I pushed past a few bushes and arrived at my old campsite for the final time.
I stopped for a second, intending to just grab some food from the cellar and leave, but once everything was fully in view, a wave of memories flooded in all at once.
I walked over to the fire pit, the lingering smell of smoke reminding me of all the meals I had cooked.
I reached a claw toward the ashes, remembering the feel of the warmth on my scales.
Then I looked up at the treehouse I had made, it was definitely a hard task to build it, but it had probably saved my life, and I had a few good memories from it as well.
Finally, I walked over to the cellar entrance. Lifting off the covering, I peered down into the deep, dark pit.
"Yeah, I won't be missing this." I thought as I went down, with the leather sack in my claws.
The fight with the snake taught me never to take anything for granted in battle, which I was thankful for, but I also didn't exactly have pleasant memories of it.
So, leaving this cellar-which had been of a constant reminder of that-behind, didn't bother me; even if it meant the food situation would become tricky.
The sack Aurora gave me wasn't too big, but I was able to comfortably fit a few days' worth of food inside.
So having packed what I had, I began to walk away from the camp, but I paused for a second.
I glanced back one last time, my claws digging into the ground in a final protest. This was the last time I would see it. I knew I would probably never return, but I forced myself forward and kept walking.
As I neared the forest edge for the last time, I noticed that many of the once-lush green leaves had now turned a deep golden and red color.
They made light crackles under my claws as I walked through them.
And so, my new journey began.
I moved at a quick pace, not quite running, but I was eager to leave the familiar land. It didn't take too long-maybe twenty minutes-until I began not to recognize where I was, and I slowed slightly.
The dense forest gave way to an open, rolling expanse, and eventually, there were only minor clumps of trees dotted around.
The land also changed in a few ways. The soft ground that had been perfect for farming was gone; now, with every step, I could feel a dry, rugged texture against my claws instead.
There was also an abundance of weeds on the ground. I thought if worse came to worst, I might have to resort to trying them. I know many are edible, but I didn't think it would come to that.
While I wasn't bothered by the prickles on the weeds, as they had no effect on my scales, I wasn't too fond of the idea of putting one in my mouth.
The breeze also blew a bit harder now that I was in a much more open area than I had ever been before.
I continued for the next few hours, with nothing too eventful happening.
Occasionally, I would see something small scampering away from me as I walked. Sometimes it would be a familiar creature like a rabbit, or a bird resting before taking flight.
But in other cases, I saw things that I had no clue what they were. One was a creature about a foot tall that more closely resembled a ball of brown fur than anything, but it had a set of almost antler-type horns sticking out of the top.
Another new animal I saw was a type of red bird, when I first saw it, I thought, "is it just me or does that bird look a little... long?"
I quickly understood when the bird saw me and, to my astonishment, it opened not one, but two pairs of wings before taking flight.
As it disappeared into the distance, my mind tried to make sense of what I saw, "why would any bird need four wings?"
But besides seeing the random strange creature, it wasn't until a bit later that I found something that I thought was worth stopping for.
I had probably walked around fifteen miles by now, and I was glad when I spotted a pond in the distance where I could take a quick rest and water break.
But my attention, was much more drawn to the animal that was just standing a few feet away from it.
I approached slowly, using presence suppression so as not to scare it away instantly. I stopped maybe fifty feet from it.
The animal was again something I had never seen before. It was maybe five or six feet tall.
It had a body that resembled a slim deer or maybe a gazelle, but it had no pattern. Instead, it had a smooth, white fur coat.
The most unique part was its neck; it was maybe a third of its height alone. It had a slight curve when the animal was standing upright.
The head also resembled a deer, but instead of a chaotic rack of antlers, it had two elegant, marble-white horns protruding from the backside of its head.
I watched as it took slow, elegant steps towards the pond, then barely needing to bend down, it reached with its long neck and drank slowly.
To be honest, I was a bit taken aback by its beauty and the way it moved.
Normally, things like that wouldn't affect me much, but in such a violent world, at some point, I grew an appreciation for it.
I wasn't expecting to see something like this, so I was happy to just observe it for a few minutes.
Then, a small brown rabbit began to approach the pond. I watched as it took one small hop at a time.
When it reached the edge and started drinking, the white animal paused, drew its head back up, and looked at the rabbit.
I watched, admiring the peaceful coexistence these two animals could hav-
CRUNCH.
My tail dropped limply to the ground with a soft thud, and an unexpected weakness rippled through my body."
The rabbit's head was separated from its body in a flash of white and red.
The creature's head and neck had moved in a horrific, chilling arc, as if its bones had suddenly vanished. It was closer to the movement of a snake striking.
Its jaws had snapped like a steel trap. I caught just a glimpse of its long, sharp fangs; they were like polished shards of bone stained with blood.
Then after, the animal returned to its drinking as if nothing had happened, the only difference a crimson splatter across its pure white fur.
I had unconsciously stopped using presence suppression after witnessing the attack, I clenched my claws into fists and started walking towards it.
Its head shot up when it noticed me and looked at me, I wasn't sure if it was also going to attack me.
