The sky darkened quickly as a cold wind blew through the trees, heralding an ominous presence. Wan stood on the outskirts of the village, watching the horizon where the mountains met the sky. His senses tingled with unease. Something was wrong. The village had been peaceful for weeks, and yet, today, the air felt thick with impending danger.

Suddenly, a figure appeared on the edge of the forest, his silhouette imposing against the dying light of the day. It was a lone rider, garbed in dark furs and armor, riding a warhorse that kicked up clouds of dust. Behind him, shadows began to stir, and a wave of figures emerged from the treeline—warriors, their eyes cold and calculating, carrying weapons that seemed forged from darkness itself.

"The Hunters," Kai muttered under his breath. He had heard rumors of this rival tribe, a group of Tenebrians who had forsaken the old ways and embraced a brutal code of survival. They were feared, not just for their skills in battle, but for their ruthless pursuit of power. They were the ones who lived to conquer and destroy.

Kai's voice was low but firm. "Prepare yourselves. This will be a fight for our lives."

At the head of the approaching force, the figure on horseback dismounted with a quiet authority. His eyes glinted in the fading light—cold, calculating, and powerful. His name was Astra, the chief of the Hunters. A figure of legend, said to have mastered forbidden powers that no other Tenebrian had ever dared to use.

Astra looked at the village with disdain, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "The Tenebrians have grown weak," he called out, his voice carrying across the village square. "We are here to take what is rightfully ours."

The elders of the village—leaders who had long kept the Tenebrians united—stepped forward. Kai joined them, standing tall among the others. There was no fear in their eyes, only a steely determination.

Astra's gaze shifted to Kai. "So, you are the one who has kept the village intact, the one who leads these sheep. You will be the first to fall."

Without further warning, Astra raised his hand. A surge of dark energy erupted from his fingertips, unlike anything Wan had ever seen. It was not Shade, not the power that the Tenebrians wielded, but something far darker, more twisted. The air around Astra crackled with the energy, and the ground trembled beneath his feet.

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Astra's power surged forward, and in an instant, the first wave of elders fell. Their bodies twisted, their forms writhing in agony as the energy tore through them. Wan could only watch, paralyzed by shock, as Astra's power decimated the village's most powerful protectors.

Kai barely managed to evade the strike, but the others were not so lucky. Half of the elders were reduced to nothing more than broken, lifeless husks. The remaining elders, including Kai, were left gravely wounded, their bodies burned and scarred by the unnatural power Astra wielded.

"Fall back!" Kai ordered, his voice strained but resolute. "Wan, take the children, the women, and the elders who can still move. Get them to the forest, now!"

Wan felt a knot tighten in his chest. He wanted to fight, wanted to defend his home, but he couldn't ignore the command. Kai's voice was firm, and the urgency in his eyes told Wan everything he needed to know. The village was lost. They needed to survive.

With no time to argue, Wan ran to the village square, gathering the children, the women, and the elderly. His heart hammered in his chest as he urged them to move quickly, to leave everything behind. He could hear the screams of his fellow villagers as the Hunters tore through the defenses, destroying everything in their path. The flames of burning homes lit up the night sky, and the acrid smell of smoke filled the air.

The villagers ran, some stumbling, others dragging the wounded. Wan pushed them forward, his eyes scanning for any signs of the Hunters. As they reached the edge of the forest, Wan hesitated for a moment, looking back at the burning village. His new home—his only home—was being destroyed. The weight of the loss hit him like a physical blow, but there was no time to mourn.

"Keep moving!" he shouted, urging the villagers forward.

As they fled deeper into the forest, the sounds of battle faded, but an eerie silence followed them. Wan's thoughts raced—how could they have been so unprepared? How had Astra and his Hunters been able to strike so swiftly? There were too many unanswered questions, and Wan's heart pounded with the need for answers.

But his escape was far from over.

A shadow moved ahead of him in the trees. His instincts screamed at him, but it was too late. The Hunters had surrounded them.

Wan's eyes widened in horror as the full force of the Hunters emerged from the woods, their weapons drawn and their eyes fixed on him. At the head of the group stood Astra, his eyes gleaming with victory.

"So, you think you can run?" Astra sneered, stepping forward with a predatory smile. "You and your village… you're all just pawns in a game. And now, it's over."

Wan's breath caught in his throat, the weight of the moment sinking in. There was no way out. He was trapped. His heart raced as the Hunters closed in, and everything he had fought for—his village, his new life—seemed to be slipping through his fingers.

The last thing Wan saw before the darkness closed in was Astra's cold smile.