The village still smelled of fresh wood and damp clay. Kai walked along the path bordering the crops with his hands in his pockets, enjoying the mid morning sun. Lyla walked beside him, her pants rolled up to her knees and wearing an old shirt of Alice’s that was several sizes too big. She carried a thin wand in her hand, using it to point at plants and make absurd comments.

  "Look at that one," she said, pointing to a slightly crooked corn sprout. "It looks like it’s taking a bow. Do you think it’s greeting me because it knows I’m a goddess?"

  Kai let out a low laugh. "I think it’s crooked because last night’s wind pushed it. But if you want to believe it’s bowing to you, go right ahead."

  Lyla tapped him gently on the arm with her wand. "You’re such a killjoy. Let me have my divine moment."

  Kai stopped and turned toward her. Instead of responding with another joke, he looked at her directly. "Speaking of the wind... back when you had all your power, could you fly?"

  Lyla raised an eyebrow. "Of course. Why?"

  "I want you to teach me," he said sincerely.

  She stared at him for several seconds. Then, she set her wand on the ground and extended her hand. "Come."

  Kai took her hand without hesitation. Lyla led him behind the field, where the grass was taller and the forest began to close in. There, far from the eyes of the village, she turned her palm upward.

  "Breathe with me," she said softly.

  Kai obeyed. He inhaled at the same time she did. Lyla moved her fingers, and a gentle current of air swirled around them, lifting dry leaves in a slow vortex. "Just... relax. Feel how the wind touches you without pushing you. Imagine you are part of it."

  Kai closed his eyes. He felt the air brush against his skin, cool and curious. Suddenly, his feet lifted a few centimeters off the ground. It wasn't a jump, it was a light, unstable float, as if the world had decided to be kinder for a second. He snapped his eyes open and found himself at eye level with Lyla, who was floating in front of him with a radiant smile.

  "See?" she whispered. "Quite simple."

  Kai let out a surprised laugh and nearly lost his balance. Lyla grabbed him by the arms, stabilizing him. They stayed like that for a few seconds, suspended half a meter above the ground, looking at each other without speaking. The wind ruffled their hair. The world smelled of earth and the future.

  When they touched down, Lyla didn't let go of his hands immediately. "We can practice more often," she said. "If you want."

  "I do," Kai replied instantly.

  They stayed in silence for a while longer, simply enjoying the new moment they had just created. It wasn't like the usual ones, it was something different, a small promise that they could keep discovering each other, step by step, without rushing.

  The moment was broken when they heard familiar voices approaching from the outer path. Mira and Thorne appeared from between the trees with serious expressions. Mira had her bow slung across her back, and Thorne carried his large axe over his shoulder. They were coming from the southern perimeter, where they had been patrolling to ensure everything was normal.

  "Chief," Thorne greeted. "We have a problem."

  Kai and Lyla were instantly on alert. "What’s wrong?" Kai asked.

  Mira pointed toward the dense forest that began beyond the new fields. "We were doing a routine watch when we found tracks. They aren't from normal animals. They’re large, deep, and there are three of them. Also... we found this."

  She opened her hand. In her palm was a piece of torn black cloth with a symbol embroidered in silver thread that none of them recognized, a broken spiral with three dots in the center.

  Kai frowned. "Where did it come from?"

  "It was snagged on a low branch near the tracks," Mira replied. "And the worst part is the tracks are heading deep into the woods."

  Thorne grunted. "They aren't wild beasts. The claws are too long and spaced out. And they’re walking in formation. Like they’re intelligent."

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Lyla looked at the scrap of fabric with concern. "That symbol... I don't know it." She leaned toward Kai and whispered something only he could hear, "And it doesn't belong to any of the gods, either."

  Kai made a quick decision. "Let's go take a look. We can't let something like this get near the village, especially with the children playing in that area."

  The four of them set off, entering the woods via the southern path where the vegetation was thickest. The atmosphere changed as soon as they arrived, less sun filtered through, and the air became much heavier. They walked in silence, Mira in the lead tracking the prints, and Thorne bringing up the rear.

  After nearly twenty minutes, Mira raised her hand. "Here."

  Several trees had been knocked down as if something massive had plowed through them. In the center of the damp ground were several enormous prints, three toed feet with curved claws. But the strangest thing was the smell, it wasn't animalistic. It was metallic, like rusted iron mixed with something sweet and rotten.

  Suddenly, a low roar vibrated through the trees. Three creatures emerged, catching everyone by surprise.

