Steel struck rotten flesh and bone across the northern edge of the village.

One of the advancing corpses was hurled bodily away from the defensive line, its body tumbling across the snow before coming to rest in a crooked heap. The force of KaMaras blow left the ground gouged where it had landed. For a brief moment it lay still, then the limbs began to twitch again. Fingers clawed weakly at the snow as the body tried to gather itself upright. Varius successfully hack the creatures in front of him in two. 

Another corpse collapsed where it stood after Itsys repeated strikes shattered the damaged bones in its neck. The head hung loose before the entire body folded into the slush. Nearby, another skull split open beneath a downward blow, the corpse dropping heavily to the frozen ground.

Across the line, more of the undead staggered under Youkos clawing blows and heavy impacts, their bodies tearing and splitting as they pressed forward. Limbs were ripped away, ribs broken open, yet several of the fallen continued to writhe in the snow where they had been dropped. Yumis sweeping arcs sliced her targets in half, Leaving a trail of twitching, crawling wights. 

Further east, a burst of sacred fire from Yukan washed over a large cluster of the approaching dead. The flames burned fiercely for several seconds before dying down, leaving blackened shapes scattered across the field. Some had collapsed entirely into charred remains, while others lay smoking where they had fallen.

Beyond the burned ground, more shapes continued stepping forward from the treeline.

Within the eastern mass, a great white wolf tore through the front ranks of the dead. One corpse was dragged down beneath crushing jaws while another was sent sprawling under raking claws. The beast moved with brutal precision, running towards Moo who was burping over a twitching corpse. He charged at Moo, then leapt into the air. Sailing straight past her into another wight that had been coming from behind. 

Around the perimeter, Nan Gau’s soldiers and the warriors from Mabaroshi-mura moved to reinforce the line. Several stepped forward with shields raised while others moved between the fighters, dragging fallen corpses aside to keep the narrow approaches clear.

Commander Rextelian stood near the center of the formation, issuing short commands as he watched the shifting lines. His voice carried clearly through the cold air as soldiers repositioned themselves along the fires and sharpened stakes.

Aya remained close beside him, crimson hair catching the firelight as she moved to intercept one of the staggering bodies that had come too close to the line. Her blade flashed once, severing a decayed arm before she stepped back into position with the soldiers around her.

Behind the line, torches were already moving.

A few of the fallen corpses had begun to burn where flame had been pressed against exposed flesh and torn cloth. Fire crawled slowly across ruined bodies, smoke rising in greasy spirals into the darkening air.

The smell spread quickly.

Burning rot carried a thick, greasy stench that clung to the throat and tongue. It smelled faintly like meat left too long over a fire, mixed with the sour sweetness of decay. The scent rolled across the battlefield as more torches were pressed down into the fallen.

Some of the twitching bodies began to thrash as the flames took hold. Their limbs jerked violently against the snow as the fire consumed them.

A few emitted thin, tearing screeches as the flames spread across their ruined forms. The sounds were dry and unnatural, like air forcing its way through something that no longer had lungs.

The fires burned brighter as more corpses were fed into them.

At the edge of the village, several of the wights still struggled to rise from the snow where they had fallen. One dragged itself upright despite a shattered torso, while another clawed forward on broken limbs toward the defensive line.

Further out, beyond the treeline where the silver-haired fae had wandered, a quieter scene unfolded. Its rhythm was different from the clash of steel and the crackle of fire behind them. While the others fought for their lives in the village, the forest held its own stillness.

The woman standing before Yume looked older, though only by a small margin. Such was the strange grace of the fae; time touched them lightly, rarely leaving the marks it did on others.

When Yume rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her, the woman drew in a soft breath, surprised but not resistant. After a moment she laughed quietly. The sound rang like clear bells through the cold air, strangely gentle against the distant echoes of battle.

Her arms lifted and settled around Yume in return.

The embrace was warm. Steady. Protective in a way that felt deeply familiar, as though Yume had stepped back into something she had always known.

[color=#F6E27A]“Look at you. You’ve grown so beautiful.”[/color]

Her voice carried quiet pride.

[color=#F6E27A]“But not right now, sweet girl. You can feel it, can’t you?”[/color]

She eased Yume back just enough to look at her properly, one hand lifting to brush the silver bangs away from the younger fae’s eyes.

[color=#F6E27A]“They’ll have a reason not to forget you this time, baby girl.”[/color]

One of her hands lifted and pointed off to their right.

Now that she had drawn attention to it, the sensation became clearer.

The wights scattered through the forest did not carry thoughts in the way living minds did. There were faint signals there, the dull mechanical pulses of movement that a telepath could still detect. They felt hollow and chaotic, like broken instruments trying to play music.

But something else lingered nearby.

It was not alive.

It did not hum with emotion or memory.

Yet it was not empty either.

From somewhere deeper among the trees came a presence thick with malice. Cold. Focused. Heavy with hatred that pressed against the mind like a bruise.

Nemuru’s voice cut softly through the quiet forest.

[color=#F6E27A]“There’s something off about this one…”[/color]

Her eyes remained fixed in that direction.

[color=#F6E27A]“But I bet if you take him down with that staff of yours…”[/color]

She paused and glanced back toward Yume, a faint smile forming.

[color=#F6E27A]“Oh… what did you do with your staff?”[/color]