The Ash Barrier and a Burning Mystery

“Mm-hmm… mm-hmm…”

Hearing Phini’s inquiry, Angela offered a weak nod, still clutching the tableware in her hands. Her voice, laced with a subtle tremor, barely managed a response.

“Is that so? Then why can’t they come in?”

As Phini stared at the humanoid creature beyond the fence, a persistent question suddenly surfaced in her mind. Why wouldn’t the monsters rush in? Why did they only stare menacingly at the house?

This wasn’t the first time Phini had witnessed such a scene. However, on previous occasions, these distorted, inhuman figures had simply ignored her presence. Perhaps this time, they were still treating her as if she were invisible? Could it be that the monster was only looking because Angela was standing behind her?

Phini couldn’t be certain.

“Because these wooden stakes are coated with ash retrieved from Ash Mountain,” Angela whispered. Her eyes darted nervously toward the fence, as if to confirm the monster wouldn’t breach it.

“Coating them with ash from Ash Mountain can stop these monsters from entering?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are they afraid of it?”

“Uh, I don’t know… This is a tradition passed down through generations in Kabi Village.”

“What would happen if there wasn’t any ash on the fences?”

“Well, that…”

“Hmm?”

“I remember a traveler once, who didn’t heed our advice…”

“And then?”

“The next day, we found his tent, but the person was gone.”

“Disappeared?”

“Perhaps. They were probably eaten. That’s why we always hide indoors every night…”

It was due to this grim precedent that the residents of Kabi Village were now terrified, seeking refuge behind their ashen fences each night.

“Is that so?” Phini murmured.

“Phini, please don’t be reckless!” While Phini possessed impressive hunting skills, Angela didn’t believe she could contend with those bone-devouring monsters.

“If you’re scared, go back inside the house.”

Clearly sensing Angela trembling beside her, Phini turned and gestured for her to retreat indoors.

The monster outside was indeed quite unnerving. Its face was so twisted that no distinct features could be discerned, save for a pair of striking, crimson eyes. A guttural roar emanated from what appeared to be a vertical maw on its forehead.

Phini’s expression grew even more severe. Truth be told, she genuinely wanted to confront these so-called monsters. She sensed a distorted power emanating from them—defilement. Having slaughtered her way through calamity-grade disasters without blinking, she felt no fear toward these wandering ghouls.

“Then… please be careful.”

Angela furtively glanced at the monster outside, her face etched with fear. Upon seeing its grotesquely twisted features, she seemed utterly terrified. Leaving Phini with that warning, she turned and dashed back into the house.

Once Angela had retreated inside, the monster slowly shifted its gaze away from the house, seemingly searching for its next target.

‘Sure enough, I’m not the target?’

Phini, who had been closely observing the creature’s movements, naturally noticed its gaze drifting past her.

“Arooo…”

As if completely uninterested in Phini, the monster turned and moved away from the fence. However, not long after it left, another monster emerged from the darkness, passing directly in front of her. This newly appeared ghoul, much like the previous one, completely ignored Phini, walking past her as if she didn’t exist.

And so it continued.

As an unknown number of monsters passed by, a sudden red glow erupted in the distance. The light was strikingly brilliant, staining the dark night sky crimson.

Based on the monsters’ consistent behavior, Phini deduced that they likely perceived her as nonexistent. A bold idea began to form in her mind. Since these monsters treated her like air, perhaps if she ventured outside, they still wouldn’t react.

Moreover, the area where the fire glowed was, in Phini’s memory, part of the village proper. She felt compelled to investigate.

Holding this thought, Phini retreated back into the house.

“Angela.”

“Hmm?” Seeing Phini approach, Angela tilted her head slightly, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

“I need to go out and check. It looks like there’s a fire somewhere in the village.” Phini pointed toward the distant glow through the window and explained her intentions.

“Go out now?!”

“Yes.”

“But it’s night! You’ve seen them—the village is swarming with those monsters!”

“I know, but they don’t seem to be bothered by me,” Phini said, voicing her conjecture.

“But…”

“Don’t worry, I can protect myself.” Realizing Angela’s apprehension, Phini patted her shoulder, assuring her that she would be fine.

“This…”

“It’s alright. I’ll be back soon.”

Without waiting for a reply, Phini turned and swiftly ran out. Angela hadn’t even fully processed it; Phini’s figure was already out the door.

Once she realized Phini had truly left, the words Angela had been about to speak caught in her throat. She simply stared, dumbfounded, at the spot where the girl had vanished.

Stepping into the courtyard, Phini meticulously observed the situation beyond the fence. Only after confirming that no monsters were lingering directly outside did she cautiously open the gate and step out with light footsteps.

Though the monsters seemed indifferent to her, Phini couldn’t guarantee they wouldn’t suddenly have a ‘bold idea.’ What if they rushed in the moment she opened the gate? This consideration made Phini extremely careful. She certainly didn’t want the girl inside, who was so worried about her, to suffer any harm. Without Angela, Phini might have already perished in that airship crash.

With these thoughts in mind, Phini stepped onto the dirt road.

Having walked for a considerable time, Phini naturally encountered several of those creatures with crimson eyes. However, just as she had surmised, none of them paid her any mind. They simply walked past her, showing no inclination to acknowledge her presence.

“So, it truly is like this?”

After a monster passed by, Phini turned her head, her eyes trailing its retreating form. Once its figure faded into the distance, she retracted her gaze and fell into contemplation. Was it because her body was saturated with the defilement of the Calamity Scars she had devoured?

Despite her musings, she did not halt her steps. She continued walking toward the source of the fire. After a few minutes of travel, she arrived at the blaze in the southwestern part of the village.

“It seems I wasn’t mistaken…”

Phini rubbed her chin, gazing at the wooden house engulfed in flames. In her memory of her walks around Kabi Village, this house should have been empty. But this raised a question: why was an empty house burning?

Was it the monsters’ doing? Phini subconsciously began to scan her surroundings, attempting to find clues. However, after surveying the area, she found no useful leads.

“Never mind. I’ll put out the fire first.”

After confirming no one else was nearby, Phini raised her right arm. As if by magic, her arm churned and transformed from a fair, tender limb into a sharp dragon claw covered in black scales. Dark red light flickered within the obsidian armor, a chilling reminder that this monstrous appendage was anything but ordinary.

With a grunt of effort, Phini pressed her black claw directly into the raging flames.

At that very moment, a wondrous sight unfolded. As Phini’s hand touched the burning wooden pillar, the flames—as if finding a vessel to contain them—converged toward her palm, eagerly rushing into it. Phini’s right hand acted like a vacuum, drawing in all the fire engulfing the house.

After a few minutes, the blaze finally subsided, leaving behind only a charred wooden frame. Once the great fire was extinguished, Phini slowly retracted her arm.

“How did it even start?”

After her frightening claw reverted to a human hand, Phini once again pondered the cause of the fire. There had been no recent thunderstorms, and the air wasn’t dry. Logically, it shouldn’t have ignited so easily. This fire was definitely not natural.

“Perhaps it really was the monsters’ doing?”

After much thought, the only plausible explanation pointed to the ghouls. But if it was them, why would they set an empty house on fire? And if the monsters were indeed the arsonists, it raised an immediate contradiction.

Phini remembered that the monsters were terrified of the ash from Ash Mountain, and all the houses in the village were coated with that very ash. So, how did these monsters overcome their fear to set this house ablaze?