Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

As Rain traversed the path, his thoughts turned to the captain\'s summons. He speculated that the captain\'s directive might have stemmed from the limited manpower available, especially given the circumstances. There was also the lingering notion that the enemies could potentially be observing the camp, prompting the decision to send Rain on the mission.

In any case, It didn\'t take long for Rain to find some smoke in the distance. Rain assumed that the place had been burned down quite a lot since the fire lasted through the night.

When Rain found the village, he confirmed that all of the thirty or so buildings had been burned down. The place worked breeding and raising horses, so maybe it had been targeted because of it.

"Even though they had the horses, the rain didn\'t let them realize the enemies were approaching…" Rain thought when he arrived at the village.

Rain cast his gaze across the landscape, searching for any telltale signs of bodies or remnants of battles. The area appeared eerily devoid of such indicators, prompting Rain\'s curiosity to deepen as he proceeded with caution.

As he explored further, Rain\'s attention was drawn to the stables. What he discovered within sent a chill down his spine – the remains of the horses were strewn about, bearing evidence of having been sliced apart by a force incredibly sharp and powerful. The grisly scene raised questions; horses possessed keen senses, even in the dark of night.

It seemed inconceivable that all of them could have fallen victim without any warning.

Rain\'s brows furrowed in contemplation as he surveyed the scene. His instincts urged him to investigate further, leading him to employ his earth magic to survey the area. He chose to start with the burned-down houses, understanding that there was little hope of finding survivors.

"Shit…" Rain muttered when he found the first bodies.

The first bodies had been burned to a crisp… Some of them were even separated from each other as if they had been split in half before being killed.

Rain\'s careful examination of the bodies buried beneath the rubble left no room for doubt – the werewolves were formidable adversaries, possessing a level of danger beyond what he had anticipated. The claw marks he discovered spoke volumes, suggesting that their claw were as sharp as swords, capable of inflicting devastating damage.

Rain\'s understanding of werewolf behavior led him to a troubling realization. These creatures were known to feed on their victims, but the absence of such signs raised unsettling questions. It was a stark reminder that these beings were not merely mindless beasts; their actions held an intention that eluded easy explanation.

As he grappled with the grim scene before him, Rain felt a heavy weight settle in his heart. While he had witnessed the brutality of war and the loss of lives in battles, the sight of civilian and innocent victims affected him in a profoundly different manner.

Summoning his earth magic once more, Rain undertook the somber task of burying the bodies. This process consumed the entirety of the day. The hours spent in this solemn endeavor afforded him the opportunity to scour the surroundings for any remnants of the monsters responsible.

"The rain erased all traces…" Rain thought and then sighed. "Still, it didn\'t look like they tried to take anything… they only wanted to kill and destroy.

While the werewolves may have intended to display their capabilities, Rain struggled to accept that their motives were limited to this singular demonstration. The extent of destruction he encountered spoke of a more complex agenda at play.

Persisting in his search for further clues, Rain continued to scan the surroundings, yet his efforts yielded little. Faced with the choices ahead, he contemplated his options – whether to retreat and report the grim findings of destruction and death or to press on in pursuit of the enemies near the border.

After careful consideration, Rain resolved to follow the path of a thorough investigation. His plan involved examining the other villages in the vicinity, believing that he could piece together a broader understanding of the situation by doing so. While he recognized the task would be time-consuming, he was undeterred by the challenge it presented.

"Well, well… what do we have here…" Rain thought when he found the nearest village after he passed by Retia.

Concealed by the undulating hills, Rain\'s gaze settled on a peculiar sight in the distance – a group of approximately ten magic users. What struck him as truly unusual was the distinctive aura enveloping them. Unlike any he had encountered before, their aura possessed an eerie combination of calmness and tension, akin to a gathering storm on the brink of eruption.

Rain\'s gaze remained fixed on these enigmatic figures, his intrigue growing as he realized that their aura defied conventional categorization. The uniqueness of their energy patterns raised questions, challenging his assumptions about the nature of magic in this world.

In a sudden realization, Rain\'s perspective shifted. It dawned on him that the creatures he had initially identified as mere monsters were more than they seemed. These beings possessed the ability to transform between their monstrous and humanoid forms, revealing that they were, in fact, magic users with the capacity to take on the appearance and power of werewolves.

"It all makes sense now…" Rain thought. "Monsters alone, even if they are being controlled, wouldn\'t be able to destroy an entire villa and burn it down that easily. Still… those guys didn\'t tell Jori and the others that the Monsters were magic people."