The trio hadn’t been walking long when they stumbled upon a strange sight.

  A ring of oddly shaped rocks lay on the ground, arranged in a perfect circle. At its center stood a small altar, weathered, silent, and out of place. There were no traces of mana, no glyphs, no signs of recent activity. Yet something about the structure felt… wrong.

  “Do you think this has anything to do with Arthraxius?” Kai asked, glancing at Scry. “We’re not that far from the jungle.”

  Scry floated around the stones, scanning them carefully. “I don’t think so. These rocks are ancient, maybe a thousand years old. But what’s strange is the complete absence of glyphs or mana fluctuations. They look like ordinary stones.” He paused, scanning again. “Very odd, indeed.”

  Umbra narrowed her eyes. “Kai, let’s move on. This feels wrong.”

  Kai nodded. “Agreed.” But just as he turned to leave, something caught his eye.

  “Wait. There’s blood.” He pointed to a patch of dark red on the ground, a trail of small, bloody footprints leading toward the woods.

  “Smells fresh,” Umbra said, her voice low. “And it leads into those trees. We should investigate.”

  Kai nodded. “Umbra, hide in my shadow. Scry, go into my inner world. We move quietly.”

  The two vanished as Kai activated the stealth function of his shadow armor. Cloaked in silence, he crept toward the woods.

  The forest was strange. A heavy silence hung in the air, unnatural and oppressive. As Kai moved deeper, he began to sense something, an ominous mana, faint but unmistakable.

  Then he saw it.

  An old building loomed ahead, made of dark stone and shaped like a gravestone. Moss clung to its walls, and a row of tall, sharpened wooden stakes formed a crude fence.

  From within, voices echoed, low, distorted, and unintelligible.

  Kai tried to extend his senses, but something blocked him. A barrier, perhaps. Or something else, he wasn’t certain.

  Kai crept toward the rotting wooden fence, each step muffled by the damp earth beneath him. The air was thick, sour with the stench of blood and decay. He pressed himself against the splintered boards, listening.

  “Did you send the message to the Master?” a voice rasped, high-pitched, brittle, like broken glass grinding against bone.

  “I did,” another voice replied, wet and gurgling. “But that filthy rat answered. Said he’d pass it along.”

  “You’re soaked in blood again. Didn’t you clean up after storing the last human’s remains?” a third voice asked, more coherent but no less chilling.

  “Why bother?” the second voice sneered. “We’re always drenched in guts; no one cares what we look like.”

  “Be grateful to the Master,” a fourth voice cut in, deeper, commanding. “He gave us life. This is the least we can do for him, since we are weak.”

  “Yes, sir!” the others said in unison before scattering into the shadows.

  The sound of shuffling feet could be heard behind the fence, but the strong stench lingered.

  Kai’s breath caught in his throat, and his stomach twisted violently.

  Human parts? Guts? Blood? He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

  “Umbra, Scry… did you hear that?” he sent telepathically. “This place…. It's strange. We need to check if anyone’s still alive inside.”

  “I really don’t think we should get involved,” Scry replied, his voice unusually quiet.

  Umbra was silent for a moment before responding.

  “I’ve never had to think about good or evil before, but if you say we need to kill… I’m with you.” Her murderous energy slithered from Kai’s shadow.

  Kai nodded, his voice firm. “Let’s investigate. My shadow armor should keep me hidden. I’ll go inside and see what’s happening.”

  Scry and Umbra felt that something had changed within Kai; his mana turned calm and deadly, like a beast ready to strike.

  He circled the perimeter, avoiding the flickering torchlight, until he found a gap in the fence. He leapt over it, landing softly.

  The ground on the other side was wet and black, sticking to his boots like tar. He didn’t want to know why.

  He moved quickly, his steps light, his breath shallow, then he saw it.

  A guard stood beneath a torch, its flame casting long, twitching shadows across the creature’s face.

  Kai froze.

  The face was a patchwork of flesh, stitched together from different beings. Gray skin covered its scarred body, and lifeless eyes stared into the darkness. The mana inside was twisted and malformed, unnatural.

  Its torch-bearing arm was reptilian, scaled, and clawed. A black tail hung from its back, twitching slightly.

  Kai’s stomach turned. “Scry… what is that?”

  “This is bad, Kai,” Scry whispered, his voice trembling. “We shouldn’t be here. That’s a Chimaera. Someone fused parts of humanoids and beasts, and worse, merged their souls into something that should never exist…

  This is forbidden magic. The worst kind.”

  Scry was genuinely afraid. He had read about such creations in his master’s forbidden books. These methods were outlawed across Sacra. They corrupted the souls of the victims, leaving them broken and enslaved forever.

