The dirt road opened up into the ruined edges of Qichi Village, its once humble homes now little more than splintered beams and roof tiles half-swallowed by vines. A heavy atmosphere clung to the air, thick as ash, broken only by the distant caw of crows circling overhead.
Man this feels like one of those apocalyptic movies and horror movies, this place gives me the creeps.
Yangyang slowed her steps, her boots crunching against scattered pottery shards. Her hand rose, brushing her long dark bangs aside as her brows furrowed. "This must be the place…" she murmured, her voice low, carrying an uneasy weight.
Her eyes darted around, narrowing as the faint shimmer of corrupted energy prickled against her senses. She drew a sharp breath, clutching her sword. "I sensed something back at the leaf… a shadow, but I couldn't place it." She paused, her throat bobbing as she swallowed the tension rising in her chest. "And now… it's worse. Hatred. Pain. It's everywhere."
What kind of senses is that? Jeff mused.
Rover stepped up beside her, silent but alert, her sword already halfway drawn. Her eyes scanned the ruins like a predator's, jaw set tight. The faint glow of spectro energy flickered along the blade's edge.
Jeff stood just behind them, the late-morning sun cutting sharp across his features. His jaw tightened as he tugged his pistol free with his right hand, the polished steel catching the light, while his left drew his sword in a clean arc. His breath fogged faintly despite the heat, a nervous habit he couldn't shake. "You're right," he muttered, voice low but steady. "This whole place feels wrong." Even without Yangyang's sense this place gives me the chills.
Yangyang's grip on her sword tightened until her knuckles blanched. She squared her shoulders, trying to mask the unease in her quickened breathing. "We have to be cautious," she said firmly, raising her chin despite the fear flickering behind her dark eyes. "This is a Tacet Field. Let's clear them out first."
The ground trembled.
From the hollow shell of the nearest hut, a twisted screech tore through the silence—like rusted metal grinding against bone. Figures lurched into view: Tacet Discords, their warped bodies shuddering with unnatural spasms, jagged claws dragging furrows into the dirt. Their eyes burned faintly, no longer human.
"Here they come!" Rover barked.
Yangyang lunged first, her sword slicing through the air. Wind gathered at its tip, feathers of compressed Resonance bursting outward in sharp blasts. Each strike cut clean, slicing through the first Discord with a gust that sent its body reeling back into the ruins.
Rover followed close, her movements fluid yet merciless. She weaved between two rushing Discords, her sword glowing with spectro light as she pivoted on her heel, delivering a clean upward slash that split one in two. Her hair snapped behind her like a whip, her eyes sharp with focus.
Jeff kept his distance at first, breath steady as he raised his pistol. "On your left, Rover!" he shouted. He fired, the sharp crack of the shot echoing against the empty houses. The bullet pierced through the Discord rushing her blind side, staggering it just long enough for Rover's follow-up slash to finish the job.
A second Discord lunged for Yangyang from behind. She spun, her sword whistling through the air as wind burst outward in a violent spiral. Her expression tightened, lips pressed in determination as she knocked the beast off its feet. "Got it!" she called, breathless but steady.
Jeff switched seamlessly—his sword flashing in his left hand as another Discord rushed in. He ducked under its claw, pivoted, and drove the blade upward into its torso. With a grunt, he shoved it back, and as it staggered, he fired point-blank into its skull. The Discord collapsed with a sickening thud.
More came. The air thickened with their distorted screeches, shadows flitting between ruined walls. Sweat beaded on Jeff's brow, sliding down the line of his jaw. Rover exhaled through her nose, steady, her grip tightening as her sword flared with energy once again. Yangyang spun her sword in a wide arc, and did a flourish eyes burning with resolve.
"We hold them here," Rover commanded, her voice steady but urgent.
Jeff flicked blood from his blade with a sharp snap of his wrist, then steadied his pistol once more. His lips curved in a faint, grim smile despite the chaos. "Then let's make it quick."
With that, the three surged forward again—a combination of steel, wind, and gunfire cutting through the corrupted tide in the heart of a broken village.
The stillness after battle was almost worse than the fight itself.
The Tacet Field, now purged of most of its corruption. The ruins of Qichi Village lay sprawled around them, broken walls sagging inward, rooftops collapsed and half-buried in weeds. Even the crows had gone silent.
