The villagers silently watched the scene before them, breathless. The unlucky man’s face had been crushed and a pool of blood was widening on the sandy floor. The dim light of torches and lanterns revealed the fear in their eyes. The only sound one could hear was the moaning of the sick resting on the ground.

“Do not engage Shizuru.” Ren whispered as she grabbed her brother’s hand. “We have to get away at once.”

The maid glanced back and nodded. “I understand.”

Never leaving the monster out of their sight, the group slowly made its way to an exit. Kira was as shocked as the denizens and unconsciously followed his sister. When they were a few steps away from the doorway, another corpse twitched and screams filled the room. Hell broke loose. Ren pulled her brother strongly and then the group was outside.

The pain in his arm brought Kira back to his senses. ‘What the… WHAT THE FUCK!’ The boy thought as a cold sweat was forming along his spine. All around them, people were running in a disorderly fashion, panicking. Nearby, a howl resonated and was answered by similar cries.

“That black aura was a kind of Will, but it felt… defiled.” Kaguya said with a shocked expression. She shook her head and her black hair reflected the light of the torch Shizuru had just taken.

“We are leaving. Their numbers are unknown, the situation is too hazardous.” Ren announced while taking out a black and gold fan out of her obi.

Her mother’s red eyes grew somber as she witnessed the nightmarish sight.

“We cannot, Mother. Shizuru will not be able to handle all the clouds by herself if we were to fight. It would increase the casualties even more. And we cannot carry you or Kira.” Ren looked at her brother, whose arm she firmly held.

Kaguya eyes hardened. “We are leaving. Let us go to the camp.”

As they reached a crossroads, Kira felt a warm wind and smoke entering his nostrils. In the next street, a building was in flames. Suddenly, five black forms rushed out of the growing fire and stopped in the middle of the road. Their crazy eyes were observing the group and one of them tilted his head. Two of the monsters were on their four limbs, growling like mad beasts.

The middle one roared and charged at them. The maid stepped forward, her shoulder-length brown hair fluttering before her severe green eyes. She threw away her torch and reached her sword handle. Once the creature had crossed half the distance, she slightly bent her knees and small bolts of lightning were dancing around her. She dashed forward in a blur and the monster swung its darkness-empowered arm at her. Shizuru’s fast draw severed the creature’s arm in an arc of lightning. The maid side stepped then slashed horizontally at the abomination’s body. A blinding light illuminated the area and the monster was split in two.

Even before the brilliance went out, she had retreated to avoid the incoming disaster. A black mist formed itself just above her previous position. Then ink-like tentacles emerged and shuddered in the air. Shortly after, each appendage had reached five meters in length. The miasma was blocking their way out.

Some of the villagers who had watched the battle were staring at the dark mist as it formed. One did not back off fast enough and a stream of shadow hit him. He yelled loudly before he fell on the floor, unconscious.

“Stay back! All of you!” Ren bellowed. “This size is ridiculous. Just from two hits…” Ren commented, aghast. “We cannot fight here.”

Kira had seen horrible things in his previous life but this was a totally different kind of fear. His grasp on his sister’s hand strengthened.

Ren smiled faintly. “It will be fine. We are getting out of there.” She claimed, while she pated his head.

The remaining creatures roared and charged at a blinding speed on the villagers, unbothered by the cloud. As their group retreated back to the crossroads, one of the monsters attacked them. It was immediately cut down by the maid and the mist started forming almost instantly. The bravest villagers tried fighting the abominations with various improvised weapons to no avail.

‘Their attacks can’t even penetrate that black aura… That’s ridiculous.’ Kira thought as he watched the fights.

Behind them, another cloud had been formed. They were not the only Will users in the village that had fought the creatures. The patrolling soldiers had also engaged the monsters to defend their lives as they tried to lead the people to safety. Due the battles, the miasma had already reached an enormous size and the tentacles spanned ten meters in length. The fire was also slowly spreading to nearby buildings and the smell of smoke filled the area.

Close to hem, a group of four soldiers was defending some townsfolk. As a cloud was approaching the fighters, Shizuru raised her left hand. Kira felt a warm wind and the cloud backed off several meters. For a few seconds, powerful turbulences repealed the dark swarm. Under the protection, the soldiers defeated the monsters. They gave the maid a grateful look as they passed their group. Eventually, the sheer number of black streams overpowered her repelling capacity and she backed off.

“I cannot hold those clouds back by myself. I am sorry.” Shizuru shouted, so her voice could cover the tumult of violence and fear.

