After Samael and Ajax's absence, Ishkar's days were nowhere exciting. He fought beasts, trained, and spent the rest of his time by the campfire.

If he had the urge to do anything, he would ponder about what Samael discovered and how he could possibly learn and pass it on to others.

However, the same cannot be said for those that are in Servan, for rumours and whispers of foul creatures lying in the dark have been seen lurking arouse the sanctuary, hiding beyond the peripheral of the people.

Unrest was upon them as the wind felt colder than ever. There was also the off silence and the tension hanging high in the air. Something was up, and they did not know what it was.

Inside General Luminari's tent, multiple figures stood around the grand table where multiple documents, pieces of small figurines, and maps lay.

Unlike the other sanctuaries, Servan would hold meetings every day to discuss their findings and progress. Here, even a single miniscule detail can impact the flow of the war.

Sitting by the topmost seat of the table, a woman came close to Luminari as she laid down multiple papers.

"These are the agenda's for today, sir," the woman said.

Recently, all of the sanctuaries did a cleaning of their officers following Tera's betrayal. It turns out the ministry had their roots deeper in the organisations they believed were safe.

"Thank you, Ashe," Luminari said as he took the papers. After some time, he cleared his throat. "Let us begin the meeting."

Soon, the silent tent was engulfed in the combined voices of the officials. Most of the topics in the agenda today were fairly simple.

Some were about weapons and the new arsenal of weaponry that had just arrived. It seems the Mellaguns had begun to construct improved machines after recovering their lost blueprints.

With that said, the war efforts have significantly improved as the new armaments held great firepower, increasing the ranks of the beasts they could kill without the help of awakened soldiers.

Other agendas were about the construction of strongholds in said liberated areas and discussion about the distribution of rations. These past few months, the flow of resources has become more stable as Tera has finally resumed operations.

Thinking about it, most of the things that are doing well are because of Ajax and Samael. Luminari shook his head. He should really come by and thank them sometimes.

As the meeting began to deepen, more serious matters were discussed, including the efforts of their medics and healers in solving rising plagues and diseases.

When the meeting had begun to end, Commander Jones, the leader of the intelligence department, rose up, luring everyone's attention.

"Would you like to say anything, Commander Jones?" Luminari asked, his brows furrowed.

Jones remained silent for a moment, sweat trailing down his forehead. Noticing this, Luminari's frown deepened.

"Jones?" he asked.

Hearing the general call unto him, Jones flinched as he broke from his stupor. "S-sir."

"Is something wrong?" Luminari asked.

"Well, the thing is..." Jones muttered.

"It's okay, Jones; you can tell us," Luminari said.

Jones nodded as he spoke. "Recently, a few days ago, my scouts stumbled upon a peculiar situation... I cannot explain it clearly, so I called upon the captain of the second regiment scouts here. May I, sir?"

Luminari nodded. "Go ahead."

With his approval, a man went in. "Sir!" He said as he saluted.

"At ease, captain Ramon," Jones said. "Captain, please give us a detailed explanation of what you guys saw."

Ramon gave a brief nod.

"Roughly four days ago, me and my squad were out beyond the wall, exploring some of the dead lands we have yet to set foot in," he said as he swallowed hard. "However, upon arriving there, we noticed something amiss. Typically, we would run by a few monsters on the way; this is even more so when we arrive at the dead lands."

"And?" Luminari asked upon noticing the captain's silence.

"But we didn't," Ramon said.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Explain yourself," Luminari asked as he leaned closer. By now, all of the leaders were focused on the captain.

"Upon arriving at the dead zone, there was nothing but silence. There were no winged beasts nor any land creatures," he said. "Unsure of what is happening, me and my soldiers did a few rounds around the dead zone, but even then there was simply... nothing."

"Can you mark it on this map?" Luminari asked as Ramon went closer to circle a plot of land beyond the wall.

"Strange..." Commander Prius muttered.

"What is sir Prius?" Commander Cerian asked.

"Well, that plot of land is near hostile grounds. I should know because most of the expenses are directed there.

"He is not wrong," Jones chimed in. "According to our intelligence, that place should be swarming."

"But it's not," Ramon said, silencing everyone. "It was barren, devoid of beasts... and worse of all, it was stale."

"Stale?" Luminari asked.

"There were no sounds, sir, nor any signs of hunting in the vicinity, as if the beasts were avoiding disturbing the land," Ramon said.

"That is strange indeed," Luminari muttered under his breath. "Have you taken precautions?"

"Yes, we have, sir," Jones said. "And this phenomenon has also occurred in other dead lands near us."

Everyone fell silent as the tension skyrocketed.

"Sir, if I may?" Ramon asked.

"Go on, soldier," Luminari said.

"I believe this could have some form of connection with the unrest in the camp," Ramon said.

"Elaborate," Luminari said.

