Vol. 2 Chapter 17: The Sealed Thunderwrath (A Short Side Story)

There was a plain adequately lit chamber filled with chains attached to the metallic walls. A small amount of electrical current littered the air only to be absorbed by the metal chains. The floors were clean, the ceiling plain, and windows nowhere to be seen.

It was almost similar to a prison cell. No, it was precisely a prison made especially for one. A specially sealed chamber where not even insects or rodents were able to enter, only having small vents to allow air to get in and out, keeping the sole person inside alive.

At the center of the chamber was a humanoid, wrapped by dark chains and shackles on all limbs and on the neck. Her arms spread apart, and her legs folded on the floor. The person was entirely covered with metal plates, as though wearing armor for protection.

Dark metal greaves on the legs, dark gauntlets that fit the slender arms and hands, then armor that covered the entire body fit exactly the wearer’s stature. A special type of equipment. A magical item that would reshape and resize to fit the wearer. However, as though they were unable to be removed, the shackles and chains were attached on top of them.

That being said, there were a few gaps on the suit of armor that exposes smooth and fair skin. The person had long violet hair, unkempt since she was unable to move at all. Her face was covered by a metal mask that goes around her head, only having small gaps to breathe, and visors for each glowing eye.

Her gentle breathing expressed her resignation to fate, and also frustrations. Her arms had already become completely numb a long time ago. Hunger had plagued her stomach for who knows how many years, and yet she lived to due to her immortality. But a life of eternity was not delightful at all when living a life of agony. Unable to walk, unable to see but the same old walls and violet lightning.

Her mind was mostly empty except for a few special memories, and heart carrying hatred. The few memories of life before the binds were the only saving grace for why she had yet to lose her mind.

Beneath the world above, her life was a peaceful one at a small simple settlement with only a few households, not surpassing fifteen. Only they were fed through their own grown vegetables and fruits, while the men would hunt for animals, and others raise. They were all in unity, because of that they were able to survive without much contact with the outside world, they didn't even have major roads so traveling merchants did not come across their settlement.

She was like any normal young girl, hanging out with friends, even found romance when she reached her teens. However, her life changed when she accidentally stumbled upon which would grant her power. Power that she had no need of, nor did she desire any of it. But at the time, she was clueless.

Upon receiving this power, a bright light of violet descended from the sky, and a roar echoed to the entire region, like thunder striking. The next thing she felt was pain all over her body as she got up, lightning cracking the rocky chamber she found herself in.

When she reunited with her lover, the moment they approached together, lightning struck out of the blue, killing him, the person she loved. She was confused, panicking, afraid, having no idea what had just happened. How could she comprehend something so sudden and incomprehensible?

She returned home, as lightning crackled all around her, burning leaves on the way, scarring the trees, and pain slowly searing under her skin. She would ask for help, but, as though her power raged, it went wild as pain spread through her body.

Before she knew it, she had destroyed the entire settlement, leaving a few people to their dying moment.

With despair, she ran away.

A memory she never wanted to remember, but kept haunting her, even in her dreams. She didn’t mean any of it.

Not knowing how long it had passed, for many days and nights, she traversed the seemingly endless forest, while slowly taming the power she so suddenly had been given. However, it was not easy, it was close to impossible to be able to freely control it.

Eventually, inhuman beings found her. Distraught and wary of them, she threatened them to stay away. Then, they offered her a suit of armor, saying that it could hold off the power raging out of her. After accepting and donning the set of armor, she was abducted and carried to this place.

There, they subjected her to many things she couldn’t understand, like they were experimenting on her. She had heard them mention harnessing her power and using that power for different needs. They would even extract her blood for reasons unknown to her.

With countless experiments while bound by metal chains, she was imprisoned and made to suffer. How many years had gone by? How many meals had she missed? She did not seem to even age in the slightest.

Frustration, and loathing, several emotions swirled within her. How could someone like a situation that she was in? She hated it. Could that be the reason why the guilt she first felt when she destroyed her home had begun to dissipate? Overwhelmed by other stronger emotions. Or could it be something else?

