Ch12. Smokey the Bear Disapproves.

TIME SKIP (2 days later)

It had been a couple days but the expedition had finally set up camp near the wasteland that was once a flourishing forest.

An entire day was allocated to the investigation while later a large group would come to fix the area.

Members of the Loki, Freya, Ganesha, and Oranos famila had kept a quick pace all the way to the designated location after confirming their supplies and expedition members.

What greeted them was a heavy smoke that clung in the air as the smell of charcoal invaded every nose within 20 kilometers of the forests edge.

The sheer devastation left most gobbsmacked, especially when they began the search only to stumble upon eight massive craters seventy meters deep and nearly four hundred wide.

The ninth however was much shallower, like something had softened the impact greatly, that something was quickly revealed when the group stumbled across the severed top half of a dragons head.

It's midnight black scales mostly cracked as it's only good eye lay deflated hanging out of socket, the tell tale scar on the opposite side gave away the dragons former identity.

The bottom jaw was missing as the ground around the torn flesh seeped with blood that turned the soil dark and vile.

Thousands of scales and chunks of meat lay strewn about the shallow crater, almost like the dragon had been violently ripped asunder.

Amongst the carnage stood a woman, her blond hair fluttered in the the dry ash filled air, small embers of the once raging fire slowly drifting on the wind as her hand gripped the hilt of her sword.

So long, she trained for so long, suffered so much, and for what?

Her end goal lay before her, a shattered remnant of its once powerful self.

She felt robbed.

She felt angry.

She felt sad.

But most importantly she felt relieved, just feeling this monster's left over aura is enough to make her feel nearly completely oppressed, how could anyone ever face this thing, and even beat it?

The realization that she may never have gained the strength to kill this beast began to dawn on her, was she doomed to suffer the same fate as her dear father?

Ais shook her head of those thoughts, there was a simple solution to these questions, she must find out who killed this monster and challenge them!

She would keep challenging them until she wins! If she could beat the being that best One-eye, then doesn't that mean she could beat One-eye as well?

"Ais!" Riveria walked up behind her friend who had spent the better part of an hour staring at the towering remains of the One-eyed black dragons skull.

(AN: Okelos is an OG character.)

"Okelos is ready…"

Okelos marts, a member of Ganeshas family was a level three with a unique skill that made him a useful investigator.

His ability to 'relive' a scene by activating left over mana in the region made him useful tracking down criminals who used magic ability's to commit crimes.

This time however it was to witness the events that lead to the death of One-eye and the being that took him down.

Once completed, the clean up could commence, any materials that could be salvaged from the corpse would be, while the rest would be destroyed or buried deep.

The sooner the better in Riverias mind, this smoke and heat made her uncomfortable, the stench of death and fire was overwhelming.

"She okay?" A voice spoke out beside Riveria as two people came over and stood beside her.

Bete and Gareth had worried looks on their faces, Bete more so as he understood the need for revenge more then others, and what it ment to have it taken from you.

Riveria sighed and shook her head, "She still won't answer, leave her be, she needs more time." Riveria gave Ais one last look before turning and walking away.

After a bit of walking, they finally reached a large group of others standing in a field of ash that was at one point a lush green sea.

A small girl was seen sniffing the air, her nose twitching.

"Someone was here, it's faint and the ash is interfering greatly with the scent, but it doesn't match anyone from the expedition… a hint of Sandlewood? And maybe pine?" The small chienthrope girls main ability drastically increased her sense of smell, making her a formidable tracker.

Okelos soon arrived with a smaller group, "The fire has been extinguished and is no longer a threat to the surrounding areas, hmmm? This area seems to be dense with an unknown strange spell remnant?" Okelos felt a tingle along his exposed skin, a sign that powerful magic had been used recently in this very spot…

"I'm ready to begin, please back up." Okelos shooed everyone a dozen feet back as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Records of the world, history written and hidden, show me that which has been burned into the fabric of time!" Okelos chanted and a slight ripple of energy shot out of him and expanded a dozen feet in every direction that only he could see.

It was in this scene that he soon became invested, making sure to speak of the events he was now witnessing for the others.

"Hmm, someone, maybe a large pallum? No it's a small child, human." Okelos watched as a small boy appeared in the scene.

"He looks frightened, he's looking up at the sky with shock, in the same direction of One-eyes remains."

"The boy is doing something, he stretched his arm and shouted something? Maybe a chant?"

"Strange…he looked up even higher then before, now he's diving onto the ground and covering himself."

Okelos watched the scene closely as a clearly powerful shockwave passed over the area, a bright glow covering everything followed by the earth rumbling.

"Seems we have our culprit, or should I say our hero?" Okelos chuckled as he watched the boy stand up with a dumb struck look on his face while looking towards the area One-eye now rests.

"Hmm, he turned and walked towards the main northern road, he may have headed to Orario or away from it, either way we should be able to track him down if Rias remembers his scent.

Okelos recalled his ability as the scene disappeared, everyone waited for him to formulate his thoughts…

Soon after more adventurers showed up, this included all the executives of the Loki family except for Finn who unfortunately had to stay behind and run something for Loki.

Even the four pallum brothers from the Freya family appeared, their faces pale after having witnessed the corpse of One-eye, that being who could destroy nations brought low by an individual….

Terrifying.

"Ahem, everyone finished their investigations?" Okelos spoke up and caught everyone's attention.

After all eyes were on him he decided to describe the person they were looking for and what had transpired.

"A small child killed the beast using a spell capable of laying low all of Orario if my guess is accurate." The destruction spoke for itself, the rumors true, this would change alot of people's plans for the future.

"We are looking for a small boy, maybe 8 years old? Approximately 140 centimeters tall with a slender build, his hair is as black as a starless midnight sky." Hearing this description, a few people began to get a bad feeling….

He seems too have two distinct eye colors, blue and green… a very cute child with soft features."

'SHIT' Bete cursed in his mind as Okelos perfectly described Haru, Bete was aware that this was near the area Bell said they found Haru, he had hoped but it seemed like it was for naught.

'What secrets do you hide' Riveria had also figured out who Okelos was describing, her mind racing, it seemed the boy wasn't so weak and defenseless after all.

Ais however looked of into the void, her mind stuck on the image of a smiling child's face….

Her heart? Why was it beating so fast?

Holding her hand to her breastplate, Ais felt a need she hadn't felt in a long time…

'I want to fight him'