Chapter 27: Jiaolong
Im the Southern region of the Celetis Empire, the rain pounded down relentlessly. Rowan stood on a hill overlooking what remained of the village of Southridge. Houses lay in ruins, trees uprooted, and debris scattered across muddy ground. The downpour had continued for nine straight days, turning the nearby river into raging rapids.
But Rowan could feel this wasn't natural weather.
"How many survivors?" he asked the captain of his platoon.
"Seventeen, Lord Ambrose," the captain replied, water streaming down his face despite the hood of his cloak. "Most fled to higher ground when the flooding began. The rest..."
He didn't need to finish. The bodies they'd found told the story clearly enough. Some drowned, while others had their limbs tore, dried blood around the corpses. Some type of creature had been hunting in these waters.
Marcus approached, his robes somehow remaining dry despite the weather. A small heat aura surrounded him, evaporating the rain before it could touch him.
"The villagers' stories match," Marcus said. "They all speak of a creature in the water. Something that moves faster than any fish, with scales that radiate like polished silver."
Rowan nodded. "And the rain?"
"Unnatural. The mana signature isn't normal." Marcus gestured at the dark clouds above. "Something is releasing massive amounts of water mana into the atmosphere."
Rowan closed his eyes. He felt the rain, each droplet charged with more mana than it should naturally contain.
"There," Rowan said, opening his eyes and pointing. "Do you feel it?"