Even so, in the end, she could not escape this place. The chains attached to the walls would harness her power before she could do anything with them. Due to the hopelessness, she fell into resignation.

“...”

How long will they keep her here? She longed for freedom. She craved water to quench her thirst, and food to fill her belly, to receive warmth from the sun.

But it was impossible.

She cast her eyes down as she had always done.

The ground shook a little, that little occurrence would have been hard to notice, but not for her who had been mostly still. However, this could be nothing but a normal shake of the earth.

Time steadily moved by, and the shake gradually intensified, as though something was stomping on the floor. She could never sense any movement on the other side of the walls, so she was clueless of what could be happening. However, she surmised that this must be nothing special.

But the ground shook again, and stronger. The next moment, the wall in front of her trembled as though something impacted it.

“...”

The girl, Herenae, slightly lifted her chin as she looked at the metal doors, one of the obstacles that would block her way to the other side of this tiny world. While that thought crossed her mind, there were several loud bangs, the hinges shook as dust flew in the air, a dent formed on the hard metal door itself.

The powerful impact repeated a few times before the door opened up a gap and then a hand came from the other side, prying the door open with fearsome strength.

After the door pried open, there was a person standing there, a woman it seems. She had long blue hair tied in a ponytail, but her face was covered by a mask. She donned a black clothing, covered in plate armour along with a skirt, and for some reason, its design appeared to have been inspired a little by maid outfits.

She had iron greaves and gauntlets, her torso and even over her breasts were protected by armor. One could imagine the weight she would have to bear when wearing those, but she appeared to be fine as she stepped inside the room untroubled, her steps followed by the clanking of her suit.

Herenae could not begin to think why this person had appeared in front of her.

“A woman? Milady, this must be the one.”

It was then a slender woman stepped inside, clad in dark leather armor, dark gloves covering both hands, dark fit trousers and a short skirt as though not only it focused on functionality, but also in decent appearance.

That woman seemed to be young herself, a person who seemed to have reached the age of eighteen. A dark mask covered her face, but one could see a fair complexion on her neck, her long braided silky black hair were as dark as onyx.

“Hello.”

The black haired woman greeted her, her voice was sweet and gentle, along with a trace of innocence. How could a voice carry such a tone?

“I see you are the one they have bound here, exploited of your power. Tell me, do you wish to be free?”

The woman approached, then unexpectedly she removed her mask, unveiling a beautiful young face with a pair of dark eyes, but the two lacked any significant emotion.

“... Who wouldn’t want to be free from this torment?”

For the first time, the woman formed a small smile.

“Of course... I can set you free, but in one condition.”

The chains rattled after those words.

“A condition…? You think I would be fooled? For all I know, you may be no different from them.”

“Am I? Please, do not even compare me with those creatures... What I want from you is simple, so listen.”

“...”

Herenae decided to listen, there was no harm in it. If it was acceptable, then she would accept if that would set her free. However, if this freedom would result in her being chained once again, then she would rather not, there would be no difference.

“But first, allow me to ask. They have subjected you to activities that even I might struggle to learn about. For many years they have tied you, stealing away your freedom. You could have been out there, in the world, and yet, here you are. Who is to blame for that? Isn’t it them? The so-called Mystic Race? I’m sure you have seen what they are.”

Yes, she had seen what they were, they weren’t of the human race. They were strange beings, some she had heard about a few times while at home. There were creatures with long pointy ears, others had half the body of a horse, some covered in fur, and people with animal ears, and a few more. They were inhuman creatures that had entered this chamber to carry out experiments.

“...”

The chains creaked as she remembered those creatures.

“Do you hate them?”

The woman crouched down to her level, making eye contact.

“.... I do...” Herenae’s quiet voice trailed off.

“Then, this is my condition. Help me in my endeavor… to destroy the mystic race.”

Was that all?

“Simple isn’t it? Are you willing to take your revenge? Will you kill? Will you help me?”

Herenae lowered her head.

A small price to pay. Yes, a very small price.

“... Can you win?”

