The girl's voice grew thin, strained by the memory.
"Mom started shouting the news to everyone, and soon the whole town was cheering. They celebrated, claiming the land had been blessed by the mana distortion because it meant more slimes and bigger harvests. I wanted to believe them, but the shivering wouldn't stop."
She looked back at the embers, her small hands trembling.
"When night fell, the townpeople gathered at the harvesting hub. Everyone brought their tools, preparing to trap the slimes as soon as the distortion hit. The air felt heavy, so wrong… so I tried to speak to an adventurer passing through. I begged him to help, but he just shook his head. He said they couldn't do anything unless a formal quest was posted at the Guild."
A tear tracked through the dust on her cheek.
