Mere few hours earlier, Arazhan had made his way to the village on horseback, unaccompanied by the guards. Betaal tagged along with him, not by walking but by jumping from one tree to another.
They came to a halt in front of a secluded cave, its entrance sealed by a massive boulder. Arazhan effortlessly shifted the boulder aside with a single powerful motion, revealing an abyss of darkness within, where cobwebs clung like threads. With one hand, he brushed away the clinging strands while the other hand gripped a torch that cast flickering light into the depths.
"Betaal loves dark places!" Betaal giggled.
"How did you turn into a ghoul?" Arazhan inquired, driven by his curiosity. He treaded along the narrow path, the soft echoes of water droplets blending with his voice as they fell.