The atmosphere within Delphi Outpost was so heavy it was almost suffocating. News of the Nebula Empire's forces abnormally increasing their numbers near Ashwind Post spread like a virulent plague, causing panic and paranoia among all Spark Faction members. Kairo, his face grim, ordered all units to prepare for a maximum emergency. Defenses were reinforced, patrols were sent out more frequently, and secret escape routes were rechecked for readiness. Whispers of anxiety and fear echoed through every dark corner of this underground secret base.
Inside the room once used for elemental power training, Da Vinci's group sat circled, their faces equally tense. Concern for the fate of Ashwind Post gnawed at their hearts, driving them nearly mad. Kiana was restless, her small fists clenched so tightly they trembled. Faint flames licked at the tips of her red hair periodically, as if reflecting the turmoil in her heart. "I... I can't stand it anymore! We have to do something! We can't just sit here and wait!"
"Calm down, Kiana," Ryu said, his voice attempting to remain steady, but his sharp eyes clearly showed unease. "Rushing out now will only make things worse. We don't know for sure what's happening."
Bacchus and Taurus were grimly silent, their muscular bodies sitting as still as stone statues, but the tensed muscles bunching beneath their skin indicated the accumulated stress within. Their eyes were fixed on Da Vinci, as if awaiting a decision or some miracle from this otherworldly genius.
Da Vinci sat still, frowning deeply, one hand stroking his chin thoughtfully. His eyes gazed blankly at an old, worn map of the Ashfall region spread on the table, his fingertips tapping lightly on the location of Ashwind Post. "My premonition is growing stronger," he said flatly, his voice heavy. "I can feel... a disturbance in the Mana flow in that area. This is definitely not just a normal troop movement." He was trying his best to improve the "energy detection device" using knowledge from the black leather-bound notebook, but the technology and materials in this world remained a significant obstacle.
Suddenly! Panicked footsteps sounded from outside the room before two Spark Faction patrol members burst in, their faces pale, drenched in sweat, their eyes wide with extreme terror.
"K-Kairo-dono! Da Vinci-dono! It's terrible, sirs! Terrible!" one of them shouted, his voice trembling.
Everyone's heart in the room plummeted.
"What happened!?" Kairo, who had just joined them, barked loudly.
"Our... our patrol unit sent to scout further east... they... they found..." The guard stammered, his throat dry.
"Found what! Spit it out!" Kiana snapped, losing her patience.
"Smoke... massive black smoke, sirs!" the other guard blurted out. "It was rising from the direction believed to be... to be the village where you used to live... and then... and then..." He gulped hard. "We... we heard... explosions... and... screams... very faint... but... but it was horrifying, sirs!"
Those words were like a giant hammer blow to the hearts of Da Vinci's group!
"And then they... they found..." the first guard tried to continue, but his voice trembled so much it was almost unintelligible. "Found... a child... a child, sirs... lying... barely breathing... his condition... was terrible!"
"A child!?" Da Vinci's eyes widened. The ominous feeling he had was becoming terrifyingly clear!
"Yes, sirs! We don't know who it is... but... but the unit that found him... is bringing him back here with utmost urgency! Sage-dono is preparing an emergency medical room, sirs!"
Before the guards could finish, Da Vinci's group bolted from the room, rushing towards the medical bay at top speed. Their hearts pounded as if they would burst from their chests. Fading hope and immense fear battled wildly in their minds.
When they reached the medical bay, the sight before them made everyone almost stop breathing...
On a patient bed, a small figure lay motionless. His body was filthy, stained with blood and soot. His clothes were tattered beyond recognition. Grievous wounds were visible all over his body – festering burns, deep cuts revealing bone, and dark bruises indicating brutal abuse. The child's breathing was shallow and intermittent. His eyes were closed, but his small face was contorted in pain even in unconsciousness.
Sage and his medical team were frantically working to save him. The sound of medical instruments clinking mixed with the child's faint moans.
Kiana collapsed to the floor, tears streaming uncontrollably from her fiery eyes. "No... no..." she whispered, her voice trembling.
Bacchus and Taurus stood frozen, their fists clenched so tightly their knuckles were white. Their eyes were bloodshot with a violently erupting rage. Ryu stood silently beside Kiana, his face impassive, but his sharp eyes blazed with a chilling pain and a terrifyingly cold killing intent.
