{Embrek Forest, Kingdom of Solvarin}
The forest had grown too quiet.
No birds.
No rustling leaves.
No distant animal calls.
Only the sound of three pairs of footsteps pressing into damp earth.
Mud clung to their shoes as they followed the narrow trail Olric had chosen.
Aleck glanced around, frowning.
"How is there even a trail here?" he asked.
Olric stopped briefly to check the small compass in his hand before replying.
"I've heard soldiers conduct expeditions here from time to time," he said. "There's speculation that iron ore might be buried somewhere beneath this forest."
He adjusted his grip on the compass.
"And poachers come as well. For hides."
Aleck nodded slowly. That explanation made sense.
Amber, however, looked unconvinced.
"If poachers use this trail," she said, glancing into the trees, "why haven't we seen a single animal?"
Her voice sounded smaller than before.
Aleck hesitated.
"Maybe they use a different path," he offered.
Olric nodded.
But none of them truly believed it.
They had already walked more than halfway to the waterfall.
And yet—
Not even a squirrel crossed their path.
Not even a bird took flight.
It felt as if the forest itself was holding its breath.
After several more minutes of uneasy silence, something emerged through the trees.
Stone.
Broken.
Cracked.
Covered in thick layers of moss and creeping vines.
A ruin.
Olric slowed.
"…An altar," he murmured.
They stepped closer.
The stone platform stood half-swallowed by nature, its edges worn by time. Faint carvings were still visible beneath the moss — rays spreading outward from a central circle.
"The Goddess of Light," Olric said quietly.
Amber's eyes softened.
"My father once told me," she said, "that altars to the Goddess are scattered across the kingdom. You can find them almost anywhere."
Aleck studied the surrounding forest.
"But why place one here?" he asked. "Most people don't even come this deep."
Olric folded his hands together instinctively, his expression turning solemn.
"Light exists everywhere," he said. "So the altars do too. They remind us that the Goddess watches over all places… even the forgotten ones."
He bowed his head slightly.
Amber followed.
After a moment's hesitation, Aleck did the same.
The three children stood before the ruined altar in silence.
Above them, the canopy shifted faintly.
But no wind touched their skin.
And somewhere beyond the trees—
Something watched.
Olric felt it first.
A shift.
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Not a sound—
but the feeling of being watched.
He stopped mid-step and turned sharply.
Between the distant trees, partially hidden by tangled branches, a monkey sat crouched on a low limb.
It wasn't moving.
It wasn't grooming.
It wasn't curious.
It was staring at them.
Olric's voice lowered immediately.
"We're being watched."
Aleck turned.
Amber squinted.
But by the time their eyes followed his line of sight, the branches were empty.
"There's nothing there," Amber said.
Aleck scanned the trees one more time. Silence. Stillness.
Olric frowned.
"I saw it."
Neither of them looked alarmed.
After a moment of hesitation, the three of them continued forward.
Behind them, high above in the canopy—
Leaves shifted.
{Encampment, Deep Embrek Forest — Kingdom of Solvarin}
The obese man leaned back lazily inside the crude wooden shelter, black robes stretched tight across his frame. The last drops of stolen wine slid down his throat as he tilted the bottle.
One of the monkeys crouched nearby, chattering softly.
He glanced toward the forest's edge.
"Huh. Three kids just entered the woods."
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Do whatever you want," he muttered to the monkeys. "But don't bring trouble to the encampment. If Captain finds out I started picking fights with children, he'll skin me alive."
He tossed the empty bottle aside. It shattered against a tree.
"Go fetch another one."
The monkey nodded almost deliberately before scampering off into the trees.
The man leaned back again, eyes half-lidded.
The forest remained quiet.
Too quiet.
{Embrek Forest — Near the Waterfall}
Not long after leaving the altar behind, they heard it—
The steady rush of falling water.
Amber's eyes brightened instantly.
"That must be it!"
They quickened their pace.
Branches brushed against their shoulders as the trees began thinning slightly.
But before they reached the waterfall, they found something unexpected.
A pond.
Still and clear, tucked between the roots of towering trees.
And floating across its surface—
White lotuses.
Aleck stopped.
"Well," he said lightly, trying to ease the tension, "looks like we found the pond before the waterfall. Guess the map needs updating."