“We do not expect you to. Even Naizen would not be able to contain this by himself.” Kaguya reassured her. “If this keeps up we will be caught between the clouds and the town.” She continued before turning to observe the scene behind her.

Around the ladies, children were grabbing their parents’ clothes and crying. Most of the thirty villagers presented various wounds and the soldiers, who bore the Fan, were trying to comfort them, with little success. During this brief moment of respite, all their eyes were turned toward Kaguya with expectation.

Of the three streets forming the crossroads, only one was still free of clouds. However creatures were already gathering on the sandy path. Their black eyes reflected the huge blaze that was now taller than most of the town’s buildings. Seeing this, an officer went to meet them.

“We will follow your orders, Lady Kaguya.” He declared after bowing with difficulty due to his injuries.

“We will break through here. Run fast and do not engage them.” She ordered in a clear voice.

Kira was shocked, as was the soldier. They understood what the order meant. So the majority could get away, they would have to willingly sacrifice some villagers.

“It is the best solution. You know it.” Ren softly said to Kaguya as she put a hand on her mother’s arm.

“We will be going first. We will try to lure away as many as possible. Leave it to us.” The soldier declared, determination showing in his eyes.

“Your resolve is praiseworthy. You honor your family.” Kaguya lauded him with a sad smile.

The man’s gaze brightened and his back straightened. He bowed before joining his fellow warriors. Kira observed them as they prepared themselves for their task. When the officer explained their orders to his men, the soldiers stayed silent and no one complained.

Some of them glanced at the terrified villagers at their side and the boy felt a chill as he saw their resolution.

‘So honor is not dead.’ He smiled faintly.

Suddenly, monsters emerged from the two blocked roads. The soldiers did not delay their charge any further.

“Follow us!” The officer yelled to the villagers before rushing toward the unobstructed road. His three men followed him closely. Most of the monsters on the road went after them.

“Hold on tight” Ren said as she carried her brother in her arms.

“Yes.” Kira hesitantly replied before putting his arms around her neck.

“We are going now.” Their mother shouted.

In front of them, some of the villagers had already gone after the warriors in a panicked and disorderly crowd. The four of them bolted in the same direction. In Ren’s arms, Kira examined her sister serious expression before he observed the road ahead. Unfortunately, a few monsters had abandoned the chase and others had come after the ruckus. They rushed into the group of people and mercilessly killed anyone within their reach.

One of the creatures jumped toward them and Ren swiftly dodged the creature without slowing down. Looking back, Kira could see it had already chosen a new target. By the time they had reached the next crossroads, dozens of monsters were on their trail. The group had efficiently evaded the assaults however ten of the thirty villagers had already succumbed to the onslaught.

More and more of the creatures filled the road and were catching up to them. As Ren was dodging a monster, a stream of mist surged from a side street. The woman lithely eluded its embrace. However the creature had already recovered and leaped at the siblings. While evading, she stumbled on a corpse. Due to added burden of carrying her brother, she could not recover her balance. She fell rolling on the floor while protecting her brother’s head with her hand. Still, the impact stunned the boy so he let go of her neck.

“No!” Kaguya yelled with a horrified expression after she noticed the danger.

Without waiting, the monster attacked again and Ren quickly stood to fight back, leaving her brother on the ground. She drew her fan and opened it. With fast swings, she killed the first monster in two arcs of lightning, eviscerating it. As Shizuru rushed to grab the boy, she was stopped by another creature and had no choice but to slay it.

As his consciousness came back, Kira saw the clouds quickly forming above him. Panicked, the boy crawled to avoid the haze. He stood and saw his situation. He was isolated. His heartbeat went faster.

Between the black tentacles, he saw the women’s horrified expressions. They were actively looking for a way to get to the other side but the mist already covered the whole width of the street and all around them, blood-shot eyes were looking for preys.

Kira opened his mouth to talk but a roar caused him to turn around in a hurry. A few villagers were also stuck and a herd of monsters was closing in. The boy saw one of them rushing toward him and he dodged the arm by a hairbreadth. He rolled on the ground and glanced behind him. After the creature had killed another man, his attention went back to the boy. Without thinking, Kira bolted in the nearby building.