Yangyang's footsteps slowed, her boots crunching against the brittle dirt. Her sword was still in hand, though lowered now, the feathers that trailed from her weapon fluttering faintly in the warm day breeze. Her brows knitted together as she crouched near a half-burned plaque lying in the rubble.
"I think I've found something, Rover, Jeff," she called softly, her voice tinged with unease.
Rover approached silently, her blade gleaming faintly before she sheathed it. Strands of dark hair clung to her temple with sweat, but her eyes were sharp as ever, studying the object. Jeff lingered a step behind, one hand still resting on the grip of his pistol out of habit, his gaze sweeping the ruins like a watchdog unwilling to lower his guard.
Yangyang turned the tattered wooden plaque over in her hand. Its carvings were faded but deliberate—etched with care long ago. She bit her lip, frowning. "Ritualistic wooden plaques…" Her eyes darted to Rover and Jeff. "But why are they here? These should be in ancestral shrines, not… dumped in a place like this."
Her words faltered as her thumb brushed over the cracks in the wood. "And they don't belong to this time. These… They're older. Much older."
Jeff tilted his head, brows knitting, though he kept silent. Yangyang's voice softened, as if speaking to herself. "I read about something like this before. Villages that held large-scale rituals… guided by beliefs, desperate for answers."
Rover's jaw flexed. Her voice was calm but clipped. "I see. Let's move. There might be more."
Yangyang nodded and stood, dusting her palms against her thighs.
They hadn't walked far before Jeff noticed the embers. A charred patch of earth spread across the village square, ash curling like snowflakes in the faint breeze. Yangyang knelt again, fingers hovering just above the scorched dirt without touching.
"This place is a mess…" she murmured, her face hardening. Her dark eyes followed the trails pressed into the ground—lines and arcs of dragging, uneven footprints. "But it's not a warzone. Someone was hurt… dragged away." She traced the grooves with her gaze, her shoulders tightening as if she could feel the struggle through the soil. "There was a fight. And someone didn't walk away from it."
Jeff's grip on his sword tightened. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Then, a sound broke the silence.
A low groan. A shuffle.
Rover reacted instantly, drawing her blade, stance shifting as she angled herself between the sound and Yangyang. Jeff mirrored her, pistol raising, every muscle tense.
From behind a half-collapsed hut, a figure stumbled into view—a Tacet Discord. But unlike the others, it didn't rush them. Its body was twisted and trembling, its limbs jerking unnaturally as though it struggled against itself. Its voice rasped like gravel against steel.
"Ugh… uh? Uhh…"
Yangyang's breath caught in her throat. "Watch out!"
But the creature didn't charge. It staggered, its voice faltering again.
"…Brother… help… help…"
The three froze.
Jeff's finger hovered over the trigger, but he didn't pull. His brows pinched tight, confusion mixing with the instinctive urge to shoot. "What the hell…?" he muttered under his breath. Seeing it for the first time still give me the creeps, like those fucking horror movies.
Yangyang's lips parted, her eyes wide, shock flickering across her usually composed features. "Something's not right. Why wouldn't it attack us?"
The Discord's body twitched again, its face contorting in something almost human. "…Brother… help…"
Jeff's stomach sank. His mind supplied an image of a child's voice behind that broken rasp, and he clenched his jaw. Damn… that's dark. That little kid must've been so scared.
Rover's expression was unreadable, though her stance remained defensive. Her voice, low and sharp: "Should I end it?"
Yangyang's hand shot out, panic flashing across her face. "W-wait! Look at it—it's not fighting back!"
Jeff's voice slipped out, quieter this time, disbelief threading through it. "Do Tacet Discords… have consciousness?"
The creature croaked again, weaker this time. "…Help… brother…" Then, silence. Its body trembled once more before going eerily still, swaying in place as if even existing was too heavy.
Yangyang's sword lowered slowly. Her chest rose and fell quickly, as if her heartbeat had caught fire. She crouched, hesitation visible in every movement, then—carefully—rested her palm against the creature's head.
Jeff blinked, taken aback. "Are you—are you talking to it?"
Yangyang's eyes softened, sorrow flickering across her face as she closed them. "No… not exactly." Her voice wavered, her hand tightening against the Discord's twitching skin. "I can't speak to it. But I can feel… echoes. Complex feelings." She swallowed, her throat tight. "Sadness. Anticipation. Longing."