Olric frowned slightly.
"Maybe," he said. "Or perhaps the soldiers altered the terrain during expeditions. A small water basin could have formed."
He didn't mention the more likely possibility—
That he might have misremembered the map.
Amber stepped forward, her attention fully captured by the flowers.
"It doesn't matter what comes first," she said softly. "We found it."
The white petals shimmered gently against the dark water.
"But… who's going to get one?"
Aleck and Olric exchanged a glance.
The pond looked calm.
Too calm.
The surface barely rippled.
Neither of them stepped forward.
Both were thinking the same thing—
Still water in a silent forest was never just water.
Just as they were thinking about how to take the flower from the pond—
A branch snapped somewhere behind them.
Aleck's head turned first.
Then Olric's.
Four monkeys stepped out from between the trees, their bodies low to the ground, yellow eyes fixed on them.
The forest, which had been silent before, now felt heavy.
The air itself seemed tighter.
Both boys moved instantly.
They stepped in front of Amber without speaking, forming a barrier.
Olric's voice dropped, firm and controlled.
"You take the right. I'll handle the left."
He didn't look away from the monkeys.
"Amber. Step back."
Ember felt the shift in the air and obeyed immediately, retreating a few steps toward the trees.
The monkeys split without hesitation.
Two rushed Olric.
Two sprinted toward Aleck.
Their growls were harsh and guttural.
"Gaw! Gaw!"
Leaves scattered under their feet.
The first monkey lunged at Olric.
Olric pivoted sharply and brought his heel down with force.
Thud.
The impact echoed through the trees.
The monkey's body dropped limp against the forest floor.
The second one hesitated for half a heartbeat—then charged again.
On the other side, both monkeys attacked Aleck simultaneously.
One aimed high.
One low.
Aleck stepped forward instead of back.
He grabbed the first monkey by the neck mid-leap and swung it sideways with a grunt—
Crack.
Its skull smashed into the other monkey.
Both tumbled into the dirt.
The smell of disturbed soil rose into the air.
Amber stared wide-eyed.
"Wow… you guys are so good!"
Aleck felt warmth flicker across his face.
A small smile appeared.
Olric did not smile.
Because he heard it.
More movement.
Not just leaves—
Weight.
Several more monkeys dropped from higher branches, landing in the clearing with dull thuds.
And at the front—
One larger than the rest.
Its shoulders were broader.
Its gaze sharper.
It did not screech.
It did not rush blindly.
It stepped forward slowly.
Then suddenly—
It moved.
In a blink, it crossed the distance between them and struck at Olric.
Olric reacted instantly.
Partial resonance.
A thin layer coated his entire body, invisible but firm.
The monkey's attack collided with him.
Boom.
The sound was heavier than before.
Olric's boots dug into the soil as he was forced backward several steps.
The shock traveled through his arms.
His bones rattled.
Its coating…
He felt it clearly.
Stronger.
Denser.
More controlled.
Sweat slid down his temple.
He didn't hesitate.
He gestured sharply to Aleck.
Run.
Aleck scooped Amber into his arms without argument.
Resonance coated him as well, thin but enough.
He sprinted.
Branches whipped against his shoulders.
Twigs snapped beneath his feet.
Olric created distance from the larger monkey and turned, running after them.
The forest blurred past them.
Their breathing grew louder.
After several moments—
Olric noticed something.
There were no crashing footsteps behind them.
No pursuit.
No growls.
The forest had gone silent again.
That silence was worse.
They didn't stop until the ruined altar of the Goddess came back into view, stone cracked and covered in moss.
Only then did Olric finally lower himself to the ground, chest rising and falling rapidly.
Amber hurried to his side.
"Are you alright, Brother Olric?"
"I'm fine," he said, though his arms still trembled slightly. "But that monkey…"
He exhaled slowly.
"Its coating felt stronger than ours. Like it uses resonance better."
Aleck nodded.
He had felt it too.
The difference was subtle.
But real.
"Forget the flower," Ember said softly, her voice shaken now. "Let's just go home."
But when she looked at the two boys—
Their expressions had changed.
The fear was still there.
But beneath it—
Something else burned.
Challenge.
"What do you say?" Olric asked quietly.
Aleck wiped dirt from his cheek.
A slow smile formed.
"I just thought of a plan."
