Douzen's eyes widened in shock at what he saw before him. Chaw's grave had been dug up and torn apart like some monstrous beast had clawed through the earth. Her body was no longer there.
It was early morning while the sun was rising with fog making the environment darker like the face of every other Knights that stood behind him.
He muttered under his breath, "How did this happen…" Then he turned to the knights behind him and shouted, "I need answers! How did this happen?!"
The knight closest to him removed her helmet and bowed slightly. "I'm sorry, sir. Neither I nor the team has any clue."
"Don't just blame the whole team for something you can't figure out, Cara," another knight said, leaning against a nearby tree. "Maybe they're not capable of finding a clue, but I can take a good guess who's behind this."
"Explain it then, Culch," Douzen said firmly.
"It's connected to Ajalas," Culch replied, brushing a leaf off his shoulder. "Sadly, this team's too blind to see the obvious."
Cara scowled. "Stop pointing fingers and just explain already."
"Ajalas…" Douzen repeated the name. "That sounds familiar. Who is he again?"
Culch stood up straight and took off his helmet. His long green hair fell around his shoulders and his brown eyes met Douzen's. "With respect, sir, many people know about him. But it seems you've been out of touch with the village lately. As our commander you should keep up."
Cara shot him an annoyed look, but Douzen raised a hand, stopping her. "He's right. I've been… out of the line lately . Please, tell me everything you know."
Culch nodded. "Ajalas came to the island during the last rescue mission which was the same one where Mrs. Chaw died. He also showed interest in becoming a warrior."
"Oh… I remember him now," Douzen said, recalling the encounter. "And?"
"Well, he recently killed one of our high-ranking knights named Winling. That guy had top-level durability and reflexes, but Ajalas took him out in a single blow without hesitation... He was caught and jailed after that and locked up with three other recent criminals: Ford, Zousu, and Andro."
Culch continued, his voice steady. "Yesterday, those three were sentenced to death. But during the court proceedings, a mysterious figure who looked like a human or maybe a demon appeared, killed one of our knights, and broke all three out with some kind of demonic magic . Since then, Ajalas has also vanished. And now, Mrs Chaw's grave is empty. The timing isn't a coincidence."
Douzen listened carefully, nodding.
Culch added, "I can't say why they did it, but Ajalas is clearly powerful. He's fast and deadly and killed Winling before he could even react. He's involved, I'm sure of it maybe not hundred percent but the percentage is really high . And this is all too connected to ignore."
Cara crossed her arms. "We all know what happened in court. That's not a big clue, Culch. It's just repeating facts."
"I don't care if it's a clue or not," Douzen said sharply. "Whoever did this must be caught. Immediately."
"Yes, sir!" all the knights responded.
Douzen took a deep breath, then said, "And this incident must be kept quiet. No one in the village should know, especially not my children or Selay. Until we find out more, fill the grave back up and act like nothing happened here."
Culch stepped forward. "If I may, sir. I'd like to lead the investigation. I've been digging into the Ajalas case now, and I believe both events are linked. With the right support, I think I can figure out who did this, and why."
Douzen looked at him. "Alright… I'll allow it."
"But sir!" Cara interrupted. "I was supposed to lead this case!"
Here's your improved version with clearer, smoother language while preserving the characters' personalities, details, and realism. I've corrected grammar, punctuation, and phrasing, while keeping the tone consistent and easy to follow:
After a while, Cara was riding her horse alone on the path toward the village until she stopped in front of her house which was a wooden structure with a yard and fences surrounding it.
She got down from her horse and walked alongside it, passing through the fence gate. As she looked up at the house, she noticed someone knocking on her door.
It was Doulong.
"Doulong?" she called out.
Doulong turned to look at her. "Came to see you... thought you'd be home."
Cara walked closer with her horse. "What are you doing here this early in the morning?"
"I told you...came to meet you."
"Oh… wait, let me take Alos to her place first," she said, referring to her horse. She guided Alos to the small shelter attached to her house, tied her there, then returned to the porch where Doulong was already sitting.
She walked up and asked, "So, what brings you here?" as she stepped toward the door.
"I came to meet you," he repeated.
As she opened the door, she touched the seal with her mana to deactivate it. "Any specific reason?"
Doulong stood up and replied, "Why does there need to be a reason? Can't I just come see you?"
Cara sighed softly. "Come on in," she said and walked inside.
Doulong followed. As she entered, Cara began removing her armor, revealing a tight white long-sleeved top and matching black leggings.
"I didn't mean it that way," she said as she headed toward the closet. "It's just that I'm not always home. You're lucky today... I don't have any work outside. That's why I said it."
She pulled out some bread from the closet and handed it to Doulong. "Eat if you want. I'm going to take a bath...we can talk afterward."
Taking a change of clothes with her, she walked into the adjacent room.
Inside, she thought to herself, "Did he come because he heard about Mrs. Chaw's body going missing?"
She formed a water orb in her hand and placed it on the wall, letting it spray water over her body like a small shower. Her short, light red hair looked like a dark shade of pink when wet. Her skin was fair, and her eyes were a soft pink. She completely undressed and began rubbing her body with a sponge while the water gently sprayed over her.
Meanwhile, Doulong lay on the bed and started eating the bread. A few minutes later, Cara came out of the room wearing a loose black crop top with short sleeves and matching full-length pants.
Doulong glanced at her and said, "Heard you're going to get married. Some knights were talking about it at the food hotel."
"Oh, that? Yeah, it's true," she replied, drying her hair with a towel.
