The day had not fully brightened when Elias decided to go to the north dock.
Greyhaven had two main docks.
The south dock was what visitors to the city first saw. That was where the remaining ships were moored.
But the north dock was different.
It was an older place.
Narrower.
Quieter.
Some of its wooden planks had rotted.
No ship had docked there in a long time.
Elias walked through the small street leading there.
The houses in this part of the city looked older.
Wall paint peeling.
Some windows boarded up with wooden planks.
A man sat in a chair in front of his house, staring at the ground without moving.
Elias observed him for several seconds.
The man didn't even realize someone was passing by.
Like a statue.
Or someone whose mind had gone elsewhere.
The sea wind blew increasingly cold as Elias drew closer to the north dock.
The fog here was thicker.
When he finally reached the dock, the place was completely empty.
No ships.
No people.
Only the sound of seawater hitting the old wooden posts.
Elias walked slowly along the dock.
Every step made the wooden planks creak softly.
He stopped in the middle of the dock.
Here the fog was so thick that the sea was almost invisible.
But there was something different on the wooden floor.
Footprints.
Elias crouched.
The tracks were still clear enough.
Someone had indeed walked here last night.
Their steps were unsteady.
Like someone who hesitated.
The tracks stopped near the end of the dock.
Elias followed the direction of the tracks to the edge.
But there…
the tracks ended.
There was no sign of someone jumping into the sea.
No evidence of a struggle.
No blood.
As if the person had simply… vanished.
Elias stood and looked toward the sea.
Fog moved slowly like a white curtain.
And for a moment…
he felt there was something in that fog.
A figure.
Tall.
Unclear.
But when he blinked, there was only empty seawater.
The wind suddenly became colder.
Elias took a long breath.
He did not like this feeling.
This was not merely a mystery of a missing person.
There was something deeper happening in this city.
Something slowly gnawing at its people.
Footsteps sounded from behind.
Elias turned.
The large man from the inn stood at the end of the dock.
"So you came here after all."
Elias did not look surprised.
"The name of the person who disappeared last night was Bram, correct?"
The man nodded slowly.
"Bram Nelder."
He walked closer until he stood a few steps from Elias.
"He was a fisherman."
"Did he have problems?"
The man laughed softly.
"Who in this city doesn't?"
He looked at the sea for a moment.
"Bram lost his ship two years ago."
"A storm?"
"No."
The man shook his head.
"He sold it."
"Why?"
"Because he stopped believing the sea would give him anything anymore."
Those words sounded simple.
But Elias understood their meaning.
People who lost hope often began to let go of things that once gave them purpose.
Work.
Dreams.
Relationships.
In the end, they could even let go of their own lives.
Elias looked again at the footprints on the dock floor.
"Do many people come here at night?"
The man hesitated.
"Some."
"Why?"
The man answered in a softer voice.
"They say there is someone here."
Elias waited.
"Someone standing in the fog."
The sea wind blew Elias's coat.
"Have you seen it?"
The man shook his head.
"No."
He paused before adding.
"But Luca has drawn it."
Elias did not say that he already knew this.
The large man looked at the sea for a very long time.
"People of Greyhaven used to fear storms."
He sighed.
"Now they fear the night."
Fog moved slowly over the water.
In the distance, the sound of creaking wood echoed like distant footsteps.
Elias closed his eyes for a moment.
In his mind, one thought emerged.
If the Lament were truly born from human despair…
then Greyhaven had been growing its seed for a long time.
And now…
something might be learning how to walk among humans.
The large man finally spoke again.
"I haven't asked your name."
Elias opened his eyes.
"Elias."
The man nodded.
"People in this city call me Rowan."
He looked at the footprints on the dock floor.
"If Bram truly disappeared because of the same thing as the others…"
Rowan stopped.
"…then this city will not last long."
Elias did not answer.
But in his heart he knew Rowan might be right.
Because something in Greyhaven had already begun to move.
And when night came again…
the fog would become thicker.
And someone would see the tall figure standing closer than before.