> "The residents probably never stood a chance though judging from the proportions of damage. It's hard to even comprehend who or what could cause destruction on this scale..."
> "The lack of bodies is troubling but also evidence in itself... There had to have been *a lot* of them so why did the culprit go to such great efforts to get rid of any traces of them? Either the bodies had crucial evidence pointing to the culprit like the cause of death *or* the method the culprit used on its own leaves no bodies, which could be useful in seriously narrowing down the possible culrpits based on who is and isn't capable of such a feat"
> Make a mental "suspects list" starting with everyone we know and cross out everyone who we're certain *isn't* capable of killing someone without leaving a body or blood"
> While moving look for anything else interesting that might tell us more about what happened
> "Magic experiments can be... volatile but not on this level." Koakuma remarks. "I'm not sure what could cause devastation on this level either. With no-one seemingly able to defend anything..."
> "Bodies of Makaians dissolve into Maisma swiftly." Koakuma explains. "But Vina was mostly immigrants. And they don't return to the Maisma. Still; Makai is another dimension... I don't know how long ago whatever happened occurred. But if it was a long time, surely at least bandits would have settled in Vina..."
> You try to make a mental suspects list; and then realise you hardly know anyone in Makai. You
assume that Shinki; Elis and Yumeko are strong enough to cause bodies to vanish, and you think Yuki's Fire Magic, if as powerful as you were told; might be able to reduce things to Ash... but there's hardly any scorch marks, you'd think fire that intense would burn everything else too.
> You continue to approach the Temple. The damage to the buildings is becoming more intense, with hardly anything standing, and the rock fragments pulverized smaller. There are more marks on the ground, including outright impact craters in the streets.
> At this point, you reach the top of the incline, and are very near the Temple.
> Looking over the other side, you see more ruined buildings, and it indeed looks like the Temple was the epicenter. After what is clearly a hill now finishes, it opens up to ruins of fancier houses [Not as damaged as the normal ones due to their increased size and distance from the epicener; but still ruined] and overgrown fields that were clearly once worked, but are now choked with withered-looking vines and weeds.
> The Temple itself is surely in bad shape, and you note right next door is the remains of a clearly grand building too. Now you are closer, you can see the air around them sparking with magical surges, and streams of maisma coming from the greatest gashes you have seen so far in the ground, that glow with a blue aura. Both buildings seem to be in better repair than the rest of the town, likely due to their size and having been built of better stuff as important buildings in the center of Vina.
> Something about being here makes you feel unease. Similar to the sort of unease being near Shinki gave you due to her immense power. But without the warmth she gave off.
> You feel like you are being watched.