"Is there someone you're marrying? I mean… someone you chose?"
Cara smirked slightly. "Where's this line of questioning coming from? You know after what happened with me and Zord, there hasn't been anyone else in my life."
"Then why are you marrying? You're not even that old."
"Being unmarried at 25 isn't exactly ideal for a woman around here…" she said, then pulled a small box from the desk. "Wanna play chess? It's been a while since we played together."
"Oh… okay," said Doulong as she placed the chessboard on the table and sat down across from him.
The chess pieces were made of iron coins engraved with symbols. They began to play.
Doulong, moving his first piece, asked, "I heard the criminals Me and Selay captured escaped. Also heard that the one who killed Mr. Winling...I saw guy I saw that day killing him disappeared from jail too. Is that true?"
"Yes, it is," Cara replied. "And we're doing everything we can to find them."
"His name was Ajalas...right? The one who killed Mr. Winling. Well, from the first time I saw him, I felt like the mana in his body was strangely familiar. I don't know how. But in my speculation, that man is not an innocent refugee. When I saw him, I felt like he was suppressing his power to appear human or something," said Doulong.
"Well, could be. And if that's the case,if he's someone from the evil side of the outside world...then it's a concern for all of us," said Cara, thinking to herself, "He sure is."
"Umm... may I ask, who are you going to get married to?" asked Doulong.
"Huh? Oh... Well, I don't know. If any gentleman wants to marry me...someone who respects my job and lets me continue doing it...I guess that would be fine. Most probably a knight, I suppose," said Cara.
"Will you marry me?" said Doulong all of a sudden.
She was shocked to hear that and laughed. "Wait, what? You're joking, right?"
"No, I'm not. Will you marry me or not?" asked Doulong seriously standing up.
"Stop joking, bro..." said Cara.
Doulong stood up and said loudly, "I'm not joking. I'm serious!"
"Hold up... Even if you're not joking, you do know the age difference between us, right? You're 15, and I'm 25. I mean, you're like my little brother," said Cara.
"That's just an excuse! And even if it's not, what's wrong if I'm 15 and you're 25? I love you. All the time, men marry younger girls with way bigger age gaps than this. Why can't I marry you?" said Doulong.
"Both are two different things. Yes, men can marry younger girls, but women can't...not normally. Even when they do, the age difference has to be very small. Besides, you're not even of legal age to marry," said Cara.
"Who set those rules, and why does everyone have to follow them?" asked Doulong.
"Doulong... I don't know why you're saying all this. Maybe you're just confused between attraction and love. Maybe you're just... confused," said Cara.
Doulong shouted with emotional "You don't understand how I feel! There are three women I've loved in my life... my mother, my sister, and you. And my mom… she died. She left me forever. And now when I heard you might get married… that means I'll lose you too. And I can't lose you. I love you..and it's not out of attraction or anything like that. I just... I can't lose you or anyone else I love."
She gently placed her hand on his shoulder and said, "Doulong, I understand. But if you were 17, I would consider it... But right now, you're in an age of confusion. Your love for me might fade once you experience what real love is."
"I have real love for you! And… about the age....can't you wait two years for me? Can't you just hold off on thinking about marriage for two years until I grow up?" asked Doulong.
"That still doesn't change the age gap between us. You're still a kid in my eyes, and you're saying all this because you don't truly understand what it means to be an adult yet," said Cara.
"I'm not a kid… and I do understand what it feels like to be an adult. And I have that kind of love for you," Doulong replied.
"What do you mean, that kind of love?" asked Cara.
"Last night, when I heard you wanted to get married, I couldn't sleep. I stayed up all night thinking about you. And when I finally did fall asleep… I had a dream. You and me… we being together doing Intimately like adults..." said Doulong.
"What? Don't make up some gross story just to prove a point," said Cara, disgusted.
"I'm not lying. That's exactly what I saw," insisted Doulong.
Cara was silent for a moment. Then, her face hardened with anger.
"Get out," she said coldly.
"Huh? What?" Doulong asked, confused.
"I said, get the fuck out of my house!" Cara shouted.
.
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.
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Deep in the jungle ( Inside the island)
Three knights rode on horseback, weaving through the dense trees.
Their eyes were fixed on a small, rocky mountain structure ahead as its dark mouth gaping open like a cave.
Knight 1 narrowed his eyes. "I sensed it."
"Sensed what?" asked Knight 2.
"A presence. Mana energy," said Knight 1.
"Strange... I've never seen a formation like this around here before," said Knight 3, as the trio halted a few meters away from the mountain.
They dismounted, the horses staying behind as the knights walked cautiously toward the cave's entrance.
A narrow path led them through dense foliage to the rocky opening.
"This cave... it looks artificial. Man-made," noted Knight 2, running his fingers along the smoothed stone.
"Should we enter?" asked Knight 1.
"Why not? It's not like we're ordinary folk with no survival skills," said Knight 3, stepping forward.
Inside, the cave walls were lined with strange, unsettling symbols looking twisted and satanic markings glowing faintly in the dim light.
"Who carved these symbols? They look... eerie," muttered Knight 1.
Then, all three stopped.
Lying at the center of a bloodstained ritual circle was a human body. The markings on the ground pulsed with dark energy.
The body was that of Chaw.
Her head was in place with her body but glowing faintly.
She was breathing barely. Her body was soaked in blood, deep wounds scattered across her skin.
She was completely naked. Her neck showed signs of having been stitched with her body and in her right chest right under her nipple had a symbol of a winged serpent with horns and it looked like the symbol was made with blood.