The morning sun filtered through the trees as Kael blinked open his eyes. He sat up, letting out a long yawn and stretching his arms wide, the lingering weight of sleep heavy in his voice.
"Hey... morning, everyone," he mumbled, rubbing the crust from his eyes.
Renjiro, already awake and poking at the dying embers of the campfire, glanced up. "Good morning."
Nearby, the rustling of sleeping bags signaled the rest of the camp waking up. Sara stirred first, sitting up with a quiet groan, followed closely by Azune. Azune offered a bright, sleepy smile to the group. "Good morning, all of you!"
With the night officially over, the group didn't waste any time. They packed up their tents, doused the remaining coals, and cleared the campsite. Once everything was securely fastened to their gear, they turned on their heels and began the trek back toward the village.
As they walked alongside the river, Kael slowed his pace, looking at the clear water. "Hey, let's take a quick breather here before we push on," he said, wiping a bit of sweat from his forehead.
Sara nodded in agreement. "Sounds good."
"Alright," Renjiro muttered, dropping his pack slightly to rest his shoulders.
While the others rested, Azune wandered down toward the riverbank. Kael's eyes followed the water, tracking it against the current. As his gaze drifted upriver, something unusual caught his eye.
Floating near the edge was the lifeless body of a Void Human.
At first, Kael's chest tightened, assuming a wild animal had gotten to them. But looking closer, the strange, unsettling nature of the scene told him this wasn't just a simple beast attack. He couldn't just ignore it.
Panic spiking, Kael sprinted back toward Renjiro. He arrived breathless, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. "I… I saw… someone is… dead over there…"
Renjiro's expression hardened. He quickly followed Kael back to the riverbank. But the moment Renjiro's eyes landed on the corpse, the color drained completely from his face. His breath hitched, and his voice trembled violently.
"He—He is our… m-minister…"
Renjiro stumbled backward, his knees giving out as he collapsed onto the dirt. He forced his eyes shut, unable to look at the gruesome sight a second longer. Kael tried to stand up to help him, but a sudden wave of terror hit him. His legs shook so violently that his balance broke, and he dropped right back down to the ground.
Azune rushed over, pulling Kael back to his feet. Her face was pale. "Brother… how could this happen?"
Renjiro couldn't hold it in anymore. "I don't know!" he choked out. The cold, stoic mask he always wore completely shattered. Heavy tears spilled from his eyes, tracing hot lines down his cheeks.
Seeing his friend break down, Kael instinctively wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug. But the contact seemed to snap something inside Renjiro. A sudden, terrifying realization clicked in his mind. With a burst of frantic strength, Renjiro shoved Kael away, grabbed his pack from the ground, and bolted toward the village.
Kael scrambled back up, panic surging through his veins. "Azune! Sara! Stay close to me!" he shouted, grabbing his own gear. "We have to move!"
Ahead of them, Renjiro was running like a madman. His lungs burned and his breath was completely ragged, but he refused to slow down. Only one thought screamed in his head: Please let my parents be alive. Please.
But the moment Renjiro burst through the main gates of the village, his strength evaporated. He crashed heavily onto his knees, the air leaving his lungs in a sharp gasp.
Before him, the village was gone. Everything was destroyed, reduced to smoking ruins and silence. There wasn't a single soul left.
Kael finally skidded to a halt, his bags slipping from his numb fingers and hitting the dirt. The devastation before him was absolute. Beside him, Azune forced herself into a physical form, tears already streaming down her face.
Kael couldn't find his voice. A second later, Sara materialized next to them. She stared at the ruins, her voice barely a whisper. "This… this isn't possible."
A few yards away, Renjiro was completely broken. He slammed his fists into the hard earth over and over again, skin splitting until blood stained the dirt. But Azune's grief took a much more terrifying turn. The shock seemed to snap something inside her, and she suddenly burst into loud, hysterical laughter.
Kael lunged forward to stop her, but Sara caught his wrist in a tight grip. "Don't," Sara warned, her eyes wide with caution. "Right now, Azune is a danger to everyone. Her mind can't process this, and she's losing control."
Kael looked from Azune to the burning remains of the village. Silent tears finally leaked from his eyes, though no sound escaped his throat. He was just numb. Sara stood frozen in disbelief. Who—or what—could possess the terrifying power to wipe out an entire village of Void Humans?
Moving like a robot, Kael walked over to Renjiro, kneeling down and gently placing a hand on his trembling shoulder.
Meanwhile, Sara approached the madly laughing Azune. She gently placed her hands over Azune's eyes, leaning close to whisper, "Do you want to cry? If you want to, just let it out. Cry as much as you need."
The manic laughter abruptly choked off. Sara felt a sudden warmth pooling against her palms—tears. Pulling her hands back, she saw Azune's eyes overflowing with pure sorrow. Sara immediately wrapped her arms around the girl, holding her in a tight hug as Azune went completely limp.
Seeing the total collapse of the group, Drakes materialized into a physical form. "Kael," he said softly, breaking the heavy silence. "I'll grab the bags and find a place for us to hole up."
Kael simply nodded. As Drakes ventured into the ruined village, Kael stayed by Renjiro's side, gently stroking his back to comfort him. Sensing the gravity of the situation, the rest of the companion souls materialized to help. Vajr and Xiyan walked over to Renjiro, carefully lifting the broken boy up from both sides. Nearby, Nyx stepped forward to help Sara support the unresponsive Azune.
Kael walked ahead, his eyes scanning the debris. Amidst the destruction, he spotted a single house at the end of a closed street that was miraculously still standing and intact. He pushed the door open—it was empty, but safe.
Using telepathy, Kael's voice echoed in everyone's minds: 'Head to the right side of the village. Follow the closed street to the very end. We're in the last house.'
The group moved quickly, carrying the two broken youths inside and laying them gently onto the beds. By the time they were set down, both Renjiro and Azune had completely passed out from the sheer emotional exhaustion.