“Of course.”

“... Very well.”

However, there remains a question. Can they break these chains? These were made from the same material as her armor and they were not easy to break at all, incomparable to the door that they had just broken through. If it was that easy, she would have destroyed it a long time ago.

“Good,” she looked at her companion. “Break them.”

The blue haired woman nodded her head and grasped one of the chains. She tried crushing it within her grasp, only to realize that she couldn’t.

“Is it difficult?” the black haired woman asked.

“I think I will be able to destroy them, but it is surprisingly difficult.”

“Hm, so they have this kind of material…”

The blue haired woman grasped the chain tightly and pulled it from the wall, she raised her other hand and struck down, breaking the chain.

“Fortunately, you are still able to break it. That said, we can’t waste time.”

A spear appeared in thin air within the black haired woman's hand. Then with a single swing, crimson light came forth and broke all of the chains on one side, while the blue haired one broke the other side.

Once sealed, now free, Herenae’s arm went limp for a moment but she carried them up forcefully. She looked at her wrists, there were still shackles on her wrists, legs, and neck. However, she was now able to move.

“Can you stand?” the blue haired girl asked with concern behind her mask as she extended a hand forward.

“Yes,” she slowly took the hand offered and helped her stand up. It was difficult at first, her feet unstable, but she had regained her balance a little.

“Do you want the cover on your face removed?” the blue haired girl asked.

She was surprisingly concerned about her that it was a little unsettling.

“I will handle it.”

She undid the lock on the back of her head herself and the mask fell off, revealing a youthful and pretty face with eyes of violet.

“Let’s move, as soon as we are out of this building the better.”

The black haired woman said and immediately moved out, without waiting for the other two, wearing her mask again to cover her face. Her spear vanished from her hand.

“Come,” the blue haired girl told her. “Will you need assistance in walking?”

“No, I will be fine.”

“In that case, please follow closely.”

Herenae nodded and followed behind the armored maiden. The moment she stepped out of the chamber where she was sealed, she took in a sharp deep breath. It was an amazing feeling to be finally out of that desolate room, but there was another which contributed to her gasp.

The hallway was littered with corpses, the walls smeared by splattered blood. On the corner laid the corpses of the very beings she despised, long ears, animal ears, horse half, furry creatures. They had their limbs sliced off, heads decapitated, entire bodies cleaved in half, bodies pounded and crushed, internal organs such as intestines spilled out and scattered to the floor amongst the pool of crimson blood.

It was a bloodbath and complete slaughter. She found herself baffled by what she had behold. How powerful were these people that they were capable of such a feat? The black haired especially looked exceptionally nonchalant amongst the bloody surroundings, but one could see discipline in her movements.

“There they are!”

“Wait that’s the…”

“The experimental subject is free!”

In the hallway to the right, the strange creatures appeared and pointed at her. They did not hold any weapons, but it was already certain that they were already armed one way or another.

“Get them!”

The blue haired girl held out her fist as though preparing to engage. However, before everything else, a sword suddenly pierce through one of the opposition.

“W-What?”

“Looks like I missed you guys.”

It was a man’s voice. The sword retracted and a corpse fell to the floor.

“You bastard!”

The rest attacked, claws and magic, but the man skillfully evaded each one, his long bronze hair dancing in the air.

“Hahahaha!” with ease, he swung the swords on each of his hands until everyone was cut down. “Trivial foes.”

She could not see the expression the man had behind his dark mask, but he must truly be having fun. He flicked the blood off his sword and walked towards the group.

“Oh, so she’s the one? Talk about oozing of power, can’t you hold it back? The air feels static.”

He seemed to be talking to Herenae. True, despite her armor, a small amount of her power was still leaking out. However, she couldn’t do anything about it, this power was something she cannot completely tame.

“I sense divinity from her.”

That voice was almost monotonous, but it was the same voice that spoke to her ever so sweetly earlier. Was this man her subordinate and was this how she normally spoke to them?

“Divinity, huh… Hm, I see. Now I understand why that power is just going out like that.”

