THE RISE OF EXILE

SOUNDLESS (PART 1)

When Sumire and her companions arrived at Morye Village, at the entrance of the place they felt an uninvited presence as if someone else owned this territory. The place looks like an awful canvas. Eerie. The ground was painted with crimson blood as the mournful sky and cold breeze welcomed them.  As soon as they entered, they were immediately greeted by a pungent odor from piles of cadavers on the streets. Appalling savagery can be seen in the entire scene, some humans were awfully deformed, torn entrails have come out of the cold-pale carcass, a bunch of crows merrily feast the remaining flesh, and bones from the corpses scattered on the ground.

Without saying a word, Sumire immediately created an invisible barrier.

"We do not need to separate..." Sumire said,  walking gracefully ahead of them.

Zake will about to say that they will look for an opponent or survivors of the heinous m******e, but Sumire preceded him.

"The people who remained alive were found in the same location. We will go to them after we have done patrolling the area.". She added.

Sumire's comrades were very impressed with her. Her capability is extraordinary, her intuition is always right on point. Not less than half an hour after they arrived in the village,  Sumire knew the situation even before they step into the place. That no longer surprises them, she was known as a great huntress and currently the first top among the elite force in the Exile empire.

Sumire, Grant, Preston, and the others wandered inside the lifeless village, the gloomy ambiance and silence were heard inside the broken homes. A dream no mortal ever dared to dream before. Sumire walked ahead of them wearing her blank stare roaming around every corner of the place. Suddenly, the depressing sky rained black arrows and formed into countless crows. Even before they were hit, Sumire immediately raised her right hand and counter attacked it.

"Master of the Wind.."

Sumire activates her ability to command the power of the wind. An enormous transparent Dragon made out of wind formed behind her back ascended into the midair and swallowed the arrows that formed into crows that were about to plunge them. A strong whirlwind turn the crows into pieces, the dragon made them disappeared into thin air. After the first failed attempt of attack, the atmosphere darkened even more and the deafening silence intensified.

Sumire made the dragon vanished as she closed her eyes and activated her Trouver, this time she failed. She did not sense any heartbeat inside her radius. That only means one thing.

"We are within someone's fiefdom.." Sumire said in a serious tone and before her companions could react they were overwhelmed by great darkness.

After several minutes, Sumire felt the presence of his colleagues but she could not see nor hear them as the tinges of charcoal enveloped the whole area. Sumire closed her eyes once more, trying to seek them out of darkness by the beating of their hearts. This is not her Trouver ability, Sumire has an exceptional sixth sense when her Trouver does not work or has been nullified. She can sense a heartbeat in a territory without relying much on her power.

" Preston, if you all can hear me, just stay where you are and do not move!".

Sumire shouted in the middle of the vast darkness, but Preston and the other's heartbeat remained unchanged. Sumire still felt they are getting more anxious. Her voice did not seem to reach them.

"Ah, I remember a specific story from a certain moron in town...". Sumire said as if she was talking to someone else. She remembered what Narco had said two years ago.

"...that there is a village that communicates by reading the movement of their mouths in conversation...hmmm, fascinating..." she added as if someone was listening to her.

"That bastard said he had already been to a village and he almost got deaf due to extreme silence of the place and then he added that there was something dark and dangerous happening out there. I do not believe in him as he keeps getting on my nerves, talking nonsensical things just to annoy me, but I was always there next to him, listening to his stupid old jokes. I guess this mule is telling the truth, haha.. aye.." she laughs a little. Sumire suddenly paused, she felt another heartbeat and this time it was right in front of her.

"So you are here to talk..". A stranger comes out of nowhere.

"Nah, am here to kill some runts..". Sumire said, her voice was devoid of emotions.

The stranger laughed boldly. "Runts, eh?... You almost died back there without knowing it, thanks to me it didn't happen..."

Sumire was stunned. She knew that it would never gonna happen to her.

"Ah, you did not know that the Angel of Death himself was following you..". The stranger looked at her intently while caressing her smooth cheek.

"What do you mean by that?". Sumire asked, her striking eyes were full of astonishment.

He sighed heavily. " Well, when you entered the Garden of Guerrier, the mark of death is already attached to you..."

Sumire laughed out loud, her enchanting laugh echoed. "And do you expect me to believe it?..", she said while holding her stomach.

The man grinned, showing his oyster-white teeth. " Tell me what happened when you did not believe that certain i***t you are referring to.."

Sumire just smirked. " I have known that knucklehead for a long time,  and it's probably not you..". Even before the man could speak. Sumire summoned her magical beast.

A gigantic mystical creature the only legend can tell the tale, slowly appears in the glowing fog, glimmers with its famous black stygian and crimson hue fur bestowing nascent rays across its body, standing profoundly beautiful and dangerous next to her. Its eight legs recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and ending with a stinger, the most venomous magical beast that humanity has ever known, its shining armored tail wagging as it contains the most lethal of poisons, and piercing glowing red eyes can dance in the mystery of the unseen worlds. The magical beast roared as the earth shook violently, even reached out of the territory. Sumire felt the heartbeat of his companions. The roar of her magical beast sends a signal to their senses that they should never be afraid as she was there for them.

"So, the rumors about the famous elite woman in Exile empire is true, you really are powerful. You have even summoned one of the rarest beasts that no mortals can do. This is interesting...". The man looked at her amusingly.

Before Sumire gave an order to her magical beast to destroy the domain. The beast obeyed and release a powerful force that the place collapses, the sky changes from charcoal to soft dove grey, and in less than a few seconds the stranger she was talking to recently disappeared. Everything was back to normal as well as their vision.

" One of the rarest magical beasts, whoah!, This is real, right?". Finn immediately approached the beast as if nothing had happened before when he saw Sumire's magical beast, standing proudly beside her. Finn was about to touch the formidable creature when it moved and turned its way, stared at him wickedly.

