The Fading Sigils - Daybridge Chronicles: Tales from the Nexus, #0

Ethan Reeves never expected a routine paranormal investigation to uncover a centuries-old pact between a small New England town and something ancient lurking beneath its historic covered bridge. When a local maintenance worker dies under mysterious circumstances, Ethan and his partner Alice are called to Daybridge to investigate the town's "bridge ogre" legend. What begins as folklore quickly reveals itself as something far more dangerous—a dimensional breach guarded by an entity bound through generations of ritual sacrifice and fading sigils.

As federal authorities converge on Daybridge to neutralize what they consider a paranormal threat, Ethan discovers the truth is more complex than monster or guardian. With the dimensional boundary weakening and the binding ritual failing, he faces an impossible choice: restore the original pact requiring human sacrifice, or attempt a dangerous new approach that might transform both the guardian and the town's relationship with what waits beneath the bridge. The clock is ticking as a summer storm approaches, bringing with it forces that threaten to tear the very fabric of reality—and Ethan must decide if some monsters deserve understanding rather than defeat.