From above, Nyra spotted Cedric standing near a lone tree in the corner of the ruined village. Curious, she hovered closer, tilting her head as she watched him study something intently.
Nyra hovered above Cedric for a moment, peering down at the tree he was studying. "What are you staring at? Are you… in love with the tree or something?" she teased, landing gracefully behind him.
Cendric turned his head slowly. "Nothing like that," he replied, voice calm. "But… look at these cuts." He pointed to deep gashes along the trunk. "Someone used an extremely sharp blade."
Nyra leaned closer. "So… what? There were a lot of summons here? Or maybe we did this by accident?"
Cendric shook his head. No. Look closer. The sections where the cuts are… they're fading, decaying. The damage is spreading through the entire tree.
Nyra's eyes narrowed. Is it… like what Zayden mentioned about that summon? How its wounds kept healing from the atmosphere?
Cendric's jaw tightened. "Exactly. Something here is absorbing… or feeding off… the surrounding life. It's not natural."
Nyra's eyes scanned the tree's damaged bark. "Maybe one of the summons did this?" she suggested, tilting her head.
Cedric shook his head, frowning. "Maybe," he replied cautiously, but we shouldn't jump to conclusions. Zayden needs to know about this immediately.
Nyra hovered in the air, scanning the area. "Ok, then let's head to Kael and discuss this with Zayden," she said.
Cedric nodded. "Alright, you fly to him. I'll come on foot."
Nyra angled herself into the wind and began searching, muttering under her breath. Why is it taking him so long? Kael had said that if his area was clear, he'd shoot a flaming arrow into the sky.
Suddenly, a faint glint caught her eye — an arrow lodged in the distance. She swooped down toward it, landing gracefully beside Kael.
"You're slow in the air too, Kael," Cedric teased as he arrived, a grin on his face. Nyra rolled her eyes, and both Cedric and Kael laughed at her frustration.
Kael's expression turned serious. "Cedric told me what he saw. I found something similar in my area." He held up a small, lifeless rabbit, its body showing the same precise knife cuts.
Nyra's eyes narrowed, anger flashing. "But… why kill a rabbit?"
Cedric's tone was grave. "Evil doesn't care what's a threat and what's not."
Kael nodded. I'll take the rabbit with me to the Central District where Archmagister Aldric can examine it.
They headed toward Zayden to report what they had discovered. He was sitting on a rock, methodically cleaning his sword, the setting sun casting long shadows across the village. As he lifted his head, he noticed Kael, Cedric, and Nyra approaching.
Zayden stood, eyes narrowing. Why are you three here? I told you to meet me at the main village gate.
Cedric stepped forward. "There's something you should see."
Kael held out the rabbit. "Look at the wounds, It's as if something has erased the existence of these parts entirely."
Cedric glanced at Zayden. "There's something else I want to show you," he said. Without waiting for a reply, he began moving toward the direction he had been investigating earlier.
The trio followed him swiftly, their steps silent but alert, heading back to the area where Cedric had discovered the strange cuts on the trees.
Cedric stepped closer, his gaze sharp as he gestured toward the tree. "It's not just about the rabbit," he said. "Look at this. The tree trunk has the same kind of cut. It's not a power or a spell — it's the same weapon used on both."
Zayden crouched slightly, inspecting the marks with a keen eye. "It looks similar to the summon I killed earlier," he said, voice low. "The one that kept healing itself. So… I guess there's a weapon, but there's also a power tied to it."
Nyra frowned, arms crossed. "But we did kill the summons," she said. "All of us were there. How could we have not noticed anything like that?"
Zayden's expression hardened. "Yes, we didn't. But maybe… it's connected with the ritual."
Zayden's gaze swept across the damaged tree and the fading rabbit. He exhaled slowly, the weight of the thought pressing down.
"For now," he said quietly, voice firm yet laced with concern, We can only hope that this is connected to the summons… and not the ritual. If it's tied to the ritual, before Malric, the Northern District could face a lesser, yet still dangerous, threat.
Nyra glanced around at the ruined village, then shook her head slightly. "I guess we should be heading toward the Nor Palace now. Rowan must be waiting with the four Magisters."
Zayden exhaled, the tension in his shoulders easing just a little. Yes… let's return to the Nor Palace first.
Where is Zayden? he wondered.
A soft rustle behind him drew his attention. From the side, Fox stepped lightly, tilting her head with curiosity. "Are you… thinking something, Archmagister?" she asked, her voice calm but edged with concern.
Aldric exhaled slowly, lowering his gaze from the courtyard. "Zayden," he said quietly, almost to himself. He should be arriving Tommorow.
The torches flickered , throwing the room into brief darkness, before returning the warm glow. Aldric's gaze returned to the courtyard, scanning the horizon. Each shadow, each movement in the fading light made him tense.
He whispered under his breath, almost as if willing the wind to carry his words: "Hurry, Zayden… we cannot afford any mistakes."
Mira entered the room where Aldric was sitting and thinking about Zayden. The fox immediately disappeared as Mira entered and said, Aldric, there is something important that you need to know right now.
Aldric stood up and asked,
"What is it?"
Mira replied, One of the miners from the southern coal mines, who ran away before he would get killed too, wants to meet you.
Aldric asked, "Where is he?"
Mira said, "It seems like he really wants to tell you about that incident, and he is waiting outside the palace."