Stormfront, followed by Kamari, Leon, and Elijah, stepped out of the glowing portal into the village of Iysal. The portal gate shimmered behind them, casting a familiar blue hue across the room, its cold chill lingering on their skin. The chamber was plain, with stone walls dimly lit by crystal lamps mounted at regular intervals. It was a decent-sized room, functional in design, featuring large glass windows that offered a glimpse of the eerily still village outside—there was no movement, no signs of life. The sound of a blaring alarm could be heard, slightly muffled by the thick walls.


    The Village Chief hurried over to meet them as they took in their surroundings. His face showed signs of exhaustion, and although relief was evident in his eyes, his lips trembled as he spoke, and his hands fidgeted nervously at his sides.


    "Thank the heavens you’re here," the Chief stammered. "Everyone has been evacuated to the emergency bunkers." His gaze darted toward the glass windows as if he feared something might burst through at any moment.


    Nia stepped forward. "Great, that simplifies things." Her tone was almost casual, almost as if they weren’t standing on the precipice of disaster. She had faced worse than this, and it showed in the ease of her movements—the calm control of her voice.


    The Chief’s eyes flicked toward Jermaine, and his face lit up with awe as he recognized who was standing before him. He bowed slightly. "It’s the Thunder God! In the flesh!"


    Jermaine’s grin widened, and his chest puffed out as he soaked in the admiration. His presence was magnetic, larger than life, and he played the part well.  "The one and only," he said, his voice booming.


    Elijah let out a long sigh, his eyes rolling toward the ceiling as he muttered, "Relax, Unc."


    "Jealousy doesn’t suit you," Jermaine said playfully.


    Byron stood near the windows and turned to the Chief. "Thank you for getting everyone to safety. Get to a bunker and stay there until we give the all-clear."


    The Chief hesitated. His eyes were wide, and his body trembled as he glanced between the members of Stormfront. It seemed he might say something for a moment—perhaps a final plea or question. However, he quickly nodded and turned to leave. His steps were unsteady, and fear still clung to him despite the relief of seeing them here. This was the first time his village had faced an Incursion of this scale, and he had prayed countless times that such a day would never come. Yet, here it was, and all he could do now was hope this wouldn’t be their last sunset.


    Kamari, Leon, and Elijah exchanged glances as the portal''s glow faded behind them. An unspoken feeling of unease passed between them. They had each faced tough battles before, but this situation was different—a Terror-Class Incursion, the highest threat level.


    <i>You’ve got this, </i>Kamari told himself as he glanced at the members of Stormfront. Their calm and composed demeanor helped to settle his nerves.


    Jermaine stepped forward, his voice brimming with confidence. "Alright. It''s time to get to work."


    <hr>


    The group stepped outside and was immediately greeted by an eerie stillness, interrupted only by the blaring wail of the village siren. A biting chill carried by the wind whipped through the abandoned streets. Doors left ajar from the villagers'' hurried evacuation creaked on their hinges. Wind chimes clanged softly from empty porches. The fields of wheat and grain swayed, undisturbed except by the breeze. Livestock—cows, goats, and sheep—wandered, left to fend for themselves as there had been no time to evacuate them. No human life was present. The village felt frozen, as if holding its breath, waiting for the storm to break.


    The sky churned ominously above them as the Nether Rift pulsed with dark energy. Nia wasted no time. She drew her bow and fired a Knullifier arrow into the center of the dark tear. It trembled and collapsed inward.


    But it was too late.


    Below, what had once been empty, eerily quiet streets were now swarming with Infernals. Orcs, Goblins, and Cynders moved through the village, their guttural snarls echoing off the stone walls. The ground shook with each heavy footstep. Their claws scraped the earth and tore into whatever was in their path. Above them, ten massive Grey Wyverns circled in the sky.


    From the edge of the village, the actual threats emerged. Two enormous High Orcs lumbered forward, each towering at an imposing forty meters tall. Their black eyes glinted with a malevolent intelligence as they moved with deliberate, heavy steps that echoed like distant thunder. The air around them hummed with Elgic Energy—one radiated fire, its cracked skin glowing like molten rock, while the other exuded a freezing chill, its breath clouding the air as frost crystallized on the ground beneath its feet. Their jagged, stained tusks jutted out from their mouths, and their muscular forms resembled moving mountains of destruction.


    But even they paled in comparison to what followed.


    A deep, earth-shaking roar resonated from the horizon, so powerful that the ground trembled violently. Trees bent and snapped like twigs as a colossal Leviathan—a grotesque blend of serpent and dragon—emerged from the forest. Its scales, the size of a three-meter boulder, shimmered with an oily black sheen. Its eyes glowed a deep crimson, and its fanged mouth, wide enough to swallow a house whole, dripped with scalding acid.


