***

In the early dawn at Tristan's cave, Eclipse stirred awake, jolted by an uneasy feeling, and slipped out of the cave to investigate.

As morning light filtered through the barrier where Tristan and Sheyla had spent the night, Tristan awoke suddenly, alerted by the magic alarm he had set on the barrier. "Huh? Something's trying to get in." Without hesitation, he retrieved his sword from his storage space and approached the point of intrusion. Stepping outside, he was met with a familiar sight.

"Ecy?" Tristan's tense expression softened with relief. "What are you doing here?"

"Kyuu!" Eclipse chirped, bounding over to Tristan and affectionately licking his face.

"Haha, what's gotten into you, Ecy? Did you miss me?" he asked, grinning as he stroked Eclipse's soft fur.

"Kyuu," Eclipse replied, confirming with an eager nod.

"Alright, alright, come on, let's head back inside the barrier," Tristan said warmly. Together, they returned inside, where Tristan set about preparing breakfast for himself and Sheyla.

Sheyla stirred awake as sunlight brightened around her. She looked around, searching for Tristan, before getting up and stepping out of the cave, and seeing Tristan setting food onto plates.

"Good morning, Tristan," Sheyla greeted.

"Morning, Sheyla. You seemed to have slept quite soundly," Tristan replied with a smile.

"Yes, I suppose I did," she said, returning his smile. Tristan handed her a plate. "Here's breakfast."

"Thank you," Sheyla replied, and they both settled down to eat. But suddenly, she froze, her eyes wide with alarm as she looked behind Tristan.

"Tristan, mo... monster behind you!" Sheyla gasped, her voice full of panic.

Tristan spun around, only to be pounced on by a creature leaping up onto his face. "Kyaa!" Sheyla cried out, her voice tense. "Tristan!"

"Hey, relax," Tristan laughed, patting the creature affectionately. "This is my friend, Eclipse."

"I... is that creature your pet?" Sheyla stammered, still tense.

"Not a pet, he's my friend," Tristan replied warmly. "He's been by my side ever since I was alone in this forest."

"O...okay. He doesn't bite, does he?" Sheyla asked, still uneasy.

Tristan chuckled. "As long as you don't bite him, he won't bite you."

He turned to Eclipse. "Ecy, this is Sheyla, our new friend. Go say hello."

Eclipse hopped down from Tristan's shoulder and padded over to Sheyla.

"Is this... safe?" she asked hesitantly.

"Don't worry, he's a gentle one," Tristan assured her. Eclipse looked up at Sheyla with bright, curious eyes, his head tilted slightly as he waited for her to make the first move.

Sheyla reached out and gently petted Eclipse's head, surprised at the creature's soft fur. "So soft..." she thought, feeling unexpectedly charmed. Her face softened, radiating pure contentment.

Meanwhile, Tristan tidied up their dishes, stowing them away in his storage space.

"Alright, let's head to Allrose," Tristan said, adjusting his sword.

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Sheyla, now thoroughly attached to Eclipse, lifted him with both hands, cradling him as she replied eagerly, "Alright, let's go!"

Along the way, they encountered various monsters goblins, wolves, even a few orcs. "Why are monsters appearing so frequently in this area?" Tristan wondered aloud, his gaze scanning the forest.

After several hours, Tristan looked back at Sheyla. "We're almost there."

Sheyla paused, sniffing the air. "Um... Tristan, do you smell something burning?" she asked, her face scrunching up in concern. Tristan also sniffed the air, tracking the smoky scent.

"It's coming from the direction of the village, we're close," he said, his pace quickening.

"Alright, let's hur... ry." Tristan's words trailed off as he rounded a corner and caught sight of Allrose. His eyes widened in shock. The village lay in ruins, reduced to ashes and smoldering remains.

"What is it, Tristan?" Sheyla asked, worried by his sudden silence. But Tristan didn't answer; he took off running toward the village, his heart pounding with disbelief. "What happened? How could this have happened?" The thoughts raced in his mind as he arrived at Dheryl and Cheryl's house, or rather, what remained of it. The house had been reduced to rubble, charred and broken.

"What could have caused this? I need to find some clue, no matter how small it is." Tristan muttered as he stepped into the ruins of the house, rummaging through every corner, his eyes searching desperately. But after a while, he stopped and sighed in frustration. "There's nothing here that can lead me anywhere."

Suddenly, Tristan recalled a line he'd read in a comic: "In every incident, there's always a clue; you just need to search in the right place." Taking a deep breath, he resolved to start over. "Alright, let's begin again from scratch. I've checked inside the house; now, I'll look around outside."

Circling the ruins, his gaze swept the ground until he spotted a footprint. "This footprint… it's not Dheryl's or Cheryl's. Could it belong to Uncle Darian? If I remember correctly, there used to be a window here, which means he might have jumped out of it."

Tristan followed the trail, which led him to the village entrance. Just as Sheyla arrived, ready to call out to him, she hesitated, noticing the look of intense concentration on Tristan's face.

"There's a scuffed mark here," he murmured, examining the dirt carefully. "It looks like Uncle was thrown or dragged by something."

Continuing along, Tristan soon found traces of both human and orc footprints leading into the forest. His mind raced with theories. "These footprints… I suggest uncle Darian was taken. And if both humans and orcs are involved, this was more than just a random attack. Uncle was captured, and they went that way."

Suddenly, Eclipse jumped onto Tristan's head, letting out a soft "Kyuu," as if urging him to stay calm. Tristan took a steadying breath, patting Eclipse. "You're right; I need to stay focused."

"Tristan, is this the village you mentioned?" Sheyla asked, her gaze scanning the charred remains around them.

"Yes," Tristan replied, a note of sadness in his voice. "This used to be a peaceful, and beautiful place."

"I recognize this village," Sheyla said, her tone softening. "I've been here before. This was my aunt's favorite place to visit whenever she wanted to relax. If she were still around, no one would dare bring such chaos here."

"Your aunt?" Tristan turned, surprised.

"Yes, my Aunt Alinda Roussanne… though she goes by Ciyane now," Sheyla replied, glancing away as she added her aunt's married name.

Tristan's eyes widened as the realization struck him. "Wait… Alinda Ciyane is your aunt?"

"Yes! Do you know her?" Sheyla asked, curious.

"Yes… I know her." Tristan replied, carefully keeping his emotions in check.

"Really? You must be a fan then," Sheyla said, a bit amused. "Aunt Alinda is beautiful and kind. She often traveled to small villages to help with their troubles; she's helped this one too. Actually, the village name, Allrose, is in honor of her, Allrose stand for Alinda Roussanne."

"Is that so?" Tristan replied, trying to keep his response neutral.

Sheyla picked up on his cool demeanor. "Why are you so distant? How exactly do you know Aunt Alinda?"

"That's not important," Tristan said, redirecting. "Right now, my focus is on rescuing Uncle Darian, who's been taken. What about you?"

"Or you could stay here for a while," Tristan offered, his tone calm but firm. "I'll leave Ecy to guard you."

"I'll go with you," Sheyla replied without hesitation. "I feel safer when I'm with you."

Tristan gave her a serious look. "You're about to witness things that are horrifying scenes you might never forget. Are you sure you're ready for that?"

Sheyla fell silent for a moment, her gaze steady as she finally said, "Yes, I'm sure," her expression resolute, prepared for whatever lay ahead.

"Very well," Tristan nodded. "Let's move. Ecy, stay close to Sheyla and protect her if anything happens beyond my control."

"Kyuu," Eclipse chirped in agreement, its small face filled with unwavering determination.

They go tracking the foot prints that leads into the forest.