The group arrived at the water village. As they searched for clues to the fourth pillar, they felt a wave of dark magic coming from one of the villagers.
[Later that night, when everyone was sleeping]
Outside the village, near a cave, a man stood holding something glowing in his hand—its light was a mix of red and black. Far away, Gray was watching him silently from the shadows.
At midnight, when the entire village was asleep, a sound broke the silence.
A roar.
A beast's roar.
The villagers woke in panic, rushing out of their homes. Ari and the others, already awake from the noise, quickly reacted. Ari and Dawn came out of their room. Tracey and Gray were already outside with the villagers, heading toward the cave.
One of the village women stopped Ari and warned, "Don't go there… it might be too risky for you. Let the men handle this."
The men of the village ran toward the cave where the beast stayed. With lamps in their hands, they slowly entered.
As they went deeper inside, Gray and Tracey couldn't believe what they were seeing. The deep part of the cave was glowing with a blue light. At the center was a pond, from which the light was coming. The walls around the cave were lined with blue crystals that glowed brightly.
Then, something began to emerge from the pond.
It was a beast—similar to Ashenfang, but with blue-colored fur and a slightly smaller build, marked with different body patterns.
It was in a rage, attacking the villagers. Gray quickly created a shield.
Some of the villagers shouted, "Forgive us, our savior! We are late… we are sorry for that!"
Others yelled, "Whoever did this to our guardian will pay!"
Benn was also there. The beast, still in rage, clawed at the ground. Benn pointed and said, "There are footprints—look!"
The villagers saw them, leading from the opposite side of the village.
One villager shouted, "It's been clear from the start—it's their doing! Those bastard Sky Insects!"
Then they all moved back to the village, while some stayed at the cave to protect the guardian.
Tracey and Gray were also heading back with the villagers.
Gray asked, "What does 'sky insect' mean?"
A villager replied, "The people from the other village."
Gray understood—they were referring to the Sky Wind Village, Kazekari.
They all returned, but even though the village eventually fell silent again, the tension of their protector being hurt still lingered in everyone's minds.
The next morning, everyone gathered in the village center. Ari stood with her group, and the village leader gave her a spot next to him, showing the respect and importance she held.
One villager spoke up, "We should attack the Kazekari Village right now for what they did yesterday!"
Almost everyone in the crowd agreed with him.
Another villager asked, "What is your opinion, Princess Ari?"
Ari glanced toward Gray. Gray gave a small nod of agreement for her to speak.
Ari said, "I think… even if there is just a 1% chance of doubt, we should not take action. As royalty, we always approach things with thought before doing something rash—and it works every time."
One villager argued, "But, my lady, there is no doubt they were the ones who did this. Why would any one of us do such a thing?"
Others agreed with him.
Ari replied, "Yes, I am sure none of you did this. But still, without certain proof, we cannot blame them either. And if we do… what if it's just one person behind this? Then punishing the entire village for one person's doing would be wrong."
Gray then stepped forward. "I have a plan."
"Listen carefully. Someone will spread word to the other villages about what happened last night," he began. "And with that, they'll know that tonight, the Water Village will be guarding the cave."
A ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd.
"But that's exactly why," Gray continued, "we won't guard it tonight we just observe. If the culprit is from the other village, they won't dare show up knowing we're on watch. They'll wait and plan for another night."
"And here's the real trap for them—" Gray said. "From tomorrow onward, we will guard the cave every single night. That way, no matter when they choose to act, we'll be ready."
Several villagers nodded in approval. To them, it sounded like a cautious, defensive strategy.
The village leader also agreed with his plan.
The news also spread quickly to the other village.
For now, all of Gray's plans were set.
Then the group went to the village leader's house to gain some information.
They entered, and then Gray asked,
"Why do the people of this village hate the Sky Village?"
The leader replied,
"It's just a hatred that started from believing in a different creature—the guardian of this world."
Ari asked,
"What does that mean?"
The leader explained,
"As you all know, the cave here is where our guardian beast lives. There is a similar cave in the Sky Village, in which another beast lives, and they pray to that beast as their guardian. Not just guarding, but both villages' ancestors told a legend—that there is a beast who is the strongest in the world and protects this world from outer terror."
Tracey became interested the moment he heard this.
He asked,
"If there are two beasts and each village prays to one, then isn't the legend wrong or at least a little bit incorrect?"
The leader said,
"Don't dare to say this outside this room, please. If any villager hears you saying it's fake or incorrect, they will never forgive you."
Tracey quickly responded,
"No, no, I also believe that there is a beast who is the strongest in the whole world. But what I've heard is that it's a single beast, so that's why I said that."
Ari said,
"So it's all about who the villagers believe in. If one village says their guardian beast is the true protector, then the other village gets angry—and that's how the hatred started between the two villages, right?"
The leader replied,
"Yes, you could say that, Lady Ari."
Then night came. The villagers had completed their dinner, and slowly, the lights of the village began to go out. Soon, the whole village was covered in darkness.
At a short distance away, a figure entered the cave.
The man was wearing a mask and a coat so that no one could recognize him.
He entered the cave, and in front of him was the pond. He cast a spell, and square tile-like black magic formed above the pond. It was absorbing something from it—then came the roar of the beast. The magic was pulling the beast's magic power away.
But as this was happening, the man suddenly froze.
He looked down.
His feet were locked in mercury—and slowly, his hands were too.
The spell was canceled as he lost control.
From the side, a figure stepped forward.
It was Gray, who had been hiding there with the village leader.
The man was shocked and tried to run, but from behind, Ari and the others blocked the exit path.
Gray's voice cut through the silence, low and steady.
Gray – "There's nowhere left for you to run. So be smart… take off the mask."
The masked man froze. His breathing grew uneven. His fingers twitched—hesitating.
Gray's eyes narrowed.
Gray – "…Benn."