[Santara World – Farlios Biome]
A blinding white light burst from the teleportation pillar.
Zeydan and Mireya's bodies were hurled onto the soft, mossy ground, scattering leaves all around them.
"AARGH! Ow… why does this ground feel so hard!?" Zeydan groaned, rubbing his head.
Mireya stood up silently, brushing off her pants. Her face remained cold as usual.
"Good thing you can still talk. I thought the teleport system had completely failed."
Zeydan got up, patting the dirt off his clothes.
"Teleport successful—my body just failed to keep up."
Around them stretched a colossal forest.
The towering trees shimmered with a greenish glow like phosphor, and a thin mist drifted through the air, carrying the damp scent of moss and a distant river's murmur.
Zeydan glanced around, both amazed and tense.
"No way…" he muttered softly.
Mireya frowned. "What do you mean, no way?"
Zeydan swallowed hard, pointing toward the glowing trees.
"This biome… I read about it in my brother Ivan's journal. This is Farlios."
"Farlios?" Mireya repeated, brow furrowed. "Never heard of it."
Zeydan nodded slowly, his expression serious.
"Yeah. Ivan wrote that this biome is categorized as dangerous—a forest that feels alive. And supposedly, it's the first place where Santara energy particles ever appeared."
Mireya glanced around warily. "Sounds… delightful."
"Yeah," Zeydan sighed, "and even worse—he said there are strange creatures here. Not monsters, but beings that… like to watch humans."
Mireya stared flatly. "You're making it sound creepier than Azura ever did."
"I'm just stating facts, not writing horror stories," Zeydan replied, shrugging.
A moment of silence passed.
The breeze rustled the glowing leaves like soft lights in motion.
Then something darted past them—a small rabbit-like creature with bright green fur and sapphire-blue eyes.
Zeydan crouched down quickly. "Whoa! Look at that! It's adorable!"
Mireya held her breath. "Don't get close. It could be poisonous."
"Poisonous? Mireya, it's got the cutest eyes ever!" Zeydan stretched out his hand carefully.
The creature sniffed his fingers for a second—and suddenly sneezed.
PLOP!
A small blob of slime flew out of its mouth and splatted right onto Zeydan's face.
"GAH! WHAT IS THIS—?!" Zeydan flailed around, trying to peel the slime off.
Mireya stared expressionlessly. "...I thought you liked cute things."
"Cute, yes! But this feels like being hugged by a cold jelly!" He finally managed to yank the slime off, which evaporated into mist.
Zeydan let out a long breath. "Okay. Important lesson learned—never trust cute faces in a foreign world."
"Good lesson," Mireya said curtly. "But keep your voice down. We don't know what can hear us."
Zeydan nodded, lowering his tone.
"You're right. Still, this place is weird… there's no sunlight, yet it's bright."
He looked up at the luminous leaves. "It's like the trees themselves are generating energy."
Mireya shot him a brief look, slightly surprised by his serious tone.
"You seem to know quite a bit about this place."
"Only from Ivan's notes," he said quietly.
"He called Farlios the most alive biome in Santara. But also the most unpredictable."
"How unpredictable?" she asked.
Zeydan cleared his throat.
"Sometimes it's calm, like a heavenly garden. Other times… it turns into a field of death for no reason."
Mireya smirked faintly. "Interesting. Maybe this world reflects the hearts of those who live in it."
Zeydan glanced at her. "That sounded cool—but I really hope that's not a bad omen."
They walked along a natural path made of massive tree roots.
Translucent birds flitted around them, leaving streaks of light like brushstrokes in the air.
Zeydan checked his tactical watch.
"The compass isn't working—the magnetic field here's insane."
Mireya looked toward the fog ahead. "We need higher ground. From there, we can find water or an exit."
"Alright, Miss Leader," Zeydan said teasingly.
"Miss what?" she shot back.
"Eh—field partner with… admirable discipline?"
"Keep talking, and I'll use you as bait," Mireya said flatly.
"Bait for what?!" Zeydan asked, panicking.
"For whatever shows up after that sentence," she replied coolly.
Zeydan immediately zipped his lips.
Meanwhile, behind the bushes, several small blue-silver creatures peeked at them with softly glowing eyes.
No hostility—just curiosity.
Silence.
Only footsteps and a faint hum, as if the earth itself were breathing.
Zeydan looked up and whispered,
"…Ivan, did you ever see this view too?"
The Farlios forest trembled. The wind swirled strangely, carrying the scent of metal and wet soil.
Branches cracked in the distance—heavy, rhythmic, like the steps of a giant restraining its rage.
Zeydan froze. "Don't move, Mireya," he whispered, eyes locked on the shaking bushes.
Mireya straightened, half-confused. "What? It's just an animal, probably a—"
CRAAASH!
The ground exploded in front of them.
From behind the shattered trees, a creature the size of a two-story house emerged—skin glowing red-hot like molten iron, teeth like blades, and two smoking horns jutting from its head. Even its breath hissed like steam.
Zeydan's face went pale.
"Mostole…" he whispered. "The groundbreaker rhino… and we're so screwed."
"Mostole?!" Mireya instantly drew her twin pistols. "Perfect! A real combat test!"
