The sun had already passed its highest point in the sky, marking mid-afternoon. I was tired of watching in silence and, to be honest, completely bored. For the past few hours, there had been no signs of prana fluctuation, no suspicious movements, nothing worth my attention. Time dragged on, and I began to wonder if I was wasting energy staying here, standing guard like a sentinel without enemies.
Still, I kept my focus on the most obvious resource: water. In a forest, it doesn't matter if you're an Awakened rank or a Champion if you're not a water-affinity mage, sooner or later you'll need to replenish yourself. It was a logical meeting point, and if competitors were nearby, sooner or later they would appear. But instead of the rivals I expected to see emerging to drink or watch over a river it was something else that caught my attention: the sky.
A flock of birds, dozens, maybe hundreds, began rising from deep within the forest. They weren't flying aimlessly; their wings beat in a desperate rhythm, migrating en masse away from the same region. Their restlessness seemed almost coordinated, as if they were obeying some invisible command.
I frowned. Something had happened.
Without thinking twice, I climbed a taller tree, the rough bark scraping my hands as I hauled myself up into the canopy. From there, the world opened before me, and the sight made my breath catch.
A chill ran down my spine, my heartbeat quickening. A strange sense of déjà vu took hold of me. "Damn it… someone stirred the anthill," I muttered through clenched teeth.
On the ground, the forest boiled with movement. Entire trees toppled, crushed under the strength of dozens of colossal bodies. Branches snapped like brittle bones, and the soil quaked in waves with each charge. I saw a herd of boars covered in bony spikes, each step carving deep grooves into the earth.
Among them, porcupines the size of horses advanced, their natural lances clashing against each other, ringing out like a troop marching to war. Higher up, leaping between trunks before crashing down to the ground, massive apes appeared—creatures with four arms, chitinous exoskeletons on their backs reflecting sunlight as if molded from living obsidian.
The air was thick with dust and shredded leaves, birds screeched in panic as they fled in every direction. That flood of beasts wasn't just migration—it was a wave of pure hostility, a mass of wild instinct in frenzy. The sound of hooves, roars, and snapping wood was so intense it smothered even my own thoughts. I swallowed hard, trying to follow the direction of that living torrent.
"What the hell happened…?"
I trailed behind the herd, careful with each step. The ground shook so violently that my feet nearly lost balance with every charge, but I kept close to the shadows, making sure not to become an obvious target amid that tide of claws and fangs.
The strangest part was the synchronization. The beasts weren't just running—they surged forward like an army marching in unison, but without the discipline of a controlling mind. It was different, almost instinctual. Then I understood: they weren't being controlled… they were being drawn. Like starving dogs sprinting toward the most coveted meal.
I kept following, lungs burning from the effort, until several kilometers later the scene changed abruptly. Ahead, the forest had turned into pure chaos. Barely a hundred meters from a cliff, I saw the sight that froze my chest: six competitors fighting desperately against the torrent of beasts.
This wasn't just a fight for survival; it was a massacre waiting to happen. The creatures crashed against them as if each body were the most irresistible feast ever offered. From the treetop where I clung, I watched birds fleeing in panic, smoke rising from the ground, mingled with dust and screams.
Craters multiplied, each impact from the larger beasts reducing the terrain to ruins. And still, the group fought in coordination. I recognized the archer with black arrows loosing shots that carved space in the swarm. Beside her, the wind mage raised whirlwinds that diverted the immediate rush, synchronized with an earth caster who shaped walls and columns to hold back the tide. Two spearmen guarded the flanks, their lances flashing in swift, precise movements, while a hulking competitor swung a war hammer larger than himself—each strike thundered, scattering bodies in all directions.
For a moment, I almost admired their resistance. But reality was merciless.
The black-haired spearman in copper armor—clearly the leader—shouted orders in a hoarse voice, keeping the formation intact by sheer willpower. Even so, the pressure was unbearable. The noose tightened further with every second.
I saw spiked boars burst from the treeline like arena bulls, joined by colossal porcupines casting massive shadows over the clearing. The ground shook again under their weight, and the group's formation, solid as it was, showed clear signs it wouldn't hold much longer.
I swallowed hard, fingers digging into the bark of the tree that hid me.
"Strange… what caused this? It's not a natural phenomenon." My eyes narrowed as I followed the beasts advancing like a living avalanche, each one more frenzied than the last. "It's more like someone poked at a mother's egg… and she's furious."
