They looked like human giants.

Behind them came the humans.

Two of them, one a young man and the other a woman, slightly older than him.

They were siblings and children of Hawkin.

Caden and Constance walked side by side, siblings whose very presence commanded attention despite being surrounded by beings physically superior to them in every measurable way.

Caden stood perhaps six-foot-two, lean and sharp-featured, with dark hair cut military-short and eyes that were pale grey—almost colorless. He wore Imperial officer's armor, black with silver trim, and carried himself with the confidence of someone who had never lost a fight that mattered.

A sword hung at his hip, but the real weapon was the way magic coiled around him, barely visible, always present.

Constance matched her brother in height, which was unusual for human women, with the same sharp features and grey eyes. Her hair was longer, pulled back in a practical braid, and she wore armor identical to Caden's.

But where her brother radiated controlled violence, Constance exuded something colder—calculated ruthlessness that made even the Haelves seem warm by comparison.

They were the strongest young members, products of the Empire's elite training programs.

Yvonne approached, saluting sharply. "Young master Caden. My lady. Welcome."

"Report," Caden said without preamble, his voice carrying the flat affect of someone who considered social niceties a waste of time.

Yvonne ignored his rudeness, as she was familiar with Caden's behavior. Unlike his father, Caden was impatient and never treated the people below him with respect.

"One of the twelve clans' eastern settlements has been secured," Yvonne replied.

"Forty-two captives, including six with strong bloodline markers. Resistance was minimal—they weren't expecting assault from this vector."

"Good," Constance said, her voice similar to her brother's but somehow colder.

"Then these three clans are still active in the desert region. Have you identified their locations?"

"Two confirmed, one suspected. All three are maintaining mobile encampments, probably aware that we're hunting them. They're proving more difficult to pin down than the settled clans."

Caden nodded, already accessing a tactical display that materialized in the air before him.

The hologram showed the desert region, marked with known clan locations and movement patterns.

"They'll run out of territory eventually. The desert is large but not infinite, and we're systematically closing their options."

He swiped the display, bringing up new information. "What about the incident at the Earth military base? I'm seeing reports of massive casualties."

He heard about it while coming here, as they have seen the massive quakes and explosion.

Yvonne's expression tightened slightly—the most emotion she'd shown.

"Confirmed. The human army's forward operating base was completely destroyed approximately two hours ago. Casualties are estimated at over four thousand, with only a handful of survivors. The destruction was caused by a single hostile."

Both siblings turned to look at her fully, their attention suddenly intense.

"Explain," Constance said.

Yvonne hesitated, and seeing as she wasn't speaking, Caden looked at her. "What happened?"

"Who is that?"

"Young master, he is the one, the one who killed your father…"

Caden's expression darkened instantly.

"What?!"

Constance, still keeping the calm expression, placed her hand on Caden's shoulder, "Little brother."

And Caden looked at her, and instantly, he cooled down, heaving a heavy sigh.

"I apologize, sister."

Constance nodded and turned to Yvonne, gesturing for her to continue explaining.

After what she had picked up, she explained everything to them.

Yvonne personally saw how devastated Caden had become when he lost his father, killed right in front of him, and ever since then, he had done nothing but training.

She was also preparing to take Jorghan down, assembling her forces. After all, Hawkin had been her master and the only person who had ever been kind to her.

Caden's grey eyes gleamed with something that might have been fury and cold glee.

"He was seen in this region? In the desert with those clans?"

"It appears so, young master."

The siblings exchanged glances, some unspoken communication passing between them.

"This changes priorities," Constance said.

"A child of Sol'vur takes precedence over clan sweeps. Their bloodline is too valuable to ignore, and if he's already manifesting at this level, he could become a significant obstacle to Imperial operations."

"If he could be captured and studied, the genetic information alone would accelerate the Haelve program by years. Imagine what we could create with access to true Berserk DNA."

Yvonne remained silent, but something flickered across her expression—not quite reluctance, but close.

"You have reservations?" Constance asked, catching the subtle change.

"The hostile is extremely dangerous, my lady. The destruction he caused suggests capabilities that exceed what we've encountered in any other individual. And unlike the clan elves, he appears to have no restraint—no cultural prohibitions against excessive violence. Engaging him directly could result in casualties even among our enhanced units."

"Then we'll prepare accordingly," Caden said.

He gestured to the Haelves, who stood in perfect formation, awaiting orders.

"Full combat deployment. Yvonne, I want detailed intelligence on this battlefield and what happened there exactly, and find out how he fought them, if possible."

It was like he was obsessed with Jorghan.

"And the remaining clans?" Yvonne asked.

"Secondary priority," Constance replied.

"They're not going anywhere. We need to deal with the one who killed our father first."

She smiled, and the expression held no warmth whatsoever. "Besides, it's been too long since I've had a real challenge. The clan sweeps are efficient but boring. This... this might actually be interesting."

The Haelves shifted slightly, responding to their masters' anticipation. They were weapons being sharpened, and they sensed that soon they would be used.

In the distance, the desert and forest stretched endlessly under the setting sun, their sands and trees holding secrets and blood in equal measure.

And somewhere in that vast expanse, Jorghan Sol'vur moved with his rescued family, unaware that the Empire's most dangerous hunters had just been deployed specifically to find him.

The Whisperingtris had lived up to their name, whispering warnings that now spread across the land like wildfire.

Nuwe'rak Settlement.

The afternoon heat pressed down on the settlement like a physical weight, but inside the house, the temperature felt even more oppressive. Not from the sun, but from the tension that had been building for days.

Jorghan sat cross-legged on a cushion, his posture relaxed despite the gravity of the discussion. He'd cleaned up since the forest—the burns healed, the blood washed away—but there was something different about him now.

Something harder.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.