  “Mages who practice these arts are either executed or exiled,” Scry continued. “This facility probably belongs to one such exile. And if this is just a gathering site… he’s doing far worse somewhere else.”

  Kai clenched his fists. His soul burned with fury. This was evil. Pure, unfiltered cruelty.

  Umbra remained quiet. She had never seen anything like this. Neither had Kai. Both had lived sheltered lives. They knew nothing of Sacra’s darkest secrets.

  Kai pointed toward a side door. “It’s unguarded. We need to go in. If there’s anyone still alive, we have to help them.”

  Without waiting, he darted toward the building, the shadows swallowing him whole.

  ***

  In the meantime, in the forest village, Hansen dragged Kran behind him.

  “Come on, man, why do I have to go too?” Kran groaned, dragging his feet.

  “She raised you, and you’re the only one who can talk to her without getting scorched,” Hansen replied, trying to console him.

  Kran sighed, his ears twitching with unease. “That’s not comforting.”

  Harrietta, the eccentric old mage, lived in a crooked cabin nestled beside the river that split the eastern edge of the village.

  She had long abandoned city life, choosing solitude after rescuing a young wolf-boy, Kran, from bandits who had slaughtered his parents. Since then, she’d become a strange mix of guardian and mad scientist.

  The cabin looked serene, but the heavy scent of smoke hung in the air, and distant pops echoed like firecrackers.

  The two stopped a few meters from the door.

  “Go on, you haven’t been home in a while anyway,” Hansen nudged Kran forward.

  Just as Kran reached for the door, it burst open. Harrietta stormed out, wild-eyed, clutching a bucket. She sprinted to the river, filled it, and dashed back inside, muttering curses. She hadn’t even noticed the two standing there, mouths agape.

  Kran stepped inside cautiously. A half-burned table stood in the center of the room, and Harrietta was pouring water over it, steam hissing. Her ginger hair was disheveled, her face slightly charred, but she looked remarkably well for her age.

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  “Ahem… Mother, what are you doing?” Kran asked, peering further in. Hansen followed close behind.

  Harrietta turned and grinned. “Well, if it isn’t my bastard of a son! How sweet of you to visit your poor, neglected mother who raised you like her own!” Her voice dripped with theatrical guilt.

  Hansen winced behind Kran.

  “I’ve been trying to make a contract with a fire spirit,” she explained. “It would be helpful for my research. Last time, I almost had it, but I lost control of the mana at the last second. The bastard spat a fireball and escaped.”

  She cursed again, kicking a burnt stool.

  Then she noticed Hansen. “So, what do you want? And what’s that bastard doing behind you?”

  “Good day, Harrietta,” Hansen said, voice cracking. “It’s… been a while.”

  “Oh, it has,” she said with a wicked grin. “Last time I saw you, you were bolting from my bed after a night of fun.”

  Kran’s face turned crimson. “Seriously?!”

  “I was drunk!” Hansen blurted, hands raised. “I didn’t know what I was doing!”

  Harrietta waved him off. “Save it. So, Kran, what do you want?” she asked, her tone sharp.

  “We’re heading to the southern mountains,” Kran said, steadying his voice. “The dragon left the region, and we’re hoping to find something good there. We’re assembling a team, and we need a mage. You,” Kran said honestly.

  Harrietta raised an eyebrow. “Well, well. Of course, you come home only when you need something. Bastard. But fine, I’ll go. Sounds like an interesting adventure.”

  She paused, smirking. “On one condition: I get to fire one spell at that bastard behind you.”

  Kran grinned. “Go for it.”

  Hansen’s face went pale. “Wait! Are you crazy?!”

  “Fire whip, punish my enemies!” Harrietta chanted.

  A searing whip of flame lashed out, burning a straight line across Hansen’s coat and sending him flying into the river.

  “Now that felt nice. Kran, I’ll meet you two in an hour. I need to get ready. Wait for me at the village gates,” she said.

  Kran ran to fish Hansen out of the river and dragged him away from the cabin.

  “You never told me you and my mother were a thing,” he teased.

  He mocked him; he knew that his mother only loved her magic research and that poor bastard probably got too drunk to know what he was doing, and she used him for some release. He had seen it a few times already. She wasn’t really a good role model, but at least she raised him as her own. He was grateful for that.

  “It happened once; I panicked and ran. But keep this between us, I do really like her. It’s just her temperament that I don’t know how to handle. I promise I’ll make it right,” Hansen replied, wincing from the burn.

  Kran brought him to his house and treated the wound. They gathered their supplies and weapons, then met the others outside the village gates.