"AHH, that looookk, that look really kills me! love it! gimme moree!..." Finn jumps in so much pleasure.

Sumire rolled her eyes while looking at him. Yeah, this brat deeply idolized such kind of monstrous vile creatures.

"This is the second time I have seen it.." Rowan said while approaching them.

"I'm glad we're all okay but I guess we don't have to celebrate this early.." Grant said seriously as he looked behind their back.

"Uh-oh..". Preston secretly activated his invisible wings, he is an air magic manipulator.

"Ah, finally, they showed up..". Sumire impatiently said.

The five bandits slowly come out from the dark and small alley approaching towards them, accompanied by countless man-eating demons, whose stinky saliva mixed with blood dripping from their mouths, blood-shot eyes fixed at them intently, grinding teeth were ready to devour human flesh.

" So, you, a bunch of trash, are responsible for the massive m******e in this place, ridiculous..." Sumire said incredulously while looking at each one of them, wearing her mocking face.

A topless bandit grinned, its veins were visible on his rough hands and a broad muscular body was filled with silver serpent tattoos with a broken crown on its head, his smile curve evilly.  The bandit's grin reached up to his ears, his lifeless eyes were fixed on Sumire who was remained stoic, thinking this might be their leader.

"Of course, it is always us.." The bandit said disappointedly. "...all the bad things that are happening in Sodome and Exile are blamed on us, so what's new there, hmmm?.." The bandit added, grinning from ear to ear.

"You wanna see me play the role of a bad guy? Lemme show ya' .." The bandit arrogantly said.

In a matter of seconds, he was right in front of Rowan and stab his stomach by using his left hand.  Rowan stiffed, his eyes widened in surprise. Grant and the others were about to attack him when the bandit raised his right hand and by that, they could no longer move.

"I am Mujo, remember my name.."

The leader introduces himself to them and took out his hand buried deep inside of Rowan's bosom. His fist was full of rustic crimson fluid, flowing abundantly on his hand. They were already moving as if the spell Mujo cast from them were gone when he returned to the former position of his group. Rowan knelt and vomited blood on his favorite apparel.

"Heal him." Sumire ordered Zake and he obeyed immediately.

"If you badly wanted to show me how nasty you are. Man, you should have killed him...". Sumire's comrades are taken by surprise. They exchange glances.

"I mean it. Am not joking around." Sumire said coldly, her emotionless eyes were fixed on them.

The tension between the two groups wondrously heavy engulfs the whole village, cold and ominous. The forces that uplift the soul, sit like a November rain. Ramshackle old shelters witnessed the power of dominance. Sumire and her magical beast emit an aura of unreality and mystery, dark and sullen. Cold eyes staring back at them.

"I hate this feeling.."

Sumire whispered into the air as she looked up at the pale blue sky turns into hollow sombre, trees dancing unhappily when bluster wind begins to show its elegance. Sumire raised her right hand like giving the sky a high five.

"My...oh my, he is hungry..". Sumire smiling alone while staring intently at her raised hand.

Sumire's comrades trembled in fear. The bandits and demons became alert when Sumire and her magical beast released a black aura as their dark smoldering eyes glowing into the red.

" The order that was given to me is to murder all the criminals who have dwells this village..". Her serene voice mixed with unexpected perils, slowly, she lowered her hand down, pointing straight at them, her lifeless eyes piercing towards the bandits and human-eating demons.

"Eat them."

Sumire commands her magical beast, and in less than three seconds it completely swallowed the five-man-eating demon. Grant and  Zake's eyes widened while Finn, Preston, and Rowan left their mouths hanging, shocks written on their faces.

The magical beast turned its way to the group of bandits, Mujo immediately made a barrier as the magical beast approached them.

"Ah, not so fast.."

Mujo mocked the beast but when he let his guard down for a few seconds Sumire was in front of them, infiltrated the barrier he made, smiling creepily.

"You should not speak when in the middle of a fight."

Sumire said as she lifted her hand, forming a  so-called chain of blazing fire. She placed her hand on Mujo's chest, by then he could no longer move.

Mujo's comrades were about to flee but Grant, Preston, and Finn, and the others immediately blocked them.

"Kill them". Sumire ordered them and immediately obeyed.

They snap out their necks, beheading the four Mujo's companions. Blood splashes on the placid ground. The wind blows coldly in her moon shadow-black hair over her shoulders, peek in her white glossy cheek with a small shade of blood in it. "..Gross..", she disgustingly wipes it.

"Ha, I still can't believe that you scumbags are massacring this place." Sumire said looking at Mujo.

"Who told you it is exactly us?. Mujo smirked at her.

"You will reach sunset if you do not interfere in other people's business." Sumire replied. Mujo laughed loudly and hopelessly looked at Sumire.

"You are blind". Mujo formally smiled when he said that to Sumire. "You deeply trust your officials.." he added while looking at Sumire who had no intention of listening to him.

"You never saw us causing havoc in this village, and yet you immediately assume that we are the ones who did it, especially we are the only ones you saw. That's f*****g low..". Mujo mocked her.

" Well, HE is right. People in the higher world are the worst thing about humanity". Sumire said looked at him uninterestingly.

"You talk too much." Sumire said coldly.

" I just want to ask if you have another one with you..". Sumire asked formally. He wants to know if Mujo is with the man who trapped them in the territory earlier.

Even before Mujo could speak, the ground swallowed him and he suddenly disappeared. Sumire immediately activates Trouver but unfortunately, she is not able to trace him anymore.

"Damn". She hissed of so much displeasure.

Before Sumire could vent her anger out, a child appeared, crawling in front of them, face full of grease and covered in broken clothes.

"Please help us."

TBC...