That's what I was hoping for, at least. But it clearly knew that it was a bad idea for it to fight me. As I closed the distance, it turned and ran away.
I sighed and relaxed. "How could something that looked like that... be so violent?" Once I made sure that the creature was gone, I took a quick drink from the pond.
As soon as I was refreshed, I continued on my way, the two different images of the creature-one of serene nature, the other of brutal predation-still clashing slightly in my mind.
After another hour of walking, the sun well into its downward arc, but there was still plenty of daylight left.
I was wondering if I should begin to watch for a place to spend the night, when the wind suddenly shifted, picking up and carrying something with it.
My head perked up slightly, it was faint, but it was there; the smell of smoke.
I wasn't exactly sure where it came from. The wind could have carried it from anywhere. But slowly-after miles of walking-the scent grew. I was getting close to whatever the source of it was.
Eventually, as I came to the top of a hill, the faint smell of smoke became a suffocating wave of something else. It was the foul scent of death and rot.
The silence here was like thunder, a terrifying stillness that pressed in from all sides.
My eyes widened as I saw the site. I gritted my teeth; a cold dread quickly began building inside my chest.
The field in front of me was nearly covered in black, burnt wood, with only the clear pathways left untouched by the flames.
A village, twice the size of Aurora's, had been burnt to the ground. Almost nothing was left standing.
The smell of smoke was now overpowering. What must have once been tall buildings were now reduced to ash; only a few noncombustible things, such as iron stoves or brick chimneys still stood.
I felt a deep pit in my stomach. I knew the worst was still to come. Even from a distance, I could see them clearly, but it only got worse as I drew closer.
I wanted to look away, but I couldn't.
There were dozens and dozens, maybe over a hundred of them...
Bodies that had just been left to rot without a care by the attacker.
I walked through what must have been the central area. With each step, it became painfully clear that they didn't leave a single survivor.
It wasn't just the men, but the town's whole population.
The elderly, women, children... they were all here. Whether left on the street or partly buried and burned under ash.
A small number of soldiers-who were probably killed by the villagers trying to defend themselves-were also mixed in.
They were wearing what looked to be the same red Lamia uniform and I imagined that they probably were left as a punishment for their failure in battle.
As I looked, I walked past the village well. It was one of the few things that wasn't made from wood.
I couldn't describe how I felt when I saw the simple drawings on it. I could make out one of a horse, another of a person.
They were clearly made by a child.
I clenched my claws and looked away. "There has to be someone alive," I thought, with growing desperation.
But every street, every house was the same. There wasn't a single moving thing in this place except for me.
I finished looking and could only stare at the ground to avoid seeing everything around.
For a second, the thought of burying the dead-to give them back some small measure of the dignity that had been stolen from them-crossed my mind.
But it instantly left, as I knew that was an impossible task.
Fury built inside me ignited out of frustration. This battle-or maybe I should say slaughter-took place days ago, probably the same time Aurora's village was attacked.
Whoever did it was probably long gone by now, so there was no way I would be able to find them.
By now, the sun had nearly set, and I didn't want to sleep here, not surrounded by everything.
So, I began to make my way out of the village. I tried my best not to focus on my surroundings, but that was impossible.
The silence of the evening was deafening. It was only broken by my own heavy footsteps.
Eventually I was far enough away and found a few trees to sleep under, I was somewhat in the open, but so far, I hadn't seen anything that truly worried me.
I considered making something to eat, but after seeing everything, I just wasn't hungry.
Instead, I collected some fallen leaves and sticks and started a small, bright fire.
It was just for the small, crackling sounds and the light it gave; I needed something to break the stillness of the night.
I stared into the dancing flames. They cast long, twisting shadows that swallowed the surrounding darkness.
The warmth of the fire felt good on my scales, it was a stark contrast to the cold dread that had settled in my chest.
I couldn't forget what I had seen. The images were burned into my mind: the black ash, the lifeless bodies, the child's drawings on the well.
"Is every village I find going to be like this?" I wondered, the question leaving me with a bad feeling. I looked up at the moon, thinking how grateful I was that I had been there to save Aurora's village.
But even that didn't bring much comfort right now.
The fire hissed and popped "I don't think I will ever get used to seeing something like that," I thought. "But I can't let my feelings stop me now, after all there isn't anything, I can do once someone's been killed."
It seemed harsh, but I knew it was true. I needed to focus on what I could control, not what I couldn't.
Only hours ago, I had felt a flicker of nervousness at the thought of fighting a Mana Transcendence monster-who wouldn't? But now, after seeing what I had, my anger had completely eclipsed that feeling. I felt like I couldn't find a monster soon enough.
It felt like I had to take the boiling frustration and fury building inside of me out on something, anything.
I slammed a clawed fist into the cold earth, letting out a frustrated hiss of steam into the night air from my mouth. The flames of the fire danced. I knew this wasn't a great mentality to have, but right now, nothing could change it.
So, I just laid down and watched the flames, my gaze fixed on their steady, unwavering dance until my eyes grew heavy, and I finally fell asleep.