Da Vinci slowly approached the bed, his heart constricting painfully. He stared at the child's pale, wounded face... and then... a memory flashed vividly in his mind! Light brown, matted hair... a familiar facial structure, though obscured by blood and wounds...
"Leo..." Da Vinci's voice was so hoarse it was barely audible.
But that word... it was as if it held a spell!
The small child lying motionless on the bed... slowly, laboriously, moved his heavy eyelids. His dull, lifeless eyes fluttered open... gazing at Da Vinci's face, who was leaning over him with concern and pain.
In that instant! A spark of "recognition" flashed in Leo's fading eyes! His dry, chapped lips moved slightly...
"M-Master... Da... Vin... ci..." The voice that came out was as faint as a whisper of wind, but to everyone in the room, it was as loud and clear as a thunderclap!
"Leo! It's me! Leo, how are you! What happened to you! What happened to the village!" Da Vinci threw himself closer, kneeling beside the bed, his trembling hand gently reaching out to touch the boy's cold cheek.
Leo tried to lift his trembling hand, as if to grasp Da Vinci's, but he had so little strength left. His once-bright eyes now held only indescribable terror and pain.
"The... village..." Leo forced out the words with difficulty, his breath catching. "Burned... all of it... to ashes..."
A tear rolled from the corner of the young boy's eye, tracing a path down his stained face.
"Who did it! Who did this!" Kiana screamed, tears streaming down her face, her body trembling with rage.
Leo tried to shake his head but could only manage a slight movement. "Don't... know... it... it was so fast... like... like a nightmare..."
He gasped for breath, coughing up a drop of dark blood. Sage rushed over, his expression even grimmer.
"Everyone... everyone..." Leo murmured on, his eyes starting to lose focus. "Killed... the... the screams... they... they still echo in my ears..." Horrifying images flashed in his wide eyes – images of flames consuming everything, of people falling lifelessly...
"And the leader! Eldrin! How is he!" Bacchus roared, his voice trembling with extreme anxiety.
Hearing Eldrin's name, Leo's eyes widened again. Utter terror flashed violently. His small body convulsed...
"The... leader..." he whispered hoarsely. "He... he tried... tried to protect us..."
The image in Leo's memory sharpened again... the image of a one-armed old man standing defiantly before "something" terrifying... a sharp shadow...
"There... there was a woman... one..." Leo tried to say, but his strength was failing. "So... so scary... she... she had..."
Before Leo could finish his sentence, his eyes flew wide open one last time... the light in them slowly faded... like a candle flame extinguished by a storm...
The small hand that had tried to reach out fell limply to his side...
A final breath... faint... and silent...
Leo... the young boy who was like a beacon of hope for Ashwind Post... was gone... leaving behind a terrifying silence and the curse of a memory that would gnaw at their hearts forever...
"NO!!!!!!!!!"
Kiana's anguished scream ripped through the medical bay! She threw herself onto Leo's lifeless body, sobbing as if her heart would break. Blood-red fiery power began to erupt violently from her body, making the air around her scorch!
Sage stood still, his head bowed in sorrow. He slowly shook his head, confirming the inevitable...
Ryu took a step back, his face terrifyingly impassive, but his sharp eyes blazed with a flame of vengeance colder than polar ice. A pure, intense killing intent radiated from him, so strong that even Bacchus and Taurus felt a chill.
Bacchus fell to his knees, his fist slamming onto the stone floor with such force it cracked. A pained roar rumbled in his throat. Taurus stood as if petrified, but every muscle in his body tensed and trembled, veins bulging on his neck and temples.
Da Vinci stared at Leo's now-lifeless body... A crushing sense of guilt overwhelmed his heart... If only he had been stronger... if only he could have protected them... The image of Leo's bright smile on the day he had drawn a picture for him was still vivid... but now... it was replaced by a pale face and wide, unseeing eyes...
Sorrow transformed into fury... Fury transformed into a cold, steely resolve... His original aspiration to "draw" a new world... a world without destruction... was reignited... but this time... it was coated with a dark "vengeance"...
The golden brush tucked at his waist... suddenly vibrated violently!
A faint, blackish light... began to appear around its tip... for the first time...
Some limit within them... had shattered...
The last ember of hope had died... leaving only the curse of memory... that would drive them... onto a path of revenge... and change them... forever...
[End of Chapter 40]