Kaia sat at a table with her friend, discussing something she had seen last night.
Her hands rested on the table as she leaned forward.
"I'm not sure what it was, but it was hunting every monster that came near its sight," Kaia said, unable to erase the silhouette from her memory.
Mia lounged carelessly, balancing on the back legs of her chair while twirling an arrow on her finger.
"Are you sure you weren't hallucinating? It came with the starving ones in the same package, you know," she replied.
"I know what I saw," Kaia said, frustrated by Mia's dismissal.
Mia turned to her, noticing her serious expression, and smiled.
"Good, because I'm bored," Mia said. She stood and strapped on her quiver—but no bow. "Let's hunt it down."
"What?!" Kaia exclaimed in shock. "We can't just go alone. At least we should bring Lex and some others."
"Don't worry, chicky~ your white knight can get some rest," Mia said, drawing a few arrows from her quiver. "I'll shove these up its butt, before it even knows we're there."
Though her mind resisted, Kaia's feet followed. As they approached the gate, they saw Kin and the chief discussing positions on a map.
They passed through the barrier, moving from an area with almost no fog to where it became as dangerous as the demons themselves.
After a while, they stumbled upon trails of blood—but nothing in sight.
Mia trusted her instincts; she was certain the trails hadn't been there yesterday. They were wide, and the blood was warm. Luckily, it wasn't human.
"That's new…" Mia commented. "Let's follow it."
"Are you serious?" Kaia said, a step from snapping.
Mia pressed on. Kaia remained cautious, fearful of moving forward. As expected, she soon had to run to catch up.
The trails twisted almost randomly. Kaia stayed alert for anything unusual nearby. They began to hear the creak of a wooden carriage, the blood trail leading them in the same direction.
Following the trails, the sound remained consistent—they were moving along with the carriage—until it suddenly stopped, freezing them in place.
A loud thud rang out, followed by a monster's shriek, which was silenced by the sharp crack of its skull. Mia took a deep breath and continued, Kaia following closely.
They finally reached the carriage. Kaia looked terrified, Mia confused yet slightly amused. The carriage was filled with monsters' bodies, compressed together to save space. The wood was stained red from blood seeping through the cracks.
A giant man in a black cloak approached, adding another monster to the pile. He grabbed the carriage and pulled it away, searching for its next victim.
"We found your demon," Mia said, disappointed.
"At least it's not an enemy," Kaia commented.
The area grew dim as night approached. They began heading back to the village. Kaia stared at her wand; its crystal emitted a faint glow. She had forgotten to refill it.
On their way, the carriage passed again. They ignored it until they accidentally stepped onto a split in the fog—a clear path back to the village, with the carriage approaching from the opposite direction.
Lex walked closer, surprised to see them.
Kaia was even more surprised. "You didn't tell me you were going out here alone," she said.
"You told me what you saw; I wanted to see it myself," Lex replied.
The giant man approached, and they spoke.
"I think I found it," Lex said.
The man locked eyes with Mia for a moment.
"Got a problem?" she asked, challenging him.
He wiped his bloody hands on a cloth before pulling out a small bompy and handing it to her. Her eyelid twitched in rage. She wasn't a kid anymore, but hunger got the better of her, and she accepted it.
They passed several people in black cloaks, armed with mancatchers, who praised the man for his work before moving on. They seemed to be searching for something.
The group continued toward the village. The man stood outside with the guard at the gate.
He bowed respectfully to the guard, who remained alert despite hunger, and handed him an apple. The man parked his carriage at a distance, drew a mace, and stood beside the guard like two beasts guarding their cave.
The sun set, and night fell, enveloping the village in pitch darkness. Kaia and Lex shared a loaf of old bread before heading to sleep. Their food supply was gone, and so was the village's.
Kaia slept deeply. her dream was strange : Kin hanging from the sky with black threads, his face covered by a white mask, his eyes faintly glowing blood-red, impaled by a sword with a red blade.
Suddenly, a bright light filled her vision, warming her body. She awoke. The sun's blinding rays hit her face. How much time had passed? Two weeks? Three? She leapt from her bed, terrified. If the fog was gone, the village would be in grave danger.
She looked at Lex across the room; he appeared confused. Voices rose outside—no time to ask questions. He grabbed his axe and jumped out the window, landing harshly. Kaia rushed after him.
Outside, people were gathered at the gate. The sounds weren't screams—they were cheers.
A girl ran past them, carrying a basket of withered petals. She tripped, spilling the basket. They helped her up, but she ignored their questions, rushing to the gate with a wide smile.
They reached the gate and found Mia, waving at them. Perhaps she had answers.
"Do you know what's happening?" Kaia asked.
"Seems the people in black caught the one behind the corruption," Mia replied, looking satisfied.
The group squeezed to see better. Young girls spread the withered petals in a straight path connecting a metal cage to the giant man's carriage. The people in black opened the cage, using mancatchers to pull out a man from a demon-worshiping cult, recognized by the burned symbol on his back.
The cultist was slowly guided to the carriage, giving the villagers time to express their hatred. They muttered curses and threw rocks at him, while others in black beat the ground rhythmically with their polearms. Lex joined the rhythm.
Finally, the cultist was pushed into the carriage, carefully placed in the pile of monsters he have created. The giant man gently nudged the village guard, gave a faint smile, and stepped back.
The guard stepped forward, eyes glowing with rage. He gathered all his strength, and the carriage erupted in flames. The sun looked dim against it. The cultist screamed in agony.
The chief stood at the front, waving his cane with a bell that rang loudly, happiness made in no need for a supporting hand.
The three watched, slightly embarrassed.
"I can't believe it's over so fast… almost feels staged," Kaia said.
"Don't worry—the important thing is it's done," Lex replied.
"And even if we locate him before them, we can't defeat him," Mia added.
The others stared at her in confusion. "How?" Kaia asked.
Mia answered, "That chicken was hiding in the corrupted area we'll never reach."
"Then how did they?" Kaia asked.
Mia replied, equally puzzled, "They must have an artifact or something. I just followed them at night, and they walked through the corruption like it was nothing."
The day passed quickly. Countless children gathered to watch the moon and stars for the first time in a while. Not a huge deal, but it distracted them from hunger for the night.
Morning brought a trade caravan through the village. People crowded in long lines, finally able to use money. By noon, the caravan departed, leaving with nothing to sell.
Kaia watched with concern, feeling like it was a dream—a happy ending orchestrated behind the scenes. She saw Kin speaking with someone she didn't recognize, likely from the caravan, and stepped closer to eavesdrop.
"Hey," Lex's voice drew her attention. He handed her some food and said, "The men in black opened safe paths in the corruption. Let's pack our gadgets."
"I'll do it in a moment," she replied, serious.
He returned to their place, confused by her tone. When she looked back, they were gone. She headed back, disappointed.
Mia and Lex waited by the gate for Kaia.
"Sorry for making you wait," Kaia said.
"No problem. A bigger group is always better," Lex replied.
Mia finally arrived. "Let's go," she said, but paused at a paper pinned to the gate.
They didn't pay much attention at first, but Mia took it and read as they approached the forest.
"Are you interested in being guards?" Mia asked.
---
"Have you heard?"
"Huh?"
"The forest in the fog is being cleansed of corruption."
"I thought we marked it as 'too late to save.'"
"Oh, the knights have nothing to do with it."
"The abandoned tribe?"
"Indeed."
"Well, keep an eye on them. I still can't believe that midget's sugery words…"
"I've already done that, a special eye will watch him closely."
---
Kaia felt a sting, as if someone were speaking about her behind her back.