[Prologue](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheAlenaArchive/comments/yevped/theseus_prologue_a_hunters_compassion/) | [The Alena Archive](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheAlenaArchive/)
Deep in the woods surrounding the quiet, rural town of Lenvett, a small cloaked figure could occasionally be spotted as they darted between the long, near-infinite shadows that veiled the large, dark forest.
During the day, this area of the woods was bright, and vividly alight with the bright autumnal colors of the changing fall leaves. This late, however, the light from the low evening sun cast an eerie glow that shifted as the tall branches swayed in the wind, making even the shadows of the quiet forest seem alive. Any other time and it would be off-putting, but for now, it provided excellent cover for Chasè’s small figure, just as the rustling of leaves from the trees above muffled his small, quiet steps.
He tightened his cloak as a breeze swept past him, the cool night air gently tugging at his clothes, as if it was wiser than him, trying to pull him away from this place. He hated the cold, but it was still more exciting than office work—*usually,* at least.
Growing up, Chasè had gotten quite a lot of practice stalking the forests on the edge of his home, so much so that he always felt like his home extended to include the trees. Even now he managed to (mostly) dodge the mess of stray leaves and twigs that cluttered the path, with only the occasional crunch of a misplaced step. So of course when whispers of a mysterious, “dark sorceress” that supposedly roamed the countryside of Lenvett reached him—whispers of a powerful, evil creature that lured hunters, hikers, and campers away from the safety of their camps and into the dark night, never to be seen again… Well, that was the reason he now stalked the woods himself.
The disappearances were evenly spaced, almost set like clockwork—like a schedule. It was enough to warrant him being out here freezing his ass off, apparently.
Now, despite what his desire to look for dangerous figures in the woods after dusk may suggest, Chasè was no fool. He knew it was dangerous, but the chance of discovering what he had been searching for now far outweighed the risk! After all, why be scared of something prowling in the dark when he himself was prowling too? The soft howl of the wind through the trees, however, very quickly dispelled that burst of courage.
*There wasn’t much to be wary of in this particular area though—a few snakes, maybe a few packs of wolves, some black bears? Black bears aren’t normally aggressive to people though, so that should be fine,* he thought to himself. In truth, he knew he couldn’t do much if anything else did surprise him, but he had some wilderness training and a rifle, so at least he wouldn’t be totally screwed if something went wrong. Somehow that didn’t make him feel better.
For someone who was raised in the countryside, had vast knowledge of the area, and even felt almost at home walking around in the dark woods, he still kept a noticeably tight grip on his hunting rifle. Not for any sorceress though, oh no, that would be ridiculous! Chasè had heard far too many stories of hunters being surprised by waking up on large, wild animals, and paying dearly for it! That was the sole reason for his tight grip on his gun.
It was also responsible for the way his heart rate spiked when he heard a crack of a branch off somewhere in the darkness, just beyond his sight. Although, if Chasè tried, if he really, really tried, he could convince himself that it was just paranoia when the short hairs on his neck suddenly raised. As he continued, it certainly was not like he could have sworn he could feel a pair of undetectable, hungry eyes burning into him….
*Almost as if they were—*
As he approached a tree, he froze, swearing he heard a noise. It was a faint tapping sound, coming from… behind him? No, to his right! Chasè turned sharply, heart pounding in his chest, his weapon quickly rising to meet the oncoming threat—only to find none. Stepping lightly around the tree he paused, taking a few relieved breaths before looking for the source of the noise. Finding nothing nearby, he braced his gun against the tree, his right eye peering through the scope of his rifle, searching for anything further away that could’ve caught his attention.
His brown eyes glossed over the trees and branches, scouring the foreground first before slowly moving out further. His eyes burned from the strain, and he had almost given up until he barely could make out some form of a small light in the distance. It was so small, so incredibly subtle he wondered how he saw it at all. It was faint and out of sight, barely more than a subtle glow against an oak tree, but it was something. With a new destination, he shouldered his rifle, checked his watch, and slowly, cautiously started to make his way toward the light.
