Valessandria watched as the driver motioned the monster to move, using the reins in her hands. The beast looked at Valessandria once before it snorted and began moving forward.

Without a creak or sound other than the wheels crunching the dirt below, the carriage moved with eldritch grace.

Staring at the carriage as it passed, Valessandria couldn't understand how such a vehicle could exist. Now that she was closer, the level of phenomenal craftsmanship was astounding to behold. Not even the Student Council President rode around in a carriage of such quality.

Valessandria stood as she watched the carriage make its way deeper into the abandoned-looking village. As the carriage moved away from where she stood, eventually, it was swallowed up by the darkness of the night. With how the moonlight bounced off of it, there was a mystical feel. It was a sense that such a thing didn't belong in the world.

Turning back towards the entrance, the pyramid still blocked the sky with its large size.

"Before I head back to alert the others, I will need to confirm what that young noble said," Valessandria sighed. She looked at her horse, "Are you going to cooperate?"

The horse snorted and approached Valessandria as though apologizing for its earlier behavior.

Laughing, "I am glad that you are joining me again." Looking at the pyramid, "I do not look forward to having to walk around that massive structure."

Getting back on the horse, Valessandria signaled it to move forward. Giving the signal for a trot, she then moved to let the horse know to go into a cantor. Compared to when they first entered the village, she decided not to have her horse go into a full gallop.

Even though she had only recently met the noble, a part of her sensed that lying was unnecessary for that man. But even with the word of such a man, Valessandria felt it was her duty to see things through. The worst thing she could do was to give the all-clear signal and have the villagers return just as the Empire soldiers poured through the entrance.

As she approached the gate, Valessandria looked around to see if any village guards were stationed.

"No one," Valessandria was shocked to see that the village was defenseless.

Even if the village had no hope of defeating the Empire soldiers, there should've still been guards manning the wall.

It was then that Valessandria remembered what the guard had told her about how none of the men sent to report the situation had returned.

"Is it as simple as people abandoning their duties?" Valessandria tried to think about what could've happened to the missing guards.

The fact that so many guards were still around to direct villagers and help people with their items, knowing danger was approaching them, made Valessandra doubt that the guards would've just fled to save themselves. Though it was possible, the evidence she saw with how dirty the guards' faces were made her think otherwise.

The face of the young noble flashed through her mind before being quickly dismissed. Though the man gave Valessandria pause and a sense of dread, she didn't want to consider the possibility. On top of that, there was no reason for the noble to have a part in the disappearance of the guards.

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With the guards missing, the gate was wide open, no longer protecting against the monsters that stalked the night -- let alone the Empire forces.

Seeing the door open and unguarded provided another thought which bothered her.

"If the gate was open this entire time, then where are the monsters?" Valessandria slowly scanned the surroundings as she made her way through the entrance.

The grassy fields glimmered under the moonlight, a romantic sight if it were any other time. The night air was cool and refreshing now that she was out of the village. However, it was tainted by the strange offputting atmosphere -- like something supernatural had occurred recently.

Valessandria tried to dismiss the eerie sensation as though something was just out of sight -- seen in the corner of her eyes.

Looking ahead, Valessandria saw the pyramid in the middle of what used to be the main road leading to the village. Now that it was no longer obstructed by the wall protecting Leaf Village, she had an even more difficult time grasping how such a thing could exist overnight.

Let alone the road, the structure covered much of the grassy field. By visual estimation, Valessandria was convinced that it was materially larger than Leaf Village.

Instead of the road leading to the village, it now felt as though it was designed to direct travelers to the pyramid. When the road met the structure, Valessandria could see stairs lit up by roaring flames that burned hot, even with how far away she was from it.

As her horse cantered towards the pyramid, the size seemed to grow and blocked most of her vision.

Valessandria could now see statues on the surreal pyramid.

All over the surface of the pyramid were statues of women of various races holding weapons and wearing armor in numerous poses. Even more enormous statues existed on either side of the staircase, which led to the top of it.

Each of the larger statues gave the impression of personal guards for some diety, while the smaller ones were his armies.

"Is this dedicated to some eldritch deity of war or chaos?" Valessandria stared at the statues and the structure itself -- as though she were being pulled toward it.

Soon, Valessandria could see the stones used to build the statues and how they appeared weathered and ancient, as though the pyramid had existed in that spot for thousands of years before civilization existed. But she knew the pyramid hadn't been in front of Leaf Village before tonight.

Guiding the horse, Valessandria began to go around the pyramid beneath the gaze of hundreds of female warriors -- making it feel as though she weren't welcomed in the presence of their god.

The more she looked at the statues, the more they reminded Valessandria of the women from earlier with their ethereal alien beauty. Just like how the pyramid didn't seem to belong in their world, those women also had a presence that was foreign to this reality.

Valessandria fought to ignore the dread she felt.

"All that is important is finding out what happened and if the Empire is on its way to Leaf Village," Valessandria fell back on her training and focused her mind.

Due to how massive the pyramid was, it took quite some time. Wanting to save time, there were moments she wanted the horse to go into a gallop. Still, Valessandria was concerned for her horse that had spent the entire time helping her to reach Leaf Village before anything else happened.

As she rounded the corner of the structure, Valessandria was confused by what she saw.

"Where are the Empire forces? Did they really go to another target?" Valessandria wanted to shout -- frustrated by the night she had experienced.

They had rushed over from Illumin to Leaf Village, only to discover that the threat they feared didn't exist.

The night felt like an onion; after each layer was peeled, there was another mystery beneath it -- mocking her.

The problem was how the villagers had fled; even the guards talked about the Empire heading towards them, justifying the evacuation. This was on top of the merchants and business owners willing to abandon their property that couldn't fit on a wagon.

Even if the villagers would behave in an irrational manner, running away from a threat that didn't exist, Valessandria knew that this wouldn't be the case with those connected to money. Such individuals would abandon their parents if a profit could be found. The chance that they would flee from shadows wasn't a possibility.

The more she thought about the problem, a voice whispered into her ears, "And after you gain something akin to an answer to your question, I imagine you will need more responses for the additional questions that will undoubtedly emerge from deep within your subconscious."

Valessandria remembered the chilling eldritch unworldly smile of the young noble.