The crystal exploded, creating a pillar of light piercing the sky. With it, a shockwave rocked the lighthouse. Molten metal and smashed rocks fell from its top onto the ground below. The once magnificent black tower of the lighthouse crumbled inward.
Watching it from outside, the villagers scowled.
"We should banish the mage from the village. He killed our people in cold blood and destroyed the lighthouse. Isn't it obvious that he is working with the dark mage?"
"Yes, he wants to keep us here."
"We can't believe anything he said."
A group of men standing beside the destroyed tower began to speak.
The extremists among them were convinced Zephyr was the root of all evil.
Somehow, what Zephyr had done to save the village, even after knowing the storm tower would punish him, became something that validated their reasoning. They were unwilling to see the world from his perspective or even try to understand him.
Their remarks were unkind.
They were assuming everything, simply because he was of a higher status than they were. The manipulation of the messengers was just a spark that lit the fire of hatred in their hearts that had originally existed.
These men, a dozen in total, stood together agreeing with each other, each word spewing more and more hatred.
"Yes, let's kill him."
Finally, their thoughts were turning grotesque as they agreed on killing Zephyr. Not for revenge, but for…
"Get your weapons."
"We need to do it to save ourselves. Didn't you see how he killed them? If we let him leave, he would come back some other day and take revenge."
"Yes, I agree."
"Even if he is a mage, he won't be able to kill us all."
"That's right."
"Let's do it."
The men murmured before walking in the direction Zephyr went.
—
Meanwhile, on the island, the necromancer grimaced. The death of messengers abruptly cut the link between them. It caused him some pain.
Promptly after that, he turned to look in the direction of the village.
Far away, to the south of the island, he saw a light pillar piercing the sky.
"That kid…" The mage was finally shocked.
He never expected Zephyr to destroy the entire lighthouse.
"Hmm…the cornered rat finally turned around and bit you, master." The swordsman said with a hint of mockery in his voice. "This is going to put a dent in your plan."
"Damn it." The mage stood up.
"We need a week to gather enough life essence to hatch the godspawn. For thirty years, you have been diligently planning for this moment, and yet, a simple mistake of allowing the kid to live just for your amusement is going to cost you dearly." The swordsman touched the sheath of his sword happily. The masked face hidden beneath it was smiling.
He seemed thrilled when the mage, his master, was met with misfortune.
"The mission is in jeopardy. Do you have nothing else to say?" The swordsman asked the mage.
The mage turned around with unhidden fury, and he spoke.
"I have nothing to say to a living corpse like you."
"Hm…Well, I can understand your feelings. After all, this was not just your plan. Our master is not going to be happy about it. Once he knows what happened here, you will also turn into a living corpse like me, master."
The swordsman smiled.
"Perhaps he already does. After all, just like you, he also can peer into the mind of those who serve him," He added.
This made the mage extremely angry, but he didn't dare say a word.
Just like what the swordsman had said, their master could be observing them. It would be better to clean up the mess he created than to argue with a corpse.
The necromancer hid his emotions and turned away.
"You, go kill that brat. I will gather the villagers for the sacrifice ritual. During this time, I won't be able to do anything else. So, go kill him and come back to protect my body." The necromancer ordered.
The swordsman nodded and promptly stood up. He had no choice but to obey the orders of his master.
Turning around, he quickly ran off the island. With the last remaining free will he had, he tried to loosely interpret the words of the necromancer and slowed down a bit later, away from the eyes of his master.
'I hope we fail.' The swordsman said in his mind.
—
Zephyr returned to the outskirts of the village. There he saw Jack waiting for him.
The huge man was silently standing next to the path leading up the hill where Zephyr's house was.
The moment he saw Zephyr, he looked straight at him and asked.
"Did you kill the chief?" He articulated perfectly, like he had practised it a thousand times.
Zephyr watched the man standing silently, expecting an answer from him.
"No, I didn't." He gave a simple reply.
Jack nodded. He wholeheartedly believed Zephyr.
"Can I beg you to stay?" He asked another question.
"For what? To be killed by the villagers, or to be killed by the necromancer?"
Zephyr decided to leave the village the moment the mob accused him of murder. Because, even if he could argue and convince the majority of the villagers that he didn't kill the chief and one of the messengers, the family of the other two men he killed would find some way to punish him.
It might spark another conflict, which will lead to him killing the villagers or vice versa.
He wanted neither to happen.
So, removing him from the equation was the only option.
To do that, Zephyr decided to return home.
A day ago, he might not have been able to resist the dark fog's corruption. But now, with more than eight hundred cores at his disposal, Zephyr believed he could survive the onslaught of the dark fog.
And he was almost about to form the fully functional mana gathering spell. With it, he would be able to gather mana passively and resist the dark fog. That will allow him to move through dark fog easily, to anywhere he wants.
The necromancer was toying with him, so Zephyr was also thinking about eliminating that damned monster once and for all.
For that, staying outside the village was the best option.
As Zephyr thought of his plans, Jack knelt on the ground.
"Please help us." He begged.
Unlike the fools in the village, Jack knew Zephyr was their only hope. Without him, the entire village will be destroyed; everyone in it, dead.
"By destroying the tower, I sent a signal to the Storm Tower. Stay put and wait until the reinforcement arrives."
Zephyr left the word behind and walked into the dark fog.
"And, don't touch the dark fog. The messengers who fell asleep were being manipulated by the necromancer. They killed the chief." He left behind the words and disappeared into the fog.