The last wolf collapsed into the brush.
Silence followed — thick and tense, broken only by the distant rustling of disturbed wildlife.
The maid wiped a thin streak of blood from her glove and spoke calmly.
"There were no monsters near the castle."
Aldric glanced at her. "Obviously."
She continued without reacting.
"The King was present."
The air seemed to tighten slightly at that word.
"The King's presence alone suppresses lower creatures. They would not approach. They would not dare. Even high-tier creatures avoid entering the domain of a sovereign predator."
Lyriana nodded faintly.
"The collision of mana during the battle," the maid added, "was catastrophic. Holy light. Mana. When forces of that magnitude clash, beasts sense it as a natural disaster."
She looked toward the thinning forest ahead.
"They fled."
Draven's eyes narrowed slightly.
"The shockwave of mana would have driven everything outward," he said. "Like animals fleeing a burning forest."
Aldric exhaled through his nose. "So all the displaced creatures are gathering toward the perimeter."
"Yes," the maid said calmly. "Which is why the closer we get to the forest's exit, the more frequently we are encountering them."
Not organized.
Not summoned.
Just survival instinct.
Draven adjusted his hold on his siblings.
Another distant roar echoed faintly through the trees.
Aldric glanced in that direction.
"So we're walking through the migration path of every frightened beast that survived a war between monsters and gods."
Draven didn't slow.
"Then they should stay out of my way."
Mana continued folding inside him.
Controlled.
Barely.
Constant.
The cat shifted atop his head.
Ahead — the forest grew lighter.
The exit wasn't far now.
But if the maid was right…
The closer they got—
The more chaotic it would become.
They continued forward.
The forest gradually thinned. The towering, ancient trees of the inner region gave way to shorter growth, scattered underbrush, and signs of human presence — broken branches cut cleanly instead of snapped, faint carriage tracks long reclaimed by dirt.
Another day passed.
They did not stop.
They did not slow.
Draven moved like a shadow slipping between trunks, mana constantly folding within him — a quiet storm compressed beneath his skin. The pain never left. It had simply become background noise.
By the time the sky began to pale—
They saw it.
Far beyond the final stretch of trees, rising above the distant horizon—
Walls.
High.
Grey.
Man-made.
The border fortifications of a kingdom.
But they did not approach.
When the sun began to rise, Draven halted.
Light crept slowly through the thinning canopy, golden and intrusive.
Without a word, he turned away from the open edge of the forest and moved toward a rocky outcrop nestled between twisted roots and stone.
A cave.
Small.
Shallow.
Hidden enough.
They entered.
The maid inspected the interior first — swift and silent — then stepped aside.
"It is clear, my Lord."
Draven stepped inside.
The air was cool. Dim. Safe from the sunlight bleeding outside.
He lowered himself against the stone wall and gently placed his siblings beside him. The cat leapt from his head and settled near them, tail flicking lazily.
Aldric remained near the entrance, arms folded.
"So this is where we wait."
Draven didn't answer.
Lyriana moved deeper into the cave's shadow without complaint.
Outside, the daylight strengthened.
Inside, darkness reclaimed its territory.
They would not move further.
Not under the sun.
The border walls were close now — close enough to see.
Close enough to feel the tension in the air.
Draven leaned his head back against the cold stone.
The mana inside him continued folding.
Turning.
Grinding.
Unseen.
Constant.
One more night.
Then they would cross.
Time passed quietly inside the cave.
The harsh brightness at the entrance slowly softened—
Gold turned orange.
Orange bled into crimson.
The sun was setting.
Inside the cave, shadows deepened.
Lucifer stirred first.
His red eyes blinked open, unfocused for a moment before sharpening. A second later, Elenya followed, small fingers twitching as she let out a soft sound of complaint.
Draven was already awake.
He had not slept.
He sat against the stone wall, mana still folding endlessly within him — the invisible rotation steady, controlled, painful.
The moment they moved, his gaze lowered.
He reached forward and lifted them both into his arms.
Lucifer settled quickly, staring up at him with quiet intensity.
Elenya, however, immediately began squirming — tiny hands grabbing at his cheek, then at his hair.
The cat, which had been curled near his side, opened one purple eye.
The moment Elenya noticed it—
She reached.
The cat flicked its tail.
Lucifer noticed too.
His small hand slowly extended toward the tail again.
Draven exhaled slowly.
"Don't start."
The cave remained calm.
Near the entrance, Aldric glanced at the dimming sky outside.
"Sun's nearly down."
Lyriana stepped closer to Draven, lowering her voice.
"Your Highness, we're close to the border. Once we cross, scouts will increase."
The maid stood silently at Draven's side.
Draven adjusted his grip on his siblings.
The mana inside him rotated once more — compressed, folded, contained.
His eyes lifted toward the cave entrance, where the last line of sunlight was disappearing beyond the horizon.
The forest outside was darkening.
Good.
He stood.
The cat immediately climbed up his arm, then onto his shoulder.
Elenya grabbed its fur.
Lucifer continued staring at it like it was a puzzle waiting to be solved.
Draven stepped toward the cave entrance.
The sky outside was now a deep blue.
Night was reclaiming the world.
"Let's move."
No hesitation.
No discussion.
He stepped out first.
The others followed.