In the weeks following the full and complete return of his memories of the Sanctuary Enclave, a heavy burden settled upon Henry's shoulders. He still hadn't contacted Will.

He was torn between his loyalty to Zephyros, his fallen comrades, and the innocent people suffering the consequences of war. He felt a vague, weighty responsibility to a mysterious organization like the Enclave and didn't know how to deal with it or which path to choose for his future.

The relative peace in Aerion after the attack was shattered once again by alarming news, suggesting a new disaster was about to strike. A series of strange, brutal murders began occurring in small, remote towns and secluded rural areas on the city's outskirts, places where the protection of the law and the army seemed to be unable to reach.

The victims, despite having no clear connection in terms of profession, social status, or personal relationships, shared a peculiar trait: they all possessed a small, almost imperceptible amount of latent magical energy in their bodies. The method of the murders was brutal, savage, and clearly deliberate, as if the perpetrator didn't just want to kill but was also searching for or "experimenting" on their bodies before mercilessly taking their lives.

Chief Investigator Ragley, his expression growing more grim with every new report from the local areas, summoned Henry to his office. "I want you to look closely at these files, Henry," Ragley said, his usual sternness giving way to a different tone as he pushed a thick stack of parchment towards him.

"The local investigation teams have found almost no significant clues. There's a sophistication, a cunning, and a hidden purpose behind all these murders. I have a feeling these are not isolated cases, but part of a larger, well-calculated conspiracy". Henry took the files, an ominous premonition and a vague unease rising in his heart.

He spent the entire night under the flickering magic light in his office, reading, analyzing, and cross-referencing every piece of information and every small detail in the reports. And then, as the first weak rays of a new day began to creep through the window, a terrible truth, a horrifying connection, became clear to him.

In the list of locations where the brutal murders occurred, there were names that were heartbreakingly familiar, places he had been to and had experienced unforgettable events: the small, peaceful fishing village by Loknezt Lake, where the emerald Lifestream had first clearly appeared to him; and the gloomy, mysterious Verodawn Forest, where he had fought and absorbed some of its energy.

His heart began to beat faster, an ominous feeling creeping in. He frantically turned to the last page of the file. Hylia Village, a name circled in red ink. And next to it, the investigator's note: "The victim was an elderly woman. No signs of struggle. Cause of death: soul drained.". In that moment, Henry's world collapsed.

"That can't be!" Henry whispered, his voice cracking with worry, his trembling hands dropping the parchment he was holding onto the floor. A feeling of extreme fear, a pain that felt like it would tear his chest apart, and a profound helplessness washed over him.

He quickly picked up the parchment, his red eyes devouring every word, every small detail, hoping it was just a random coincidence or a grave mistake by the scribes. But no, the address, the village name, the victim's description, everything matched in a terrifying way.

The next morning, Henry appeared at Chief Investigator Ragley's office with bloodshot eyes from being up all night and a haggard, heartbroken expression. "Chief Investigator," his voice was hoarse, almost inaudible, "I ask that you grant me full authority to investigate the murder in Hylia Village".

That was the name of his adoptive mother's small, peaceful village. "I have personal reasons I cannot disclose, and I believe there are clues, traces that only I can recognize and find". Chief Investigator Ragley looked deeply into Henry's bloodshot, urgent eyes, seeing the young man's determination. He nodded, not asking any more questions. "You have a Bureau's Great Eagle at your disposal. Use it. And be careful, Henry. Your life is also very important".

The flight to Hylia Village on the back of the Great Eagle felt like an eternity to Henry. He urged the magnificent bird to fly as fast as it could, with only a terrifying emptiness in his heart and a vague fear, an ominous premonition of what he was about to face. When he arrived, the sight before him extinguished the last glimmer of hope in his soul. The once peaceful, beautiful village was now stained with a tragic, mournful color.

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A few simple thatched houses were charred, and fragments of belongings and everyday life were scattered everywhere on the small dirt road. The air was terrifyingly silent, with only the wind whistling through the tattered thatched roofs, carrying the smell of smoke and death.

Henry ran like an arrow towards the small, simple house at the end of the village, where he had spent the most peaceful and happy days of his tumultuous life. The rickety wooden door was left ajar, like a wound that would not stop bleeding.

Inside, the furniture was overturned and broken, but there were no signs of a struggle or resistance. He looked around, trying to find a familiar figure, and then called out, his voice trembling: "Mother, Mother, where are you?". There was no answer. Only a cold, empty silence replied to him.

