Amiya stared in shock, her violet eyes sweeping across the devastation. She walked forward slowly, boots crunching on charred wood and ash. The others followed, spreading out to survey the destruction.

Burnt bodies of Phantasm Beasts lay scattered throughout the village. A Werefang's corpse slumped against a collapsed building, its three tails charred to stumps.

Two Bear-Terrors had fallen near what might have been a well, their spike-covered backs blackened by fire. A Tetan's wooden armor had cracked from heat, and moss burned away to reveal bare wood beneath.

But no human body insight, not a single one.

Reinhard's blue eyes scanned the area as he began checking every corner.

"I don't sense anything, there is no life here. And the wind elements are telling me the same thing." Joseph says.

Reinhard frowns, as those words didn't make him feel better. The absence was more disturbing than finding corpses would have been.

Veryn frowned, her white robe with patterns rustling as she knelt beside drag marks in the earth. "It's highly likely the people were taken away by the roots."

Casseo nodded, his black helm with spikes turning as he examined similar marks near a destroyed home. "There was a report from our Radiant Priest that he found two villages that were smashed apart, but no dead bodies at all. With signs of people dragged on the ground from the marks."

Janus's eyes widened before his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "Just like what happened in Naraku... Damn it, the forest wants to get rid of us now?"

Amiya frowned, walking toward the village center where a larger building had collapsed entirely. "It does make sense. It wiped out the Forerunner Empire... It was always weird that it didn't make more of an effort to wipe out the survivors."

Marie crossed her arms before tilting her head, platinum hair shifting. "But now this does imply it was waiting for some reason."

Amiya nodded, her curly black hair bouncing slightly. "But what was it waiting on? It's been hundreds of years since it last attacked. Why do it now?"

Reinhard held his chin, his gloved hand covering his mouth. He glanced around at the fires still burning with smoke rising in thin columns. "Maybe it was waiting to grow big enough to wipe out everyone in one big swoop."

Everyone's eyes widened simultaneously, as the implications made them all frown.

Joseph turned to face Reinhard fully. "You're thinking it wants to end the Seekers and people before they have time to react or call for help?"

Reinhard nodded slowly. "This is just a guess. But what if the Dark Silence used the war the Forerunners were having with the Beast Kings in the past as a distraction to grow enough? Then they attacked the Forerunners once they grew enough, and from there they continued their growth."

Brunhilde hummed thoughtfully, her light blue eyes distant as she processed the theory. "That would be both terrifying and make a lot of sense. In fact, we can even say that only the center where it's strongest at the moment was focused on growing instead of expanding. Then now, throughout the last 300 years, it focused on expanding and fully taking control of Eastern Hesod..." She paused, her expression darkening. "Now it wants to wipe out everyone inside before it begins expanding to the Western Part."

Marie frowned with a slightly trembling. "I want to say it should be impossible for it to take down Western Hesod. But it was able to take down the Forerunners, whose force should be comparable to the current Mori Empire."

"The Forerunner Empire had multiple First Class Beast Masters." Brunhilde confirmed. "From what I can recall, it's said to have had twelve of them."

Reinhard's eyes widened in shock. He didn't know an Empire could have that many top-level Beast Masters. Just one of them alone is enough to push an organization to a level where the current Empires or kingdoms will have to take them seriously.

And the Forerunners had twelve of them. But even they couldn't stop the Dark Silence from destroying the Forerunner Empire.

"How did they lose then?" Joseph asked in surprise.

"They lost because the Dark Silence came too quickly, and no matter how much damage they did, the expanding roots. Or how many Night Terrors they killed, it would always reform." Amiya said with a sigh. "And the Empire was mostly made up of normal people. They were lacking in other lower-class Beast Masters, and their forces were pretty small. From what the master told me, the Forerunners only had five hundred Beast Masters after the war and 10,000 normal people."

Janus furrowed his brows, his orange eyes troubled. "From what Dad told me, it's said the life expectancy for Beast Masters was around 25 or younger since the war against the Beasts continued."

Casseo sighed before saying. "While these speculations are pretty good, it doesn't make sense why it would take 300 years to fully take over Eastern Hesod. Based on the books I've read, it only took a year for the roots to cover the city of Melo."

Veryn nodded in agreement, adjusting her stance. "Assuming that's the root's speed, it should have taken less than 100 years to take over."

Joseph crossed his arms, thinking. "That's the issue, huh? We don't know why it takes so long..."

Reinhard glanced around the destroyed village, his mind working through possibilities. Should he question Mimir? But the crow wouldn't be able to explain things he had no relation to or knowledge of, like the Chimeras.

Janus broke the silence. "Do you guys think the Chimeras were made by the roots?"

Casseo's frown deepened slightly behind his helm. "They shouldn't be, since they've shown up in Western Hesod and Ayr."

Reinhard's eyes narrowed. "Unless there are multiple things like these roots... What if that's the reason? Because it fears we might start hunting for the others?"

Everyone's expression shifted as the possibility opened, with terrifying implications. That there might not just be one threat but many scattered across continents.

Brunhilde straightened with a sigh. "Well, whatever the reason, we will find out when we reach the center. We should continue moving."

She waved her hand through the air.

Golden writing appeared with the symbols and characters glowing. Light flared before water appeared from nothing, and began swirling in the air, defying gravity, forming a sphere perhaps six feet in diameter.

The water rushed toward the burning buildings, spreading as it moved. It splashed across flames, steam erupting with hissing sounds, and began putting out the fire.

Joseph's eyes shone before his own hands began to glow, and then he waved one of them, leading to the water responding. His hand moved in sweeping gestures, and the water followed like a living thing as it moved around corners, climbing walls, and putting out the flames.

Marie's eyes lit up with a big grin. She watched Joseph control the element with increasing confidence, his movements becoming more fluid.

Brunhilde hummed approval, creating more water for Joseph to manipulate. She wrote golden words continuously, each one manifesting additional moisture that Joseph immediately seized and directed.

The fires died rapidly under their combined effort, and soon steam filled the air, creating temporary fog that obscured vision. But within minutes, no flames remained, only charred wood and ash.

Janus looked around with a sorrowful expression while Amiya sighed, her hands clasping together. Veryn closed her eyes and clasped her hands together while her lips moved, but Reinhard couldn't hear what she was saying.

Casseo continued watching with a slight frown.

"We're done here." Brunhilde said quietly.

Everyone nodded before they rushed out of the extinguished village, leaving behind only ash.

The forest swallowed them again.

They continued toward the City of Melo.

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