She couldn’t understand what these two were saying. As she was about to ask, the black haired woman spoke first.

“Let’s move.”

When the black haired woman started walking at a quick pace, everyone followed suit.

“How are the others?”

“They’re still disposing of the remaining trash, they should be done at any minute” replied the bronze haired man.

“I see. Then let us give them a little more time.”

“Still, this surprised me, given how important this place was, I thought the mystic people would be stronger than normal.”

“Maybe we just got stronger than their average strength?” the blue haired woman said.

“Yeah, you certainly got stronger, keep going though.”

“Of course.”

Steps echoed in front of them and what appeared were their enemies. Before anyone could strike them, the black haired woman waved her hand and dozens of ice daggers shot forward in frightening speed, stabbing each and every enemy like arrows.

The spear is not her only weapon?

Herenae thought.

“You already got them. Heh, looks like no one can match us anyway, so I’ll leave everyone in your hands.”

The swords in the man’s hand vanished all of a sudden.

What are these people?

They were interesting, but because of that, she felt more cautious towards them.

“Please do not give more jobs to milady.”

“Come now, it’s good for exercise.”

“Hmph!”

After a few moments, they arrived before a broken massive door, and on the other side was…

The outside.

Herenae could feel elation within her heart the moment her eyes perceived the soil darkened by the night. There was a faint presence of moonlight which made a few pebbles glint. When her legs went past the threshold, the cold but fresh air greeted her arrival into the world.

She stopped in place and took an entire breath of the air outside. It was wonderful, bringing a sense of lightness into her chest, as though the cold wind brought her a healing warmth once again.

She gazed up, the glimmering starry sky filled her eyes, welcoming her. The bluish moon was big and round, so magnificent. How long ago was the last time she saw this kind of view? She had no idea. But it must have been so long that her other memories have turned vague. This view felt like the first.

As she gazed up at the vast expanse above, she felt something wet streaming down on both sides of her cheeks. After wiping them off with her hand did she realize it was her tears. Indescribable emotions swelled up within her heart. Joy, excitement, anger, irritation, longing, gratitude.

She gazed up once more at the view of the heavens, savoring this special moment.

It was then that she heard footsteps coming her way.

When she lowered her head to look, she discovered the black haired woman looking at her, her eyes hidden behind her mask leaving Herenae clueless about her thoughts, before casually turning towards the approaching footsteps.

“We have finished our side.”

The men in clothes of black said to the black-haired woman, their faces covered with masks.

“Good, we’re ahead of schedule. We can wait for the remaining others.”

The man with bronze hair casually approached the woman.

“We really are killing everyone here, huh.”

“What? Don’t tell me you pity them. I’m surprised to see you hesitate.”

“Now now, don’t make fun of me. But, if we wait long, reinforcements could arrive, something unexpected could happen for all we know.”

“That’s why we have scouts, they can warn us if they are coming. Besides, we have to execute everyone here. A lot of their brilliant minds are here in this facility. Killing everyone will be a massive blow to their forces and technological progress.”

“You really want to harass them that bad I see.”

“....... We also need to make our soldiers gain experience, this will be a good opportunity.”

Herenae looked back at the facility from whence she was kept. It was entirely one building but it was tall and wide, almost looking like a palace. Dark and brown walls made up of stones and bricks, small and wide window panes installed unto walls.

This facility was surrounded by towering walls, but the front gates were now wide open. They must have used that as an entrance. But she wondered how they were able to open them, perhaps they sneaked inside?

Herenae would have preferred to leave this place as soon as possible, she felt uncomfortable staying here. However, if they decided to wait for a while, there was nothing she could do about it, she knew she would have no say in any of their decisions.

It was then a bright flash of light engulfed the surroundings, but it was not directly in front of them. Herenae looked up and saw a beam of light that ascended into the sky before dissipating.

“Now they have done it!” one of the men exclaimed.

“Now we really need to get out of here. We especially don’t want any special units coming here.”

Herenae lowered her eyes to look at the group, thinking what they were planning on doing now.

