It was nearly sundown when Kai and the rest arrived at the edge of the woods where Hansen’s village lay hidden.

  The fading light cast long shadows between the trees, and the air grew cooler, heavier. The forest here was thick, ancient, its silence unsettling.

  Hansen’s village had survived for decades thanks to its clever positioning: nestled between a small mountain and a river that sliced through the terrain like a protective blade. If not for its isolation, it might have been a paradise.

  Hansen came to a halt, and the group dismounted.

  “From here, we go on foot,” he said, smiling with a hint of nostalgia. “Twenty minutes through the woods, and we’ll reach the gates.”

  “No problem,” Nerva replied, turning to his gryphons. “Stand by. Don’t cause trouble… and don’t die.”

  The beasts screeched and took off toward the mountain, likely to hunt. Their cries echoed faintly, then vanished into the trees.

  Kai, Lisa, and two beastmen leaped off Umbra, who shrank back to her original size with a shimmer of mana.

  Liliya watched the transformation closely, her eyes narrowing as she mentally dissected the process.

  Umbra noticed and smirked.

  “Hey, hey! No stealing secret magics!” Scry floated over, pretending to be offended.

  “This will cost you one eighth-circle spell,” he said, scribbling something into the air with his paw.

  Liliya laughed. “Oh, come on, it’s not even a unique bloodline ability. How about a sixth-circle spell?”

  “Sold!” Scry grinned, extending his paw.

  “You want it now?” Liliya blinked.

  “I want a scroll. With the formula.”

  “Sigh… fine.” She conjured a blank scroll and inscribed it with glowing mana.

  “One Earth Golem. Sixth circle.” She handed it over.

  Scry’s eyes lit up as he read. “Oho… fascinating. You bind mana into an earth puppet, set its behavior through internal glyphs… attack, defend… clever system.”

  Umbra growled. “What do I get? It was my skill she stole.”

  “Don’t worry about the details,” Scry winked. “I’ll get you something special later. Trust this old tiger.”

  Umbra sighed. Arguing with a spirit was pointless.

  Liliya chuckled and joined Nerva, who was already waiting.

  “Are you three done? Let’s move. We’re wasting time,” Nerva said, his tone sharp.

  Kai nodded but smiled. He liked seeing them bond with others. Both had lived in solitude for too long.

  The group followed Hansen deeper into the woods. Moa birds trotted ahead, their feathers rustling softly. Harrietta walked beside Hansen, occasionally pinching his back playfully.

  Kran twitched every time he saw them interact. Eira, walking behind, chuckled quietly. Her guard was lowering, relief slowly settling in.

  The forest grew darker.

  Eventually, they reached a towering wooden fence, at least five meters high, reinforced with glowing glyphs. The gates were made of heavy, dark wood, etched with even more runes.

  Liliya and Scry approached, scanning the magic.

  “Not as simple as it looks,” Scry whispered.

  “Metal enhancement… strengthen glyphs… invulnerability layering,” Liliya murmured.

  “The craftsmanship is solid,” Scry added. “But the mana is thin. Probably done by a Magus.”

  Harrietta stepped forward, her fire mana flaring, distorting the air around her.

  “What did you say about my enhancements?” she growled.

  Scry and Liliya froze.

  “Nothing! It’s great work!” Liliya said quickly.

  “Well… your glyph work is excellent,” Scry admitted. “But your mana reserves are low. This would hold against a Grand Magus or Master Knight for a few strikes. With more power, it could be much stronger.”

  Harrietta’s expression darkened. “I know that. I haven’t condensed my sixth circle yet. I did what I could, you bastard.”

  “And I admire that,” Scry said, suddenly serious.

  Harrietta blinked, then smiled faintly.

  “You’ve done well,” Liliya added. “Once you reach the sixth circle, you’ll be able to reinforce it even further.”

  Harrietta nodded, her fire dimming.

  Hansen stepped between them and knocked rhythmically on the gate, an old code.

  For a moment, nothing happened.

  Then the gates groaned, shaking as they began to open. The sound was slow, screeching, like something ancient being disturbed.

  The forest behind them seemed to hold its breath.

  ***

  As the doors opened, two beastmen grinned at the sight of Hansen.

  “Oho, if it isn’t our great hunter back so soon,” one chuckled.

