As the sun climbed towards its mid-day peak, the weary group reconvened outside the village, their searches yielding nothing. Kor was clearly exhausted, but his determination to find Aphid remained unbreakable.

Dahni pressed him to drink from a waterskin he had refilled at the village's intact well, refusing to allow Kor to refuse, as the boy needed hydration. He had also offered Kor an apple he had salvaged from the food vendor's smashed stall, but he at least allowed Kor to decline that offer for now, understanding Kor's absence of appetite. The boy looked vacantly upon the outskirts again, his eyes empty but his mind full of worry.

Llandra attempted to reassure Kor, pointing out that the lack of traces could be a good sign, suggesting Aphid might have followed the road to Morthal.

Kor's brow furrowed in concern, however, and he asked of Naetri, who had yet to return from her search in that direction. "Why hasn't she come back yet?"

Dahni explained that Morthal was a couple of hours away on foot, and without knowing when Aphid left, they couldn't estimate how far ahead he was. Naetri might need to reach Morthal to catch up with him, and then they'd have to return.

Kor's eyes reignited with the light of eagerness and he insisted, "Let's meet them halfway!"

Dahni smiled, having already been set on this.

"I was going to suggest that, yes," he said, and the group began making their way to catch up to or intercept Naetri and Aphid on the road to Morthal.

Kor was the first to spot something ominous on the ground ahead, in the same spot where Aphid had noticed signs of trouble the previous evening. The three adults squinted their gaze, and their faces fell as they took in the scene.

Swiftly, they ushered Kor into the nearby trees, mirroring Aphid's cautious approach from the night before.

As they carefully navigated the treeline, they saw the bodies of the runaway villagers, just the same way Aphid had discovered.

Kor's eyes scanned the gruesome scene, his mind refusing to accept the possibility that Aphid might be among the fallen, but he still checked all the same.

Llandra, however, suddenly burst from their cover, her cry echoing through the air. "No…! NO!"

The others gasped In horror.

"Naetri!" Llandra shrieked as she dropped to her knees and lifted her sister's lifeless body, cradling it in her arms, the arrow still lodged in her eye.

"Naetri!" she wailed, her voice cracking with grief. "What happened?! What happened?!"

She vainly shook her sister's body, though her sobs knew that Naetri would never respond.

"Naetri… my sister…"

Llandra's anguish lingered in the air as she remained transfixed on her sister's lifeless body, her sobs consuming her. The weight of her grief wouldn't allow her to lift her gaze or tear her eyes away from Naetri's face.

Dahni and Tephelle had to shake off their shock, and they took on the grim task of reconstructing the events that had unfolded, their attention divided between the tragic scene before them and the potential dangers that might still lurk in the surrounding area.

Tephelle also tasked herself with the comfort of Kor, who was distraught and clinging to her, and processing Naetri's fate.

The young boy sobbed, his body shaking as he took in the loss of Naetri, the devastation that had befallen Llandra. Her treasured sibling taken from her in a blink. And in some way, Kor wondered if he was somehow responsible.

As Tephelle held Kor close, she tried to offer what little solace she could, her own eyes brimming with tears with the sorrow that surrounded them.

Dahni, remaining vigilant even with one eye, was the one to spot the small bandit camp hidden within the trees.

His eye widened and he commanded, "Everyone hold still," as he positioned himself protectively in front of them, wary that potential danger still lurked.

Instead, he saw the gruesome scene that befell the bandits as much as the villagers.

With caution, Dahni approached the camp, his eye scanning around.

There was no sign of remaining life, aside from the restless neighing of the horses still tied to the fallen tree.

As he examined the bodies upon the ground, he pieced together the events. The bandits had indeed slain the fleeing villagers, and Naetri too, he was certain, but what had killed them?

The sabre cat's lifeless body suggested it had broken free and attacked, but the archer that must have slain him remained a mystery.

Dahni's gaze fell on the man's body that laid not far in front of what would have been the cat's last charge.

The man's chest was stabbed repeatedly, and a bloody dagger lay nearby. Dahni wouldn't assume that this man took his own life, and the sabre cat had obviously been felled by arrows.

Dahni's mind constructed quite the accurate conclusion, even if he wasn't exactly sure. Someone must have ambushed the archer, stabbed him to death, and taken his bow.

But who?

Dahni's senses remained on high alert, aware that the unknown assailant could still be lurking in the shadows, a silent witness to the carnage.

Perhaps a surviving villager had seized the opportunity to exact revenge, or maybe… Aphid?

He scanned the surroundings again, searching for any sign of movement or a possible escape route. However, his skills in deduction surpassed his tracking abilities, and he couldn't pinpoint any definitive signs.

With a deep breath, he cupped his hands around his mouth and called out, praying he wouldn't attract unwanted attention: "Aphid?!"

The name echoed and was immediately followed, but not by Aphid's response, but his little brother's.

"Do you see him?" Kor asked, his eyes wide with anticipation.

Dahni's expression was apologetic. "No, sorry, Kor. I don't. But I believe someone survived this attack, and that someone took down this man. It could have been a villager, or maybe…maybe Aphid."

Kor's eyes lit up with excitement. "You think Aphid was here? Why isn't he here now? Where would he be? Why—"

Dahni gently interrupted Kor's rapid-fire questions. "I don't know for sure, Kor. I wouldn't honestly be able to know. But if it was Aphid, if he was here and has since left, then perhaps he might still be heading to Morthal. No one came back our way, and I can't think of any reason he'd go in a different direction."

Kor's face scrunched up in uncertainty. "A-Are you sure? Why would he think I made it past…this?" He gestured to the bodies around them.

Dahni pointed out the obvious. "You're not among them, are you?"

Kor tilted his head up, understanding, then shook his head. "No."

Dahni continued, "So, if you were Aphid, and you've checked everywhere else, just as I'm sure he did, as you did for him, where would you head next?"

Kor thought for a moment before responding, "Morthal?"

Dahni nodded in agreement. "I'd say that's a fair assumption."

Kor nodded as well, feeling it made sense.

"Then let's go," he said, his voice trembling with determination. "I can't take this anymore. I want my—"

He stopped abruptly, his eyes darting back to Llandra, who was still mourning her sister. But Llandra had heard their conversation through her despair, and her gaze met Kor's.

"I…," she said, her voice cracking with sorrow. "I wish you luck, little one. Find your brother, and never lose each other again."

Tephelle reached out a comforting hand to Llandra, but she shook her head, her eyes welling up with tears. "Go," Llandra whispered. "I have to take care of my sister."

Kor's eyes welled up with tears again as he gazed at Llandra, but Dahni's gentle tug on his arm guided him towards the horses. The animals looked restless and thirsty, but they would have to suffice. Dahni chose two of the more docile ones and freed the others, except for one he left for Llandra.

Kor wondered aloud if Aphid had taken a horse, but Dahni's chance to investigate was lost when he released the other horses, their tracks covering the evidence of any leaving before them. He reassured Kor that Aphid was likely still heading to Morthal.

As they prepared to depart, Tephelle saddled her horse, and Dahni helped Kor mount in front of her, saddled between her legs. He then mounted his own horse and they trotted towards the road. Dahni glanced down at Llandra, informing her that he had left a horse for her, but she remained unresponsive, consumed by grief as she clutched her sister's lifeless body. All Dahni could do for her was whisper a silent prayer before the three of them set off towards Morthal, leaving the sorrowful scene behind.

Aphid, however, had not been heading towards Morthal…