"Most of the villages around the Grithar river have been evacuated. The soldiers encountered a few thralls, but they were weak and posed no threat to our men. The troublesome part is managing the villagers." A bald man wearing light armor reported while standing at attention.

A straight double-edged weapon was hanging at his waist. The sword had a fuller running through its center with some mysterious runes carved on it. A pulsing orange jewel was attached to the crossguard, making the sword look beautiful in a deadly way.

Alisha did not show any response to her subordinate's report. She gazed down at the valley that spread out in front of her.

It resembled a green carpet nestled between two mountains. The forest gave a youthful and vibrant feeling. The bright morning sunlight cut through the fog and reflected off the surface of the Grithar river.

Her eyes traveled further downstream, where the beautiful scenery ended. The trees took on a more grayish color, giving a feeling of corrosion and decay. Soldiers bustled through the woods, highlighting the tense situation.

The sound of armored boots notified her of the newcomer's arrival.

Her aide Nora interrupted her musing. "Commander, I bring captain Gillean as you instructed."

Alisha turned around, studying her audience. At the same time, the captains caught a glimpse of her face before looking down.

The first impression they got was a beautiful lady suffering from a disease.

She was around 30 years old with waist-length black hair and ice-blue eyes. The white eyelashes stood in contrast to her dark hair. Her skin appeared pale and sickly as if she stayed indoors for too long. She had the perpetual cold look on her face.

Her black inquisition robe gently flapped in the wind. It was neither decorated with medals nor have any indication showing her rank or affiliation. She did not need them to command respect. Her mere presence sent shivers running down their spine.

The lack of weapons did not reduce the fear and respect present in the captain's faces.

Gillean performed a salute. "How can I be of service?"

"Some of our squads are missing. What happened?" she asked in a monotonous voice.

He hesitated. When Alisha summoned him, he was in the middle of gathering information. It was well-known the commander did not entertain guesswork, but he still decided to voice out his speculations.

"Three of our squads have been routed and destroyed."

Both the bald captain and Nora reacted with surprise while Alisha calmly waited for him to continue.

"It's getting harder and harder to evacuate the villagers. During the initial stages, the corruption hadn't set in, making the process easy. A lot of time has passed since the portal opened and every one of the refugees our soldiers came across has some form of corruption.

"The brutality is often directed towards their families and friends. Our soldiers were horrified when they saw the settlements piled up with dead bodies. Not even their children were spared." Gillean carefully controlled his voice, keeping the anger out of it. "Apart from a few exceptions, most of the villages were devoid of any life. On a few rare occasions, our soldiers come across a survivor."

The reports Alisha received contained those details. She knew the situation was turning from bad to worse but didn't understand why Gillean repeated it.

"Get to the point."

"A single corrupted villager destroyed our squads."

Alisha maintained her composure, but the others didn't have her self-control.

Nora sneered. "If you want an excuse for your incompetence, try to make your story more believable."

Defeating a basic corrupted required no more than five soldiers. If an elite soldier was present, a single one would suffice. Losing thirty men to a basic corrupted was unheard of.

"Has it been verified?" Alisha asked, ignoring Nora's outburst.

He nodded. "Apart from that information, we don't have any details of what went down."

A frown creased her brows. Gillean shivered from a cold feeling that had nothing to do with the wind. According to rumors, being around Alisha was safe as long as she didn't display any emotions.

"Shouldn't you have informed me about it?"

He knew the commander was displeased and hastened to explain his reasons. "I was trying to find out if any special circumstances or events surrounded the village. A few of the refugees are familiar with that place. I was about to inform you after I finished the interrogations."

His answer satisfied Alisha. "Did you find anything?"

New developments always meant new issues and gaining a better understanding was crucial in such situations.

"No." A frustrated breath escaped Gillean. "Even by the standards of this place, the village is fairly mediocre. They have nothing noteworthy to their name."

"Keep digging."

She dismissed them after giving her instructions.

"Where is Caleb's squad?"

Nora chuckled. "I assigned them with patrolling duty outside the camp. They are all discontent but safe."

The humor on her face vanished as she moved on to a more serious topic. A sound barrier surrounded them, thwarting any eavesdroppers.

"Do you think 'it' is involved?"

Alisha did not answer her and went back to observing the valley. There was smoke rising from the darker part of the forest, and a lot of soldiers were rushing in the direction.

"What do you think?"

"I can't believe people are willing to help it even after the previous incident. The mess they created is too big to let them go scot-free. A single proof of their collaboration will doom them along with their families."

"Any movement from the other kingdoms?"

"No comments about what I said?" Nora frowned discontent with her dismissive attitude.

"Answer my question."

She huffed in annoyance. "There have been a few raids from the northern tribes. They are probing us, but will surely attack if we show them any weakness. The kingdom is being unnaturally silent, probably up to another one of their schemes. Also, there have been some movements within the Isles."

"I see. Check the situation in the village."

Nora gave up. Even after knowing each other for so many years, she couldn't understand Alisha. It was best to go along with her flow. "Okay"

She was about to leave when Alisha added, "Make sure Caleb doesn't cause any trouble. We are already stretched thin. I don't want to add another problem to the lengthy list."

**********

Leo peered through the scope of his weapon, trying to find movements in the eerily silent forest.

The army had been deployed to this area in response to the newly opened Rift portal. They discovered its existence due to the strange movements of the wild animals. There was a mass migration, leading to the destruction of many villages, and the team tasked with investigating the anomaly discovered the portal.

When news reached the higher officials, there was an uproar. They mobilized the army on a massive scale to stop the corrupted from entering the deeper parts of the theocracy.

The main problem was the presence of indigenous tribes within the forest. They had strange customs and rarely contacted the outside world. None of them trusted the army, leading to a lot of friction. The rumors about the villagers worshiping the Rift didn't help matters.

The thought gave Leo the creeps. He immediately discarded the idea as living beings had a natural aversion to the Rift. Only lunatics or crazy people would go anywhere near it.

Suddenly, he noticed a blur in the peripheral vision of his scope. It moved so fast he nearly mistook it for the wind.

He quickly focused his sights and tried to find the source. Even after looking for a long time, he failed to notice any strange movements.

He shrugged, relaxing his stance. Staring into the empty forest was making him imagine things.

He did not notice a strange humanoid creature sitting on the top of the tree, studying him.