  A little over an hour later, Harrietta appeared, wearing her gray robes and wielding a massive battle staff. She smiled as she joined the party.

  “Let’s go, bastards, while the sun’s still up. Did you prepare the mounts?” she asked.

  “Yes, Moa birds are waiting outside the forest to the south. Thorpe took a few from the stables,” Kran replied.

  “So, you stole them?” she asked.

  “Well, yeah. The old chief didn’t approve the mission, so we’re doing this off the books,” Hansen added.

  “Hmph. Fine. Lead the way, bastards,” she roared.

  The group, three beastmen scouts, four human fighters, and one mage, left the village quietly

  ***

  Back in the village…

  “Chief, they’ve left,” the elder said, bowing before the ancient, fox-like elder.

  “Ah, to be young. Let them go. I just hope they survive. Youth is about making bad decisions and hopefully living long enough to learn from them,” the chief said.

  “They were right, though. We need more supplies. Winter is coming, and the beasts have been fleeing the region. Something’s happening,” the elder said, fearfully.

  “I’ve noticed. Herds are moving north, and the southern mountains haven’t seen beast migration in ages. Or if they did, someone got to them before us. Let’s hope Hansen’s party returns with good news, even if I still oppose this,” the chief sighed, gazing out the window.

  ***

  Kai walked down a dark, barely lit hallway. The scent of blood hung heavy in the air, thick enough to choke on. He tried to focus on his surroundings, but the stench overwhelmed his senses.

  He entered the first room on the left and quietly shut the door behind him. The silence helped, but only for a moment. Umbra emerged from his shadow, her voice low and alert.

  “Kai, look, this seems to be some kind of storage.”

  Kai scanned the room. Weapons and armor lined the walls, many bearing similar emblems, likely remnants of warriors from the same tribes

  “This is probably what is left after they were caught and brought here,” Scry added, his voice tinged with sorrow.

  Kai’s jaw clenched. “There are so many…” Anger simmered within.

  “I’m taking it all. We can’t leave it here to rot.”

  Woosh!

  He emptied the room into his storage belt.

  Umbra slipped back into his shadow, and they continued forward, careful to avoid the gray, monstrous guards patrolling the halls.

  The scent of blood and ominous mana grew stronger as they neared the largest room in the building.

  The doors were half open, and Kai peeked inside.

  A tall figure was dissecting the remains of a small humanoid body. Three gray guards assisted, sorting the “usable” parts into containers and tossing the rest into a green fire pit.

  The smell of burning flesh filled the room.

  Kai gagged, barely holding back his stomach.

  “Lord, how many more today?” one of the guards asked in a disfigured voice.

  “This is the last one, for today,” the figure replied, his voice disturbingly pleasant. “Did you send the message to Master?”

  “Yes, Lord, the rat will report to the master,” the guard replied.

  “Fuck that rat bastard. He is there enjoying his time while I am stuck here cutting up beasts and weaklings.” He stuck a knife directly into the chest of a male body, and a cowl fell off his head as he raised his head in anger.

  Kai saw an insect-like head with twitching antennae and massive compound eyes. Its face was a sickly green, and its body was a grotesque fusion, one arm human, the other webbed like a creature from the deep.

  The monster continued working, slicing organs from the corpse and placing them into glass containers filled with a glowing green liquid. Each container was sealed and stored on shelves already packed with dozens, maybe hundreds, of similar jars. Limbs, hearts, lungs, eyes. All cataloged like trophies.

  Across the room, another set of shelves held cores, each suspended in a different kind of fluid, their colors swirling ominously. The mana radiating from them was twisted, unnatural.

  Kai’s stomach churned. Rage simmered beneath his skin.

  “Umbra, take the three helpers; I will take on the insect freak. We strike as one.” He ordered.

  Umbra leapt from his shadow, splitting into two clones as he dashed with darkfire-covered claws, prepared to kill the monster in one strike.

  The insect sensed them and laughed. “Looks like some prey escaped the pens. Leave them to me.” He yelled.

  But as he turned, he saw Umbra’s clones tearing through his helpers. Their mana flared as the grey monsters were burned to death.

  Kai charged, casting Flowing Currents and lacing his blade with his poison mana. He rarely used it, but this time, he didn’t care. The monster had to die.

  The insect’s arms morphed into scythe-like blades, glowing with venomous light. Their weapons clashed poison against poison.

  Umbra finished the guards with ease. She turned to assist Kai, but he sent a command:

  “Umbra, go outside and don’t let any of them escape. I got this!”

  “Gladly!” she replied and vanished into the shadows, shortly after screams echoed down the hallway.

