Sevirea and his reconnaissance team set out at dawn, the sky painted red by the first rays of sunlight. He cast one last glance back at the frail silhouette of the young woman he'd left behind to manage affairs in his absence. He affectionately called her Little Red Riding Hood because of her scarlet cloak, but also due to her apparent fragility—a fragility that masked a surprising tenacity.
Though uneasy about leaving her alone, Sevirea had no choice. Today's mission was far too critical to delay.
Their goal was to explore the rifts. These mysterious tears in the fabric of the world emitted massive amounts of impure mana capable of corrupting any creature that came too close. Since the start of the war, these anomalies had become a major concern. Tales of monstrous mutations and uncontrollable frenzies made exploration perilous, but their existence could not be ignored.
