Fallen Souls?

Scarlett and her entire army marched into Dreahaven. As they entered the village, a group of villagers was already waiting for them. Some were sobbing quietly, while others had grim, defeated expressions on their faces. There was no cheering for the army's arrival; instead, the villagers bowed their heads, sadness weighing heavily in the air.

Scarlett remained silent, her gaze moving over the sorrowful crowd. She walked forward steadily, her footsteps echoing against the cold ground. When she finally reached the front, her voice was firm but laced with concern. "What happened?"

"Humans!" a female villager spat, her voice trembling with anger. "They attacked us, killed most of us, and destroyed almost half the village." Her hands clenched at her sides, barely containing her rage.

As the villager spoke, the gathered crowd parted, creating a pathway for Scarlett. With every step she took forward, the devastation became more apparent. Piles of bodies lay before her— women, children. Some had been brutally cut down, others were burned beyond recognition. The sight of small lifeless bodies scattered among the dead made Scarlett's stomach churn. The air was thick with the stench of death and the cries of those left behind.

Xao Feng, sensing the horror of the situation, quickly led Evadne away, taking him to his room to spare him from the heartbreaking scene.

But the worst was yet to come. Two bodies lay in the center of the village, covered with white sheets. One was relatively small and still, but the other was much larger, its shape looming over the rest, like a table or a platform. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the village, lifting the sheets and revealing the bodies underneath.

Scarlett's heart froze. Her hand trembled uncontrollably as she stared at the familiar faces of Elder Semiath and Sierra.

Semiath's body was horribly mutilated, cut into three pieces, his lifeless eyes staring blankly at the sky. Scarlett's breath caught in her throat, but it was Sierra's corpse that sent a wave of nausea through her. Sierra's body was riddled with arrows, each one piercing her in such a way that she seemed to be suspended above the ground, as if sleeping in a bed of arrows. Her once fierce spirit was gone, leaving only a haunting reminder of her suffering.

Scarlett bit down hard on her lower lips,as she clenched her fists tightly.

She inhaled deeply, her breaths shaky but controlled. As her eyes darkened, determination set in. "Don't worry," she whispered, her voice shaking but firm. "I'll bring everyone back."

She had made a pact, binding every villager's soul to herself. With that connection, she could resurrect them, or at least, that was the plan. Scarlett raised both hands, her palms facing the sky, and began chanting the words of an ancient spell.

Suddenly, a soft blue light enveloped her body, wrapping around her like a protective cocoon. One by one, dark blue and black bubbles started to rise from the ground, floating gently around her. Their strange, glowing forms hovered in the air like delicate lanterns, but something about them wasn't right.

In an instant, Scarlett realized these were the souls of the villagers. But... they were different now. Normally, a soul would glow with energy, with small bolts of lightning flickering inside, like life sparking within them. But these were dull. The lightning that should have danced inside was missing, and instead, cracks stretched across the surface of each soul, as though they were fragile glass, ready to shatter.

A wave of confusion washed over Scarlett. Her brows furrowed as her heart raced. What's wrong with them? she wondered. But there was no time to waste. She had to act quickly.

Scarlett directed the souls back to their lifeless bodies, her magic enveloping them in a bright blue glow. For a moment, hope surged in her chest—but then nothing happened. The light faded, and the souls drifted out of the bodies once more, floating back into the air like they had before.

She tried again, pouring more of her power into the spell, her energy draining with every attempt. But the result was the same. The villagers remained lifeless, and the souls refused to stay within their bodies.

Her heart sank, dread creeping into her mind. "Why isn't it working?" she questioned.

Behind Scarlett stood her entire army, but not a single word was spoken. The eerie silence of the village hung in the air like a heavy blanket. The bodies of the fallen villagers lay still, and despair gripped everyone.

Suddenly, a voice broke through the quiet—a crazed voice. A figure, the lunatic, stepped forward, her snake eyes wild but her tone eerily calm. "Even though you made a pact with them, taking their souls under your protection, there's something you're forgetting," she began, "As long as their physical bodies are still alive, their souls remain tethered to them. But if that connection breaks, well... they would become nothing more than the undead."

Scarlett's heart skipped a beat as the lunatic continued to speak, her voice taking on a grim tone. "Those humans," she spat, "they didn't just attack their bodies. They targeted their very souls, leaving them damaged and broken. That's why you can't bring them back. Not like this. If you try to revive them without healing their souls first, you'll only bring them back with trauma—broken minds and shattered spirits."

As the lunatic spoke, her voice cracked, and her eyes brimmed with tears. "Sniff... Sob... Sob..." Her emotions spilled over, and suddenly, she was weeping uncontrollably. "This... this is all my fault!" she cried out, her voice shaking. Even though she had never met the villagers before, even though she had no real connection to them, the weight of her heart pact with Scarlett made her feel every ounce of the sorrow and pain.

The lunatic clutched her chest, overwhelmed by the sadness of Scarlett's heart, and broke down completely. "Because of our pact," she sobbed as she thought in her mind, "I can feel everything you feel... the pain... the loss... and it's too much! I can't hold it back!"

"No, my lady, this isn't your fault," a soft voice interrupted. A succubus with gentle eyes stepped forward and embraced the weeping lunatic, holding her close. "Humans are always like that—cowards, destructive." She tried to soothe her with kind words, but the sadness hung in the air like a storm cloud.

Scarlett stood frozen, her mind racing. "What should I do?"Her thoughts were frantic as she tried to think of a way to save them, a way to undo the damage that had been done. But no matter how hard she thought, no answer came to her.

Then, she felt something wet on her hand. A droplet. Her eyes widened, and for a moment, she wondered, "Am I crying?" Her hand instinctively moved toward her blindfold, but it was dry. She touched her face—no tears. Both her eyes and blindfold were untouched.

And then, she looked up.

Rain had begun to fall, the sky weeping in her place. Each drop fell softly, soaking the ground, the bodies of the villagers, and Scarlett herself. "It's just the rain," she thought bitterly, her heart hardening. "I should have known. Just like two years ago... I'm too heartless to cry." The memories of her past flickered in her mind, threatening to overwhelm her, but instead of breaking down, she steeled herself.

The villagers were drenched, their lifeless bodies motionless under the falling rain. But Scarlett refused to let despair win. With newfound determination, she raised her right hand toward the sky. The muscles in her arm tensed as she gathered her strength. Then, in one powerful motion, she used her psychokinesis to push the clouds away, parting them as though they were mere curtains.

Within seconds, the rain stopped.

Everyone stared at her in stunned silence. Confusion spread across their faces as they watched Scarlett stand tall, her eyes blazing with determination. "Now is not the time to sit around and cry," she shouted, her voice echoing with authority. "Does anyone know how to bring them back?"

The air was thick with tension, but no one answered. The silence stretched on until, at last, the lunatic spoke again, her voice soft but certain. "Yes... there is a way. Thankfully, their souls are damaged, not completely vanished, Making them go into cycle of rebirth." She wiped the last of her tears and took a deep breath. "If we can find a 'Fallen Soul,' we can repair them. And once their souls are healed, they can be resurrected."

Scarlett couldn't help but question "Fallen Souls?"