The sun slowly rose, painting the sky in a fiery hue of orange. But for the humans, the morning light no longer brought peace. The traces of last night's chaos were still visible throughout the village. Broken windows, ransacked food stores, and the tracks of unknown creatures imprinted on the soft earth. The villagers looked at one another, their eyes filled with confusion, desperately searching for an explanation.
At the center of the village, the village chief stood on a stone platform, his sharp gaze sweeping over the gathered crowd. "This was not a coincidence" he declared, his deep voice firm and unwavering. "We have let our guard down. Nature is fighting back."
A middle-aged man, his hands still trembling, stepped forward from the crowd. "That's impossible… Animals don't have the intelligence to do something like this! Maybe it was bandits in disguise…"
"You think bandits can control snakes, rats, and flocks of crows?" A seasoned hunter interrupted, his face pale. "I've been hunting all my life, but I've never seen animals act in such a coordinated way."
No one spoke further. Because deep down, they all knew that what was happening had surpassed human understanding.
At the edge of the forest, The Sage Rat observed from a distance. The murmurs of the villagers, their anxious glances, all unfolded just as expected.
"Have they realized the truth?" The Wise Crow landed on a nearby branch, his dark eyes glimmering like two polished stones.
"They are afraid" The Sage Rat replied, his tone thoughtful. "But this fear alone is not enough to make them relinquish their dominance. They will retaliate."
"Then what shall we do?" A deep voice rumbled from behind.
The Sage Rat turned, facing Abyssal Dragon King. Under the morning sun, the dragon's shimmering scales reflected the light, exuding an aura of unshakable majesty.
"We must make them understand one thing" The Sage Rat said, his gaze sharp. "This world no longer belongs to them alone."
That night, the humans lit fires across the village, determined to keep the unknown at bay. Warriors stood guard, gripping their weapons tightly, unwilling to ignore even the slightest sound from the forest.
But as the night deepened, nature did not strike. This time, it remained utterly silent. No howls, no rustling leaves, no signs of the strange creatures from the night before.
And it was this silence that unsettled the humans the most.
A young warrior, clutching his spear, glanced at his companion beside him. "Maybe… they've left?"
"No." A grave voice answered from behind. The village chief stepped forward, his piercing eyes staring into the abyss of darkness. "They haven't left. They are watching."
From within the shadows, two glowing eyes remained fixed on the humans. The Sage Rat sat motionless on a high tree branch, and beside him, The Wise Crow let out a quiet chuckle.
Battles were not only fought with claws and fangs. The true war… was making your enemies unsure of what you were thinking.