"Hometown Journey"

“Aw man,” Shin’ō complained as he dragged his feet along the dirt path. “Do we really have to go by foot?”

Audaxor gave him a dry look. “There's nothing left. All we have is in our backpacks. You burned down everything else, remember?”

“I barely burned it down,” Shin’ō muttered under his breath.

“Can't we just fly?” he said, hopefully this time.

Jovino spun around. “Are you crazy or what!?” he cried. “I’m already holding myself together with hopes and dreams!”

Helwin adjusted the strap of his pack, silent as always, before calmly asking, “It's not that far… right?”

Bezkon, still munching on some rations, answered in between bites. “It’s 145 kilometers away.”

“145?!” Shin’ō stumbled. “Noooo, I’m not built for this! I’m going to die!”

Audaxor smirked. “Hey hey, keep it together. It’ll only take… like a week.”

With no better option, the group trudged forward through the forested wilderness, the scent of damp moss and fresh leaves surrounding them. The path ahead was long, and spirits were already dipping.

They walked in an oddly specific formation—Audaxor, the navigator, in front, followed by Bezkon, the attacker, then Shin’ō, the cook. Jovino trailed behind Shin’ō as the designated "useless one" (his words), and Helwin kept watch at the rear as their scout.

Eventually, they reached a serene lake. The light danced across the surface, reflecting the hues of the slowly dipping sun. They decided to rest and eat.

Audaxor opened the map on his phone, scanning the route. “According to this, the next major landmark is a village northwest of here.”

Shin’ō handed him a small package. “Here. Take this. It's hot.”

Jovino sniffed suspiciously. “Does this have meat? If it does, I can’t eat it.”

Bezkon chimed in, mouth already full. “Don’t worry. I took the meat one. Mmm, delicious.”

From the trees, Helwin shouted, “Lake’s clear! No monsters nearby!”

After the break, the group resumed walking. The peace didn’t last long.

Growls echoed through the trees.

A pack of wolves emerged from the shadows, their eyes glowing with an unnatural hue. Their fur was coarse, their bodies lean and twisted. Corrupted.

“Some wolves?” Helwin cracked his knuckles. “They’re no match for us.”

“Don’t show your backs to them!” Audaxor warned as the wolves began circling.

One lunged toward Bezkon.

A sharp crack rang out—Jovino had summoned a stone wall just in time. The wolf slammed into it and dropped, stunned. Bezkon summoned his thunder katana and sliced the fallen beast, its body sparking and twitching. Another wolf pounced toward Jovino, but Bezkon was already there, cutting it down mid-air.

Jovino retaliated, splitting the earth and trapping two wolves in a collapsing pit.

Helwin conjured two gleaming ice daggers. With a practiced flick, they sailed through the air, impaling two more wolves. Frost bloomed around their corpses.

Audaxor summoned a fireball, hurling it into the flank of another. The beast screeched before turning to ash. One wolf leapt at him from behind—but Shin’ō formed a glowing spiritual shield just in time. With a flick of his hand, the shield morphed into a long spear and pierced the creature.

The final two wolves charged.

Audaxor and Shin’ō exchanged a glance. Then, at the same moment, their respective fireball and energy spear launched—clean, precise, and fatal.

The forest returned to silence.

Helwin dusted himself off. “Well, that was easy.”

Audaxor approached the carcasses, kneeling by one. “These wolves… they were mutated. Something’s wrong.”

Shin’ō looked around cautiously. “It seems the wildlife has also been affected. This isn’t normal.”

As the sky turned amber and then a deep violet, the group decided to set up camp near a small hill.

“Bro, I made the fire. Come cook!” Audaxor called.

Bezkon threw down his gear. “Tent’s finished.”

“Yeah, I’m going to sleep early,” Jovino mumbled, already halfway into his bedroll.

Not long after, Shin’ō and Helwin returned from a short forage, each holding a handful of mushrooms.

“Oh! You guys are done?” Shin’ō grinned. “Helwin and I just found some mushrooms.”

“Apparently,” Helwin added in his usual monotone, “they taste like chicken.”

Audaxor’s eyes lit up. “What!? Let’s feed it to Jovino!”

“About that…” Bezkon chuckled. “He already knocked out.”

“Aww man, I really wanted to prank him. Guess I’ll do it at breakfast.”

That night, the four remaining members sat around the fire, eating, chatting.

As morning arrived, the sun rose slowly over the horizon, casting a soft light on the road ahead. They packed up camp, stretched their stiff limbs, and continued walking.

They passed through meadows, under arching trees, along rocky ridges and across shallow rivers. Nature was beautiful, but the signs of change were everywhere—mutated creatures, scorched earth, strange echoes in the wind.

Finally, by late afternoon, they reached what should’ve been a small village.

But something was wrong.

It was filled with fog—thick and clinging. The houses were intact but silent. There were no sounds of life. No people. No movement...

Just emptiness...

“...Is this the village on the map?” Audaxor asked cautiously.

Shin’ō nodded, peering through the fog. “Yeah. But where is everyone...?”