The Calm Before the Storm.

The village lay in eerie silence, a stark contrast to the blood-soaked battlefield just beyond its gates. The wounded had been carried in, some barely clinging to life, others in a state of shock as healers worked tirelessly to tend to their injuries. Smoke rose from the pyres outside the village walls, where the bodies of the fallen monsters were burned.

Inside one of the makeshift infirmaries, Kiyoshi sat slumped against a stone wall, his shoulder heavily bandaged. His side still ached, the wound deep, but it was nothing compared to the exhaustion that weighed on him. His sword leaned beside him, stained with dark blood, a reminder of how close he'd come to losing everything.

Celosia sat across from him, her arm in a sling, her face pale. The gash across her arm had been deep, but the healers assured her it would mend. She had barely spoken since they returned, her eyes haunted by the battle they'd survived.

Next to her, Rajieru sat with his leg stretched out, bandages wrapped tightly around his thigh. He winced as he adjusted, the wound from the battle still raw. His eyes, however, were sharp, flicking toward the door as if he could already sense something was coming. His precognition had saved them once, but now it only showed him only pieces of what lay ahead. Now, he feared what was still to come.

"How bad is it out there?" Kiyoshi asked, his voice hoarse.

Celosia shook her head. "It's not good. Half the village is injured, and the walls… they won't hold if there's another attack like that."

Rajieru stared into the distance. "There's more coming. I don't know when, but it's not over."

Kiyoshi's jaw clenched. "We need to be ready."

──⊱◈◈⊰───⊱◈◈⊰──⊱◈◈⊰──⊱◈◈⊰──

"Defenses and Healing."

As the trio rested, the village leaders scrambled to shore up their defenses. Makeshift barricades were erected around the village perimeter, and guards were doubled at every post. The village mages worked on strengthening the wards, their magic weaving through the air, casting faint blue light around the walls.

Yet despite their efforts, there was a grim sense of foreboding. The villagers moved like ghosts, their faces pale with fear. They had seen too much death already, and they knew more was coming.

In the infirmary, Kiyoshi flexed his hand, testing the limits of his strength. His body was still screaming for rest, but he knew they couldn't afford to stay idle for long. Celosia sat nearby, her eyes downcast as she worked to regain her focus. Water magic flowed in small waves over her hands, soothing the ache in her injured arm. Rajieru, despite his leg wound, was still mentally sharp, his mind running over every possible scenario.

"We need a plan," Rajieru finally said, breaking the silence.

Kiyoshi nodded. "And we need to know what we're dealing with."

──⊱◈◈⊰───⊱◈◈⊰──⊱◈◈⊰──⊱◈◈⊰──

"The Council Meeting."

By the time the council gathered, the village hall was packed with tension. The elder members sat in a half-circle, their faces grim as they listened to reports of the injured and the crumbling defenses. Kiyoshi, Rajieru, and Celosia were seated at the side, their presence a silent reminder of the battle they had barely survived.

"Fortifications are holding for now," one of the council members said, his voice heavy with doubt. "But we can't sustain another attack like that. We need reinforcements."

"Reinforcements?" an elder scoffed. "There are none. Everyone is spread thin. No one expected this kind of assault."

"We'll be overrun," another council member said, fear evident in his tone. "There's no way we can hold off another wave."

It was then that Rajieru spoke, his voice low and steady. "This isn't just some random wave of monsters. There's something driving them, a leader. I've seen it."

The room fell silent, all eyes turning to him.

"A leader?" the head elder asked, his brow furrowing.

Rajieru nodded. "I don't know what it is yet, but the horde… it's not acting on instinct. It's being controlled, organized. There's something, or someone, behind it."

The elders exchanged worried glances.

"How do we stop it?" Kiyoshi asked, his tone urgent.

Before anyone could answer, a sudden rumble shook the ground. The walls trembled, dust falling from the ceiling as the noise grew louder, more violent. Screams echoed from outside.

"They're here," Rajieru said, his voice grim.

──⊱◈◈⊰───⊱◈◈⊰──⊱◈◈⊰──⊱◈◈⊰──

"The Attack – Gruesome Battle Unleashed."

The door to the council chamber flew open, and a guard stumbled in, blood streaming from a wound in his side. "The monsters—they've breached the walls!"

Kiyoshi was on his feet in an instant, ignoring the pain in his body as he grabbed his sword. Rajieru stood beside him, gripping his staff, his eyes clouding with visions of the battle yet to unfold. Celosia moved swiftly, her magic already swirling around her as they bolted toward the sound of chaos.

Outside, the village was a battlefield once more. The creatures had returned—more savage, more feral, and in greater numbers. They poured through the shattered barricades, tearing through the defenses with terrifying speed.

Kiyoshi launched himself into the fray, sword flashing as he cut down the first creature that lunged at him. The blade slid through flesh with a sickening ease, but there was no time to linger. Another came from behind, and Kiyoshi twisted, using the momentum to drive his elbow into the beast's throat before slashing it across the chest.

The battlefield was a blur of movement. Rajieru, despite his injured leg, was fluid in his attacks, his staff spinning in tight arcs as he knocked back one enemy after another. His foresight guided him, allowing him to dodge claws and fangs with precision, but the onslaught was relentless.

Celosia moved like water—literally. She summoned streams of water from the earth, using it to block, strike, and drown the enemies that came too close. One creature leaped at her, but she dropped into a low stance, sweeping her leg in a graceful arc as she spun, water spiraling around her like a shield before launching it forward, impaling the beast on jagged ice.

The battle was fast and brutal. Kiyoshi leapt onto a pile of rubble, using it as a vantage point to take down several monsters in rapid succession. One clawed at his arm, and he retaliated with a fierce kick to its jaw, using his materialization magic to conjure another sword, which he thrust into the creature's chest before it could react.

Rajieru, despite the pain in his leg, vaulted over a fallen creature, swinging his staff into the next enemy's face with bone-shattering force. He ducked beneath another strike, sweeping the creature's legs out from under it with a deft kick, then bringing his staff down hard on its skull.

Celosia was relentless. Her water magic surged with power as she pushed herself to the limit. She ran up a nearby wall, using parkour-like movements to get above her enemies, sending a crashing wave down on them from above. Her eyes burned with focus as she used the terrain to her advantage, jumping from roof to roof, attacking from unexpected angles.

──⊱◈◈⊰───⊱◈◈⊰──⊱◈◈⊰──⊱◈◈⊰──

"The Boss Appears."

Amidst the carnage, a deafening roar shook the battlefield. The creatures paused, and for a moment, it seemed like time itself froze. Then, from the far end of the village, something massive emerged from the shadows.

The leader of the horde.

It towered above the rest of the monsters, its body a grotesque fusion of flesh and armor. Its eyes burned with an unnatural red light, and its claws dripped with the blood of those it had already slain. The ground trembled beneath its weight as it lumbered toward the village center.

Kiyoshi's breath caught in his throat. "What the hell is that?"

Rajieru's eyes widened. "That's what I saw… the leader. We have to stop it."

Without hesitation, the three of them charged toward the beast, knowing full well that this would be the fight that determined their fate—and the fate of the village.

──⊱◈◈⊰───⊱◈◈⊰──⊱◈◈⊰──⊱◈◈⊰──