    Kamari’s heart raced. His throat tightened as the roar of the Leviathan continued to echo. He had confronted creatures that would send most fleeing, but this was different. His body tensed instinctively, and his mind raced as he tried to comprehend the beast''s sheer size. Even Leon and Elijah seemed to stiffen at the sight.


    Kamari swallowed hard. <i>Are we supposed to fight that thing?</i> He thought.


    Elijah shifted beside him as his eyes tracked the Leviathan’s movements. He let out a low whistle, shaking his head. "That''s... a big one."


    Jermaine, on the other hand, was filled with excitement. His eyes sparkled with anticipation as he stared at the enormous creature. It had been far too long since he had encountered a real challenge; many of his recent missions had felt routine and predictable. But this? This was the moment he had been waiting for.


    "Dibs on the Leviathan!" He shouted.


    Before anyone could respond, he shot into the sky. Stray bolts erupted from his body, trailing behind him like a comet''s tail, effortlessly disintegrating all ten Wyverns mid-flight. The ash drifted down from the sky like dark snowflakes as Jermaine soared toward the Leviathan with a wide grin.


    Nia watched him leave, a small smile tugging at her lips. "He’s always so impatient," she said, shaking her head.


    Yet, it never ceased to amaze her—no matter how often she witnessed it, Jermaine’s raw, untamed power was always impressive.


    Byron remained calm, watching as Jermaine soared through the sky. "It''s alright. I planned to assign the Leviathan to him anyway," he said before facing the others. "The villagers are safe, but we must protect the village. Eliminate the Infernals, but avoid any unnecessary damage."


    Kamari took a deep breath and nodded in response. His body still quivered slightly, but Nia and Byron''s calm confidence continued to help ease his nerves. He glanced at Leon, who gave him a reassuring nod, though the tension in Leon''s jaw was still visible. Elijah, standing a little further back, sighed dramatically as usual.


    They had received their orders. Now, it was time to act.


    <hr>


    Byron and Malik focused on the two High Orcs standing at the edge of the village. The fire-wielding High Orc towered over Byron. Across from him, Malik confronted the ice-wielding counterpart.


    The fire High Orc let out a guttural roar, its chest heaving as it generated a massive ball of flame within its gaping mouth. It unleashed it toward the village, aiming to reduce it to ash.


    Byron reacted instantly, launching himself into the air to intercept the incoming fireball. His eyes glowed a deep purple as the flames roared toward him. He faced the impact head-on, effortlessly absorbing the flames. The orange fire swirled around his body before being concentrated and transformed into an intense, brilliant purple. With a sharp exhale, he redirected the flames, hurling them back at the High Orc. It slammed into the Orc''s chest with such force that it sent the creature staggering backward. Its molten skin sizzled as the purple fire burned into it, eliciting a furious roar.


    Meanwhile, the ice-wielding High Orc raised its arm and conjured jagged spears of ice—each measuring approximately four meters in length. The High Orc launched the deadly volley of projectiles straight toward Malik and the village behind him.


    Usually, Malik would have easily dodged such an attack, but doing so now would only ensure the village''s destruction. So, he braced himself and raised his hands as a stream of blue flames erupted from his palms. Before the ice shards could hit, the fire consumed them, evaporating them into steam with a loud hiss. Malik stood in the mist, his flames still burning brightly.


    Byron landed next to him, and they locked eyes briefly—a wordless understanding exchange. It was time to end this.


    They launched into the air in perfect sync. Together, they unleashed twin streams of fire—Malik''s a blazing blue, and Byron''s a brilliant purple. The flames twisted and danced around each other, intertwining as they shot toward the two High Orcs with blinding speed. The combined force struck the creatures directly, enveloping them in a spectacular explosion of fire and light.


    The High Orcs roared in agony as the flames seared their skin. The ground shook beneath their weight as they collapsed, their massive bodies crashing into the defensive walls at the village’s edge.


    <hr>


    Nia leaped gracefully from rooftop to rooftop. Her bowstring was taut as she fired arrow after arrow of pure Enre at the cynders that had begun torching nearby structures. Their bodies were made entirely of golden-orange flames that flickered and danced. Their limbs constantly shifted in length and size—their shapes never remained the same for more than an instant. They had no faces, no eyes.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Nia’s arrows pierced the cores of three cynders simultaneously, extinguishing them in bursts of light. The remaining Cynders shifted their focus to her, their flames flaring brighter as they unleashed fiery blasts.


    Nia barely had time to react as the fireballs tore through the rooftops. She twisted her body mid-air to dodge the endless barrage, leaving her little room to counter. The heat of the flames licked at her skin.


