All around him, the village was in ruin, every structure reduced to broken stone and ash. Not a single building was left standing.
Zephyrion climbed atop what remained of a shattered structure, using the height to scan the area one last time.
'No one left.'
Confirming there were no signs of life, he dropped back down moments later. The four Araliths, along with the Pyrian, must have been what the Order had sent after him.
As he wandered through the destruction, he frowned. The stench of burnt flesh drifted into his senses, mingling with the sight of bodies still faintly sizzling from the flames that had ravaged the village.
'Unfortunate.'
He had suspected the village lacked anyone capable of standing against the enforcers. But there was simply no way he could win against them in a direct battle.
He took in a deep breath, then exhaled. It was a necessary sacrifice.
Pulling himself from his thoughts, he turned as his companion, Lumi, slowly approached.
Lumi was barely five feet tall, her petite frame softened by a trace of lingering baby fat on her cheeks.
He briefly glanced at her messy short black hair falling around her face and held himself back from making any comment.
Though the battle had been hard fought, Zephyrion knew that wasn't the true reason for her state. Lumi had never cared much for brushing her hair in the first place.
"Are you hurt?"
"…"
Lumi's silent gaze remained fixed on the scorched bodies and ruined ground around them.
"Lumi."
"…"
Zephyrion frowned. He had known this would be difficult for her to stomach, which was why he had hidden how small the village was from her in the first place.
Even so, he waited patiently. She wouldn't have made it this far by his side if this alone was enough to drive her away.
Soon, Lumi released a heavy breath. Something shifted behind her eyes as her expression hardened. The sadness vanished, replaced by a cold look as though it had never been there.
She turned toward him and shook her head.
'Again…'
He had seen it happen countless times and was no longer surprised. Lumi possessed an uncanny ability to discard her emotions the moment she made a decision.
If that was the reason she continued to stay with him despite his… tendencies, he couldn't say.
"The Pyrian's dead," Zephyrion said. "You distracted him at the perfect moment. Good work."
Her face brightened immediately, clearly loving the praise.
"You remember what comes next?"
The smile vanished almost at once, replaced by a deep frown. A second later, as though she realized, her eyes widened, and she hurriedly began to shake her head.
"It's necessary," Zephyrion said. "We just killed five enforcers of the Order. They'll come after us no matter how far we run."
Zephyrion had spent the past seven years within the Order, enduring excruciating training and carrying out countless missions that ranged from assassination and sabotage to information gathering.
Even after all that, he still couldn't accurately grasp the full extent of their reach. But he had no doubt it was vast, far greater than anything they could ever hope to outrun.
Forcing himself out of his thoughts, Zephyrion refocused. The fact that the Order had sent enforcers already meant they could, and would, do so again. He had to act fast.
In front of him, Lumi crossed her arms stubbornly and turned away, cheeks puffed as she shook her head.
Zephyrion stepped closer and gently patted her hair. The touch was light, yet her cheeks flushed immediately as she glanced downward.
"There's no time," he said quietly. "The soldiers will be here soon. I need to prepare."
He gently lifted her chin, meeting her eyes.
"Meet me after I leave the bastion. Understood?"
She hesitated, looking at him with a worried gaze.
"I'll be fine," Zephyrion added softly. "Don't worry."
Lumi continued staring at him before finally nodding, forming one last set of hand signs.
Zephyrion returned the gesture with a faint smile.
"We'll meet again. I promise."
She exhaled, nodded, and turned to leave, only to pause, turn back, and sign again with sudden urgency.
"I won't leave without you."
Lumi nodded once more, then turned away, only to stop again.
Zephyrion frowned.
"What—"
His words interrupted as Lumi suddenly stepped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around him.
Her head barely reached his chest, yet the strength in her arms pinned him in place.
A moment later, she pulled back, staring at him intently as tears welled in her eyes. Just as Zephyrion began to think she might never leave, she finally turned and sprinted away.
He watched her leave silently, waiting until she was far enough away that she wouldn't turn back.
'Every time.'
His gaze drifted to his arm, which trembled faintly, and he shut his eyes, drawing in a slow, steady breath.
'It's happening again.'
He didn't understand why his pulse always quickened at moments like this.
'She's just a tool.'
Zephyrion's eyes grew cold as he reminded himself. Until he uncovered the truth behind that incident—until he learned what had happened to her—everyone was a tool.
Steeling himself, Zephyrion turned his focus back to the matter at hand.
'They'll be here soon.'
With destruction and smoke of this magnitude, it was only a matter of time before the Ferran soldiers stationed along the border converged on the area.
Tracing his steps back to the Pyrian body, he dipped into the WorldPulse, feeling the warmth surging through him.
He had a lot to do.
…
"Hia! Hia! Faster!"
The Ferran captain glanced back at his squad, watching the young soldiers struggle to keep pace with their mounts. He clicked his tongue in irritation.
"Quit dragging your feet! Move!"
"Huff… huff! Yes, Captain!"
The soldiers looked utterly exhausted, yet they still gritted their teeth and urged their mounts forward, refusing to fall behind.
Seeing this, the captain turned his attention ahead, fixing his grim eyes on the distant sky where thick, dark smoke gathered ominously on the horizon.
'Please…'
He hoped, desperately, that all he would find upon reaching the village was nothing more than a large bonfire.
Gripping the reins tighter, he spurred his mount onward, pushing it faster until he finally crested a hill and brought it to a halt moments later.
"W-what is this…?"
His eyes widened as the sight below came into full view. The walled village had been completely destroyed.
"The village!"
"Who dared attack us!"
"Was it the Pyrians…!?"
The soldiers caught up moments later, staring down at the devastation with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"Move in!"
"Y-yes, Captain…!"
Without hesitation, the captain took off, driving straight toward the village at full speed.
"Stay sharp! There could still be enemies around!"
"Yes!"
As they entered the village, the captain's fists curled tightly the moment he saw the burnt corpses of Ferran soldiers and countless others scattered across the ground.
The farther they moved, the more bodies appeared. At one point, one of the soldiers could no longer hold it, turning aside to vomit at the gruesome sight.
"W-who would do something like this?" one of them muttered.
By then, the captain's teeth were gritted to the extreme.
'Pyrians…'
The soldiers, and the village itself, were coated in soot, unmistakable evidence of fire.
With the Ferran Empire bordering the Pyrians, occasional raids on nearby villages were nothing new, but in all his decades stationed along the southern border, he had never witnessed destruction on this scale.