Bruce revealed his beast form and raced all the way to Rude Village, carrying Chuan Wenwu and Raphtalia.
"..."
Chuan Wenwu stared toward the ruins of the village, his heart churning.
The temporary shelter had collapsed, covered in blackened scorch marks, with embers still burning. The campfire built at the village entrance had been kicked apart.
The wind howled across the fields, but there was no sound from the villagers.
Where had everyone gone?
With the answer already in mind, Chuan Wenwu charged into the ruined camp. The sight made his pupils contract, and fury surged in his chest-the villagers' bodies lay strewn across the ground, covered in wounds deep enough to expose bone. Blood had soaked the earth into mud. Blood-soaked mud!
"Ah..."
Chuan Wenwu could not speak. An indistinct sound escaped his throat as he hurried to check the villagers, hoping to find even a single survivor.
"Brother Chuan..."
Raphtalia, who arrived close behind him, also saw the villagers' dreadful condition inside the wooden shelter. Dizziness washed over her, and she nearly fell. Only Bruce's support kept her on her feet. Grief etched her face as she watched Chuan Wenwu examine the villagers, a hoarse murmur escaping her throat.
She did not understand why this had happened. With the heroes' help, everyone in Rude Village had safely survived the most dangerous part of the wave. They should all have had hope for a brighter future, rebuilding their home together... so why had everyone in the village been brutalized like this when they had only been apart for such a short time?
Her old demi-human village had suffered this fate. Why had this human village suffered it too...?
After checking the last villager's body, Chuan Wenwu rose in silence and shook his head.
The perpetrators of this tragedy had