*Maybe there was a campsite and someone had made a small fire?*
As he approached, Chasè could discern the light was actually coming from a house. The dense trees did a wonderful job at hiding it, as well as the small clearing from view—even from only a hundred or so yards away. It was a one-story, ivy-covered brick house that blended a little too well with the trees, and he couldn’t help but feel that was intentional. It had definitely seen better days, but if you looked for them, then there were still signs of someone around.
The small stone walkway was now covered with moss and flecks of scattered leaves, but Chasè’s trained eyes could discern a few places that *might* be footprints. A few of the bricks had fallen out of the masonwork but instead of laying where they fell, were stacked neatly against the house. He approached tentatively, checking the windows, he was surprised to find the glass completely intact, something very strange for a house surrounded by trees without a caretaker.
What had truly drawn him like a moth, however, was a single freshly-lit candle still burning on the window sill.
*Okay, so someone was definitely here. It could be a sweet old couple just trying to get away from the city. Maybe a hunter looking to go on extensive hunting trips, but who mainly lives in Lenvett itself? There could be dozens of different reasons for someone to live way out here. Get a hold of yourself, if it’s not who we’re looking for, just say you got lost. You’ve got this.*
Once he reached the door, he tried to take a few deep breaths to calm his nerves—though with little success. Looking back at the leaves that gently tumbled over the mossy path one last time, Chasè pressed a hand to the pistol underneath his cloak, tapped the button on the side of his watch twice, and gently knocked on the door.
Chasè waited with bated breath for an answer, but the longer he waited, the more his unease grew. He knocked again before waiting, then again… and then the heavy wooden door slowly creaked open, stopping when just barely ajar. He was sure it was shut, how could it have opened so easily? He lifted a hand, and gently pushed the door open.
“Hello?” he called into the dimly-lit house. “Is anyone home? I’m a bit lost, can you help me?” He lied, yet received no reply. *Should I go in?* Chasè wondered before he took a small step over the threshold, peering around the room. It was large and seemed that the house had no interior walls, and was just one large room. There was a large fireplace to the back of the room that was lit, with the room itself being filled with all manner of things. There were old wooden tables pressed against the walls, some much larger than the others with mismatching colors, ages, and styles, but they were all worn and cluttered with books, jars, and glass containers.
At first, it looked like a large kitchen—and even a sink with plumbing to support that—but once Chasè paid attention, he could see this was someone’s home as well. There was a crumpled-up sleeping bag off to the corner, and a large pile of books as well. Now that he noticed the books, they were actually everywhere. There was at least one open on every table, some that were piled next to the discarded sleeping bag, and a few by the desk next to the window sill.
Hesitantly, Chasè let his rifle rest against the wall by the door as he moved to explore the room. He passed a table of various glass jars filled with strange, colorful liquids, and as he approached the desk, seeing as that was the reason for the candle—someone was working.
He laid a hand on the old wooden chair next to the desk, leaning over the desk to peer at the scattered books. Most of the books were unlabeled, and opening one revealed it to be a journal. As curious as he was, sadly a journal wasn’t what he was after… until a thought occurred to him. He looked at all the unlabeled books around the room, as well as the scattered papers and notes. “Well, someone certainly has a lot of free time on their hands,” he muttered softly before closing it.
“Is that such a bad thing, dear?” A voice called.
/=/=/=/=/=/=/
Hey everyone, Alena again!
Okay, so this is my second series submission to The Alena Archive! As I’m sure you’re able to tell, this one is fictional and is not a part of my own personal story collection– that one will still be continued, don’t worry!
The idea for this universe has been in my head for a while, and it’s one I’m super excited to finally share with you all! Starting it this early was a little rushed for Halloween, but I’m hoping that it’s the beginning of something really, really special.
So to celebrate my own personal steps into building something big like this, I’ll be releasing another chapter every day until Halloween, with more chapters following as I’m able!
I hope you all enjoy, have plenty of safe spooks, and have a *very* Happy Halloween!! <3
Source: reddit.com/r/Erotica/comments/yfye4i/theseus_pt_2_the_witch_of_lenvett_pt_1_f20s_m20s