The dim light of the Starlit Sky caressed the lands below.
Intertwined with the dull, brown soil were the roots of countless trees. The forest's density was such that it witheld the light, leaving shadows to blanket the ground.
People dressed in blue robes, green robes, brown robes, and such, all traversed under the leafy roof of the forest.
This group quietly but hurriedly pushed forward. The feelings of unease and unrest were abundant.
Throughout the ordinary-looking people were fierce-looking people, superficially, that is.
They, too, carried unease and unrest, but as the guardsmen and Warriors of the people, they could not let themselves falter in their duties.
These were the denizens of Star Gazing Settlement, whose home Settlement was now engulfed by a violent, crimson flame.
Resounding from the back were fierce collisions, thunderous booms that could split mountains or shatter the sea of clouds above.
Yet, only the sound reached the people, and it was no less frightening.
With danger and fear pushing the group from behind, the front was controlled with order.
Dressed in yellow robes with flowing black hair, Dawn led the group through the forest without a destination in mind.
"As long as we are far from the Settlement, we should be able to survive."
"As long as we survive, we simply await my Father's eventual victory and return."
"As long as he returns... No, he will return to us...!"
Saying so, she tried to raise the morale of the people, but a slight falter in her words left a question to arise.
"Where are we going?"
Without a clear destination, how could they remain confident in their escape?
Wandering leads to nowhere; it is wholly pointless. Lest they foolishly, willingly entrust their fate to some fortuitous encounter.
In other words, to the few who desperately cling to their senses, if they can not guarantee direction, how could they carry the will to move forward?
"That... We will move to take shelter on the next mountain over. Southwest of our current location, there should only be a river and a cliffside along the path — and potential beast groups, too..."
Speaking that last part under her breath, Dawn gestured for a significant-looking man to walk over.
He was a general, one of considerable battle strength and martial status.
"I will continue to survey the area in a fifty-meter radius. Inform that other capable fighters to stand ready for battle, at any given moment... but try not to make it look obvious..."
With a simple nod, the general received his duties and began to discreetly inform the other guardsmen and Warriors.
"Calm down, would you?"
"Selene...?"
Walking beside her were Dawn's two friends.
With a tall physique robed in earthy tones, his hair was a warm beige gold; it was mostly short and free, with a tied portion of his hair that fell to his waistline.
Sun, a peculiar name given to this young man who has yet to step into adulthood.
Despite being two years younger than Dawn, he is regarded as the Settlement's strongest mortal warrior.
Of course, If we consider battle strength while disregarding roles, Sun was second to Dawn, but that did not overshadow his prodigious strength.
Knocking Dawn out of her tenseful trance was Selene, an ordinary-looking girl with short black hair and deep black eyes.
Her figure was frail, about a head shorter than Sun and Dawn.
With lightless eyes, she quietly scolds Dawn's poor response to the situation.
"Carry yourself with a little more confidence. I understand the pressure of this situation, but clouding your thoughts under tension only leaves misguided actions, which reflect on all of us."
"..."
Collecting her thoughts, Dawn settled her mind.
"I understand... Am I really that obvious to read?"
"Maybe not to the people behind us, which is a good thing, but I doubt you could hide much from either Sun or me."
"Is that so...?"
With a sigh, Dawn spared some thoughts toward the resounding fight behind them.
Although her father was battling this enemy, she still felt uneasy.
Even as their battle resounded far behind them, far in the sky, the sounds of collisions were a terrifying reminder.
Hopelessness. Fear. Worry.
It could not be denied that these poked at the back of her mind.
Shaking her head, Dawn cleared these obstructive thoughts. If she could not see the world properly around her, she would be led astray.
Consequently, that would lead everyone else astray.
"Thank you... Selene."
"Don't worry about it."
"Seriously. Thanks."
"..."
"I assure you, I intend to bear the full responsibility of these people. And... I will ensure our safety, too."
Saying so, Dawn's resolve felt firm. She pushed away those troubling thoughts, allowing herself to focus intently on the current situation.
Faintly echoing in the back of her mind was some sort of sound.
It was like a reminder that pushed her forward, that carried her forward, that led her in the 'right direction':
Forward.
...
Traversing under the dim Starlight, the sound of fierce clashing resounded far behind Dawn and her people.
It was then that Dawn felt a slight poke in her instinct.
Just a moment before she closed her eyes, she heard the rustling of foliage.
"...!"
"Selene, Sun, step back for a moment..."
"...?"
"What is...!"
What answered Sun's question had appeared right before him.
Growling lowly while baring its white fangs, a wolf with lustrous, black fur, made its presence known.
'A Night Graced Wolf?'
'...!'
After the first came the second, after the second came the third, after the third...
A pack of several dozen wolves appeared, each one manic and frightened. The resounding thunder of the fierce battle at Star Gazing Settlement was likely the cause of their unrest.
There was also something else behind their eyes, a type of fog, but this detail was only noticed by Dawn.
"Ready yourselves! I will hold the wolves at a distance, but don't-"
"Ahh!"
"Wolves... Beasts are attacking us!"
"My kid! Someone!"
Whipping her head around, Dawn picked up the faint scent of iron. Two dozen steps away, a young boy was limp on the ground, a bright red wound on the pure skin of his face.
Before the child, his father, and the other denizens in that area was a tall, owl-like figure.
Feathers like obsidian, a long, slender neck, and black talons stained with a crimson red.
"Night Graced Owls, too?!"
Screams arose all over the place.
The denizens' massive group resembled something like a serpent, which was now being attacked on all sides.
Beasts swarmed for reasons unknown, carrying only malice to harm the humans who so desperately fled their ruined homes.
A searing heat could be felt from afar; the mountain, which they had left, suddenly burst into flames.
The crimson fire cast a malevolent hue over the violent ordeal.
Painting the world red with ruination and blood.
...