And then, he saw it. A newly made grave, the soil still damp, lay behind the small garden, right next to the old apple tree whose branches were still bare after a long, harsh winter. The remaining villagers, their faces gaunt and haggard with fear and grief, tremblingly told him what had happened the night before.

A monster had come, a monster they had never seen before. It was not like any creature they knew or had heard stories about. It didn't kill people indiscriminately or destroy the village. It went straight to his adoptive mother's small house, to the kindest, most gentle woman in the village. They heard her scream, a heartbreaking cry that tore through the silent night.

And then, an absolute silence fell over everything, something even more terrifying than the scream itself. The next morning, when the sun rose, when the first weak rays of light shone down on the mournful village, they timidly went to check. She was lying there, on the damp ground in front of the house, her eyes wide open, staring up at the gray sky with an indescribable horror.

Henry knelt by the simple grave. The soil was still damp from the rain the night before. The wild flowers that someone had just placed on the grave were still fresh, their dewdrops sparkling like tears. He reached out his trembling hand to touch the soil that still bore traces of blood, feeling as if his heart was breaking and bleeding.

"Mother!" a choked, painful call came from his soul, a call that the person lying under the ground would never hear again. That woman, who had given him a home, a family's love, a little warmth, a little hope after so many years of wandering and hardship, had now left him forever.

In his extreme pain and fury, Henry's Mystic Sense erupted uncontrollably. He felt very clearly, even if it was just a faint, weak echo in the air, a familiar and terrifying energy. The strong smell of death, the suffocating feeling of being suppressed, it was exactly like the energy of the Primal Undead, exactly like the presence of the Necrofear Beleth.

It was him! It was Beleth who came here! But why? He had personally witnessed Demigod Alfie use the Seven Sword of Star to kill him. How could he still be alive, how could he appear here? But his Mystic Sense would never lie. There must be something he didn't know, some secret about this Necrofear.

"Why my mother?" Henry screamed in pain and anger. "She was just an ordinary, kind, and gentle village woman. What did she do to deserve such a cruel end?". He looked around the small, simple house, trying to find a clue, a reason for this brutality.

And then, the fragmented pieces, the seemingly unrelated events, began to connect logically in his mind. The places Beleth had attacked before: the small fishing village by Loknezt Lake, where the emerald Lifestream had first clearly appeared to him; the gloomy Verodawn Forest, where he had fought and absorbed some of its energy.

And now, this small, peaceful village, where he had felt intense emotions and the most peaceful, loving moments of his tumultuous life, where he had felt the warmth of a real family.

Could it be that the special energy imprints of his Mystic Sense, his intense emotions, had inadvertently lingered in those places, attracting the monster's attention and leading him here?.

"It was me. I'm the one who harmed her" The thought hit Henry like a sledgehammer, making him almost collapse. He had brought disaster to this kind, gentle woman who had sheltered and loved him like her own son.

The guilt and self-reproach tore at his heart, making him feel unworthy of living. Then the image of Sophia, the woman he loved so dearly, the only person left who gave meaning to his life, appeared clearly in his mind.

If Beleth was tracking his Mystic Sense, if he found the close connection between him and Sophia. No! He couldn't let that happen! He couldn't let Sophia suffer any more because of him!.

A fierce resolve rose in Henry's mind. He had to protect Sophia, at all costs, even if it meant sacrificing his own life. Sophia had already suffered too much. He would hide this from her, he wouldn't let her know about his adoptive mother's tragic death, so she wouldn't have to worry or grieve more.

And most importantly, he would never let her be drawn into this deadly danger. He would face Beleth alone, he would end this threat himself, no matter the cost. At this very moment, his Mystic Sense was operating at its highest level. He realized that his presence here, with his intense emotions and the energy his Mystic Sense was constantly emitting, could attract more attention from Beleth or his minions.

He couldn't stay here any longer; he couldn't let these kind, innocent villagers suffer any more danger because of him.

Henry stood up, wiping the tears from his cheeks. He looked at his adoptive mother's simple grave one last time, then turned and walked quickly out of the village, not looking back. His figure slowly disappeared into the early morning fog, carrying a grief that nothing could mend and a strong, unchangeable resolve.

The road ahead was full of dangers and deadly traps, but he knew he had to go, he had to fight, not just for himself, but for the people he loved, for a world threatened by dark forces.

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