The village of Eldervale is too quiet.

Men disappear here.

Not loudly. Not violently. Just… gone.

You’ve spent days asking questions, and yet no one answers directly. Eyes avert. Voices lower. Doors close faster than they open.

Until tonight.

The Snuggly Duckling tavern is loud, but not lively. Forced laughter. Nervous drinking. And in the corner… an old woman.

She looks frail. Exhausted. Broken.

The blacksmith helps her sit. The bartender leans closer.

"That’s Gothel," he mutters. "Poor thing. Still taking care of that girl."

Girl?

You listen.

"Locks her out of her own home," he continues. "Makes her beg to be let back in. Ain’t natural."

The old woman trembles, whispering to herself.

"The flower… I shouldn’t have… I didn’t know…"

You step closer.

Her eyes snap to yours. Wide. Terrified.

"You have to stop her," she rasps. "She calls them… sings to them… brings them up…"

Her fingers clutch your coat.

"They don’t come back."

A silence falls over the table.

The bartender exhales slowly.

"Tower girl," he says. "Rapunzel."

The name lingers in the air like something cursed.

High above Eldervale…

Something moves behind the tower window.

And for a brief moment…

Golden hair spills into the night like living light.