The first steps into the Jungle of Giants felt like walking into a story someone had exaggerated at every retelling. Midarion stood frozen at the cliff's edge, jaw slack, heart pounding. A tiny weight shifted on his shoulder as Keel—the baby dragon no bigger than a housecat—peeked over his collar with a confused chirp, wings fluttering nervously.
Trees rose like towers—no, like mountains—their canopies lost in mist. Vines coiled along them like rivers hanging from the sky. Birds flapped overhead, wings so broad they could knock down a hut with a sneeze.
"This…" Midarion whispered, his neck craning so far back he nearly toppled. "This is insane."
He swallowed."…You're sure we're not supposed to go around it?"
Theomar let out a low chuckle. "Around? young wolf, you're going to rule this place."
Midarion blinked. "Rule it? I can't even climb a normal tree without almost dying."
"You didn't die," Theomar said. "You just screamed like you were being murdered. Big difference."
"That squirrel was aggressive!"
"Midarion, it weighed half a loaf of bread."
He puffed his cheeks. "It had mean eyes."
Theomar threw his head back and laughed, the sound echoing into the wild expanse. "All right, listen. You have three years. Three years to conquer the jungle. Learn every inch of it. Hunt, track, climb, survive. Become its king."
Midarion stared out at the endless green death trap. "I'm supposed to be king of… that?"
"Yes."
"I'm twelve."
"Yes."
"I cry when I stub my toe."
"Yes, and loudly."
Keel squeaked in agreement, his little tail curling around Midarion's neck like a worried scarf.
Midarion groaned and dragged his hands down his face. Theomar clapped his back hard enough to make him stumble.
"You'll be fine. Probably."
"'Probably'?!"
"You'll be fine," Theomar repeated, waving off the panic. "If you LISTEN. That's the key. You don't listen, you'll get eaten by something with too many teeth."
"That doesn't make me feel better."
"You weren't supposed to feel better."
Midarion glared. Theomar grinned wider.
They descended the slope, their boots crunching through thick underbrush. Leaves the size of walls blocked the sunlight. As soon as they crossed the boundary into the jungle proper, the air changed—heavy, warm, humming with hidden life.
Keel pressed himself flat against Midarion's back, overwhelmed by the forest's size, his tiny claws clinging to the boy's shirt whenever a strange noise echoed.
A distant roar rolled like thunder.
Midarion froze. "Tell me that's wind."
"That's not wind."
"Fantastic. Just fantastic."
They pushed forward, Theomar moving like he'd lived his whole life in the wild. Midarion, on the other hand, tripped on a root every three steps. Each time he stumbled, Keel chirped angrily as if scolding him, flapping his stumpy wings to keep balance.
"This place is huge," he murmured. "And… loud."
"The deeper you go," Theomar said, "the bigger the animals get. So you'll start here. Outer ring. Small creatures. Nothing too dangerous."
Midarion stared at a bird the size of a cow flying overhead.
Theomar shrugged. "Okay, mostly nothing too dangerous."
They moved deeper until the trees swallowed the sky completely. Light scattered in green shards. Strange calls echoed from every angle.
"This is impossible," Midarion muttered. "I won't survive a week."
"You'll survive," Theomar said, suddenly serious. "Because you don't know how to quit. And because you're not alone. I'll be around."
"Around?"
"Not with you. Around." He made a vague circle gesture. "Nearby. Ish."
Midarion deflated. "So I'm going to die."
Theomar sighed. "Look. You're strong. Stupid, but strong."
Midarion squinted at him. "Is that a compliment?"
"More than you deserve."
"…Thanks?"
Midarion's voice dropped. "I just—I feel too weak. Everyone else is better than me. Faster, smarter, stronger. Even Reikika."
"Oh, Reikika's going to surpass you for sure," Theomar said instantly.
Midarion's eyes widened. "WHAT?!"
"Ren's training her. That man could turn a pigeon into a warlord."
Midarion imagined Reikika, nine years old, kicking down mountains.
He rubbed his face again. "Great. So I'm going to be the weakest."
"Unless," Theomar said, tapping Midarion's forehead, "you stop using this for worrying and start using it for learning."
Midarion took a shaky breath. "I don't want to be weak anymore."
"There it is," Theomar said softly. "Good. Hold onto that."
Midarion nodded. "So… what do I do first?"
Theomar grinned. "Meditation."
Midarion stared at him like he'd just announced they would fight using cooked noodles."Meditation? Seriously? The thing where I sit and die of boredom?"
"That's the one."
"Why?!"
"Because meditation isn't sitting," Theomar said. "It's sharpening. At high levels, you can hear heartbeats around you."
Midarion blinked. "Heartbeats? From who, animals?"
"Animals, people, insects if you're very unlucky."
Midarion pictured bugs with tiny drums beating inside them. "Ew."
They stopped in a clearing surrounded by roots thicker than houses. Theomar dropped his pack. Keel leapt off Midarion's shoulder and waddled ahead on his tiny feet, sniffing everything like an overexcited pup.
"Sit," Theomar ordered.
Midarion flopped onto the ground like a disgruntled cat.
"Back straight."
Midarion straightened.
"Breathe."
Midarion breathed.
"Relax."
Midarion's shoulders loosened a little.
"Focus."
His shoulders tensed again.
"Not like that," Theomar said, flicking the back of his head.
"Ow!"
"It was a gentle flick."
"You flick like a hammer!"
Theomar ignored him and sat across from him. "Meditation is the foundation. Without it, everything else collapses."
Midarion sighed dramatically. "I hate foundations."
"You like Filandra?"
Midarion stiffened. "Of course I do."
"You want to call her whenever you wish?"
"Yes… but I can't. She doesn't answer me. Maybe she doesn't—maybe she doesn't like me."
Theomar finally grew still. The joking tone fell away.
"Midarion," he said quietly, "that's not how spirits work."
Midarion looked up, confused. "Then why doesn't she—"
Theomar interrupted gently. "Do you even know why you can't call her yet?"
Midarion hesitated. "…No."
The breeze rustled the giant leaves overhead. Shadows rippled like living things.
Theomar leaned back slightly, expression thoughtful."Well," he said, "before you can understand that, you need to learn something. Something fundamental. Everything in this world—power, spirit, life—it all comes down to one thing."
"One thing?" Midarion whispered.
Theomar nodded.
"Cosmo"
The words struck something inside Midarion—like a door cracking open
"To understand it all… you must first learn the true concept of Cosmo—but also the nature of Aura."
Midarion froze.
Theomar leaned closer, voice like a promise.
"And once you understand them, everything—Filandra, your potential, your limits—will finally make sense."
The wind shifted. Leaves whispered.
Midarion swallowed hard.
"What… what are Cosmo and Aura, Master?"
Theomar smiled.
"That," he said, rising to his feet, "is where your real training begins."