They rode toward the West Side Plaza under a sky that felt unnaturally heavy.
When they finally arrived, the land greeted them with silence.
Villages lay in ruins—homes reduced to ash and splintered wood. Broken weapons littered the ground. Fallen soldiers lay where they had made their last stand, mixed with the bodies of innocent civilians who never had a chance to fight.
Even Noa, who had seen countless battlefields, felt his chest tighten.
They soon reached an Elysium camp.
Or what remained of it.
Torn tents flapped weakly in the wind. Burn marks scarred the ground. Bodies—too many—were scattered across the site. Only three figures stood among the destruction, wounded and exhausted.
Their names were Drago, Bruto, and Gusvein.
Noa dismounted his horse.
"What happened here?" he asked quietly.
Drago clenched his fists.
"A monster attacked a nearby village. We tried to stop it… but we failed."
Gusvein swallowed hard.
"It followed us back to camp. Slaughtered almost everyone."
Lunnaux covered her mouth.
"Oh my… this is bad."
Thar stepped forward.
"What did it look like?"
Bruto's voice trembled as he spoke.
"Two massive horns. Pale skin. A goat-like head. Huge claws. Wings—two of them. It was enormous."
Nagumo's face went pale.
"Oh my god… how are we supposed to fight something like that?"
Noa's eyes hardened.
"Like we always do. We're here to solve this—and we will."
Thar nodded.
"We won't give up. That thing dies."
Vipul scoffed loudly.
"Stop this nonsense. There's no such thing as monsters."
Bruto snapped, stepping forward despite his injuries.
"You don't know shit. If you were there, you wouldn't even be alive to say that."
Vipul's patience broke.
He grabbed Bruto by the shirt and punched him.
Noa instantly dismounted.
"Vipul! Are you out of your mind?! He's sixteen!"
Vipul glared back.
"So were we once. And we didn't stand around making excuses while soldiers died."
Thar's voice cut through the tension like steel.
"Enough. You're both high-ranking soldiers—act like it. And you three… you're coming with us."
Vipul turned away with a scowl.
"We're seriously taking these fools?"
Noa stared at him.
Vipul sighed.
"…Fine."
The Village That Still Stood
They traveled deeper into the West Plaza and soon reached another village.
Unlike the others, this one still stood.
Walls intact. Homes untouched.
The guards stopped them at the gate, weapons raised—but the village leader stepped forward and raised a hand.
"Stand down."
The guards obeyed.
The leader studied them.
"What brings you here?"
Zephio answered calmly.
"We are Elysium soldiers, sent by Lord Amity to investigate the chaos in West Plaza."
Noa glanced around.
"Your village hasn't been affected?"
The leader's eyes widened.
"You believe in the monster?"
"Yes," Noa replied.
Relief washed over the man's face.
"Thank the heavens. The last soldiers who came didn't believe us. They're dead."
Gusvein lowered his head.
"Like our comrades."
The leader froze.
"You're the survivors… what happened to the others?"
"They were killed," Drago said quietly.
Shaken, the leader gestured inward.
"Please—come inside."
They were shown scars left by the monster's attack.
"But it wasn't destroyed like the others," Noa observed.
The leader nodded.
"A mysterious man saved us. An archer. No one saw his face—but he drove the monster away."
Noa frowned.
"An archer…"
"You know him?" the leader asked.
"No," Noa replied quickly.
"…I don't."
The Plan
That night, as they ate, Thar formed a plan.
They would guard the village.
Lure the monster.
Zephio and Vipul would strike first—water and thunder.
Lunnaux would freeze its movement.
Noa and Thar would finish it and restrain it alive.
The leader hesitated.
"What will you charge us?"
"Nothing," Thar said firmly.
"We protect people. Not profit."
Two Weeks Later — The Return
The monster didn't come.
Days turned into weeks.
Vipul snapped.
"We're wasting our time!" he shouted at Noa and Thar.
The argument escalated—
BOOM.
A massive blast shook the village.
The monster had returned.
Zephio acted instantly, surrounding it in a crushing water cage.
Vipul sent lightning through the water, triggering a violent explosion.
The beast collapsed.
Lunnaux froze it solid.
Noa and Thar struck together—powerful blows that shattered the ice and sent the creature crashing down. A net was thrown over it.
Then—
Bruto screamed in rage.
"For them!"
He stabbed the monster's head.
The creature's eyes snapped open.
It tore free, unleashing a devastating shockwave.
Everyone was thrown back.
Chaos erupted.
The monster struck Zephio aside and slashed Vipul across the stomach.
Noa rushed forward—but the creature grabbed him, tearing his arm apart.
Gasps echoed—
But Noa regenerated instantly and kicked the monster away.
Thar slammed a crushing blow into its back.
Lunnaux struck its head—
The monster caught her blade in its teeth.
CRACK.
Her sword shattered.
She was thrown aside.
The beast roared.
And for the first time—
Noa realized.
This wasn't just a monster.
This was something far worse.