The place was dark. In order to see his surroundings, Kira grabbed one of the flaming branches under a huge cooking pot in the middle of the room. The place looked like a kitchen with working tables and multiple containers, filled with vegetables and other ingredients. He noticed another opened door and ran toward it. However, the creature did not let him rest. It entered the building and roared when it saw its prey. Using steps he learned during his training, he dodged its charge and the monster crashed into some clay jars. A dust of rice floor rose and oil poured on the floor. The boy threw his improvised torch at the monster. After he swiftly exited by the back door, an explosion made him stumble.

‘What the… A dust explosion! I didn’t even intend to do that!’ Kira thought astounded while a fire started in the building. However his hope was short-lived as he heard the beast’s howl.

Panicked, Kira entered a wooden house to his left. The boy’s heart was pounding as he observed the gloomy interior. Many sandals and hats hung on the walls. In a corner of the room, the moonlight lit a pile of straw. Without waiting any further, he concealed himself inside the thatch and covered his mouth. The creature entered the dwelling, full of fury. It was growling and its mad eyes were scanning the place.

The youth was sweating heavily in his hiding place and he observed the blue man’s movement. ‘Don’t move. Don’t move. Don’t move.’ Kira thought as the monster was pacing around the room. It swung its arms randomly and shattered multiple objects in the house.

After a dreadful minute, it left the building. However, Kira dared not leave his shelter and enjoyed a moment of rest within the straw.

‘That’s the worst thing that ever happened to me. Damn it. What am I even supposed to do now? I must join with Mother and Ren, or at least get out of the village.’ The boy said to himself while trying to steady his breath. ‘I called her Mother.’ He chuckled at this realization.

Eventually, Kira left the pile of thatch. While standing in the middle of the room, he removed the strands of straw in his black hair before attentively listening to the noises from his vicinity. The town was still in a mess and by the small window, he saw the neighboring house burning brightly.

‘There must be dozens of those things out there… If I wait too much, their numbers will be too high.’ The boy thought as he checked himself. His carmine shirt was soaked and his left arm was bleeding lightly. He picked a small knife on the floor and cut a strand of his sleeve, before bandaging his injury.

‘The wound isn’t really big, it’s probably better to leave it like that for now.’

Kira stealthily glanced outside. The area looked safe and he slowly exited the house, dagger in hand.

‘If the big fire is there, I must go this way.’

The boy slid between two houses and watched the street in front of him. The monsters were avidly chasing people and clouds were slowly drifting in the air. The crossroad to his right looked familiar; it was the one where he got separated from his family.

When the road got cleared, Kira rushed to the other side of the street and avoided a stream of mist. He again found himself between two ruined buildings. After several meters, he walked into a small courtyard. A well stood in the middle of the area and charred trees surrounded it.

‘This is the destroyed area of the town; this means I’m getting closer to the camp.’ He guessed, hopeful.

On the ruins of a nearby dwelling, two small children were seated on the floor and wailed. Suspicious, Kira cautiously went around them. He was a few steps away from leaving the place when one of them turned around. A horrible blue face stared at him and showed his teeth. The imp leaped at him and Kira raised his knife, stabbing under the chin. The corpse fell on the youth and the weight of the creature made him lose his balance.

The boy pushed the body and knelt. The remaining monster stared at the corpse with his head tilted. Suddenly, it shrieked loudly and charged at Kira. When the creature lifted his fist to strike, the boy swept the floor from under the monster with a circular kick. Without waiting, he quickly mounted the fallen creature and put his knees on its shoulders. Holding the blade with two hands, he struck twice at its head.

‘You fucker!’ Kira thought while he slowly stood. ‘Damn! This is sick.’ In the fall, he had lost his leather lining and his long black hair fell in front of his eyes. ‘I’m going to cut this as soon as I am out of there. Seriously.’

Kira looked at his bloodied knife. ‘Those little ones didn’t have any black aura. Is that why I could kill them?’ Suddenly, he heard a howl nearby. ‘I can’t stay still for too long. Damn.’

The boy stealthily crossed the remains of a house. Far away, Kira could now see the white tents of the camps over the destroyed buildings. In the plains, several clouds were drifting and soldiers were fighting the monsters. Nearby, people were running away toward the camps.

After checking his surroundings, Kira continued his escape. In the next building, he saw another small silhouette crouched in a dark corner. Kira stealthily approached it, holding his knife in a reversed grip, blade under his forearm in order to hide the sheen.

A few step away from his target, he readied his weapon. Having noticed Kira’s presence, the small form turned around. As the blade was dropping, Kira stepped back.

A boy wearing a white bandanna faced him with a surprised look.

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