“Milady?” the blue haired woman called out.

“I’ll send the signal for immediate retreat.”

She raised up her hand with the index finger pointed out, then a ball of light shot up into the sky in the color of red before slowly descending.

At that moment, Herenae sensed a group running towards them from a corner. The rest of the group also turned in the same direction.

What emerged from the path which goes around the building was a group of the mystic race. The beastmen have already turned berserk, showing their full beast form, elves readying their weapons and magic, centaurs readied their spears and axes, satyrs staying in the rear preparing to use magic for support.

One of the elves stepped forward and glared towards Herenae, he had short blonde hair and green eyes, a sword in his hand.

“You freed the experimental subject, fools, do you even know what you are doing?”

“Look at these guys, do you think we’re stupid enough to do something we don’t know what we’re doing? You must be the fool here if you don’t think before speaking.”

The bronze haired man stepped forward and spoke to them in a ridiculing tone.

“Damn you, I don’t know who you are but you are making a big mistake. Tragedy will befall you if you let her be. She should never be freed, destruction only follows wherever she goes. A monster blessed with uncontrollable power.”

Herenae clenched her fists. She never wanted this power in the first place. And, who was he to determine whether she should be free or not? This elf had no right whatsoever. Not anyone.

“You’re saying that but her power is actually a big deal, you know. Be honest, you just want to harness everything from her.”

“We are the only ones that can restrain her, and we can use her however we want. You humans would never understand our goals, nor do you have to know.”

“Well well, why am I even speaking to you, you’ll be dead at any moment anyway.”

Herenae stepped forward, electricity crackled around her.

“I… They are mine to take.”

“You think you can—”

At that moment, like a lightning strike, she disappeared from where she stood as violet lightning zapped around in a second. Everything truly happened for almost a single very short moment as several tracks of lightning spread around the mystic race.

Silhouette of Herenae remained at every turn of the lightning strike. Then at every strike, multiple body parts were cut and severed all at the same time, the air smelling like burned flesh. The entire group of enemies never had any time to escape nor even an opportunity to take a step.

Like a single lightning bolt striking from the sky, it ended too quickly. Herenae appeared and stood amidst the dead, the ones she had killed.

She looked at her own hand, there was no blood since there was no direct contact with them. However, she was the one to take their lives away. It felt bizarre. This was the very first time that she truly wanted to kill…

Was she supposed to feel regret? Guilt? She should have. But, she felt nothing of the sort. But instead, there was elation. She looked at the corpse in front of her, the elf cut into pieces. She did not feel guilty, she was… glad.

Even so, the sight made her stomach churn. Somehow, this reminded her of the vague memory of her home.

Her hand slightly trembled.

“Are you alright?” When Herenae raised her eyes, she saw the blue haired woman approach her.

Herenae slightly nodded her head.

“Come, it’s time to get out of here.”

Then several people in black had also arrived from around the establishment. Several giant beasts had also arrived. Four legged beasts that resembled both lions and tigers, but they were fiercer and sported a pair of tails. Their fangs were fearsome, and claws razor sharp.

The way Herenae saw it, these were not mere beasts, but monsters. However, when they arrived before the group, they lowered themselves. Suddenly, several bodies of dark fogs hovered above them. Such fogs normally couldn’t easily be seen in the night, however, they were so close that even a normal human eye could see them.

Herenae had no idea what they could be, but there were so many of them that it would take a while before she could count them all.

“We’ll be riding the beasts, I will be with you.”

Herenae had no choice but to follow. She was wary at first, but it would seem they were tamed. No, was taming monsters even possible? Or were these not exactly monsters?

She observed the blue haired woman and saw her grasping the fur of the beast and used that to support her climb. This implied that the beast was fine with doing that. Not that this beast would be a threat if it turns aggressive towards her, she just couldn’t help but do things carefully when involving these kinds of things, she might ruin everything for others.

In any case, she followed how the woman did it. Herenae sat down and she could feel the softness of the thick fur, it was wonderful that she could sleep on it.

