'Was I weaker than a friggin rabbit!' The revelation was shocking to say the least, and also embarrassing.

'No wonder I was kicked out of the Storm Tower. In hindsight, I can't really blame them for it.'

He sighed, pulling back his hand.

"Now, what are we supposed to do?" Aurelia asked, her voice pulling him back to the immediate problem.

Zephyr turned his gaze toward Moss. The man was gripping the dog's leash with white knuckles, his face masking his fear.

"Are you sure you only saw a few rabbits these days?" He inquired.

"Hm…Yes."

"Are you really sure?" Zephyr pressed, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the perimeter of the village. "Because if our current findings are any indication, there are likely thousands of these critters inhabiting the earth beneath your feet."

For a moment, Moss's expression faltered.

"We didn't know." He replied.

"Well, now you do. And it's high time the rest of the village understands that these 'accidents' aren't accidents at all." Zephyr said, emphasising the word accident.

Moss looked at the wriggling pile of fur near the stone wall, his lip curling in a faint expression of disbelief.

"How can a bunch of stupid rabbits do that?" He asked.

"First of all," Zephyr began, his tone detached. "It isn't just a 'bunch.' We are talking about a population in the thousands. Secondly, they aren't just rabbits. They have mana stored in their bodies; for all intents and purposes, we are dealing with mana beasts. And thirdly..."

He paused, looking down at the patch of ground a couple of steps in front of them.

"...I don't think they're stupid. In fact, what they did here is the opposite of stupid."

He took a few more steps and stood right on top of the loose soil.

"See this."

He pointed at the ground.

"The buggers didn't just happen to be here," Zephyr explained. "They dug specifically under the ladder's anchor points. They waited until the weight was at its most precarious, then shifted the earth to make the ladder tilt. It was a planned, deliberate action, carried out with a full understanding of what the outcome would be. The man fell exactly as they intended."

As he spoke the words aloud, a new, even more disturbing realization washed over him. His eyes widened as he spoke.

"The rabbits... they might have even known Tom would be the one blamed for it."

"God damn it." Zephyr placed a hand on his forehead. "If that is truly the case, we are in for a profoundly difficult time."

Intelligence in the animal kingdom was rarely a gift; it was usually a weapon, earned through an evolutionary necessity. And these creatures had clearly surpassed what they could do.

'Why?'

'How?'

Two questions popped up in his mind simultaneously. There must be a disturbing story behind it. He was sure of that.

"We have to be careful." He muttered, his tone grave.

"That, I agree with," Aurelia said, her eyes dazed.

"Hm?" Zephyr turned towards her and noticed her eyes glowing slightly.

'She must have kept the detection spell active.'

"Do you see something?"

"Many things," she replied, her gaze fixed on the distance. "The ones that fled are regrouping. A frenzied wave is coming towards us."

As if on cue, the twenty or so rabbits they had already captured began to transform. It was an ugly process.

Their pupils bled into a hue of crimson, their fur standing on end as their bodies physically engorged with mana. They began to ram themselves against the stone wall like mindless drones.

At the same time, weak mana pulse, like a thousand firecrackers exploding simultaneously, began to be released from their body.

Zephyr, who was sensitive to mana, could feel the slight hum similar to static on a radio coming from the rabbits.

Another larger static was approaching from another side of the village.

He instinctively turned in that direction. It was in the same direction Aurelia was looking. But the one far away was even louder.

His eyes darted between Aurelia, Elenor, and the villagers standing far away.

"We are fucked." He muttered.

"Young man, mind your language." Aurelia whacked him again.

'Young man, your father. I am older than you.' He said in his mind.

However, Zephyr was not in the mood to retaliate. Everyone's about to be swallowed by the rabbit swarm.

'I would never have thought rabbits would be the end of me.'

"They are all going through a berserk transformation. What should we do?" Elenor asked Aurelia.

To the intermediate mages, the rabbit's transformation meant nothing. They could just fly away if there is danger.

However, Zephyr and the rest of the villagers couldn't do that. Even if Aurelia and Elenor wished to save them, they couldn't carry everyone and leave.

"We should fight," Aurelia replied.

"What's happening?" Moss asked, confused.

"We are being attacked. I think we triggered them by catching these guys." Zephyr pointed at the wall.

"That could be true. Or they were triggered when we found out their little secret." Aurelia added.

While they conversed, the rabbits trapped within the hard stone wall began to scratch their arms until they bled. With open mouths, they squealed together, rage boiling within them.

"Moss, you should have brought a weapon," Zephyr said.

He unbuckled the old sword hanging at his waist—the one Gale had given him. It was a heavy sword, designed for two hands and a level of physical strength he didn't currently possess. He tossed it to Moss. It was better used that way rather than keeping it with him.

Moss caught it, his arms dipping several inches under the sudden weight. It took a second for him to find the right way to hold it. Lifting it, he looked at Zephyr.

"Take it," Zephyr said, offering a small, misplaced wink. "It's sharp and sturdy. Good enough to chop an arm off cleanly. Or a head, if you can find one under all that fur."

Though a disastrous situation was upon him, Zephyr didn't freeze in panic.

In fact, the exact opposite was happening. The thrill of battle once again boiled his blood. Zephyr felt his mind relax. A chilling calmness was swallowing him whole.

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