people of this town..."

The snake continued to whistle. It put on a confused expression. Then, it began to whistle louder.

"Don't bother yourself trying. It doesn't work on us. Your hypnosis isn't working."

The animal paused for a moment, backed away a few meters before charging at Lucas with its venomous teeth.

"Lucas ! Watch out !"

The young knight raised his sword calmly and swung it towards the animal's mouth and cut it sideways in half.

Luana let out a small gasp of surprise as she saw the horrible scene in front of her.

The animal fell on the ground, lifeless, immersed in its own blood.

The young princess got off her horse and approached Lucas who was deep in thought.

"What's the matter, Lucas ? You're not hurt, I hope," she asked worriedly.

"No... This snake... Was itself hypnotized by something or someone... I think it has a master..."

"How did you know that ?"

"Look at its eyes. They were purple when it attacked us. Now they're yellow... The normal eye color for a snake..."

"I see..."

"There's someone who ordered this serpent to hypnotize the inhabitants of this town into killing each other... But why ?"

"That's what I would like to know too..." whispered the princess.

Lucas sighed deeply.

"It's too cold outside and the storm is getting stronger and stronger. We should go back to the inn," he said.

"Yeah, I agree."

Lucas turned to mount his horse, when he felt someone grip his cloak tightly from behind. He turned around to see that it's the princess.

"Luana ?" he asked, confused.

"Lu...cas..." she whispered.

The young princess collapsed in front of him, unconscious.

"Luana ? Luana ?!" he exclaimed in choc.

He knelt on the ground, supporting the girl's head and back so that she won't touch the cold snow.

"Luana ?! Luana ?! Answer me ! Open your eyes ! What happened to you ?!"

Tilting the girl's head slightly to the right, he noticed a small needle stuck in her neck.

"What the..." he muttered, his eyes widening in shock.

He gently removed the needle from the princess's neck and looked at it. Then, he held it up to his nose to smell it.

"Poison... It's a poisoned needle..."

The captain carried Luana in his arms and stood up. He walked over to Piper, asked her to bow a little so he could put her on it.

He took off his cloak and put it on the young girl to cover her from the cold.

"Hold on, Luana... I'll take you to a doctor... I'll save you..." he whispered.

The young man mounted his horse and guided Piper by the reins as he headed towards the direction of the village, not knowing that from the top of a tree, stood a person who was watching them.

"Gotcha, Princess," the stranger muttered, smirking.