'I thought it was about time they sent help.' Re'Kha thought. Even though they were branch families that governed their respective cities, they were tied by blood and had to intervene when the other party was suffering.

If they didn't do that and watched the Royal families collapse, their honour would be questioned, and that wasn't something they, as a Royal Clan could bear. So, without further ado, Burfuna City prepared an army to be sent to Burkurel City.

It was to clear out all the beasts and animals that were continuously attacking its walls and tried to breach in. Adding in the Kalhas, Burkurel City was put in a passive spot, unable to even retaliate.

"Is the situation there that bad?" The lady asked in anxiety.

The man stopped moving, resting beside her as he sighed, "From what we were told, the beast tide alone is massive this time. Adding onto the Kalhas, Burkurel City can only come out to defend while it rains. And in the rains, only Water Qi is potent. So, only Harmonisers from the Burkurel Re Clan and Burkurel Royal Clan can participate. The rest can only launch arrows at the animals and dwindle their numbers little by little."

He sighed once, "You know how useless arrows are against beasts, that too during the rain. The powerful arrows are limited in number and they are closing to running out, so most of the time, they are only using the weaker arrows."

"You're barely a Harmoniser," The lady expressed her worries, "The only Pranic Art you know is the common Palm Projection. And you can only unleash it thrice. It's too risky for you."

"It means I have three chances of saving my life from danger. But don't worry, I'll return safely." The man hugged the lady. On seeing that the conversation went personal after that and didn't have any information on what she sought, Re'Kha retracted her perception.

The grey sand world was more animated now, without any Water Qi to hinder it. Within the inn, it was incredibly useful and allowed her to sense everything with greater precision. Re'Kha finished eating the food and arrived before her bag, fishing out medicine from it that she downed immediately.

The ration she had packed in it wasn't spoilt, so she placed it in the Aeki. Her external injuries currently consisted of scratches on her body all over. Internally, she was feeling muscle pain, shortness of breath, pain in her joints, and phantom pain in her back every time she moved.

"I have a lot to purchase tomorrow. I should head to the Royal Hospital first to hasten my recovery." All along, her body was in a less than optimal state. She had further burdened it with her fight against the scouts. Re'Kha closed her eyes, feeling the comfort of the bed as her body relaxed, entering a state of rest.

…

It was currently dark, the lanterns hung on the roads barely illuminated the street. The sounds of rain resounded while flashes of lightning appeared in regular intervals, followed by the ear-splitting sound of thunder.

Every time a bolt of lightning flashed, the interior within a house was fully illuminated. It was a single storey house; a family of seven—father, mother, grandfather, two brothers, and two sisters—lived in it. The family was slightly well-off, for they had four bedrooms, a living room, a guest room, a kitchen, a storage room, and a terrace that had tiled roofing, acing as an open place for them to relax and take in the fresh air.

From the entrance trailed a corridor through the guest room, sporting the door to the living room on the left, followed by the bedrooms on the right, with the kitchen and dining on the left at the end. The flash of lightning reflected the shadow of a butterfly attached to a sword in the living room.

As quick as it arrived, the flash of lightning flickered thrice before disappearing; the shadow had vanished in the meantime. The temperature of the house decreased steadily, the rate of the drop being minimal to prevent the household from becoming aware.

The two lanterns hung at the house's entrance and within their courtyard froze over, the flames within dying out. Black smoke squeezed in from the gaps in the door, gushing in at a slow but steady pace, the rate of flow akin to the smoke from an incense stick.

It slowly converged into a sphere in the living room, growing in size before materialising a pair of tentacles that thinned out, forming three joints as the third joint split into three, forming three fingers. The fingers closed and opened, their segments dry, like the withered husk of a woman.

"…eyes…beautiful eyes…" A faint sound echoed from within it the moment it finished condensing, disappearing soon after. An eye shot open on its body, containing faint red lustre, forming a contrast to its jet-black body.

A closer look displayed numerous eyes embedded all over its body, their eyelids closed. Only one eye was open, dripping black blood that vaporised upon touching the floor. This in return caused it to slowly freeze over, forming a layer of ice.

The entity moved through the corridor, dissolving into smoke as it crawled through the gaps in the door, appearing in the first room as it saw two sleeping boys. Their beds were placed respectively on either side of the window, allowing equal light to fall on both when the sun rose. The window was small and was situated high up in the wall, fully grilled. It was also netted with a layer of cotton to prevent any insects from getting in.

The jet-black entity moved towards the boy on the right, one who seemed around 20 years of age, muttering softly, "…big…clear…eyes…me…want…"

The sole eye it had kept open cracked as it oozed out black blood that vaporised, freezing the room instantly. The boys were startled awake; but before they could move or shout, their bodies were frozen.

Ice encapsulated their bodies, only leaving the part above their mouths in the open. The open eye vanished as another eye on its body shot open, starting to bleed within three breaths of time as its hand crept towards the 20-year-old boy's eyes.