Dawn after the attack. Thirty men stood at attention. Full gear. Spears. Bows. Katanas for officers.
Watanabe briefed them.
"The path to River Ridge has gone dark. Our next convoy disappeared. Same corruption."
He pointed down a map. Crude ink. Crossed lines.
"You will go. Clear the path. Burn whatever you can't kill. Don't bring anything back. Not even bones."
Kaito stood among them. Tight grip on his weapon.
Nakamura glanced at him.
"Don't die, hero."
They set out.
Snow clung to the mountain edge. Narrow trails. Slippery. One slip meant death.
They marched in silence.
By midday they found blood. Patches. Drips. Not fresh. Not old. Flies avoided it.
By sunset they found the cart.
Split wood. Shattered wheels. No bodies.
Just armor.
Empty. Burned. Twisted.
A foot. Alone. Still in a boot.
Nakamura signaled to halt.
"Eyes open. Weapons ready."
Kaito scanned the trees. Too still. No wind. No birds.
Then the smell hit.
Rot. Sulfur. Cold metal.
One soldier gagged.
A shadow moved. Then another.
Then came the noise.
Not a howl. Not a roar.
A chant.
Low. Hollow. No words. Just rhythm. Wrong rhythm.
Figures stepped from the trees.
Human shape. Not human. Faces cracked. Smiles carved into skin. Eyes glowing dimly.
Ten. Twenty. Thirty.
They charged.
The ravine narrowed. Perfect for a kill box. But Kaito saw the trap.
"They're herding us," he shouted.
Too late.
From behind, more emerged.
Panic. Screams. Chaos.
Kaito fought. He stayed low. Targeted joints. Eyes. Exposed necks.
He saw one grab Nakamura. Lift him.
Kaito tackled the thing from the side. Spear drove into its ribs. Still it moved.
Nakamura drew his blade. Cut its head off.
Blood like ink sprayed.
They stood back to back.
"Didn't think I'd owe you," Nakamura said. Breathing heavy.
Kaito didn't answer.
They moved as one now.
Discipline over fear.
More soldiers joined. Reformed a line. Spears forward. Bows behind. Fire arrows.
Kaito shouted.
"Set the trees ablaze!"
Flames spread. Shadows recoiled.
One by one, the creatures fell. Bodies twitched. Dissolved. Smoke. Silence.
Only twelve men still stood.
They didn't speak.
They walked back under black skies. No victory. Just survival.
At Sunstone Pass, Watanabe listened. Nodded.
"You lived. That's something."
He looked at Kaito.
"Your instincts saved lives. Again."
Kaito said nothing.
He didn't feel like a hero.
He felt cold. Tired. Alive.
And that would have to be enough.