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Ryu's POV
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Hearing the voice behind me, I jump forward and spin around, unsheathing my sword.

"As unfriendly as ever, eh, Ryu?" (???)

My blood runs ice-cold as the man utters my name, previous memories bursting from the depths of my mind.

"... Its been a while. How're they doing?" (Ryu)

"Oh, you know... Mourning." (???)

I feel rage run through me as he speaks, and the desire to slice him down nearly overpowers me.

"Don't make me laugh. What do you guys have to mourn for?" (Ryu)

"Surely you know? After all, you watched it happen, did you not?" (???)

As he finishes his sentence, my rage tips me over the edge and I dash forwards, readying my sword to strike.

"Hey hey, too hot-blooded, don't you think?" (???)

I bring my sword towards him, but it cuts empty air as he jumps, now floating several meters in the air.

"Good to see you doing well, but I'll be going now." (???)

"Oh, running away from a fight? That's unlike you." (Ryu)

"Hah, you thought that was a fight? That was just a pitiful attack by a rat." (???)

Flying away, he leaves me alone in the middle of the decrepit street.

"BASTARD!" (Ryu)

I shout at the top of my lungs, attempting to sooth the rage flowing through me.

Several seconds pass as I stand in the street, calming myself.

I sheath my sword as I prepare to continue my task.

I start sprinting towards the gate again, looking all the while for the trader, as well as the person I just met.

Having ran for several minutes, I regain my stamina as I look around at the gate, it's massiveness eminating an intimidating aura, and it would look like it was built for a castle, if not for the slums and ruins all around it.

I stand in front of the gate in awe, not having the chance to admire it when first entering the town.

Deathly silence fills the air as I stare at the gate.

Barely anyone lives in this side of the town. It seems to be rampant with disease, and any unsuspecting victim could be robbed by the few people still here.

The entire area seemed to emit a depressing feeling, as if many had lost their lives on this very ground.

Having finally taken in my surroundings, I begin scaling the wall, not using [Rise] so as to not attract any unwanted attention.

I reach the top in a few minutes, taking in the wider view I have of the surroundings.

The entire town is visible from up here. The marketplace in the centre of town is bustling with people. The main gate to town completely crowed with merchants and travelers, and looking at it now made me grateful that we hadn't entered from that side.

I can see the pier, with the many ships heading out to see in order to try and maintain the supply routes they have with the Kingdom.

And I can see the slums. The gradual change into the poverty-stricken area. The slowly decaying buildings, and the waste tossed onto the street without a second thought.

Yet, it didn't surprise me; I had already experienced living in towns like these, especially the dirtier areas.

I take a seat on the gate, my legs hanging off the edge as I keep an eye on the slums, looking for the trader.

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I stay there until midday, making sure I had an eye on the streets below at all times.

He hadn't come to this gate, so I could only hope that the Captain or Vice-Captain had caught him.

Climbing down the wall, I realise how hungry I had become from simply sitting at the top of the gate, watching the town.

Finally reaching the ground, I opt to go to a small inn before returning.

Stretching my legs before going into a run, I notice storm clouds forming above the town, despite it being a clear sky just moments before.

I get a bad feeling as I begin to sprint, before stopping as I see a flash of purple, followed by a loud clap of thunder.

Only seconds later, I see smoke rising from the west side of the town.

I change my route, heading straight towards the fire.

In a couple of minutes, I make it to where the smoke originated, only to see the ruins of a house, its wood charred and the surrounding buildings still smoking from the fire that had spread.

Running to the nearest witness, I try to gather information.

"Hey, what happened?" (Ryu)

"I-I don't know. It was completely clear skies one moment, and the next, purple lightning hit the house and set it alight." (Witness)

"Ok, is anyone hurt?" (Ryu)

"N-no, no, I don't think so." (Witness)

Turning away from the him, I look around to further assess the situation.

There was a small crowd gathering from the loud noise, and seeing the situation, many went into a frenzy, before going completely blank and turning around once they lost sight of the wreckage. The mind control was doing its job.

Ignoring the towns people, I take a closer look at the wreckage to see if anything could give me a clue.

I look for several minutes before coming out empty handed.

"Hey, Ryu!" (Airi)

Hearing my name being called, I spin around, only to see the Knight, followed by the Healer and the Archer.

"What happened?" (Kana)

"Don't know. All the witness said was that purple lightning hit. Completely clear skies beforehand." (Ryu)

"Magic." (Astrid)

Astrid looks at the once standing house, now a pile of charred rubble and ash.

"You sure?" (Airi)

"Certain. There's large residue of lightning magic." (Astrid)

We stand there in silence for a few minutes, unsure what to do with the new information we got.

"This seems too coincidental." (Kana)

"How so?" (Astrid)

"We were just chasing some people, and when we were close to catching them, this happened. " (Kana)

"Are you saying...?" (Airi)

"I think they used it as an escape." (Kana)

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Author Notes
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Its another chapter, which I actually think is a decent one. I've withheld information from you to build tension but...

I've been trying to do more of those to add to the suspense and tension, but I also feel that if it's done too much, it'll completely ruin the experience for the reader. I don't want it to be like that.

Even if I am just writing this to please myself, I still want others to be able to read this and get a somewhat enjoyable experience out of it.

But anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!