The crimson forest parted to reveal the outskirts of the hidden village. A faint mist lingered between the trunks, clinging to the earth like smoke. The air was thick with the smell of damp wood, iron, and ash.
From above, twelve Red Band scouts watched in silence, their crossbows trained lazily on the path below. They perched like carrion crows upon the thick boughs, red scarves fluttering in the wind.
"Hey," one whispered, nudging the man beside him. "That's Jack, right? The little rebellious hunter from the lower burrows?"
"Looks like it," the other replied, squinting. "And he's got company… fancy company."
Another guard leaned forward, lips curling into a grin. "The three of them got armor that probably costs more than this whole damn village. And those two women are just..." He whistled lowly. "I'd sell all my belongings for a night with her."
The rest chuckled quietly. Their discipline dissolved almost instantly, replaced by greed and hunger.
"Should we call the captain?" someone asked.
The first guard snorted. "Why bother? We can handle this. Besides…" His gaze drifted hungrily toward Lys and Siora. "I'd rather be the one to greet them."
A chorus of murmured agreement followed. None noticed the faint vibration in the air, the subtle, invisible tremor that seemed to hum whenever the white-haired woman looked up.
---
Below, the group approached the ridge. The faint outline of the village walls was visible between two ancient trees, their trunks twisted together like colossal serpents.
Jack raised a shaking hand. "That gap… between those trees. That's the entrance," he said quietly.
Rigel yawned, resting his sword on his shoulder. "How charming. Smells like wet wood and bad decisions."
Siora ignored him, eyes sharp as she scanned the treetops. "Red Bands above us again." she murmured.
Lys didn't look up. Her gaze remained fixed on the path. "Ignore them," she said softly. "They'll make the first move."
In her arms, the two crimson wolf pups stirred, tiny whines slipping from their throats. Lys absently stroked their fur, her touch gentle.
Siora frowned. "Are you sure it's fine leaving the large one behind?"
"Yes," Lys said, her tone as calm as still water.
Inside her mind, a familiar voice echoed, smooth and composed.
"It's for the best, Lys," Kyle said. "That wolf was born in blood. It won't serve you willingly. Those two pups, however… they'll grow with loyalty."
Lys nodded slightly. "Understood, my lord."
Kyle's voice softened. "Good. Keep them close. They'll remember your scent and maybe you could make them stronger or even make them evolve or something."
Then the link went quiet.
---
Jack slowed as they neared the twin trees. His gut churned. The air here always smelled of iron, the scent of the Red Band's domain.
Ten of them stood waiting at the narrow entrance, armor polished crudely, eyes glinting with cruel amusement.
"Well, well," one sneered. "Jack, my boy. What have you brought us?"
Before Jack could answer, two figures dropped soundlessly from the branches behind the group.
The three of them didn't even turn around.
The first of the two new arrivals smirked, licking his lips. "What we have here, beautiful ladies?" he purred, stepping closer. His companion mirrored the motion, reaching a hand toward Siora's arm.
The instant his fingers brushed the air near her, Siora moved.
She caught his wrist roughly and precisely, she then twist his wrist. The man's grin faltered as his own hand bent backward at an impossible angle. Before he could scream, Siora shoved his broken wrist into his mouth, muffling the cry that followed.
His partner lunged, blade drawn. Siora crouched low, sweeping her leg across the dirt. The man's footing vanished, and in one fluid motion, she grabbed his ankle, yanking him off balance.
Then, to everyone's disbelief, she swung him, his whole body becoming a crude, flailing weapon.
The other Red Bands blinked, confusion plastered across their faces.
"What—what the hell is she doing?" one stammered.
Siora hurled the man like a toy, his body colliding with three of his comrades, the impact cracking ribs and splintering bone.
The remaining soldiers drew their blades, shouting in panic.
"Kill them!"
Siora exhaled, a quiet, steady breath and her eyes glowed faintly blue.
A sudden ripple burst from her body, invisible but violent, warping the air around her. Dust and leaves shot outward. Her telekinetic field wrapped her like a second skin, condensing into an aura that shimmered faintly around her limbs.
The ground cracked and explodes beneath her as she stepped forward.
