He glanced back briefly, his eyes straining to catch a glimpse of the port side of Aethyra. Yet, the image remained elusive, blurred by distance.

“Let’s go, Exien. The sooner we finish this, the sooner we return home,” called another voice, aged and tinged with a raspy undertone.

Shrouded in a crimson cloak, the figure pulled back their hood, unveiling their face.

They exuded an air of composed elegance. Midnight-black hair, streaked with striking white strands that shimmered in the light, framed their face. Most of their hair was swept into a high, intricate bun, held secure by a decorative pin adorned with subtle metallic details that hinted at cultural or personal significance. Two bangs shot out, dipped in a white-cream color that had to be natural.

“Ri-right…” Exien spoke softly, before continuing. He trekked ahead, before his other Vanguard with him.

His orange hair reminded him of the tangerines, and his orange eyes made it all the moreso as if he was a familiar in another life. His crimson cloak was decorated with a gold lining near the left shoulder, with the letters stitched on.

VC.

“Kaelstrom,” He called out. As guessed, the tangerine-haired man turned around, slight confusion on his face.

“W-we can’t head back already? We saw the Dragon fly off, should we not chase after it?” Exien commented, but Kaelstrom shook his head.

“No need to, Raek was after it, wasn’t he? Glad he was able to sense it coming when he did.”

Exien argued against the point though, “…but…still?”

Kaelstrom, turned around, halting his movements.

“Trust in Raek, he can do it.”

Kaelstrom turned, and continued his walking.

“He’s the Chosen One.”

Exien held his head low, but even he scowled at the mentioning of the title. Such a revered title, created for one person in this generation…but for some reason, Exien always had an uncomfortable feeling when it was mentioned.

He remembered all the stories, and the studies of the Chosen One. A highly revered being who shifted the outcomes of fate.

Exien had never assumed that in this generation, another one would occur.

But, for some reason,he couldn’t shake off that odd feeling. That anxious feeling, that had always come and lingered around whenever the Chosen One was mentioned. Usually it’s met with great receptions, but it didn’t make sense.

Why couldn’t he feel completely fine with it?

The two had made it past a significant clearing, where the remnants of what a gate used to be was no longer there. Burnt, and also broken to smithereens. Exien assumed this was where the Great Dragon began it’s hunt.

Both Kaelstrom and Exien entered the premises, carts destroyed, and houses empty. This village was on the outside skirts of Delpharia, not too far from the city itself.

The village wasn’t entirely small, but not too great either. The question everyone had however, is how…and why the Great Dragon came to this village over here.

With a few more steps, both of their eyes widened at the putrid smell. Grabbing their cloaks to at least filter and shield themselves from it. It was evident that it came from rotting bodies, but to identify the deceased at this stage was impossible.

Exien tried to, but simply couldn’t. The Great Dragon surely had done a number.

Each of their bodies discolored and highly unidentifiable. Dragonfire could be the trace of this, but he wouldn’t call it completely.

“This is unfortunate.” Kaelstrom began, reaching the center of the village. There, a stone fountain was built, with a statue erected in it’s place. Although it too, had fallen, and water no longer continued to spray out.

“Everyone here…died.”

Exien tried to subtly feel for any mana signature in the radius of the village, but there was none. Kaelstrom was right. That too, also explained the trail of bodies even leading up to the village. These people…they were trying to run away from something.

Something that wasn’t a Great Dragon.

He bent down low, assessing a deceased body while Kaelstrom roamed around for clues on anything to explain this event. There were clear burns, even some reaching to higher degrees. He tried not to focus on that too much though.

But, the eyes. Lost of color and devoid of life. He tried to feel the faintest signature within this body, but it came back nonexistent. He had assumed that it wasn’t even long before this attack had occured on this village, but even then something was throwing Exien off.

The putrid smell of the bodies. As if…they had been left here to rot for days, weeks–even. If that were the case, then the incident would’ve been reported earlier to those would notice it.

But since the transportation rune connected to this village was disconnected, there was no way anyone would notice it unless they came to this village first, on foot.

Coming to this village is moreso a given, isn’t it? A Checkpoint Village right outside the main city of Delpharia would mostly likely have a high population to begin with anyways.

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If anyone wanted to visit and notice that the village’s teleportation rune is offline, they probably wouldn’t think much of it and assume construction or maintenance.

But for possibly weeks? And that doesn’t raise suspicion towards the officials nearby of Delpharia?

Exien’s tactical mind allowed him to break all of this down, but if he was seeing so many red flags and suspicions, wouldn’t anybody else?

And if they did, why did no one open their mouths to say something?

The realization later settled down in Exien’s mind, rewarding but yet chilling.

They were the first to come across this. Or moreso, the first to come here on foot and check it out.

If they weren’t in Delpharia at the time, and noticed the Dragon flying over, then they would’ve never came across this, and even if the traders coming across this village reported this, there was no way anyone else could believe them. To believe a whole village can be massacred without a decent fight put up?

Sounds like something straight out of a play. Uncanny, even.

He stood up, and looked towards Kaelstrom.

“These…bodies. They’ve been here for some time,” Exien concluded. He raised his hand in the air, and two sigils appeared, white in color and bearing foreign signatures.