  They were massive, the size of large bears, but they weren't bears. Their skin was black and shimmering, with red veins visible beneath the surface. On the chest of each one glowed the same broken spiral symbol, etched into their skin like a brand.

  Mira instantly drew her bow. "What the hell are those things?"

  Thorne raised his axe. "I don't know, but they aren't here by accident."

  [ SYSTEM MESSAGE ]

  ENEMY DETECTED

  Type: Unknown Entity.

  Threat Level: Unknown.

  Distance: 15 meters and approaching.

  They weren't normal forest beasts. They didn't move like animals, they held a clear formation, one in the center and the other two flanking. Their heads turned slowly, as if listening to something no one else could hear.

  Kai drew his daggers. "Thorne, Mira, flank them from the sides. Lyla and I will distract them."

  Combat erupted in seconds. The central creature charged directly at Kai, its claws cutting through the air with a metallic sound. Kai rolled to the side and stabbed a dagger into its front leg, but the blade bounced back brutally, unable to pierce the hide. It didn't even bleed, it just emitted a vibrating roar that made the leaves tremble.

  Mira fired an arrow that lodged in the second creature's shoulder. It turned toward her and charged. Thorne intercepted the attack with his axe, blocking the claws with a strike that rang out like metal hitting metal.

  "They’re as hard as iron!" Thorne shouted.

  Lyla moved her hand quickly and launched a high speed lash of concentrated wind that cut a gash into the side of the third creature. This time, a thick black liquid spilled out, but the wound closed almost instantly.

  Kai dodged another swipe and leaped onto the back of the central creature. He drove both daggers into its nape, where the symbol was glowing. The beast thrashed violently but didn't fall. Instead, the symbol on its chest began to pulse faster.

  Thorne let out a roar and delivered a horizontal swing that severed a leg from the second creature. It fell, but the other two moved in unison to protect it. The wound began to regenerate slowly.

  Mira fired another arrow, this time aiming for the chest symbol. The arrow struck true, right in the center. The central creature let out a high-pitched shriek that made everyone cover their ears. For a second, all three beasts stumbled.

  "The symbol!" Kai shouted. "It’s their core!"

  Thorne buried his axe into the symbol of one of the creatures. Its body convulsed and collapsed, turning into a black mass that dissolved into dark smoke. The other two roared with fury and charged simultaneously. Mira didn't waste a second and fired an arrow straight into another one. Its symbol shattered with a crystalline sound, and the second creature dissolved just like the first.

  The last one, the central leader, stumbled back. Its symbol flickered like a dying flame. It looked directly at Kai and let out one final roar that sounded... almost like words. A deep, distorted sound that no one understood. Then, it collapsed and dissolved as well.

  Only black smoke remained, floating for a few seconds before vanishing completely. On the ground where the creatures had stood, there were no bodies only three scorched marks in the shape of a broken spiral.

  Mira lowered her bow, breathing heavily. "What... what were those things?"

  Thorne wiped his axe on the grass. "They weren't from the forest. I’ve never seen anything like them. And that symbol... it's the same as the cloth."

  Kai knelt and ran his fingers over one of the burn marks. It was still hot. "They weren't normal beasts," he said softly.

  Lyla approached and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Kai... that last roar. It sounded like it was trying to say something."

  He nodded slowly. "I know. And I don't think it was a threat. It sounded... like a warning."

  The four of them looked at each other in silence. The forest around them suddenly seemed darker. The wind was no longer gentle; it carried a distant scent of iron and rot that didn't belong there.

  Mira tucked the scrap of black cloth into her bag. "This doesn't end here."

  Thorne gripped the handle of his axe. "We’re doubling the perimeter guards. And nobody leaves the village alone until we know what’s happening."

  Kai stood up, looking toward the heart of the forest where the creatures had come from. "Whatever it is... it has found us."

  They returned to the village in silence. The green sprouts still swayed innocently under the sun. The half finished houses continued to rise. The children’s laughter could still be heard in the distance.

  But now, for the first time since they started rebuilding, a new shadow loomed over the forest edge. And Kai knew, deep down, that this shadow brought answers... and much bigger questions.

  [ SYSTEM MESSAGE ]

  LEVEL UP!

  Level: 18 (70/100)

  You have 2 points to distribute among your stats!

  Kai closed the menu without assigning the points yet. He would decide tomorrow. Today, he just wanted to ensure the village kept growing... even if something unknown had decided to watch them from the darkness.