  The insect heard what was happening; he couldn’t believe it.

  He attacked fiercely, his scythe-like arms slashing through the air with venomous precision. A few strikes landed, but Kai didn’t falter. A strange red glow shimmered around him, absorbing the blows.

  Blood Moon and water mana surged through Kai’s body, forming a protective barrier. He could feel the insect’s strength, but it wasn’t enough to force him to go all out.

  Kai narrowed his eyes. He adjusted his stance, then pushed forward with a burst of speed. His sword met the insect’s scythe again, but this time, Kai deflected the blow cleanly and followed through.

  Slice.

  The insect’s left arm dropped to the floor.

  The insect didn’t scream. He felt no pain.

  Instead, he leapt backward, landing with eerie precision. His compound eyes locked onto Kai, and he spoke with unsettling calm.

  “Why are you attacking us. I doubt you are one of our prisoners; you are too strong.”

  Kai stared him down. “Why? Look around you. Look at what you’ve done. How many lives have you taken?”

  “So what? They were weak anyway. My master will give them new life, make them stronger. What is wrong with that?” he truly felt that.

  Kai’s voice trembled with rage. “You’re insane. You think this is life? Look at yourself.”

  “I was weak before, and I died because of it. Master gave me strength, and I was reborn. Sure, I must do this boring job for him, but I get upgrades every so often, so it’s worth it if I can get stronger.”

  “Who is your master?” Kai asked, gripping his sword.

  “Master is master,” the insect bragged, his tone disturbingly proud. “He will bring evolution to this lowly world. The only thing that stood in his way was the dragon, but now, he can build a true army and breathe new life into this forgotten land.”

  “Evolution, my ass. You are all insane.” Kai roared, ready to strike, but he paused. Something was wrong.

  The insect stabbed himself with a syringe of green liquid. His arm regrew. His robe fell away, revealing a scaly body. Two more arms sprouted, each ending in scythe-like blades. Green mana surged around him.

  “You’ll become one of us. You’re strong enough!” he screamed, lunging.

  Kai had had enough of this insanity.

  Draconic mana exploded around him. His heartbeat echoed like thunder. Two magic circles spun behind him. His right hand glowed with the image of a draconic wolf. At this moment, he finally understood the way of destruction.

  His heart, his soul, his mana, every part of Kai burned with the need to destroy this monster and everything it stood for.

  Then, it happened.

  A spell surfaced in his mind. His second magic circle, now fully integrated with his mind, unlocked full control over fire, a spell born from his wolf spirit and dragon's legacy.

  Kai whispered, “Thunderfire – Ignis.” A fire spell of the dual element, strengthened by the draconic blessing activated.

  A row of red magic circles flared to life above Kai’s sword, pulsing with heat. Fire mana surged from the tattoo on his arm, flowing into the blade like molten fury.

  Kai swung.

  A draconic breath-like wave erupted from the weapon, scorching the air and engulfing the insect in a torrent of flame.

  The monster screamed, its voice shrill and panicked.

  “Dragon mana? And such fire control, are you the dragon’s son?!”

  His compound eyes widened in disbelief.

  “But… how?”

  Those were his last words.

  The flames consumed him, reducing his twisted body to ash, which then scattered across the room.

  But Kai didn’t stop.

  He roared, swinging again and again, fire trailing from his blade like a comet. The walls cracked, the shelves melted, and the room was reduced to smoldering ruin.

  “Kai! That’s enough! Calm down!” Scry’s voice echoed in his mind, urgent and pleading.

  Kai blinked, breath ragged. Slowly, he lowered his sword and extinguished the flames before they consumed the entire building.

  “Are you okay?” Scry asked.

  “Yeah… the destructive will of the Thunderfire circle is hard to control,” Kai muttered, his voice low and strained. “But I have to admit… this whole situation affected me more than I expected. Such cruelty, such evil, all in the name of evolution.”

  His anger still simmered beneath the surface, burning hotter than the flames he’d unleashed.

  Scry sighed quietly, choosing silence over words.

  Kai took one last look at the room. Nothing remained, only scorched stone and the faint scent of ash. He turned and walked away, heading toward the prison the insect had mentioned, clinging to the hope that someone had survived.

  Outside, the echoes of slaughter rang through the air.

  Umbra danced in the moonlight, her darkfire swirling like a storm. Shadows surged around her, burying the last of the monstrous gray guards in silence.

  They tried to fight back, but it was no use.

  Umbra wiped them out swiftly, not out of cruelty, but to end their suffering… and to extinguish the madness that had consumed them.

  Maybe they could finally find peace in death if not in life.