The forest breathed with a low, humming rhythm as Kael and Lumen wandered beyond the familiar paths. Mist clung to the undergrowth. The trees shimmered faintly with residual mana—richer than usual. Lumen hovered silently at Kael’s side, its light dim but focused.

A faint voice echoed between the trees.

Kael paused.

It wasn’t magical—it was human. Female.

He moved quickly.

In a clearing ringed by broken stone, a girl stood—her hand raised in a trembling defensive spell. A beast circled her: lean, panther-like, its fur crackling with unstable glyphmarks. Her spell fizzled before impact. The beast roared.

Kael didn't hesitate.

He sprinted in, ducked a claw swipe, and flared his resonance. Lumen darted in tandem, weaving pulses of disorienting light. The creature stumbled.

Kael struck.

One blow, centered between mana lines—disrupting the flow.

The beast collapsed.

The girl—Selene—fell to her knees, panting. She looked up at him with wide eyes. “You saved me...”

Kael only nodded.

Later, as they walked back toward the village, she explained her purpose: collecting herbs. She had wandered too far and underestimated the danger.

That night, Kael sat by the village edge as torchlight flickered.

Selene, sitting beside him now, whispered, “They’re getting bolder.”

Kael looked toward the dark forest.

He felt it too.

Something was changing.