bookcurios Chapter 254: Amber Village
Chapter 254: Amber Village
had finishedThey then decided to separate and regroup later, once they were done exploring the ruins of Amber Village.
Ulrich chose to head toward the back of the settlement, closer to the mountain where a building larger than the rest stood in silence beneath the snow.
From the outside, it looked like some kind of headquarters once used by Orchina’s soldiers.
The trucks that had been used to transport the ’coal’ were still parked outside, half-buried beneath layers of snow and ice.
The building itself remained strangely intact. Furniture still sat where it belonged, untouched by looters.
Even the weapons inside the armory remained neatly stored away, as if their owners had only stepped outside for a moment.
It felt wrong as though everyone had simply vanished in the middle of an ordinary day and never returned again.
Reports and documents still rested on desks in orderly stacks. Chairs remained pushed neatly beneath tables. Nothing showed signs of panic or struggle.
The electricity no longer worked, however, and every window had been left open. The freezing air had swallowed the inside whole, preserving everything beneath layers of frost.
Ulrich could not determine exactly how long the base had been abandoned, but the signs pointed toward years rather than months.
Snow had piled high enough inside the rooms to reach his legs. Rust spread across exposed metal surfaces, and the roads leading into the village had become nearly impossible to pass through.
Fallen trees blocked entire paths, left uncleared long enough for nature itself to reclaim the route.
When he finally stepped through the back door, the mountain loomed before him.
A massive wall of ice and stone towered beneath the pale sky. In this part of Leuca, winter never truly ended.
Some seasons brought harsher snowfall than others, and there were periods when snow rarely fell at all, yet the cold never loosened its grip enough for the land to thaw completely.
"So you are here," Ulrich murmured quietly as he stared toward the mountain.
"The Undead King. A being that cannot truly die because death itself has long rejected him."
A faint smile touched his lips. "I wonder what kind of story remains inside a creature like you."
About two hours later, the group gathered inside what appeared to have once belonged to the village chief.
It was the only house where the snow had not completely buried every room, allowing them to settle in the living room without standing knee-deep in frost.
"All the furniture is still there. Clothes too," Andrew reported first as he removed the snow from his coat.
"There are no signs of violence in any of the places I checked. Honestly, it feels less like people fled and more like they simply... walked away one day."
He frowned. "Something about this place is deeply wrong."
"Me too. I-I found nothing," Matthew added quietly. "Even the mutated animals are gone."
"Oh?" Ulrich turned toward him with mild curiosity. "Were there many of them before?"
Matthew nodded. "I didn’t mention it last night because I thought everybody already knew about it, but most of the mutated animals weren’t actually dangerous. Just strange. Rabbits with three eyes, birds born with two heads, things like that."
"However, the ones near the mine were different. They were stronger and more aggressive. Some became so powerful that people in the past worshipped them like gods because nobody could kill them."
He hesitated briefly before continuing. "The soldiers helped keep them under control. They had rifles and proper weapons, so they hunted most of the dangerous ones."
Matthew lowered his voice slightly. "Some were captured alive too. The villagers said they were sent away for experiments, though nobody knew where."
"I see." Ulrich rested his chin lightly against his hand, thoughtful. "Then the pattern becomes clearer."
The room fell silent as he continued.
"Abandoned homes with no signs of struggle or bodies. Even the wildlife disappeared alongside the villagers."
His gaze shifted toward the frost-covered window. "When fear drives people away, they leave traces behind. Panic is messy by nature. But this village feels... organized."
"You think something led them away?" Andrew asked. "Maybe toward the mine, like what happened in Oprichin Village?"
"That is certainly possible," Ulrich replied calmly. "But humans tend to repeat the same assumptions whenever they encounter a familiar tragedy. It gives them comfort. They see one pattern and force every mystery to fit inside it."
A small amused smile appeared on his face. "Unfortunately, the world is rarely kind enough to repeat itself so neatly except."
Andrew crossed his arms. "Then why are you so focused on the mountain?"
Then he leaned back slightly in his seat.
"Gentlemen, would you like to hear my theories?"
Both Andrew and Matthew nodded at the same time, unable to hide their curiosity anymore.
"Our enemies have already abandoned this place. They were here once, that much is certain." Ulrich’s gaze drifted toward the frozen mountain outside the window.
"Perhaps that foolish first princess believed it was wise to bury the Emblem’s weapons here. Tools created specifically to punish vampires."
He inhaled slowly before continuing.
"Either Bjorne or Latros must have discovered them and taken them away. But in doing so, they likely awakened something sleeping beneath this land, or perhaps triggered a phenomenon connected to the mountain itself."
His expression remained calm, though his eyes had darkened slightly with thought.
"We should prepare to move soon. The climb will not be kind to humans."
He glanced toward Andrew and Matthew. "Bring whatever you need to survive the cold. Food, medicine, spare batteries, anything that can still function in this temperature. In the meantime, I will attempt to contact Bianca."
Both Andrew and Matthew nodded immediately. They seemed to feel the same thing he did, as though something atop the mountain was quietly calling to them. The sensation was subtle yet impossible to ignore.
Even Ulrich found it unsettling.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the small doll Bianca used to communicate through.
Usually, faint golden light lingered within its eyes, accompanied by the familiar presence of her power.
Now, the glow was fading.
Ulrich stared at it for a moment before silently slipping it back into his pocket. There was no reason to alarm the others yet.
Still, the realization settled heavily in his mind.
They had been completely cut off from the outside world.
The air in this place felt weird, almost separated from reality itself. Like a vampire’s domain.
A faint smile slowly appeared on Ulrich’s face instead of fear.
"This may become far more interesting than I expected," he murmured softly.
Outside, Andrew and Matthew had already started walking back toward the vehicle they had parked far from the village, forced to leave it behind when fallen dead trees blocked the road.
The two hurried through the snow to gather supplies for the climb ahead while the mountain continued looming silently in the distance, watching them like something alive.