The horizon stretched into quiet gold as Team 9 reached the Rokuen Plains. Wind swept through the tall grass, bending it like ocean waves under the touch of the Seravelle sun. But as they neared the Village of Tashi, that calm beauty broke into something else—
ash.
The scent of charred wood and faint iron lingered in the air. Cracked soil. Shattered fences. The marks of battle.
Ceyla's eyes scanned the ruins. "This… this isn't natural."
Juno knelt by a deep crater, his palm brushing over the hardened surface. "No affinity residue… this was pure force."
Khael's gaze tightened. He recognized the rhythm of the strikes controlled, compact, devastating.
"Master Vince."
Juno's hand froze midair. His eyes darkened with dread.
Before they could say more, the faint shuffle of footsteps echoed from beyond the broken gates. A man approached, his left arm wrapped in bandages, his skin lined with dust and sweat. He carried a wooden staff carved with the sigil of Stone Resolve.