    Her eyes darted in search of an opening. The fiery creatures were closing in, but she refused to let them overwhelm her. She leaped high above the rooftops with a sharp inhale and drew her bowstring taut. A swirling sphere of wind surrounded her as she hovered, shielding her from the fireballs and allowing her the fleeting opportunity to unleash a shower of Enre arrows down on the cynders. The arrows pierced their fiery bodies, targeting their glowing cores. One by one, the Cynders exploded in bright flashes as their flames were extinguished, leaving only wisps of smoke in their wake.


    As the last of the cynders faded away, Nia scanned the village and spotted several houses that had been partially set ablaze. She summoned controlled gusts of wind and extinguished the fires, securing that village section.


    <hr>


    Kamari, Elijah, and Leon moved in unison across the battlefield, cutting through the waves of lower-level Infernals. The ground beneath them was littered with ash and the gruesome remains of the fallen creatures. The air was thick with the stench of burning flesh and sulfur, while the sky above remained slightly darkened with smoke. The scene was almost too familiar—a routine they had repeated countless times.


    Elijah, clearly bored, flicked arcs of lightning from his fingertips toward a small horde of goblins. The bolts illuminated the battlefield briefly before the charred remains of the creatures crumpled to the ground. His expression didn’t change; there wasn’t even a flicker of excitement or effort. As the last goblin fell, he let out a loud, exaggerated yawn. He then stretched lazily in the middle of a dirt pathway as if he had just woken from a nap.


    Kamari noticed this and, without intending to, felt a yawn building in his throat, his body reacting instinctively. He shot Elijah an irritated look as he tried shaking off the unexpected yawn.


    "Seriously? Quit yawning and focus," Kamari snapped.


    "I can’t help it," Elijah replied, as he yawned again, this time with extra emphasis to prove the point.


    Before Kamari could respond, a gentle breeze blew past them, and Leon landed softly beside them. His boots barely made a sound as they touched the ground, and his deep green beaded necklace rustled. He glanced at Elijah and, before he could stop himself, yawned as well.


    "Why’s everyone yawning?" he asked, confused but unable to resist the reflex.


    Kamari rubbed his face in frustration as another yawn escaped his lips. "Enough! Both of you, stop!"


    Elijah and Leon exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.


    Leon nudged Elijah playfully. "I guess your laziness is contagious."


    Kamari rolled his eyes. He focused on the more significant battles against the High Orcs—the actual fights. He yearned to join in instead of being stuck handling the pests.


    Leon’s eyes swept over the scattered bodies of fallen Infernals, and he nodded in approval. "Not bad, squad. We did good."


    Kamari''s jaw tightened slightly. "I would have liked a shot at one of the High Orcs."


    Elijah raised an eyebrow and took a sidelong glance at Kamari. "Do you think you could take on a High Orc one-on-one?"


    "Of course. I know I can."


    Elijah’s smirk widened. "Really? Sure. Byron and Malik make it look easy, but they’re in another league. Byron’s the <i>Phoenix Sacryn</i>, for crying out loud. And Malik?" Elijah paused, and his voice dropped to a low whisper. "He’s not called the <i>Blue Devil</i> for the fun of it."


    Kamari winced at the mention of Malik’s title. "I’ve never liked that name; it makes him sound like a monster."


    Leon shrugged. "It’s not bad. It inspires fear in his enemies. It works, and he owns it."


    Kamari was about to respond when a thunderous boom shook the battlefield, cutting through the air like the beat of a war drum. The three turned toward the source of the sound, their eyes widening as they spotted the Leviathan in the distance. The colossal beast, with its serpent-like body, let out one final deafening roar before a blinding blast of lightning obliterated its massive head in a crackling explosion.


    Hovering in front of the collapsing form of the Leviathan was none other than the Thunder God himself. He stopped the beast’s massive body from crashing into the village, suspending it mid-air with an unseen force. Within seconds, the Leviathan’s enormous form disintegrated into dust, vanishing into the wind.


    Kamari and Leon exchanged a look, their mouths slightly ajar. They then turned to Elijah.


    "What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Elijah asked, raising an eyebrow, though he already knew what they were thinking.


    Kamari let out a sigh and shook his head slowly. "Jermaine is so cool."


    "Honestly, why can''t you be more like him?" Leon asked.


    Elijah rolled his eyes and lazily flipped them off with the usual nonchalance. "Because one Jermaine is enough for this Realm."


    Kamari and Leon burst into laughter. But, unbeknownst to the trio, they were being watched from the shadows.


    Zaire remained hidden, his eyes narrowing as he watched their lighthearted banter. His dark gaze tracked Kamari’s every movement, but he kept his distance, especially with Jermaine still hovering in the sky. He knew better than to draw attention to himself with the Thunder God so nearby.


    Then, as if his thoughts were being broadcasted, Jermaine’s gaze snapped toward him, his eyes narrowing as if he had caught a foul scent.


