Sorry for the delay. Nevertheless, have fun with the chapter and Merry Christmas.

Demon Continent Alsace in the year 307 in the 10th month of Asmodum, on the 26th day after the shattering of the empire.

A tremendous bolt of lightning, followed by a loud crash, shook the ground, succeeded by a tremendous roar that sent shivers down one's spine, accompanied by faint sounds of houses collapsing or being swept away as if an unseen hand had simply swept them away.

Amidst this cacophony, occasional screams could be heard, either when someone was close enough or when the person screaming was flung past, only to suffer the same fate thereafter. It was a pandemonium that seemed unending, not losing its intensity as time passed. However swiftly it had descended upon the combatants, it vanished just as quickly, leaving behind death and devastation in the city and surrounding landscape.

Following the noise and the light, an ear-piercing silence emerged, growing louder, enveloping everything like a thick blanket, suffocating any sound. Only when earth, debris, and corpses rained from the sky did sounds and motion return to the world. Though initially fear, cries of pain, and frantic dodging prevailed, life began to stir again, and with movement came reason, leading to orders being yelled.

Panos had no idea what had occurred, and he doubted he'd learn in the near future. Not that he had the time to dwell on it at the moment. He was fully occupied rescuing survivors, tending to the wounded, or supporting his clan's efforts toward that end. Little remained of the side of the city facing Meinoumes forces, and it would take a long time to rebuild if they were even capable of doing so.

There was much in the depths of the jungle that surrounded them that would not let an opportunity like this go to waste, and they would also have to be wary of the undead if they did not hurry. The only silver lining seemed to be that Meinoume's force seemed to be free of its influence, even if there were probably some of the survivors who had voluntarily joined Meinoume. They would have to watch out for them and also for the demons that were now among them. But even this problem had to take a back seat and would require a vote among the remaining priests.

He helped another clan member free themselves from debris, passing them on to a soldier who would take them to the nearest makeshift camp, where hopefully they'd receive proper care to survive the day. Just like the others he'd saved, he could only hope that his clan's healers were capable of saving them. It wasn't their skill he doubted; it was the current situation that made him pessimistic.

His gaze wandered, searching for more survivors, but for now, it seemed they'd combed through this part of the city. Everything else they'd find here would be buried or dead, and they didn't have the resources to attend to the doomed ones, except for those strong enough to survive until they had the time to rescue them. The more of them were former enemies, the better.

Then, a scout came running toward him, waving. "As ordered, we scouted outside the city, and well, I'm a bit short on words to describe it, except that it looks even worse than inside the city."

"What exactly does that mean?! Just describe what you saw!"

He hadn't had a chance to survey the area around the city yet, and another commander or priest must have ordered some scouts to explore the area. It seemed what the scout had seen had shaken him.

"Well... I don't think we need to worry about monsters or anything because there isn't a single tree for miles. Right in front of the city, there's now a deep crater, and the river is slowly flowing into it, which will flood the tunnels under the city as they were exposed by whatever exploded there."

"The tunnels? What tunnels?" He asked, somewhat puzzled, already anticipating further problems and hoping against hope that it wasn't the ones he suspected, the ones the scout was referring to.

"The ones under the city that lead to Diva, although none of the scouts who went in have returned yet. Someone had just told me to find you and report."

He couldn't help but release a sigh he couldn't contain.

"Fine! We can't do anything about the scouts in the tunnels. You!" - he pointed to one of the nearby soldiers, who promptly approached him - "Go to Eder or another priest and make sure our best arcane wielders create a team to seal off the tunnels leading to Diva's prison so they won't flood. Understood?!" The soldier, a young clan member, simply nodded before swiftly turning and rushing off.

"The rest of you continue searching for survivors. If you find none, move on and get new orders if you encounter another officer who has already searched the same area. Understood?!" A unanimous "Yes" was all he needed as a response.

"And you, lead me to that crater by the fastest route. I want to see it for myself."

With that, the scout simply turned and hurried ahead, occasionally looking back, seemingly to check if Panos was following. He could feel it in his bones; this was going to be a long day, or rather, several long days.

---

A problem, yes, that was indeed it. She had always found recognizing problems difficult, but this seemed to be one, for she had lost her ward.

It wasn't that she doubted their survival without her; it was the fact that they were separated, which was the problem. The Great Mother would not be pleased that they were separated, even though Lerna truly couldn't help it that her ward was flung in a different direction than she was. She was quite sure the Great Mother would understand, yet she'd be beside herself with rage. Then there was the matter of Meinoume and Diva.

The whole situation had grown increasingly complex day by day, and she hadn't had a chance to consult. Otherwise, Diva would have sensed something, and she didn't like the Scale Thief. It was fine by her that she was imprisoned and the Great Mother did nothing to free her.

But all of that was secondary; for now, she needed to search for her ward. Everything else could be sorted out later.

...

Although, first, she could use some food. She had expended a lot of energy, and her stomach was empty, growling incessantly.

---

In a mountainside further inland, a painful groan echoed from a several-meter-deep crater, and a figure laboriously pulled themselves up, seemingly freeing themselves from the stone. After propping up their upper body and freeing their arms, they then freed their legs and staggered to their feet.

The sight that presented itself to her was impressive, no question, and the flight had also been spectacular, even if she would have liked a softer landing. One that wouldn't have damaged her clothes and the few possessions she had on her. 

Still, she couldn't help but grin, she had been able to watch a soul die and see how the soul's aura behaved, she could have done without the subsequent explosion and the fact that all her things were still in her tree house, if it still existed at all, and that she hadn't gotten around to forging a golem in the golem forge. She was sure that she had found the knowledge about it in the Larrua library, she just had to actively absorb it.

What she could also find out was that she was being followed by a star and a glance upwards confirmed what she had observed during her flight.

Still deafened by the explosion, she took note of the monsters and animals in her vicinity.

"It would be better if I went into hiding, at least until my arms are healed and I don't have to splint them with my mind anymore." This could also be an opportunity to observe her normal healing or to practice the other two arcane energies. 

With that, she set off on her descent as fast as she could with two broken legs - basically everything was broken and she was only able to walk thanks to her knowledge of the art of Arcane Energy of the Mind. "Like a puppet, only the puppet plays itself."