Chapter 10 Strange events in a small village 11 years ago 

A loud thump was heard on the grass roof of a certain wooden house in Woodfield village. 

"They're back again, Mom," Lily said, looking inside the crib, making sure the noise did not disturb Lex, and thankfully it hadn't, for he was sleeping peacefully, and unaware of the commotion happening outside. 

"It appears so," Nana said, looking outside her window and spotting a bunch of monsters around her house again. 

There were a few Gremices, gray rodent monsters, some Leafirrels, light beige squirrel monsters, and their advanced form, the dark brown Grassquirrel. She also noticed a few Birrows and Pingens making their way toward the grass roof of her house. 

She had seen strange occurrences like this for a month now, ever since that fateful day, the day that brought her greatest sorrow. It had been almost three months since the red night, yet the pain was still as fresh as if it had been just yesterday to her. A pain she knew she would never truly be over. 

"Are you here to pay respects for taking my daughter?" Nana thought as she looked at the small monsters that were common around Woodfield Village now scattered around her house. 

She had come to dislike monster partners, after all, it was because of them that Anita was no longer with them. 

"I heard some villagers talking about other strange events as well, Mom. Some say it's because of the red night …" Lily stopped herself, even though she didn't know a lot about the incident that took Anita, her sister, from them. She had heard other villagers talking about strange incidents that were happening in other towns and cities of Monsterra, and how some people were beginning to be wary of tamers, blaming them for what happened that night. But despite those rumors, Lily did not distrust tamers, after all, it was tamers that saved them from whatever happened in the kingdom of Traineria. Her sister had been a hero and not someone to fear, just like every other tamer. 

"Who knows," Nana said, 

"All I know is that they're a nuisance, here give Lex his bottle if he wakes up, while I go deal with those pesky monsters outside." 

Nana handed Lily a small bottle with milk in it, Lex's favorite, and began to walk out of the bedroom. Ready to take on the monsters that had decided to fall upon her house this morning, souring her mood. 

"Maidanda, let's go," she said, her black and white bear monster partner following behind her. 

"Maidanda!" it said, ready for battle. 

"Be careful, Mom," Lily said, looking at her mother. Even though she didn't mind Maidanda, her monster partner, Lily could tell that her mother had changed since that day. She had a certain disdain for monsters nowadays. 

"I see you guys haven't learned your lesson have you," Nana said, opening the door with such force that it created a small gust of wind. 

'EEK!" the monsters said in unison, as they were surprised. 

"You're being a nuisance," she said, annoyed by the monsters that had come to her house. Except for her monster partner who had been with her since her younger days as a tamer, she didn't like the other monsters very well, After all, it was because of them that Anita died that night. 

"Maidanda! Use focus punch!" she said, and Maidanda obeyed, jumping into the air and descending onto the dirt ground of the village, punching it and creating a gust of wind around it. 

"EEKKKKK!" 

The small monsters fled as the attack made them flinched. 

Nana could see that some monsters remained, hidden by the forest that surrounded them. Their eyes peeking out, almost as if they were waiting for something. Despite finding them annoying, as they came to her house every morning, she had to be honest with herself, this event was truly peculiar, and not only around her house, but other strange events were happening in other villages and cities. 

"Could it be because of the red night?" she wondered. 

What secrets was Monsterra hiding, or worse, what had it awakened that night? 

"This is so strange, don't you think Miss Nana?" 

Nana looked to her side, it was one of her neighbors, Mr. Green, walking toward her. 

"That's one word for it," she said, 

"Do you think it's because of the incident that happened three months ago in the kingdom of Traineria," Mr. Green said, caressing his chin, 

" No idea," Nana said, crossing her arms, not in the mood to chit-chat this morning, especially with Mr. Green. She found him to be too talkative for her taste. 

"All I know is that it's annoying since they're always destroying my crops." 

"I heard the king of Traineria summoned the three major guild leaders and had a gathering in the now-ruined kingdom of Traineria to discuss what to do, perhaps?" Mr. Green said, scratching his messy dark hair, 

"Some rumors are going around that they are perhaps planning to create something to better protect us against tamers or perhaps monsters ." 

Nana pondered his words, she had heard rumors about it from the other villagers as well. But she thought it was useless, no amount of protection would bring back all the lost tamers that night. 

"Perhaps another guild?" he said, rubbing his chin. 

"Another guild," she thought, What good would it do if all three of them couldn't stop that monster of the red night from causing so much destruction? 

"It's a waste of time," Nana said, 

" You are most definitely right, Miss Nana. But someone has to look over these tamers, which if you ask me is for the better. Some of these tamers are a crazy bunch I tell you. I wouldn't be surprised if some tamer was responsible for that red night." 

Nana looked at the bright sky, it was so different from that day when Anita left and never came back. Despite the sunny morning, she wasn't in the mood to talk about that day any more than she had to, and Mr. Green was notorious around the village for going on and on. 

"If you'll excuse Mr. Green, " Nana said, giving him half a smile of courtesy. 

"I have a busy morning, have a nice day."

"Of course, Ms. Greyfield," Mr. Green said nodding at her. 

"Have a good morning."

Mr. Green looked at her as she walked back to her house, and wondered if Nana's older daughter had been one of the tamers lost on that day.