Epilogue - The Biyak Forest Incident (Part 4)

Meanwhile, the trio companion of Belarus rushed to the village site, only to find a scene of devastation – a village isolated and destroyed.

"That fool destroyed my perfectly crafted ice cage with his recklessness! What on earth was he thinking?" Kraven exclaimed, visibly agitated.

Silas let out a resigned sigh, his frustration was evident,

"Alquira, chain him down. Now."

The gloomy girl with dark circles nodded and gestured with her arms.

In an instant, massive chains sprouted from the ground, reaching skyward before wrapping tightly around Belarus, binding him and rendering him immobile.

"What now...?!" Belarus roared in disbelief. The chains had ensnared him before he could even react.

With swift efficiency, the chains yanked him downward, causing him to crash onto the ground with a resounding thud. Even his wings were restrained, rendering him powerless.

Belarus struggled against his restraints, attempting to break free, but his efforts were futile.

Finally, he turned his head to face the source of his predicament.

"Alquira! You dare chain me to the ground like an animal?" he thundered, his anger evident.

Alquira's expression was a mix of worry and fear.

"Silas ordered me to do it!" she replied defensively, taking cover behind Kraven.

Silas stepped forward, his expression one of controlled anger.

"You imbecile! Do you have any idea how close your fiery display came to damaging the seal?"

Belarus shrugged dismissively, "Relax, Silas. A little fire won't break that seal. You're being overly cautious."

"If you even think about using another spell, I won't hesitate to lock you up for another millennium," Silas warned, his voice laced with stern authority.

Resignedly, Belarus shifted back from his dragon form to his original human form.

"Fine, fine. Let's all just calm down," said Belarus trying to defuse the situation.

Alquira eventually released Belarus from her chains, and he rose from the ground, dusting himself off with a nonchalant attitude.

Kraven approached Belarus with an irritated expression,

"You moron! Your little show broke my meticulously crafted ice cage."

Belarus smirked, not bothered in the slightest.

"Why should I care about those flimsy ice twigs?"

Kraven's frustration grew palpable.

"These ice cages were meant to keep the villagers inside. If you want something sturdier to contain your reptilian body, I can always make you an ice casket and seal you inside."

Belarus responded with arrogance,

"Go ahead and try."

Silas intervened, his tone carrying a stern warning.

"Don't provoke another confrontation, or I might just decide to seal both of you together."

Kraven's irritation persisted.

"But what if the villagers managed to escape through an opening in the ice cage?"

Silas reassured him calmly,

"You needn't worry. Alquira has already captured all the surviving villagers attempting to flee."

At Silas's command, Alquira summoned the villagers, who were restrained by the changes sprouting from the ground.

They had been gathered in no time, their chains seemingly guided by Alquira's technique.

The villagers were all gathered back into the village, frightened and helpless. Having witnessed the destruction inflicted by Belarus, they were uncertain of their fate.

Silas observed them without a hint of pity. The villagers, who had suffered such losses and chaos, meant nothing more than an inconvenience to his mission.

"Hmm, so there are still quite a few of you left," Silas said after doing a head count.

The village's tribal chief stood up, a figure of authority as if speaking for the village,

"Respected sir, who are you? And why have you attacked us?"

Silas and his group remained silent, their gaze fixed on the villagers.

Stepping ahead, Silas finally spoke,

"You Antlerian vermin have committed a grave sin of creating a village on this forbidden land. Your little mistake could have plunged the world into chaos and destruction. To fix your mistakes and duly hand your punishment we had to come forth before world peace shatters."

The villagers were taken aback by this revelation,

"Forbidden land?"

"But we have been living here for generations."

"So just us living here is a threat to the world?"

"They are talking nonsense!"

Seeking clarity, the tribal chief asked,

"Honored sir, we Antlerian people lived here in peace for generations. We know of no sin we have committed and lived in the embrace of this forest peacefully. Could you at least explain why this is a forbidden land and why our brethren were killed needlessly?"

Silas fixed a piercing gaze on the chief, "You still have the gall to make demands, very well."

He continued,

"Here me well. You vermins settled atop evil Sealed Gates that, if opened, could bring calamity and devastation to the world. Even the mana beasts steer clear of this place knowing the danger. Yet you people are utterly unaware of this fact and endangered the peace of this world."

The villagers exchanged baffled whispers.

"I've never seen any gates."

"Devastation? The only devastation was our home by you folks."

"They are simply making random reasons to kill us!"

The villagers were not buying for this reason. They started uprising despite being chained to the ground.

"Silence, you fools!" the tribe chief commanded out loud.

The chief turned to Silas, bowing respectfully,

"Sir, we are unaware of any sealed gates you mention in this village. Please disregard my people's ramblings as they have been through a lot."

The chief then got on his knees and bowed deeper,

"We were ignorant of this place being off-limits. Having been living here for generations, we had no idea it was off-limits, and I apologize for our ancestors' mistake. May I request permission to relocate my people elsewhere in the forest where we can settle down?"

The villagers were surprised that their chief was begging on their knees. Though reluctant, the villagers didn't dare voice their dissent.

Silas nodded with a hint of approval,

"That's a sensible suggestion."

The chief smiled gratefully,

"Then we humbly request to be allowed—"

Silas's tone shifted, cutting him off,

"But now that you're aware of the sealed gates' location, it's too dangerous for you folks to be released freely."

The village chief's expression shifted from hope to despair.

A sudden hush fell over the group as the tribal chief's forehead started glistening with sweat.

He implored, "Sir, we promise not to breathe a word of what we've seen. Just let us go, and we'll forget everything that's happened today."

Silas, a sly grin on his face, replied, "I can't allow that either. Spending so long near those sealed gates has tainted all your villager's souls. It won't be long before you turn into demons yourselves. It's best to lay you to rest now, to prevent any future trouble."

Desperation drove the tribal chief to his knees. "Please, sir! Spare us."

The Antlerian people, a mix of anger and fear, chimed in. "You're the real monsters," one shouted. "Put an end to this!" another pleaded. "Heartless bastards!" someone else accused me. "At least spare our children," they implored.

Silas remained solemn with a loud voice,

"As one of the Heavenly Guardians of this realm, it's my solemn duty to uphold peace. The Antlerian people residing over the evil-sealed gates have been exposed to the evil miasma for too long. It won't be long before you people will lose your mind and start attacking the residents of this realm like vicious demons. Before this could happen, I declare the Antlerian people as a threat to the realm."

The villagers were just shocked at this announcement. They couldn't even digest all the accusations they were being pressed on, all they could do was stay quiet with wide-open mouths.

Silas continued,

"There, I, Silas Tranquillow, the Heavenly Virtue of Patience, under the watchful eyes of the heaven declare the death penalty for your aggressions."

Chaos erupted out among the tribal people,

"This madness must cease!" one of them shouted.

"To the hell with your judgment!" yelled another.

"You don't scare us! You're the true monsters here!"

The tribal chief's eyes widened in disbelief,

"You are one of the Heavenly Virtues, protectors appointed by the heavens! Then why? Why are you subjecting us to this treatment?"

Silas didn't offer an explanation and stood silent.

Instead, he commanded, "Alquira, they are all yours now."

Alquira's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "Ah, the thrilling part!"