    Zaire’s heart skipped a beat. He melted deeper into the shadows before Jermaine could zero in on him.


    But Jermaine wasn’t deceived.


    In a flash of lightning, Jermaine appeared directly in front of Zaire. Their eyes locked, and a brief but charged moment of recognition passed between them. Zaire’s cold, calculating gaze met Jermaine’s fierce, glowing eyes, but before Jermaine could react, Zaire vanished into the depths of the shadows. Jermaine lingered for a moment longer, scanning the darkness.


    "Do you always have to show off like that, Unc?" Elijah‘s voice echoed.


    Still scanning the shadows, Jermaine grinned as he floated back into the sky. "I can’t help it if I’m amazing. Do you blame the sun for being hot? It’s just the way it is."


    Kamari laughed and looked at Elijah with a smile. "He makes a valid point."


    Elijah raised his middle finger once more, flipping off Kamari and Leon with a lazy smirk. Leon scratched his head, looking genuinely puzzled.


    "Wait, why am I getting the finger? I didn’t even say anything."


    <hr>


    The portal gate hummed back to life, and the Seraphim’s Search and Rescue Division emerged. They moved with purpose, fanning out in all directions toward the emergency bunkers. As they worked to pry open the heavy doors, the villagers began to emerge, blinking in the sunlight, their faces etched with relief. Children clung to their parents, their eyes wide with the lingering fear of what had just occurred, while others stood silently, surveying the damage.


    The wind carried the faint smell of ash and flesh, but the village of Iysal had survived, and its people were alive, though the scars of battle were evident everywhere. The protective wall surrounding the village lay in ruins, with chunks of stone scattered like debris, and several homes were marked by scorched collapsing roofs. Yet, amidst the slight destruction, there was a sense of gratitude as the villagers reunited and hugged one another tightly.


    Byron stood nearby with his arms crossed, overseeing the operation with his usual calm focus. His eyes scanned the village, ensuring everything proceeded as it should. Although the damage was evident, the mission had been a success. Most of Iysal had been saved, and that was what truly mattered.


    The Village Chief approached, his hands trembling slightly as he wiped the dirt from his clothes. “You saved us. We will never forget this. Iysal will forever be in your debt.”


    Byron shook his head. "No need. We’re just doing our job."


    The Chief bowed his head once more before hurrying off to tend to his people. As he disappeared into the crowd, Jermaine landed beside Nia with a heavy thud, causing the ground to shake slightly beneath him. His dark brown dreadlocks, crackling faintly with residual energy, swung as he turned to Nia with a grin that could light up the entire village. He scooped her into a tight embrace without warning, effortlessly lifting her off the ground.


    "Come here, you," he whispered.


    Nia let out a surprised giggle. She attempted to swat Jermaine on the arm playfully, but he only grinned wider, ever the showman. He pulled her in for a deep kiss.


    “Jermaine, calm down! This isn’t the time." She chuckled.


    Jermaine shrugged, still holding her close with his arms wrapped protectively around her. "I don’t care; I missed you."


    He planted one last kiss on her cheek before noticing Byron standing nearby, focused on the village. Clearing his throat, he gently set Nia down. The playful glint in his eyes faded as his expression grew serious.


    "I saw something. Zaire was here," he said.


    The shift was immediate. Byron''s jaw tightened as he processed the information, and Nia''s smile disappeared instantly.


    "He was here?" she asked.


    Jermaine nodded. "As usual, he slipped away before I could handle him."


    Byron narrowed his eyes. "He’s trying to lure Kamari out. We need to keep him in Ceiala, where we can keep him safe."


    Jermaine and Nia stared at him as if he had just said something absurd.


    "You should know Kamari better by now," Nia spoke first. "He''s not going to do that."


    Jermaine let out a soft chuckle, though it lacked humor. "You’d have a better chance convincing the sun not to rise."


    A heavy resigned sigh escaped Byron''s lips. "You''re right. Then, for now, we do the only thing we can: watch him closely."


    Jermaine called out to Elijah, who stood a short distance away, chatting with Kamari and a few villagers. "Hey, nephew! I’m heading to the edge of the village to fix that wall. We’ll help out until the Ta''rai arrive."


    Elijah glanced over his shoulder, his face immediately souring. He waved Jermaine off lazily. "Come on, Unc. You could fix that wall in a heartbeat. Why drag me into it?"


    Jermaine grinned. "True, but where’s the fun in that? Plus, I thought it would be some good old-fashioned bonding time."


    "Yeah, Eli. Bonding time," Leon said, nudging Elijah with a mischievous grin.


    Elijah groaned and rolled his eyes dramatically. "Fine, fine," he muttered, trailing reluctantly after Jermaine. "But don’t expect me to lift a finger."


    Kamari and Leon laughed as they watched Elijah drag his feet.