Kyle and the rest of the team nodded their heads in respect.


    "I''m Kyle, Lightning mage of the Vyne Academy," Kyle introduced himself before pointing towards his teammates to do the same.


    "Celine."


    "Zara."


    "Lina."


    "Finn."


    After they were done with introducing their names, Kyle continued. "We''re here to help defend the vige from the beast tide and we will need to know everything you can tell us about the approaching wave."


    Henrick sighed before he began:


    "It''s a nightmare. Every few years, a beast tide sweeps through, but this time… it''s worse. The creatures areing in greater numbers, and most of them have been corrupted, making them stronger and more vicious."


    Kyle took note of the word ''corrupted''. From what he had read in the library, corruption was a term used to denote beasts that could wield mana, that is, Mana beasts.


    "What direction do the beasts usuallye from?" Kyle decided to ask, hoping there was only one route, because it would be difficult to defend the vige from different angles.


    Henrick pointed to the worn map on the table before him, indicating the vige''s outskirts.


    "They''ll being from the forest on the east side. We''ve set up some traps along the perimeter, but they won''t hold for long against the numbers we''re expecting."


    Kyle studied the map, nodding thoughtfully. "We''ll do everything we can to hold them back. Do you have any other defenses in ce?"


    Henrick shook his head and there was a hint of regret in his eyes. "Most of what we have is improvised. We''re farmers, not soldiers."


    Kyle exchanged a nce with his team, each of them understanding the weight of the mission. Turning back to Henrick, he asked, "Is there a safe ce for the vigers?"


    Henrick''s face grew grim as he shook his head. "There''s no safe ce at the moment," he admitted. "Our n is to prevent the beasts from entering the vige. The men are working on a secure shelter in case the worst happens, but it''s far fromplete. We don''t have the time or manpower to finish it before the tide hits."


    "Understood. We''ll do everything in our power to keep the beasts at bay. However, we''ll need as much information as you can provide."


    "The beasts don''t attack randomly," Henrick exined. "Theye in waves. The first wave is usually a test—weak creatures probing our defenses. Then therger ones follow, and the real ughter begins. We''ve observed that they tend to arrive in the afternoon, shortly after noon, and retreat just before sunset."


    Kyle''s brows furrowed as he processed this information. He pulled out hism device and nced at the time.


    It was 11:00 AM, giving them roughly an hour to prepare before the potential first wave. They''d need to move quickly to assess the traps and scout the eastern perimeter.


    "Thank you, Henrick. This information is crucial," Kyle said, standing straighter. "We''ll use this time wisely."


    Henrick let out a weary breath and managed a small smile. "No,d. Thank you. All of you," he said and his gaze shifted to Kyle''s team. "You''vee here to save lives, risking your own. That''s more than we could ever ask for."


    Kyle felt the weight of the man''s gratitude, and a sense of responsibility washed over him. ''We can''t fail them,'' he promised himself silently.


    Turning to his team, Kyle said with amanding tone. "We''ll meet at the eastern edge of the vige in ten minutes to inspect the traps and n our defenses. For now, let''s get settled."


    Henrick nodded and called over a young viger, a boy no older than sixteen with scruffy hair and a nervous demeanor. "This is n. He''ll show you to your quarters."


    n stepped forward hesitantly, clearly intimidated by the group of mages.


    "F-follow me," he stammered, gesturing for them to follow him toward a small row of wooden cottages near the center of the vige.


    The group followed in silence, the tension thick in the air. The vigers they passed along the way gave them hopeful, yet wary, nces. Many were busy fortifying their homes with whatever materials they could find—wooden nks, rusty nails, and makeshift barricades.


    "These are your quarters," n said, stopping in front of a modest two-room cottage. "It''s not much, but it''s clean. We figured you''d want to stay together, so…"


    Kyle nodded. "This will do. Thank you."


    n hesitated before stepping away, looking like he wanted to say something but thinking better of it. With a quick nod, he darted off, leaving the team to settle in.


    The cottage was humble but well-kept, with two rooms that were small and sparsely furnished and a bathroom, each of the room held a single bunk bed with thin mattresses that looked like they had seen better days.


    The floor was made of worn nks, uneven in ces but sturdy enough.


    The window in the main room offered a limited view of the vige square, where vigers hurried about their tasks.


    Inside, Kyle gestured toward the bunks. "Looks like we''ll have to share the space," he said, ncing at his teammates.


    Lina ced her bag at the foot of one of the bunks, iming the bottom bed. "I''m taking this one. No arguments," she said with a smirk.


    Zara rolled her eyes and tossed her belongings onto the top bunk. "Fine. I prefer being off the ground anyway."


    "I''ll take the floor," Kyle added, pulling out his travel nket from his ''storage ring''.


    "I''ve done it before; it''s not a big deal."


    Lina raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that, Mr. Leader? We don''t mind rotating."


    "Leader?" Kyle asked with augh.


    Lina rolled her eyes and hissed. "Don''t try to act all humble, you''ve been directing everyone since we arrived here. You''re the leader."


    Kyle wanted to refute but held it back. He had no problems being the leader. "Well... I''ll be fine on the floor. Besides, someone has to be ready to kick open the door if the tidees early."


    "And I''ll grab the top bunk in the other room," Finn decided after Kyle chose the floor. "Lina, you can take the bottom there. Sound good?"


    Lina nodded shyly. "That''s fine. Thank you."


    With that decided, everyone began settling in. Despite the small space and sparse amodations, the team silently agreed thatfort wasn''t their priority tonight. Survival was.


    ***


    After they were done refreshing and unpacking their stuff, the team assembled in the main room.


    "This is going to be tough," Finn spoke up. "The vigers don''t seem prepared for anything remotely close to a beast tide."


    "They''re not," Lina said tly, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. "But that''s why we''re here."


    "Do you think we''ll be enough?" Zara decided to ask. She knew how difficult it would be for only five students to fight a beast tide.


    "We have to be," Kyle said firmly. "We''re not just here toplete a mission. These people are depending on us. If we work together and use our strengths wisely, we can hold the tide back."


    His words seemed to bolster the team''s spirits, even if only slightly.


    "Let''s focus on what we can control," Kyle continued. "We have few time left before the first wave might hit. Get your gear ready, and we''ll meet at the eastern edge in ten minutes. We''ll assess the traps and start nning our defense."