  But their smiles vanished when they saw the large group of men behind him. Eyes wide, they raised their spears.

  “What’s the meaning of this, Hansen? Are you here to attack us?” one shouted.

  Harrietta snickered as she stepped forward. “You fucking idiots. Move aside before I burn you to a crisp. Go call the chief, we’re heading to the meeting hall,” she commanded.

  The two beastmen trembled at her voice, their legs refusing to move. Harrietta flicked two small fireballs at their feet, making them scream and scramble off toward the chief.

  She turned to the group. “They don’t like me much around here, no idea why,” she said with a shrug.

  The others burst into laughter as they entered the village. Behind them, the two barbarians slammed the gates shut and followed.

  The village was a patchwork of wooden homes in all shapes and sizes, clearly grown organically over countless years. It was Kai’s first time seeing a real settlement in this world.

  He scanned every nook and cranny, breathing in the fresh air filled with the scent of cooking and the hum of conversations.

  The villagers were preparing dinners and chatting; it was almost idyllic.

  Kai found himself wondering if he could grow old in a place like this, living in peace and harmony.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  As they took in the sights, the group arrived at a massive wooden cabin at the center of the village. Hansen and Harrietta led them inside.

  Everyone gathered around the tables, waiting to see what would happen next.

  ***

  Two beastmen burst into the chief’s house. The old fox-like elder sat at his table, sipping soup and chatting with his wife.

  “What in the hell, men? Where’s the fire?” he asked, noticing their slightly charred shoes.

  “Chief, Harrietta, and Hansen are back,” one said, breathless.

  “Already? Are they hurt?” the chief asked, concern flashing across his face. “Did something go wrong?”

  “They looked fine… but they brought about twenty men with them and headed straight to the hall,” the other replied.

  “And all of them feel like Knight level at least, maybe even Masters. I could scan only a few of them,” the first added.

  The chief shot up from his seat. Could they have been taken hostage? But then again, that crazy woman wouldn’t lead hostiles into the village. He needed to see for himself.

  “Pala, my sword!” he called to his wife.

  The old woman stood with surprising agility and retrieved a weathered scabbard with a sheathed blade.

  He took it from her and headed for the door. Before stepping out, he gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, dear. I’ve got this.”

  She nodded and locked the door behind him.

  “Go gather the others and meet me at the hall,” the chief ordered, clutching his sheathed sword as he strode off.

  ***

  “They’re taking oddly long,” Hansen murmured. “I hope those two fools aren’t causing trouble for the chief.”

  “Want us to go check?” one of the twins asked.

  “No need. Let’s wait a bit longer,” Thorpe replied, though his tone betrayed his growing impatience.

  Suddenly, a loud clamor echoed from outside.

  Hansen recognized the voices and had a good idea what was happening.

  “Everyone, stay inside. Thorpe, come with me. Harrietta, dear, stay in, please,” he said with a smile.

  She grunted. “Fine. Go explain everything.”

  The two opened the cabin doors and stepped outside. A group of about twenty armed men stood behind their old chief, who held a blade in hand.

  “Chief, what’s going on?” Hansen asked, barely holding back a laugh. The chief looked ready for war.

  “I should be asking you that. Why did you bring such powerful strangers into our village? Are they threatening you?” the chief asked, his voice serious.

  Thorpe chuckled. “Chief, they’re good men. Most of them are from the Northern Tribe, the ones who went missing. We saved them. The others are from Fallhaven. Sir Nerva is with them.”

  “What! That Nerva?” the chief exclaimed. “Oh my… and here I am, bringing men to attack them.”

  He turned to the gathered warriors. “Everyone go home. This was a misunderstanding.”

  The group sighed in relief. A few chuckled as they dispersed back to their homes.

  The chief, Hansen, and Thorpe entered the meeting hall, where the rest of the group waited.

  ***

  Chief Arama’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he entered the hall and saw the group seated before him.

  No wonder those two got spooked… It really is Nerva.

  And the rest… such dense mana. They even have a spirit beast. I’ve never seen anything like it.

  And that floating presence… is that a spirit? Oh gods.

  Hansen tapped the chief’s shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts. Arama twitched, then smiled and walked toward the group.

  “Everyone, this is Chief Arama,” Hansen said, introducing the fox-like beastman. “He’s the oldest member of our community and our current leader.”