Zeydan stared at her in disbelief. "Combat test?! That thing could flatten a small city!"
"Well, we can't just stand here! I'll—"
Before she could finish, Mostole let out an earth-shaking roar. The vibration knocked leaves off the glowing trees.
"One word—RUN!!" Zeydan yelled.
He dashed through the bushes without waiting. Mireya glared after him, incredulous.
"Seriously, you're leaving me—!? HEY, ZEYDAN!!"
But when Mostole charged, Mireya had no choice but to sprint too.
"Okay fine—run now, be heroic later!!"
The ground quaked with each step of the monster. Trees fell like straws; leaves swirled wildly.
"Zeydan! Do you even know where you're going? This place is a maze!" Mireya shouted between gasps.
"I kinda know—in theory! But my brain's panicking right now!"
"In theory?! We're being chased by a monster, not taking a geography exam!!"
From between the massive roots, a group of small silver-blue spirits appeared—half mist, half light, their gentle eyes glowing softly. Forest spirits.
But when Mostole roared again, they scattered like frightened fireflies.
"Great," Mireya panted, "even the spirits don't want to be near us!"
Zeydan shot her a glance. "If they're running away, that means it's about to get more dangerous—so running is still our best plan!"
Mostole's roar grew closer.
The sound of cracking wood thundered behind them. They ran blindly, hoping for even a moment's safety in the living forest of Farlios.
The sky above turned crimson, as if the sun itself gasped for breath.
Zeydan's lungs burned; Mireya stumbled behind him.
"Left! Turn left—!" he shouted.
But before he could finish, Mireya tripped over a massive root and crashed to the ground.
"Ow! Damn it—why are these roots as thick as power cables!?"
Zeydan stopped, turned, and ran back to her. The earth shook with each step of the charging beast.
"Mireya, can you move?!"
"Yes! But stop standing there, idiot! That demon rhino is—"
Before she could finish, Mostole slammed through a tree. The trunk shattered into splinters. Its breath steamed in pinkish vapor.
Zeydan's expression shifted—panic fading into focus.
He released Mireya's arm and calmly drew the long sword from his side.
A soft blue glow pulsed along the blade, humming with plasma-like energy. The ground itself trembled faintly.
Mireya stared, half in awe, half in horror.
"Hey! Zeydan! You planning to die?! That thing can turn you into paste in three seconds!"
Zeydan stepped forward slowly, eyes sharp.
"If I keep running, it'll just chase us forever. Someone has to hold it off."
Mostole roared and charged, cracking the ground beneath it. But suddenly—
WHSSST!
A silver arrow shot through the air, striking Mostole right in the right eye.
The monster bellowed in agony, slamming its head into the earth.
Zeydan whipped his head toward the direction of the shot.
High up in a massive tree stood a girl—long silver hair, pointed ears, twin horns on her forehead, and crimson eyes.
She held a bow in her left hand and a slender sword in her right.
"An elf… with horns?" Mireya muttered in disbelief.
The girl leapt from the branch, landing squarely on Mostole's back.
Her movements were swift and precise, almost like a dance.
She drove her sword into the creature's neck, then spun aside to dodge its thrashing.
The beast roared, trying to shake her off, but she used its horns as footholds, twisting gracefully before stabbing again at its throat.
Each slash left a trail of glowing pink light, and each wound seemed to burst from within.
Within seconds, Mostole staggered—its roars turning into guttural moans.
The elf spun once more, plunging her sword straight between its eyes.
The giant monster froze… then collapsed with a thunderous DOOOOM!
Leaves and dust swirled. Silence fell.
Zeydan and Mireya stood frozen, stunned.
Mireya still gripped her pistols, unaware her hands were trembling.
The elf pulled her blade free, flicked off the blood, and walked toward them.
Zeydan straightened, still breathless.
"Uh… thanks. If it weren't for you, we'd be corpses by now."
Mireya added, "Seriously—that was the craziest thing I've ever seen. Who are you, some kind of local hero?"
The elf smiled softly—yet something mysterious lingered in her tone.
"Actually, I should be the one thanking you—members of the Warden Organization. Without your kind, our world would've fallen long ago. You're the ones who keep the great beasts from escaping their biomes."
Zeydan and Mireya exchanged puzzled looks.
"Warden?" Zeydan muttered. "We were just recruited yesterday… I don't even know how to use this sword yet."
The elf chuckled gently, her voice like a silver chime.
"That's alright. What matters is that you survived."
She bowed slightly. "My name is Ardelle Nightrune. I'm an elf guardian of Farlios Forest. I'm fifty-six years old—but in human years, I'd be around sixteen."
My name is Ardelle Nightrune. I'm an elf guardian of Farlios Forest. I'm fifty-six years old—but in human years, I'd be around sixteen."
Mireya blinked. "So… you're like, an ancient teenager?"
Zeydan facepalmed. "Don't be like that, Mireya…"
Ardelle giggled. "I've heard worse jokes."
Then she looked at them kindly. "Come. You must need rest. There's a small village nearby—safe, with food."
Zeydan exhaled in relief. "Sounds like we're finally safe."
Together, they followed Ardelle down the glowing forest path—leaving the fallen Mostole behind.