Kaelstrom nodded, “I see. No wonder why I couldn’t feel a single signature out of these bodies. Mana has left them long ago.”

The two sigils converged, and combined into a greater sigil. It later vanished, and Exien’s eyes widened slowly. His face shown slight confusion, but was later replaced with another one fairly quickly.

He turned to Kaelstorm, with a bit of a shocked look.

“Aelara was with us?” He asked, with an increasing pace of urgency. Kaelstrom slightly taken aback, shook his head.

“She shouldn’t have, I told her to go ahead with Raek and follow the dragon.” He pointed towards the sky, until Exien recalled his words.

“You told her?” His words emphasized heavily, Kaelstrom slowly sighed seeing where Exien was exactly getting to.

With a slow nod of his head yet again, he confirmed.

“Yeah.”

It wasn’t long before they heard the shimmering of magic, and the footsteps of another. Turning towards the direction, it was another one–Vanguardias just like them. The cloak attached to her with it’s crimson colors and gold accents.

Her hair short, but pasted in a light blonde color. Her silver eyes as remarkable as the finest metals, both strong and resilient.

“Yahoo!” she called out, waving her hand a bit excitedly. Exien narrowed her eyes at the half-elf, while Kaelstrom chuckled nervously.

“Aelara, I thought it was pretty clear that you were told to go along with Raek.” Kaelstrom mentioned, she chuckled nervously and kicked nearby rocks away.

“Raek tagged alone with the Great Dragon before I could do anything. Needless to say it felt like he had everything under control, he’s the Chosen One after all.” She reminded, Exien once again felt that uncomfortable feeling by the mention of the name alone. He was sure that it wasn’t noticeable, however.

“And what’s with the smell? I could smell it even before I got here.” She waved her hand around her nose flashily, her face slowly becoming one of disgust.

Kaelstrom pointed at the bodies, and Aelara only then seemed to understand. Before she could speak, Exien grabbed the opportunity to explain it formally.

“These bodies have potentially been here for weeks, and no one noticed. Either those who evacuated didn’t care on reporting the news back…or simply enough, no one survived.”

“...Ouch.”

Both Kaelstrom and Exien stared down at Aelara, who let out a pity sorry for her response, and then proceed to let Exien continue.

“Originally, Kaelstrom and I thought the Dragon could’ve done this, and maybe perhaps weeks ago, but it doesn’t add up. Dragonfire leaves you charred, not like this. They are still recognizable, barely, but recognizable. Whoever, or whatever did this, had motives we don’t quite understand yet.”

She eyed the bodies, each one containing a serious burn mark on their face, or arm. Some houses were even empty as well.

She looked back at Exien, and poked at his chest playfully.

“That’s why we have you, don’t we? To figure stuff like this out.”

Exien shook his head, “It would take a lot of time. None of these bodies have mana signatures.”

Aelara tilted her head, “And that’s important…why?”

“Makes my job easier. Upon death, mana signatures cocoon to carry your last moments, and also detail the last trace of magic used. If I could get that, then maybe I would understand a little more what type of thing these people faced.”

Aelara slowly nodded, seeming to learn this information for the first time…or maybe had just forgotten it during the academy. She wasn’t necessarily the brightest of the bunch, at least not compared to Kaelstrom or Exien.

The captain of the Vanguardias looked around, and mumbled something. Exien picked it up and later asked him about it.

“You said something Kaelstrom?”

He turned, and seemed to be puzzled. More than before.

“I…I just don’t understand. This village is right outside of Delpharia. You’re telling me that no traders, no officials, or even any wandering conjurer just happened to not come across this?”

His doubts surely made both Exien and Aelara arrive to a point they had never thought of before. Now while Exien did entertain the idea of traders, just anyone else could’ve fit in this scenario too.

“It doesn’t make sense. As if someone pulled a curtain over the village and pulled it off weeks later.”

“But…how? This is a checkpoint village a bit far from Delpharia, if anything, someone would have to go out of their way willingly to not come across it.” Aelara chipped in.

For another moment between he three Vanguardias, there was silence, before she opened her mouth to speak again.

“Illusion magic?”

Exien scoffed, “I doubt it. Experimental magic like that is only reserved for Vanguards, no? I find it hard that any Vanguardias would do something as treacherous as this…which means there’s only one answer left.”

“Just possibly, by chance, no one came across this village.”

There were collective sighs and sounds of disappointment, as Exien fixed a confused face.

Kaelstrom began his walk to explore more of the forgotten village now, which prompted Exien and Aelara to follow suit as well.

“Exien, to think that just out of perfect chance no one had came across this village is…is insane.”

Exien, sure to defend his statement, rebutted. “Sure, agree to disagree. But it’s the only logical answer any of us can come up with as of now.”

Kaelstrom looked back amidst his paced steps, “Yeah, a logical answer that doesn’t make sense.”

“And what does? The whole situation doesn’t make sense. It’s not every day a village gets massacred and everybody doesn’t acknowledge it for weeks.”

Aelara chipped in at rather a horrible time yet again, “Maybe an inside job?”

Both Exien and Kaelstrom looked at her, gave her yet again another glare, and yet again she gave another “sorry”.