  “Evening, everyone. Welcome to our village,” the old man greeted warmly.

  Nerva and Kai stood and bowed politely.

  “Hello, Chief Arama. I’m Nerva from Fallhaven. Sorry to intrude,” Nerva said with a smile, offering a small bag of mana crystals. “For your troubles.”

  Arama scanned the bag and nearly fainted. “This is… too much, Lord Nerva. I know of you, of course. You don’t need to give us gifts.”

  Fifty high-grade crystals. Oh my…

  “Nonsense,” Nerva replied. “This is my gift to you and your village. I understand your situation isn’t easy. Please accept it as a small token.”

  Arama nodded, still stunned, and handed the bag to Hansen for safekeeping.

  Kai stepped forward next. “Hello, I’m Kai from the South. We have much to discuss, but first, please take these.”

  He summoned three Ultra-grade mana stones, their radiant glow illuminating the entire hall.

  “One is for Hansen and his crew, for defending these men. One is for your village, to help you through the winter and, if possible, to let me stay here when needed. The last is for these men behind me and Hansen’s party, to train while I’m away.”

  He handed the crystals to Arama.

  Nerva was stunned. This is more than I brought for the entire journey, he thought. And Kai just gave it away.

  Arama, meanwhile, had gone pale. “Lord Kai… this is too much. We haven’t earned this much in years. One would be more than enough.”

  Kai shook his head. “Take them. Listen to what we have to say first. You’ll find a use for them, trust me.”

  Arama sighed and sat down. Hansen stored the crystals with care. Kai truly was a man of his word.

  “Alright,” Arama said. “Let’s hear it. What’s going on?”

  Kai explained what had happened to Bjorn and his men, to Lisa, and spoke of Florian’s actions in the South.

  Nerva added:

  “We believe Florian is the reason beasts have been fleeing the South. He’s been killing everything, small tribes, even Divine Beasts, to build his creations. There may be more to it, but that’s our current conclusion.”

  Arama listened, growing pale. “So that’s what happened… Dear gods. How did we never hear of such a monster?”

  Eira stepped forward. “I can explain. I served him for two hundred years. He feared the dragon, truly feared it.

  A thousand years ago, he tried to attack the Jungle, but the dragon sent his projection and wiped out nearly all his monsters, burning half his body. Since then, he has only attacked in secret, covering his tracks. Like he did with my village.”

  She paused, her voice trembling. “But recently, even before the dragon left, he started losing patience. He’s been hunting for anything he could. I fear he’s already destroyed all the tribes in the southwest.”

  Arama turned to her, shocked. “Girl… you served that monster? What tribe were you from?”

  “The Anghar tribe,” she said, her reptilian blue eyes closing in sorrow.

  “I see. And your viper-like mana… it comes from that, I suppose?”

  Eira nodded.

  Arama frowned, then stood and hugged her tightly. “I had many friends in that tribe. Welcome back, dear… to the world of the living.”

  Eira shivered and began to cry. The room grew quiet and melancholic.

  After a moment, they sat again.

  “So, what’s your plan?” Arama asked seriously.

  “We’d ask you to help these men settle here,” Nerva said. “The rest of us will go after Florian. He’s already wounded from his battle with our boy Kai here, but you never know with Soul Forgers.”

  “No problem,” Arama replied. “That’s the least we can do. Helping each other is the only way to survive in the South. I’ll send a rider to the Northern Tribe to let them know who survived. If they wish, they can return home. The rest can stay here to recover or train.”

  Bjorn stood and knelt. “Chief, sir, we’d like to let our families know we’re alive. But we’d prefer to stay and train while we wait for news.”

  Arama smiled. “That’s fine with me. And thanks to our friend Kai, we have enough resources to last for years. Tomorrow, I’ll go to Heston City to trade the crystals for supplies and exchange the ultra-grade ones for high-grade stones we can use for training. Hansen, Thorpe, you’ll come with me. We still need to talk about how you snuck out with the birds after I said no.”

  Hansen and Thorpe twitched but nodded.

  “Everyone else can stay here. We have spare rooms in the back for guests. I’ll have our best cooks prepare a feast, so you’ll have strength for tomorrow,” Arama added.

  “Thank you for your hospitality,” Nerva said warmly.

  Arama stepped outside to begin preparations for the feast, while the group remained inside, planning the days ahead.?

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