The Ruined Village of Serewyn

The ruins were eerily silent, with only the faint rustling of wind through charred beams and broken walls. Mikhailis stood at the edge of what had once been the village square, his gaze sweeping across the desolation. His glasses glimmered faintly as Rodion's voice murmured softly in his ear.

Mikhailis slipped his hands into his pockets, maintaining a casual posture as though he were merely surveying the wreckage left behind by a storm. In truth, the chimera ants were already in motion, their small forms darting into the ruins with uncanny precision. They crept into every crack, scaled burned beams with insectile ease, and disappeared into the soil to gather traces of whatever had transpired here. Their silent efficiency gave the eerie impression of a place being combed through by an unseen intelligence.