She watched the rest, and the others began climbing up, there was even a large man with a large sword climbing up with a few others and the giant beast was not bothered at all.

Turning her eyes to the other beasts, she saw the black haired woman sitting down on a beast in a perfectly ladylike manner, while a bit apart beside her was the bronze haired man casually sitting down.

When everyone was ready, the black haired woman gave the command to move out and the beasts sprinted instantly, everyone held tight unto the monsters and the dark fogs following above them. In no time they got away from the facility walls and towards the forest, crossing through a grassland.

Herenae looked back and saw the facility becoming distant. She did not wish to return there ever again.

“We’ll be riding these for some time as we get away from the city. Ah, we have yet to introduce ourselves, my apologies.”

She raised her hand and removed her mask, revealing a face with pale skin and dark green eyes. Her face was full of smiles as she extended a hand towards Herenae.

In time, these people were the ones she will get to call her friends and comrades.

***

A beam of light had just ascended into the sky.

A young man was awakened in his slumber, rubbing his eyes, he looked up to see a large man wearing leather armor, he had dark hair and beard, above his head was a pair of wolf-like ears. At the same time, there were loud commotions outside, mixed by loud shouts.

Instantly realizing what could be happening, the young man jerked up off the bed.  His short silvery dark violet hair jumped in the motion. He had a gentle pair of maroon eyes, on his forehead were two short red horns going outward.

His species were part of the so-called Mystic Race, however, they were among the minority and amongst with the lowest social status and influence.

“Oni” they were called.

Compared to other species within the Mystics, their common strength was low in comparison to elves and beastmen. Maybe that was why they have a small influence in mystic society.

“Young hero.”

The beastman called to him in a hushed tone.

“Hero” that was what they began to call him. However, such a thing was not yet publicly proclaimed, having only a few to know.

“Sir Tevil. What’s going on?”

As he asked, he stood up from the bed.

“An emergency signal was fired from the nearby facility. Suit up quickly, in these kinds of times you have to act immediately and be alert, don’t slow down.”

The beastman, Tevil, said sternly.

“Y-Yes sir!”

“You only have two minutes at maximum, get going, Senu!”

The Oni, otherwise labeled as a hero, sprang into action, removing his current clothes for sleeping and donning his fighting clothes and armor. He had no idea what exactly was going on, but he had to act quickly.

Seeing that Tevil, his mentor, was already wearing his battle outfit, Senu felt ashamed that he fell behind and had to be personally awoken. Next time, if such a commotion happens, he needs to realize it while he is sleeping. It was unbecoming of someone being gifted such power and labeled as a hero.

He only recently began training, and so one could expect that he would be this unreliable. He was never exactly a fighter, but he had to become one for the world. There was a common threat that had come to their lands that was prophesied to threaten the entire mystic race.

As someone who was gifted with power, he had to do something, and indeed, he was relied upon. That being said, he was still not that powerful, and he needed to be trained and disciplined. Because of that, Tevil was assigned to accompany him and train him in everything he needed to learn.

They came to this city so that Senu would learn how it would be like on the field and gain experience.

Senu was frantically fitting his armor when Tevil suddenly shouted.

“You’re a second past!”

A second?!

He felt regret that he went past the designated time. However, he had already finished. Even so, he was behind.

“You need to be faster next time, boy.”

“My apologies.”

Tevil placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Well, the first batch of reinforcements have moved out, so we’ll be fine for now. Now come on.”

Senu picked up his sword and followed behind Tevil, walking down the wooden hallway of the barracks.

“You have improved a lot in combat, however, you still need to be alert in peaceful moments. Should we try camping out in a forest filled with monsters?”

Senu shuddered at Tevil’s suggestion. That may sound casual, but if he said it, it would definitely happen. Facing monsters was not entirely a problem though. If they were weak that is. Small monsters no longer have any threat to him, still Senu felt pressured when facing challenging opponents.

Knowing Tevil, he may find a spot where only fearsome monsters could only be found. He might even try sending him to fight an entire nest of them. He may be able to defeat a group, but he never exactly tried it yet. The power of lightning may be with him, life threatening scenarios were still something he was not used to.

