Fall

[15th day]

My mana reached 2! That was a 0.2 mana gain from one night, compared to the usual 0.08. That's a 2.5x increase.

I also felt like I would get a new spell soon.

What a fantastic way to start the day.

So far, I must say I have had a wonderful time in this competition. I had just been having fun with my wonderful citizens.

I wander out of my viewing cave and notice that nobody is around. Where were they? Did they run off? No, I was nice to them. Why would they do that?

What happens if they disappeared or something?

As my mind spiralled out of control, I finally saw someone. Perfect. Who was it?

Ah, it's Dante.

"Where is everyone gone?"

"Oh, they went on a group hunt. They wondered if they should have asked you, but you put up a sign in the town hall, so they just went. "

Ah, okay.

Ah, why did I get so worried there? I was practically terrified. Am I getting anxious lately?

I know what will distract me: a fight with Dante.

"Hey, want to spar?"

"Sure, if you can handle it." A wide grin grew on that idiot's face.

I decided I was going to go all out today.

So, I did, and Dante suffered badly. By the end, he had bruises all over his body. At least he learned a thing or two from it.

I would usually be joyful at the turn of such events, but the party that went hunting, which had the majority of my citizens in it, had still not returned.

Where were they?

We agreed it was getting worrying, so we went looking for them.

We searched and searched, but we just could not find them. These were my great citizens, the cheerful ones who made even the most difficult tasks enjoyable. How could they just disappear like that?

Oliver, Asylum, Aggressor, and Tranny were also in that group. Luckily, Randol was still in his workshed.

They were my main men, my generals, so, to speak, I could not lose them.

But we somehow did lose them. No matter the cave we searched, not even a trace of their existence was found anywhere.

I was starting to worry, and so was Dante.

Some of those members were our friends, and all were comrades of ours.

Just where could they be?

I was getting angry.

Why did they run off? What had I done? Why did they not tell me?

I ran faster around the cave to find them.

Nothing. I found nothing.

I reached home to find Dante in a ball of tears.

He mumbled things like, "I should have gone with them" and "Why did I not stop them?"

He already thought they were dead, but how could I accept that? They must be out there somewhere waiting for us.

We went hungry, but that was the last of our thoughts that night.

I forgot to even cultivate.

[16th day]

I woke up to thunder from outside my haven.

It seemed like even the weather was frustrated.

Today was the day I would find them.

They had to be somewhere around here, right?

Looking at my map, I only had a few more places they could be.

(2 hours later).

I was in a cave.

It was cold and dark like any other cave, but when I turned the corner, I saw a sight I could barely describe.

Dead.

Dead.

Dead.

All dead.

Bodies littered the snow. A demonic red tinged the pure white snow.

I then saw the culprit.

It was the bears I had seen earlier.

Crunching, smashing, breaking, bones cluttered in their wretched maws.

Their gargantuan bodies lay amid a swamp of murky blood.

Their ruby-like red eyes, pristine black claws, pearly white teeth, and soft, comfortable fur made them a beautiful specimen indeed.

They were the ones who had done this. They killed them all.

My citizens. My friends. My family.

No, I must be seeing things wrong.

It must be a lie, right?

Hahaha. A joke? Yes, it has to be

How funny, you really got me.

No, they were dead. I looked at a head that had been flung off. I could not see a face, but I saw the blue hair that came with it.

Oliver.

I must have revenge.

I must...

have...

it.

I went mad.