A cold shiver spread across my skin, the hairs on my arms standing as if I'd plunged into an icy lake. My instinct screamed danger.
Without hesitation, my body surged with electricity; muscles tense, nerves sharpened. I shot left at maximum speed, bracing for an attack that seemed imminent. But in the end, nothing came. No beast, no arrow, no hidden presence. The void of silence pressed around me, and that only made me more suspicious.
I frowned, teeth clenched. My senses screamed again, sharper this time, as if someone whispered directly into my ear: danger.
I trusted them, moving in a quick leap, dodging before I could even think. Again… nothing. My heart pounded in my chest, as if trying to break free from my ribs. "What the hell is this!!" I snarled, frustration and adrenaline boiling.
Before I could curse again, the shiver returned, deep and suffocating. Then I realized. The environment… had changed. The leaves that had been drifting lazily in the wind suddenly transformed. A gentle breeze passed, but its touch wasn't natural—it felt as though it drained life from the air itself. The leaves lost their golden luster, turning dull, lifeless, gray, as if each had been dipped in ash.
A metallic taste spread in my mouth, and the forest's damp scent gave way to something dry, arid.
"What the hell is this…?" I whispered, throat parched as my eyes swept the landscape. Something invisible was there, manipulating not just my reactions, but the very essence of the environment around me.
Finally, I felt a fluctuation of prana to my right. Narrowing my vision, I thought I saw someone camouflaged near the vegetation.
"A mage?"
Electricity burst out, and I charged at full speed toward the figure. Orbs appeared above my head, lightning crackling as it incinerated the vegetation in my path. Five bolts exploded in that spot.
When my orbs scorched the area, I found nothing but smoke and ashes. A wave of frustration rose in my throat, but it was quickly smothered by a shiver along my spine. That bastard was provoking me, testing my perception like a predator toying with its prey.
The truth became clear in an instant: I wasn't dealing with just an ordinary competitor hiding behind the foliage. No, this was the work of someone skilled, someone refined, a master of advanced camouflage the kind of technique that blends with the very scenery and becomes indistinguishable from stones, branches, and moss.
My gaze swept through the forest, every charred tree trunk, every branch broken by the passage of wild beasts.
"So, more than one hunter came out to take advantage of the confusion!"
Suddenly my perception grew dull, nature itself began to shimmer with strange colors—trees, flowers, vegetation, soil, and roots. Some green and dried leaves floating slowly in the air carried a strange sensation, their tones muted, as if they had been washed in acid.
'Does this bastard control nature?' my suspicions sharpened.
If that premise were true, if a competitor was able to shape the subtlest nuances of nature itself... he would not be easy to hunt. Not inside a forest.
I clenched my fists, electricity dancing around my arms, each spark a reflection of the impatience growing inside me.
"You want to play shadow, huh? Then let's see how long you can keep hiding."
I drew in a deep breath, expanding my senses to the limit, feeling every pulse of energy, every subtle vibration in the air.
The ground shook beneath my feet, and it took me a moment to realize it wasn't just an isolated attack—the entire forest was turning against me. Roots writhed like serpents, trying to ensnare me, while the treetops swayed in unnatural rhythm, as if laughing at my struggle.
Thick, damp whips of bark cracked through the air, slicing smaller trunks around me as though they were brittle twigs.
The sensation was suffocating, as if I had been swallowed alive by some colossal organism and was now being digested inside the bowels of the world itself.
I roared, my body bursting forward at maximum speed. The electric currents surrounding me ravaged the space around, scorching dead leaves and shattering splinters of wood.
With every movement, lightning erupted from my arms and from the orbs on my back, forming a chaotic defense still far too meager against the vastness of the enemy.
The damned mage remained invisible, hidden somewhere beyond my senses, and with this living puppet of roots, thorns, and leaves, I couldn't think of a single way to track the bastard down.
My frustration swelled, my eyes scanning every shadow, every fluctuation of prana, searching for the faintest flaw in the manipulation.
I leapt from branch to branch, dodging shuriken-like leaves that embedded themselves into trees like steel blades, carving through bark and wood with lethal precision.
Lightning burst from my feet as I landed on a trunk, propelling my body like a projectile to the left, breaking the rhythm of the whips that tried to anticipate my movements.
The problem was simple and cruel: "A mage who controls nature, inside a forest. What a fucking combination!!"
Every stone, every grain of dirt, every leaf could be turned against me. And so far, I hadn't even seen the shadow of this bastard.