Even so, he can not back down and curl like a coward. If he couldn’t even face mere monsters, how can he defeat her?

“I think we can try.”

“Cool. Alright then.”

A short while later, when they arrived at the courtyard, a number of fifty men gathered consisting of a mixture of different species. However, there was no other Oni there but only Senu.

There were mainly beastmen, centaurs, and plenty of elves. No satyrs in sight, they might have been dispatched first.

A captain appeared, a beastman. After seeing everyone had assembled, he gave the order to move out. Following the order, every soldier sprinted and they all disappeared from the courtyard a moment later then started running through the streets.

“Come on, boy,” Tevil said at the same time and began moving out.

“Y-Yes!”

Senu sprinted and followed behind Tevil, passing by several houses at each second. They had no need to use any mount when the facility was not even far from the city. Furthermore, they would be slower when using a steed compared to just using their legs. They also don’t tire easily when just sprinting for a few kilometers.

A couple of minutes later, Senu had arrived at a grassland with a few trees scattered about. When the facility was on sight, Senu gripped the hilt of his sword.

When they arrived, the team halted before the gates. The first batch of reinforcements had already entered, however, everything was silent, no sounds of fighting nor panic.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s over.”

Senu shifted his eyes towards Tevil, the latter wearing a serious expression.

“Let’s get inside.”

Senu nodded his head as he took in the cold air, anticipating what could have happened inside. After passing through the gates, he froze in place the moment his eyes perceived a bloody landscape.

“This is…”

Corpses scattered on the ground, savagely killed, no sign of honor or dignity from what remained. There were those whose limbs were all cut, some were crushed and splattered that their innards scattered to the soil and walls, then some fortunate enough to have only sword slashes and stabs.

When he turned his head, there he saw a group of corpses, their entire bodies were sliced into pieces, a smell of burned flesh still lingering in the air — what a foul smell.

“What the hell happened…?” Senu involuntarily asked.

“Are there even any survivors? Boy, follow me inside.”

With a reluctant nod, he followed behind Tevil through the ruined doors. In the hallway, the smell of blood was way worse that Senu almost vomited. He covered his mouth with a contorted expression, sickened.

Everyone was brutally murdered. There were even those who didn’t appear to be soldiers and only wore civilian clothing. Everyone in the Mystic Race may be capable of combat, but there will always be those who were too weak or innocent that couldn’t fight in a battlefield.

The sight inside here was more bloody and sickening than the outside. The people that died here looked as though they never even had the chance to fight back.

Senu couldn’t help but look at one of the severed heads lying on the floor, an expression left frozen on its face.

Senu felt horrified.

“Who could have done this…?”

The more they walked within the bloody corridor, the more his stomach churn and the more his heart ached at the terrible demise of these people. They may be strangers to him, but it was heartbreaking to see this.

“Damn, looks like they killed as many as they did.”

“Sir… people were capable of such atrocities?”

“...”

It was sickening. What sort of evil person could do this?

If only I was here, maybe I could have stopped something like this from happening…

Regret filled his heart and mind.

“The ones who did this must be brought to justice,” Senu said.

“They will be… let’s get out of here, you already look terrible.”

Senu weakly nodded his head.

He still cannot comprehend how people were capable of such horror. Do they even have any mercy? Or even a tiny amount of compassion? Can he even fight them off?

No, I must not lose heart.

If he cannot defeat an opponent, then he only needs to get stronger. He will train. If he still cannot, then he can rely on the help of his allies.

As the hero, he must defeat the evil villains that would spill the blood of his people.

As the hero, he must protect his homeland and the world they belong in.

He gripped his sword tightly as he made his conviction.

I will protect everyone!

Tearing_Sanctuary

Tried using Wombo Dream for generating images. Was trying to get a scene that might capture the moment, it took a few tries, but I got it hahaha. But it seems it's way bloodier lol. It's a fun app/website.

This was supposed to be a side story, but I decided to include it in the chapter count to keep things organized.