"My name is Aiden. These are Lyra and Maya. We're adventurers, here to answer your call for help and free you from the thieves who've been harassing you for days."
The woman was taken aback by the resolve in Aiden's words but made an effort to mask her surprise, maintaining her serious demeanor.
"And how do we know you're not part of that gang of thieves?" the archer girl said, still refusing to lower her bow.
"Because no thief would be dumb enough to show their face in broad daylight," Lyra snapped, irritated by the girl's attitude.
"Plus, we've got this as proof," Maya said, pulling the paper where she, Lyra, and Aiden had signed their names from inside her skirt. "This is the notice your village put out for help. Well… help's arrived."
The woman snapped her fingers, teleporting the paper from Maya's hand to her own.
After a quick glance, she confirmed the trio's words were no lie.
"Lower your bow, Lena," she told the young girl, who gave a sour grimace but obeyed. "They're trustworthy."
Aiden, Lyra, and Maya exchanged excited glances, relieved that the hostility around them had suddenly eased.
"Come with me. You'll need more information if you're serious about helping us."
The girl named Lena followed the woman, who signaled the villagers with a nod to return to their tasks.
"Where's she taking us?" Lyra asked.
"No idea, but we'd better follow her," Aiden said. "We can't afford to lose her trust now that we've got it."
The three trailed the woman, who led them to a house smaller and more run-down than the others in the village.
After passing through a curtain, they entered what seemed like a completely abandoned place.
"I haven't introduced myself… My name is Leonia, and I'm the mayor of this village."
"Why'd you bring us to this dump?" Maya asked.
"Show some respect for this place!" the girl snapped.
"I brought you here because this is where you'll find the reason those thieves have been hounding us for weeks," Leonia said.
"They have a reason?" Aiden asked. "I thought they were just bandits who picked this village as their favorite target."
"The thefts those men have committed are their way of pressuring us to give them what they're after," Leonia explained.
"And what's so valuable that they want it so badly?" Lyra asked.
Leonia snapped her fingers twice, using different fingers, and to everyone's surprise, a trapdoor opened in the floor, revealing a set of stairs descending into darkness.
"Let's go down so you can see it for yourselves."
. . .
After descending the dark passageway, they reached a pristine chamber with polished floors and walls, lit by several hanging torches.
At the center of the room was a rocky platform, on which rested a wooden scepter topped with a reddish gem.
"What's that?" Lyra asked.
"It's the scepter those men are trying to steal from us," Leonia replied. "I don't know how, but somehow they found out we have it."
"All this fuss over a gem?" Maya said.
"It's not the gem—it's what it can do," Aiden said, drawing everyone's attention. "I know that type of gem. I read about it in one of my books."
"What can it do?" Lyra asked.
"It's a gem that can control people's minds. They're rare and usually kept hidden to avoid falling into the wrong hands."
"You're almost right, young man," Leonia said, stepping closer to the scepter. "This gem can control minds, but not exactly human ones."
Before Leonia could continue, Aiden pieced it together, his heart pounding faster.
"This gem can control the minds and wills of demons."