"So something is going on." My eyes narrow. "What is it?"
"The thing is… monsters are acting weirdly in the Dark Forest."
"Weirdly?" I tilt my head at him.
"They're more aggressive than normal, and their numbers are increasing day by day. Yesterday, the patrolling guards even found a C– rank monster near the walls of the fortress."
"How is that weird?" I ask, a frown tugging at my lips. "Isn't the Dark Forest full of monsters?"
"Yes, you're right. The forest is full of monsters… but that's only true for the deeper regions. The area around the fortress is usually peaceful. The patrolling guards regularly clear it, so only weaker monsters remain here. Stronger monsters, the ones with more intelligence, never come this close."
Monsters are acting more aggressive. Their numbers are swelling every day.
A chill crawls down my spine as a single possibility comes to mind.
"A monster stampede…" I mutter under my breath.
But the three in front of me—Daren, John, and Nicholas—catch it clearly. Their sharpened senses as Awakened leave no room for whispers.
John's expression darkens. "You're right. Commander fears the same. That's why he went to investigate personally."
My knuckles tighten on their own.
A monster stampede… it's just as I remember from the records. A horde of beasts—tens of thousands—gathered together, rushing in one direction like an unstoppable tide.
And when it happens, everything in their path is erased. Villages, walls, lives… all gone.
The sheer numbers are terrifying on their own. Tens of thousands of monsters, some even reaching A-rank. But that's not the true nightmare. The true danger is the cause.
"Monster stampedes don't happen by themselves," I begin, voice low.
John cuts me off before I can finish. "They happen when a higher-ranked monster awakens. Or when one moves into the area."
"An S-rank monster…" Daren mutters, his eyes wide.
"Or even higher," I add.
All four of us go grim. John's jaw clenches, and Nicholas just stares at the ground, a silent dread settling over us.
A thousand monsters are already a disaster on their own. But an S-rank monster… that's something else entirely. Beasts that reach that stage are no longer just monsters—they become true lords of their regions, rulers in their own right.
To bring one down, you need not just one, but multiple S-rank Awakened fighting together.
Just like humans or elves who reach S-rank shed the shackles of mortality, monsters do the same. But their ascension is far more profound. Their intelligence sharpens to frightening levels. Their control over elements surges, warping reality with every breath. And worst of all… they forge a bond with the world itself.
"They make their own domain," I whisper.
Daren's jaw clenches. He knows exactly what that means.
In contrast, humans and other races can only shape a domain upon stepping into SS-rank. That's why an S-rank monster stands above even an S-rank Awakened. Their very existence bends the battlefield to their will.
"Well… it's not set in stone," I mutter, the words feeling hollow. "There could be other reasons. Maybe we're just… exaggerating the situation."
"Yeah," John says quickly, latching onto my words. He sounds a little too eager. "And even if it is true, we have the commander with us. You know he's no less than any S-rank monster. He can take care of it."
"Right," Daren adds with a laugh, though it sounds a little too forced. "Captain will handle it. He always does."
We all laugh with him. But it's a brittle sound. A fragile veil of false hope we stretch over the dread clawing in our chests. Every one of us knows the truth.
---
Slash. Slash.
Sweat slides down my forehead as I swing the blade, but my thoughts aren't on training. Not today.
They are on the coming doom.
A monster stampede.
This isn't supposed to happen. In the original timeline, there was no fortress here—it had already been destroyed. And after that, no stampede ever comes.
But now… it is happening.
Why?
The question gnaws at me. Is this the price of my interference? I saved people who were never meant to live. Is the world correcting itself? If that's true… then maybe Liana is also in danger.
Is it fate?
"Fuck," I mutter, throwing the sword aside. The clang echoes through the empty training ground, a harsh reminder of how powerless I still am.
"Why are you hesitating, Kael?"
Noctharion materializes beside me, his form half-shadow, half-fire. His voice is deeper now, reverberating through my bones.
"Isn't this the perfect chance you've been waiting for? A monster stampede—thousands of beasts at once. You can fight until your body breaks. Isn't that what you crave?"
"I know…" I clench my fists. "I know this is the chance I wanted. But—" My gaze drifts toward the fortress walls. "Everyone here will be in danger."
Noctharion laughs. A low, mocking sound that curls like smoke around my ears.
"So what?" His crimson eyes narrow. "Why do you care about them?"
My jaw tightens. "What do you mean by that?"
"You're still clinging to that illusion," he sneers. "That humans matter. That their fragile little lives mean something. Wake up, Kael. They are nothing. Ants. And do you concern yourself with the fate of ants when you crush them beneath your feet?"
"They're not ants," I shoot back, a hot flush spreading across my chest. "They're people. Humans. Just like me."
"Humans like you?" Noctharion's voice drips venom now, his tone a mixture of mockery and scorn. He leans closer, shadows writhing at the edges of his form. "Don't flatter them by comparing yourself to filth. You are not like them. You carry darkness, power, destiny. They—" he points lazily at the fortress, as if dismissing its entire population with a flick of his claw "—are cattle. Nothing more. Fodder for the world's cruelty."
His grin widens, sharp and arrogant. "So stop thinking about them, Kael. Stop pretending their lives weigh anything. Focus only on yourself… on your hunger. That is the only truth worth embracing."
"I am not like you, Noctharion," I say, my voice low but firm. "I am human. And I will not lose my humanity."
For a heartbeat, silence hangs heavy in the air. Then Noctharion chuckles, the sound dark and mocking, as if my words are nothing but a child's stubbornness.
"Cling to that belief if it soothes you," he murmurs, crimson eyes gleaming. "But the day will come when you'll understand. In the end, Kael… nothing matters. No one matters. Except your own self."
His form dissolves into smoke and shadow, fading into the air as if he had never been there.
I am left standing alone, fists clenched, my heart a hammer against my ribs.