The night was quiet, save for the faint crackle of the fire outside Kairo's half-built walls. Shiri had drifted back into uneasy sleep inside the small house, his breathing shallow and tense, as though his dreams were still full of chains and exile. Kairo, however, sat awake, watching the map projection the Command Nexus provided. The moon was high, and his mind refused to rest.
The image of the burnt village had been stuck with him ever since Shiri mentioned it. If a monster capable of wiping out a caravan was still lurking there, he needed to know what he was dealing with.
"Three should be enough," Kairo muttered. His hand hovered over the faint red dots representing his ghouls. He selected three scavengers and issued orders. Scout. Do not engage. Return with information on the monster's strength.
The three red markers moved away from the ruins and towards the far cluster of black ash on the map. Kairo leaned back against the wall, arms folded, eyes sharp. "Let's see what you're hiding."
The ghouls moved silently through the night, their hunched figures blending into the ruined terrain. The burnt village smelled of smoke even though the fires had long since died. Ash still coated the ground, stirred by the faintest breeze. Wooden beams jutted like broken bones, houses reduced to hollow shells.
The three ghouls split up, sniffing and scraping the ground. They growled in low tones, guttural noises that were their way of communicating intent.
One of them stopped suddenly, its glowing eyes fixed on a collapsed well. The others lumbered over. Inside, half-hidden under planks and dried brush, lay a small figure. A boy—horns curling out from his head, tangled green hair falling over his face. His arms were covered in scratches, scales bulging unnaturally through torn skin. He was unconscious, curled tightly into himself, as if hiding from the world.
The ghouls exchanged low growls. Their heads tilted, uncertain. Prey? Or something else?
But before a decision could be made, the boy's eyes snapped open. Startled, he screamed. "No—stay away!" His voice cracked with fear.
The scream carried through the ruins like a signal.
The ground shook.
From the far side of the village, something massive moved. A shadow fell across the ruins. Then it stepped into view—a hulking beast covered in blackened, cracked scales, its body glowing faintly in places as though molten light burned beneath the surface. Its face was jagged, almost draconic, with too many teeth crowding its jaw. Branch-like protrusions jutted from its shoulders, pulsing faintly with veins of yellow light.
And beside it—hovering, faintly rotating—floated a relic. A shard of something crystalline, jagged and glowing with the same unnatural yellow energy.
The ghouls froze, a low rumble caught in their throats.
The boy screamed again, scrambling backwards, but the monster moved with sudden speed. It reached the well in an instant, its clawed hand slammed into the ghouls, throwing them away. With its other arm, it grabbed the boy and hurled him against a half-burnt wall. Dust and wood splinters rained down as the boy gasped in pain, pinned beneath rubble.
The relic pulsed. The monster reached out, condensing the yellow energy between its claws. A sphere of light formed, unstable and crackling. The boy's eyes went wide in terror.
"Not again!" he shouted, voice breaking. He thrashed, but the monster pressed the orb into his chest.
The child screamed as the energy forced itself into him. His scales split and spread further up his arms, rupturing skin with fresh growths. His back arched, veins bulging, his body convulsing violently.
The ghouls roared, recovering from the monster's attack, finally moving. One hurled itself at the monster, claws out. The other two circled, trying to flank.
The beast barely glanced at them. Its arm lashed out, catching the first ghoul mid-leap. Bones cracked with the impact as the creature slammed into a broken house, its body twitching once before going still.
The other two ghouls lunged for its legs, biting and clawing, trying to tear through the thick hide. The monster growled—a sound so deep it rattled the ground—and stamped its foot. A shockwave burst out, sending both ghouls sprawling. One scrambled to rise, only to be seized in the monster's claw and crushed until nothing but mangled remains dripped through its fingers.
The last ghoul tried to crawl away, dragging its broken body across the ash. The monster stepped forward and simply brought its claws down. Silence followed.
The boy lay half-buried, chest heaving, his screams fading into hoarse gasps. His arms twitched as the scales spread further, like the orb's energy was rewriting him from the inside.
The relic floated higher, pulsing once as though satisfied.
Far away, inside the half-built walls of his territory, Kairo jolted upright. On his map, the three red dots representing his ghouls blinked, then vanished one after another.
"…What?" His eyes widened. "All three? That fast?"
He stared at the screen, disbelief fading into cold calculation. The monster wasn't just strong—it was beyond anything he had faced so far. Strong enough to obliterate his scouts in moments.
But then, something else caught his eye.
A new symbol appeared on the map. A glowing mark near the ruins of the village. The Command Nexus analyzed it, data scrolling across his vision.
[Detection: Relic Present]
Tier Estimate: 2–3
Kairo's pulse quickened. A relic. A real one.
His eyes narrowed. "So that's what you're guarding."
The thought lingered in his mind. Shiri wasn't the only valuable piece connected to this burnt village. Whatever relic that thing carried, it was worth the risk. But not recklessly—not like the ghouls had done.
Kairo leaned back, gaze locked on the pulsing mark on the map. The weight of it settled into his thoughts. This wasn't just a monster to fight. It was an opportunity.
And opportunities, Kairo knew, had to be planned for.