The dense forest around them was quiet, too quiet. The usual sounds of wildlife—chirping birds, rustling leaves, the occasional scurry of animals—had all but vanished. It was as if the entire forest was holding its breath. Kazuya could feel the eerie stillness pressing down on him, a foreboding sense of unease settling deep in his gut.
Lyriana led the way with her keen eyes scanning the surroundings. Her elven senses were far sharper than Kazuya's, and he could see the tension in her posture as she moved. She had always been a calm presence, but today, even she was on edge.
"You feel it too, don't you?" Kazuya asked quietly.
Lyriana nodded, her face grim. "Something isn't right. We should have reached the village by now."
"Do you think they're still alive?"
"I don't know," she replied. "But if the enemy was truly as powerful as we suspect, then it's possible that they're already gone."
They continued for another hour, the weight of uncertainty hanging between them. Kazuya had long since stopped trying to predict what would happen next. His abilities had made him powerful, but they hadn't prepared him for the unknowns of this world.
Eventually, the path ahead opened up into a clearing, and what they saw made Kazuya's heart drop.
The village was a ruin.
Where there had once been houses made of wood and stone, now there were only charred remains. Smoke still curled into the air from smoldering fires, and the scent of ash and burnt wood lingered in the air. There were no signs of life—no villagers, no animals, not even the faintest trace of movement. Just destruction.
Lyriana's breath caught in her throat, and she stopped in her tracks. "What could have done this?"
Kazuya's mind raced. He scanned the area, his instincts urging him to stay alert. The destruction didn't match the pattern of a typical attack. There were no signs of direct combat, no blood, no bodies left behind. Whoever—or whatever—had done this had come and gone quickly.
"What are we looking for exactly?" Kazuya asked.
"Tracks, any clues," Lyriana said, her voice a low murmur. She crouched down, her fingers brushing the ground. "It's strange… these marks don't match anything I've seen before. They're… almost like…"
"Claws?" Kazuya finished, his gaze moving to the deeper shadows in the clearing where the destruction seemed most concentrated.
"Yes," she said, standing up. "And they're fresh. This wasn't long ago."
Kazuya's mind flashed back to the Shadow Drakkar, the terrifying beast they had fought together just days ago. Could this attack be related?
"Let's move quickly," Kazuya said, a new sense of urgency filling his voice. "We need to find answers."
They began to move through the village, careful not to disturb any possible evidence. Lyriana led the search, her eyes darting from one clue to the next. Kazuya, meanwhile, kept a watchful eye on their surroundings. His enhanced senses detected the faintest sounds in the distance—rustling leaves, the distant creak of branches swaying in the wind. But it was too far to be any immediate threat.
Hours passed, and their search revealed little—no survivors, no signs of struggle, just the devastation. Kazuya began to feel a creeping sense of frustration. They were chasing ghosts, following a trail that seemed to vanish the deeper they went.
Then, just as they were about to give up and head back to the village to report their findings, Lyriana stopped.
"Kazuya, over here."
He followed her to the edge of the village, where the ground was disturbed. There were tracks, but not from any animal.
"Look at this." Lyriana crouched beside the marks. They were large, deep impressions, as though something—or someone—had walked through the dirt with incredible weight.
Kazuya knelt beside her, analyzing the pattern. "This… this isn't like anything I've seen before. It's almost as if something with claws had been dragged across the ground."
"Exactly," Lyriana said, her brow furrowed. "And these tracks lead toward the mountains. The same mountains where the Drakkar came from."
Kazuya's heart skipped a beat. The connection was too clear to ignore. Whatever had attacked the village, it was from the same direction the Drakkar had come. But this wasn't just another beast. This was something more—something capable of destroying a village without leaving any survivors behind.
He stood up, determination hardening in his gaze. "Then we go after it."
Lyriana nodded. "Agreed. But we'll need to be careful. Whatever this is, it's not something we've dealt with before."
Kazuya clenched his fists, the familiar surge of power flowing through him. He didn't know what they were going to face, but he was certain of one thing—he wasn't going to let anything destroy another innocent life on his watch.
They set off toward the mountains, the sun beginning to dip below the horizon. The eerie silence of the village still hung heavy in the air, but Kazuya's mind was focused on the path ahead. He had learned to trust his abilities, to use them when the time was right. And he would need every ounce of strength he had for what was coming.
The path to the mountains was long and treacherous, winding through dense forests and over rocky terrain. The air grew colder the higher they climbed, and the shadows stretched longer as the night grew closer.
Kazuya could feel the weight of the mountain pressing down on him, but his resolve didn't waver. He had a purpose now, a mission. And nothing was going to stop him from uncovering the truth behind the attack.
Suddenly, a shrill, high-pitched scream pierced the air, echoing off the mountain peaks.
It was close.
Without a word, Kazuya and Lyriana sprinted forward, their pace quickening as the sounds of struggle grew louder. They reached the crest of the mountain, where the sound had originated from.
And what they found made Kazuya's blood run cold.
A group of villagers, just a handful, were backed into a corner by a creature unlike anything Kazuya had seen before. Its form was twisted, a grotesque amalgamation of humanoid and monstrous features. Its body was covered in scales, with long claws that gleamed in the fading light. And its eyes…
Kazuya's grip tightened around his weapon as he saw the malevolent intelligence in those eyes. This wasn't just a beast. This was something far more dangerous.
"We have to act fast," Lyriana whispered.
Kazuya nodded. He didn't know what this creature was, but he knew one thing—it was going to fall, just like every other enemy who dared to threaten those he cared about.
And this time, he wasn't going to hold back.