"There have been whispers and rumours of shadows lurking beyond our sights. Not only that, but people have been complaining of the cold and the odd tension in the air," he answered.

"I don't see how that connects to us," Luminari said.

"No, no, I think he's unto something," Gerald, the head doctor, said as he sprung up.

Coming closer to the table, he laid a series of documents, each pertaining to patients and what seemed to be rifts.

"What is going on, Gerald?" Luminari asked.

"Recently, right about the time they discovered this odd phenomenon, there has been an increase in patients suffering from body deterioration," he said. "Now the symptoms for body deterioration are like those of a common cold, but it affects those that are awakened, and if not treated, can escalate to far worse effects."

Pushing forward the rifts and documents pertaining to it, he resumed.

"I've been doing research regarding rifts for some time now and can't help but notice something about it," Gerald said. "On the first few years of their discoveries, people of that time have kept a few records of the events that have led to this... but what piqued my interest are the descriptions they provided."

Taking the paper he handed out, Luminari read out loud. "Upon discovery of the portals, many people were puzzled regarding their purposes. However, it did not take long before we discovered that these are pathways beasts from who knows where use to invade us."

Looking at Gerald, the doctor nodded. "Focus on the next passages."

"These rifts appeared out of nowhere. We did not know what are the prerequisites for one to open nor when they open. They just did. However, one of the survivors of the rifts opening, sergeant Kushkar, spoke of experiencing an odd chill in the air along with the disturbing movements of animals in the areas," Luminari read as his brows began to furrow.

"He said the animals had become silent and began to avoid the said area. It wasn't until it was too late that he noticed that the area had become barren. It was as though a predator had overtaken that place and marked it as its own territory," Luminari read. "Don't tell me..."

"Yes, I believe what the survivor experienced is connected to our current predicament," Gerald said. "I believe that the main cause for body deterioration is exposure to rifts."

"But that doesn't make sense," Jones said. "What about before? We never experienced body deterioration. I thought it was due to fatigue and harsh conditions."

"That's where my theory comes in," Gerald said. "I believe that prolonged exposure to rifts can cause body deterioration. As for why? I do not know... yet. As for why it hasn't affected us yet, I hypothesise that it has something to do with the distance of the rifts."

"Are you saying there are rifts near us?" Luminari asked.

"That cannot be! Me and my scouts have made sure to keep an eye out for rifts, and there have been no movements yet," Jones said.

With that, Gerald fell silent.

"We cannot rely on theories alone," Jones said.

"Jones is right, we cannot act upon a theory. But just in case, strengthen our walls and increase the numbers of soldiers on duty along with the plantations of new armaments," Luminari said. "If I've learnt anything in my time as the general, anything out of place is a sign of impending danger."

"Yes, sir," everyone said in unison as they began to pack up their things.

"I stand firm on my theory, Luminari," Gerald said. "I truly believe there are rifts near us, and we aren't even aware of them."

"I trust you too, Gerald. I've worked with you enough to know the strength of your theories. However, these men cannot rely upon a mere theory alone. They need proof," Luminari said.

"I know," Gerald said as a sigh escaped his lips.

Moving towards Jones, Luminari spoke. "Commander."

"Sir?" Jones asked.

"I'm troubled by these dead zones. Please guide your men and learn more about this phenomenon," Luminari said.

"I understand, sir," Jones said.

Shifting his gaze at the brave scout captain, Luminari asked. "What's your name, soldier?"

"Ramon general!" Ramon answered.

"No surname?" Luminari asked, his brows raised.

"Yes, sir!" Ramon answered.

It wasn't that Luminari didn't believe commoners could strike it big, but there weren't many occurrences where a peasant has become a captain of a regiment.

"Where did you study? Did you perhaps enter a school?" Luminari asked.

"No, sir! I was taught by a single man," Ramon answered.

"Oh ho... May I ask, are there more of you young talents in my camp?" Luminari enquired.

Ramon fell silent.

Noticing this, Luminari took back his question. "It's okay if you don't wish to walk about it."

"No, sir, it's okay," Ramon said. "There aren't many, sir. We were once big in number, but after the events following the final battle with the imgrave wolves assaulting Tera, there aren't many of us left."

"Imgrave wolves?" Luminari asked in surprise. "May I ask who your master is?" He asked, an idea forming in his head.

"Yes, sir!" Ramon said.

"We were trained by the Grim Hound. A prodigy scout named Samael!" Ramon said.

Luminari's brows rose up. Now it makes sense. To think that Samael once again helped them is making him feel bad for not rewarding him.

"Thank you for answering honestly, soldier. You may go now," Luminari said.

"Samael is really something, sir," Jones said as they watched Ramon leave. "He has done so much for us even though he didn't help us directly."

"That I agree with Jones," Luminari said. "Where does Icarius pick these kids up?"

"One can only wonder, sir; one can only wonder," Jones said.