It's been a week since I left. Alone, trying to avoid detection, yet somehow, I knew I wouldn't stay hidden for long. The truth was, with Satre's ability to see the future, Yura's beast-like senses, and Shina's detection magic, I had no real hope of staying under the radar for much longer. But this wasn't how I expected them to find me. Not like this.
Each member of my party held their own greatness. Satre, as a magic swordsman, far surpassed her grandfather, who had once been a hero-class fighter. I'd fought with him once and felt utterly outclassed. Speed and sheer fighting ability I could hold my own in, but when it came to experience, to sheer knowledge of battle? I didn't stand a chance. Yet, Satre outclassed even him. Then there was Yura—her mastery of the staff was something to behold. When she fought seriously, I couldn't help but be amazed. No wasted movements, no openings. She was deadly, efficient—more than a match for any staff fighter I'd ever faced. And Shina? She was a magician beyond compare. Her elemental versatility was unmatched, even by the nobility who kept her so close, fearing the potential she held.
But none of that mattered now. They were all gone. Gone, and for what?
I clenched my fists as I stared down at Yura's lifeless body. My mind couldn't quite process the horror. Her once-beautiful form, now reduced to a brutal mockery of life. Her potential, her brilliance—stripped away in an instant. The staff she once cherished, now grotesquely embedded in her skull. The twisted remnants of her limbs, severed and discarded, lay scattered like broken doll parts. Naked. Defiled. The sight twisted something inside me, something dark. Something that I didn't want to face.
I gritted my teeth, fighting back the scream that burned at the back of my throat. The tears stung, but I would not let them fall. Not yet. My thoughts raced, but there were no answers. Only questions. Why? Who? How could this happen?
The world went silent as I fell to my knees, overwhelmed by a suffocating wave of helplessness. My body trembled with the weight of the loss, and then—then, it all came crashing down.
I screamed.
Magic power, raw and untamed, exploded from me in an uncontrolled surge. The ground cracked, the air vibrated, the sky seemed to darken. And the voices—they whispered, they mocked, they knew.
"Oh, it's starting."
"I guess it's finally starting."
"Haha, yeah, yeah, it's starting."
The whispers surrounded me, omnipresent, haunting. They echoed in my ears, distant yet sharp, their words like a cacophony in my skull. Get out of my head!
I shouted again, and my power erupted once more. A wave of destructive energy cascaded out, ripping trees from their roots, shattering the earth beneath me. I'll kill you, I thought. Whoever did this, I will kill you. I'll destroy everything until I find you.
My magic twisted, deepened. The light purple aura I once knew grew darker, deeper. It wasn't just power—it was something else. Something colder, more violent. My bloodlust spilled out, an unstoppable force that sent the island of monsters into a frenzy. Trees fell, the earth buckled, and still, the anger swelled within me, unstoppable.
With each scream, more destruction.
"I'll kill you... whoever did this. I'll fucking kill you."
The land around me was obliterated. Nothing was left standing. Not the trees, not the rocks, not even the air itself. All was consumed by the fury of my power. The ground cracked further, the earth itself trembling in fear of what I was becoming.
I breathed out, slowly, trying to regain control. The anger inside me was like an inferno, but I knew if I didn't control it, I would destroy everything—myself included. I pulled my hood over my face, concealing my expression, and closed my eyes, my hands shaking as I said my final goodbyes.
With earth magic, I began digging a shallow grave, crafting a small box to hold what was left of Yura. I buried her with the staff she had held dear, her lifeless body now reduced to nothing but a memory.
"Cerberus," I muttered in a low, guttural growl. "Find them. Find whoever did this."
Sangui nodded solemnly, disappearing into the shadows.
"Kyoko," I called, my voice as cold as the void.
"Understood," Kyoko's voice rang out, and in an instant, her dragon form appeared before me, dark and ominous. Her purple scales shimmered as she roared into the sky.
I climbed onto her back, my eyes narrowed in fury, and whispered to Sangui through telepathy. "Where did the trail lead?"
Sangui's response came hesitantly. "My lord… this… this is something you shouldn't see."
I froze. The way he spoke—it sent a chill down my spine. Something was wrong. This was not what I expected to hear from him.
I narrowed my eyes, my voice turning deadly. "I said I will kill them. Do you want to make a liar out of me?"
I saw it then—the foreboding dread in his tone, the unease.
Without another word, I nodded to Kyoko. I dissolved into shadow, leaving nothing behind, and reappeared next to Sangui.
The scene that greeted me made my stomach churn. My throat tightened, and for a moment, I couldn't breathe. Blood pooled beneath her broken form—Yura's form.
Her legs—shredded. Bone exposed, broken beyond recognition. Her fingers—twisted, malformed. The bones were visible, jutting out at odd angles, the flesh torn apart.
Her once-beautiful face was covered in blood—her own blood—streaked across her cheeks as if she'd been crying it. And her clothes... those were barely intact, leaving nothing to the imagination. The horror that unfolded before me was beyond comprehension.
I gasped, the words barely forming in my mouth as I rushed to her side, my hands trembling. "Supreme light magic: Goddess Healing," I muttered, a desperate plea for salvation. But I already knew it was too late.
Her body, once full of life and promise, now lay broken—utterly defiled. The person who had done this to her... they would pay. And when I found them, when I reached them...
Destruction would follow.
And nothing would be left.
I swore it.