Beneath the Ashen Veil, Vows of Vengeance

They stepped out from the ruins of the house, leaving behind the shattered walls and half-burnt memories that clung to the air like ghosts. The rain had stopped, but the scent of wet earth and char lingered heavily in the breeze. Their footsteps were slow, weighed down by the silence of a village now reduced to rubble.

Ikuro walked ahead, eyes scanning the surroundings with quiet caution. Where proud wooden homes once stood, only skeletal beams and piles of ash remained. The air was thick with the metallic stench of death and the smoky remnants of destruction.

"Sarah," he said, breaking the silence, "do you know what really happened here?"

The girl’s grip tightened on the hilt of her sword. Her voice came low, yet steady. "Monsters attacked our village… but the strange thing is, this area was supposed to be safe."

Ikuro’s brows furrowed. "So this wasn’t a normal incident?"

She shook her head. "I’m not sure. But… a few days before it happened, some of the hunters mentioned strange signs in the woods. Massive tracks, too big for any creature we’ve seen before."

He stayed quiet, thoughts racing as he pieced the fragments together. If this village had been safe for years… what had changed? Could something have lured the monsters here? Or worse… had someone led them?

They continued through the ruins. Charred fences, broken pottery, and shattered lanterns lined the path. Sarah suddenly stopped in front of what remained of a large building.

“This was the village chief’s house…” she murmured.

The gate was scorched, the door half-off its hinges. Inside, the remains of a heavy wooden table lay splintered across the floor, surrounded by singed documents and debris.

She stepped in first, cautiously. Ikuro followed, his senses sharp. The room was dim and thick with ash, but something caught his attention. A trail of blood, fresher than the rest.

“Someone was here… not long ago,” he muttered.

Sarah knelt beside the papers that had survived the fire. Most were ruined, but one still had a few visible lines. She squinted, reading aloud.

“They warned us… The monsters didn’t just show up… Something or someone was behind it.”

Her voice faltered. “So this wasn’t just nature running wild…”

Ikuro narrowed his eyes, his grip tightening. “No… it was deliberate.”

She looked at him, startled. “You mean… someone wanted this village destroyed?”

Ikuro’s silence was the answer.

The air grew heavier. A wind slipped through the broken walls, howling low like a whisper of the dead. Sarah clenched her fists. “Then I want to know who did this. I have to know.”

Ikuro turned to her, saw the fire behind her eyes. “Then let’s not waste time. Answers aren’t here anymore.”

He led the way outside, and she followed after one last glance at what had once been a place of peace.

Their path was clear now.

Philin City… Whatever this mystery was, it wouldn’t be solved by standing in ashes.

But just before they could fully leave, Sarah suddenly stopped.

Ikuro turned. “What is it?”

Her expression sharpened. “We’re not alone.”

He instinctively reached for his sword.

Something moved in the shadows of a collapsed house. Quick steps, uneven, like someone watching and deciding whether to flee… or strike.

“…Is that a person?” Sarah whispered.

Ikuro didn’t answer. His instincts screamed otherwise.

Whoever or whatever it was, it didn’t feel like a friend.

And they needed to keep moving.