She vanished.
One of the Red Bands blinked, looking around wildly. "Where—"
A foot slammed into his chest, folding him in half before launching him through the air. He smashed into a tree, splinters raining down like snow, his body torn in half.
Siora reappeared midair, hair whipping around her face. Her movements were a blur, her every strike a storm of momentum. She kicked off the air itself, the faint ripple of telekinetic force propelling her like a living projectile.
A sword swung toward her throat, she ducked beneath it, twisting her body with unnatural fluidity. Her palm met the man's ribs; a faint crack followed, and he collapsed, wheezing blood.
Another soldier tried to catch her from behind. Siora spun, her leg slicing through the air, the telekinetic burst following like a whip. The man's arm exploded in a spray of red, torn clean off his shoulder.
Rigel whistled softly.
Jack couldn't speak. He could only watch, trembling.
Siora landed, crouching low, then lunged again. Each motion was sharper, faster, a dance of elegance and savagery. Her field crackled, distorting light, bending it around her.
To the Red Bands, she was a blur of death.
One man tried to run. Siora reached out her hand, the air shimmered and he froze mid-stride, lifted by an unseen grip.
His body twisted violently, bones snapping like dry twigs before being hurled into another soldier, both breaking against the trunk of a tree.
Blood splattered across the dirt.
Five left.
"Wh-what is she?" one screamed, backing away.
She vanished again.
The ground split from the impact of her landing behind them. Her hands moved like lightning a grab, a twist, a kick. Heads snapped backward, torsos collapsed inward.
One soldier swung wildly, panic overriding reason. His blade cut through nothing but wind before Siora's elbow crushed his throat.
Rigel leaned lazily against a tree. "Ten out of ten on form. Maybe eight on brutality. She's slipping."
"Shut," Lys said quietly. She hadn't moved once. Her eyes followed every motion, but her body remained still, calm, ethereal. The wolf pups whimpered softly in her arms, as if feeling the tension humming through the air.
The last two Red Bands fell to their knees, dropping their weapons.
"P-please!" one begged. "We—we surrender! Don't—"
Siora's gaze flicked to them.
They exploded.
Not with fire or sound, but with pure force, their bodies crushed inward by invisible pressure until they were nothing but blood and dust.
The forest fell silent once more.
Leaves drifted through the air like red snow.
Siora exhaled, brushing a streak of blood from her cheek. "They were weak, boring," she muttered.
Rigel chuckled. "Is the world this weak or we just haven't encountered the powerful individuals yet?"
Jack could barely breathe. His legs felt like lead, his stomach churning. He looked at the carnage, the broken limbs, the crushed skulls, the blood soaking into the roots and then at Siora, who was already stretching like she'd finished a mild exercise.
"You… you killed them all…" he whispered.
Siora shrugged. "They were in the way and they seriously were about to attack us. I call it self defense."
Jack's mouth opened, but no words came.
Lys finally stepped forward, her steps silent. The air around her felt… clean. Serene, even amidst the carnage.
Inside her mind, Kyle's voice echoed again, calm and faintly amused.
"Let Siora and Rigel handle the rest for now, I wanted to determine how our esper knights compare in the power level of this world." he said. "But keep an eye on them. If anything threatens them, intervene immediately."
"Yes, my lord," Lys answered softly.
Her gaze shifted briefly to the two wolf pups nestled against her chest. One of them licked her glove, unaware of the blood painting the soil below.
Lys smiled faintly, barely perceptible. "This world truly is ugly," she whispered.
"Then make it beautiful," Kyle's voice replied, fading from her mind.
Lys turned her eyes toward the distant village beyond the trees. Smoke rose lazily from its chimneys, unaware that its defenders had been erased in moments.
"Jack," she said quietly.
He flinched. "Y-yes?"
"Lead us inside."
Jack swallowed hard, nodding quickly. "R-right… this way, my lady."
Rigel stretched his arms, cracking his neck. "Finally. Maybe the next batch will put up a fight."
Siora smirked. "Maybe."
As the four of them walked forward, the crimson leaves rustled in the wind, the scent of blood fading into the cold air.