Her voice cracked as she whispered, "I'm sorry…"
Rover glanced down at her, jaw tightening as if weighing a silent choice, before looking away. Jeff said nothing, but something in his chest twisted at the quiet sincerity in Yangyang's tone.
Finally, Yangyang looked up, her dark eyes glimmering with determination. "It's not asking for help for itself. This thing—this village—it's begging. Crying out for rescue." Her voice wavered, but she pressed on, her brows furrowed with pain. "Something awful happened here, and the victims' reverberations still linger."
Jeff exhaled sharply through his nose, forcing back a bitter laugh. Nice observation skills, Yangyang, he thought, sarcasm flickering to mask the unease crawling up his spine.
Yangyang continued, voice steadier now. "Based on what we've seen… It wasn't long ago. I can still feel it, as though the Streams themselves are mourning. Maybe the Tacet Field hid it, or maybe…" Her lips pressed into a thin line. "Maybe someone wanted it concealed."
The weight of her words settled heavy between them.
Rover broke the silence, her voice low. "This is where Jinhsi's token pointed us."
Yangyang straightened, drawing in a long breath before nodding. "Thank you, Rover. Jeff. Please… stay sharp. This place isn't done with us yet."
Her gaze dropped once more to the Discord, her hand finally pulling back. "As for the little one… let's leave it."
Jeff's jaw clenched. He didn't like leaving it, but he didn't like the alternative either.
Yangyang moved to a nearby pile of carved cards, her eyes narrowing as she picked one up. Recognition flickered in her gaze. "…The Fractsidus. It must be them."
"The Fractsidus?" Rover asked, her tone colder now.
Yangyang nodded grimly. "A cult. Extremists obsessed with fusing humans and Tacet Discords. They've caused terror across the world." Her voice grew harder, each word a blade. "They believe consuming Discords makes humans evolve. That it's the next stage of existence."
Jeff's lip curled in disgust. Nutcases. And in the game they planned to revive a damn Threnodian. How insane do you have to be?
Yangyang's expression darkened as she continued. "Above the common Artificers are their Overseers. Leaders with strange abilities and motives no one fully understands. Some whisper of destruction. Others, eternal power. But one stands out even among them."
Her hands tightened around the carved card, her knuckles white. "A man they call Scar. These cards match the ones linked to him."
She looked back at the ruined village, her eyes shadowed with something close to fear. "If he's behind this… the atrocities here may only be the beginning."
Jeff let out a long, sharp breath, his stomach knotting. Jesus. Same eerie place, same sick game. Only this time… I'm fucking here.
The group moved deeper into the ruined village, their boots crunching over broken tiles and dirt. The air was heavy, almost suffocating, as if the silence itself had weight. Wind whispered through the hollow remains of houses, carrying faint echoes of lives long gone. Every creak of wood, every brush of leaves, sounded sharper in their ears.
Jeff's hand stayed close to his pistol, his eyes flicking between shadows that seemed to move on their own. "You hear that?" His voice was low, tense, his other hand gripping the hilt of his sword like it might leap out of its sheath on its own.
Rover paused mid-step, her blade angled downward but ready. Her expression was taut, unreadable, but the slight tightening of her jaw betrayed her unease. Her spectro energy pulsed faintly along the edge of her weapon, soft golden light spilling over her knuckles.
Yangyang shifted, feathers rustling faintly around her as the wind stirred with her resonance. Her brows drew together, eyes scanning the emptiness of the path ahead. "There… that sound again." She gestured toward the remnants of a half-collapsed archway, her voice steadier than her clenched fists.
Then—
A chuckle, smooth and mocking, cut through the stillness like a knife.
??: "Guess you won't need my self-introduction after all…"
The voice drifted from the shadows, playful yet unsettling, like someone who'd been watching them for longer than they realized.
Jeff immediately raised his pistol, sweeping the area with sharp precision. "Show yourself!" His voice rang with authority, though his grip tightened, betraying his nerves. He finally comes out of his hole.
Rover's eyes narrowed, her body shifting into a defensive stance, blade lifted, ready to intercept. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she muttered under her breath, "Not good…"
Yangyang's hair whipped around her face as a sudden gust picked up from her resonance. She set her stance, green eyes sharp, scanning for movement. "Enough games. Come out."
The unseen figure only laughed softly again, amused by their tension.