The villagers still gripping their weapons faltered. Their knuckles white as their gazes darted from one another in fear.

Their courage that was already fragile was shattered by the sight of Dorrak—their chief, their symbol of power who was reduced to a broken husk.

The man they once thought invincible now lay sprawled in the dirt. His body mangled and his strength stripped away.

The last traces of his forbidden Magic flickered and died then vanishing like smoke in the wind.

His limbs no longer twitched with regeneration. His chest heaved hard for a moment then slumped. Finally his body collapsed entirely and he fell unconscious.

The sight broke something within the villagers. Uncertain and desperate murmurs spread.

"I… I will talk!" one man blurted, dropping his weapon.

"Me too! I'll talk!" another shouted quickly, his voice cracking with fear.

Krono's golden gaze swept across them. "Good."

Without another word he strode deeper into the village. His presence pulled all eyes toward him.

Eccar followed at his side but after a few steps he paused. Turning, he spotted Lyrel and Caelthar still standing where they had frozen with their expressions between awe and unease.

"You're not coming?" Eccar called, his voice loud enough to snap them from their daze.

Lyrel met Caelthar's eyes. Finally, she gave a firm nod and together they began walking forward.

Caelthar clutched his quill and parchment tightly, his hand already scrawling frantically. He scribbled every detail of what he had witnessed about Eccar's overwhelming power, Krono's impossible ability with the arrows, and the terror they had sown into the hearts of hardened villagers.

As the group entered the heart of the village they looked at their surroundings. It was larger than expected. On the surface the village was prosperous while being so far removed from other settlements.

But prosperity came at a cost. Hanging from the trees at the village's edge were corpses of men and women strung up like trophies while their bodies were already rotten. Their lifeless eyes staring into nothing.

The air carried the stench of death. This village had thrived by preying on others, robbing and slaughtering neighboring human villages. Their own kind.

Lyrel's lips tightened. Her face hardened with disgust. Caelthar's eyes darkened, though his quill never stopped.

The villagers met their gaze with equal disgust and hatred that smoldered beneath their fear but none of them dared move.

They knew that a single spark of attack would end in their immediate deaths.

Finally, the group stopped in the village square.

Krono turned slowly and surveyed the people with an air of dominance.

"Now… tell me about the winged creature you saw." His voice was calm but it rolled through the crowd with the weight of command.

The villagers shifted uneasily, some lowering their eyes and the others swallowing hard before one of them finally spoke.

"It… it was in the north. By the great forest near the long mountain range," the man said, his voice trembling.

Another villager nodded quickly. "We saw it glistening in the light. Its skin looked like a polished silver. And… its breath froze the air. I heard the trees crack apart and the ground turned to ice where it passed."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd, some confirming, some muttering that it might have been a trick of fear.

No one was certain if what they had seen was real.

But the terror in their eyes was proof enough.

Krono exchanged a look with Eccar. Both of them nodded in quiet agreement. This is what they were looking for.

"This must be what we're looking for," Eccar said with a hint of relief.

"Yes," Krono replied. Now it's confirmed and they have ice power. I didn't receive any revelation about their abilities before but with this new information, the threads begin to show. The more information we gather, the clearer the vision I received will become," Krono said.

Eccar gave a firm nod. Deep inside, satisfaction warmed him. They finally had a solid lead.

A few steps behind them, Lyrel had caught fragments of their words. Her brows knitted as she tried to piece them together.

"Ice power? What are they searching for exactly? What does this creature mean to them?"

Curiosity burned within her, mingling with anxiety. She felt both the feeling of being close to something dangerous and the thrill of unraveling a hidden truth.

Krono turned toward the two Elves. "We must continue forward now," he said.

Lyrel straightened and gave a single nod. Caelthar did the same, though his quill scratched across parchment even as he walked, determined not to miss a single word or gesture.

The group began moving through the square. The villagers parting silently before them. Their eyes were heavy with hate and fear.

No one dared to speak or dared to move. Only the sound of footsteps echoed in the square and they let them get away after what they had done.

The deeper they went into the village, the more silence pressed upon them. The oppressive air seemed to close in on the two Elves.

Lyrel shivered even though the day was not cold. Her thoughts raced.

"If this being is real… then it could be something beyond anything we've known because the two beings who searched for it were also mysterious. But why are they looking for it?"

She glanced at Caelthar, who was still writing with feverish intensity. He didn't notice her look.

Suddenly now his eyes gleamed not with fear or shock anymore but with fascination, as though he were witnessing the opening of a great story.

Krono led them to the far edge of the square where the trees stretched into the horizon, their dark silhouettes pointing toward the north.

]]]

"We will continue moving from here until we reach the uncharted mountain range," Krono said to Caelthar and Lyrel.

The two Elves notice something in his gaze. Lyrel frowned because she seemed like seeing a concern in his eyes for them.

"Just lead the way. Remember that we will follow but we wouldn't help," Lyrel said.

Krono sighed. "You're the one who needs help."

Then Krono walked forward. Leaving Lyrel and Caelthar in even more confusion.

---