The morning sun spilled golden light over the endless canopy of the forest, yet the air felt wrong. The songs of birds, the rustle of smaller animals, the distant howls and roars that once filled the land with chaotic life—all of them were absent. The silence was heavy, as though the forest itself held its breath.
Om sat atop Dawon's broad back, eyes narrowed, while Dev, perched just behind him, fidgeted nervously. The memory of yesterday's fruitless search clung to them like a fog. Not a single beast had shown itself despite the bait, despite hours of waiting. It was unnatural.
Then, Zero's calm voice cut through the silence.
[Master! The four apex beasts Dawon subdued are in nearby vicinity.]
[Together, they are moving to somewhere. Their trajectories converge toward the northern ridge.]
[They are… not hunting. Their behavior suggests migration.]
Om's brow furrowed. "Migration?"
Before he could think further, Dawon let out a thunderous roar that shook the branches above. Leaves rained down. The ground trembled faintly. In the distance, the four titans froze at the call—then turned their heads back.
Dev's body stiffened immediately. His hands clutched the hilt of his battered claymore until his knuckles whitened. Cold sweat rolled down his back.
In front of them, moving slowly across the ground like living mountains, were the four apex predators Om and Dawon had battled not long ago:
The Seismic Howler with its jagged crystalline spines and a throat that could split the air with shockwaves.
The Mother Spider, her massive body dragging a silken web that glistened faintly with venom.
The Serpent, thick as an ancient tree, scales black and glinting with oily light.
The Mammoth Behemoth, each footfall sinking deep into the earth, its tusks glowing faintly with steel like armour.
Dev's voice cracked as he leaned closer to Om. "Wh… what the hell is going on? Those things…! Just one of them is too much four me, and now there are four?!"
Om, however, remained calm, his gaze steady. He reached out and patted Dawon's mane gently.
"Relax Dev. They aren't here to fight."
Dawon growled low in his throat, and Om gave a simple command. "Ask them where the other beasts went."
The giant lion leapt forward, landing with a heavy thud before the four apex predators. His mane shimmered faintly with golden Sanskrit inscriptions that pulsed like fire. He roared, and the forest seemed to quiver.
The beasts answered in kind. The Howler barked in deep seismic waves that shook the ground. The Serpent hissed in reverberating tones, its forked tongue lashing. The Spider clicked her mandibles, weaving faint strands into the air. The Mammoth trumpeted, low and mournful.
Dev's heart raced. To him, it was just a nightmare symphony of monstrous noises. His legs trembled, yet he couldn't run—his body wouldn't obey. His claymore felt like nothing in front of such entities.
But Om… Om listened. His eyes scanned each beast, watching for subtle cues. Their tones, their movements—it wasn't words, but meaning seeped through Dawon's connection to them.
Finally, Dawon turned back, his glowing eyes locking onto Om. With deliberate motion, he lowered himself and lifted Om and Dev back onto his back.
The four beasts shifted, forming a half-circle around Dawon, and began moving north.
Om's lips curved slightly. "They want us to follow."
Dev's jaw dropped. "Follow them?! Are you insane?!" He gestured frantically at the towering monsters leading the way. "Do you even understand what kind of suicide that is?!"
Om gave him a sidelong glance, calm as ever.
"Do you trust me?"
Dev hesitated. His heart screamed no. But then he looked again at Om—the boy who once looked frail, beaten, the weakest among them. Now he sat tall, athletic build sharpened by training, his posture unshaken even as titans walked before him. Dawon beside him radiated such dominance that even apex predators submitted.
Slowly, Dev's fear dulled into something else—reluctant faith. He let out a long breath.
"…Fine. But if we die, I'm blaming you."
Om chuckled softly, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.
"That's fair."
.
.
.
.
The journey stretched across the entire morning. The deeper they went, the more wrong everything felt.
Once-bustling valleys now lay empty. Tracks of beasts crisscrossed the ground, yet no fresh ones appeared. Bones littered some places, not gnawed but abandoned, as though beasts had fled in haste.
Om noted every detail. His sharp gaze caught broken trees bent in the same direction, scorched patches of earth, deep claw marks that didn't belong to any predator he knew.
Dev, still uneasy, finally broke the silence.
"Om… I've hunted thousands of beasts since coming here. But this—this silence—it feels like the forest itself is dying."
Om gave a faint nod. "Something bigger is moving them."
Zero's voice hummed in Om's mind.
"Your deduction is accurate. The disappearance of the ordinary beasts and the organized movement of apex predators suggest a central disturbance. Something… unnatural. Stay cautious."
Dawon growled softly, golden symbols across his mane flickering like fireflies. The four beasts ahead moved with uncharacteristic coordination, as though bound by a common urgency.
Finally, after hours of travel, they reached a clearing at the foot of a jagged cliffside. The earth smelled faintly of sulfur. A dark cave yawned open at its center, wide enough for even the Mammoth to walk through.
The beasts stopped.
Dev's throat went dry. "This… this is where they were going?"
The Mammoth rumbled. The Spider hissed. The Serpent slithered around the entrance, but none dared enter. They turned to Dawon and Om instead, bowing their massive heads in unison.
The message was clear.
Om narrowed his eyes. "…They want us to go inside."
Dev nearly fell off Dawon's back. "WHAT?! Are they insane? Whatever's inside there—if even they won't go in—why the hell should we?!"
Om patted Dawon's mane, his lips curling into a quiet smile. "Because whatever's inside that cave is the reason the forest has gone silent. And we're in need of more beasts to hunt. Also,we need to know what we're up against."
Dawon let out a deep roar of agreement, his golden mane blazing brighter.
Dev buried his face in his hands. "This is madness…" But even as he complained, he didn't move to run. He stayed on Dawon's back.
Om's gaze hardened. He leaned forward, whispering to Dawon. "Let's go."
With a powerful stride, the great lion stepped past the titans and into the yawning darkness of the cave. The four apex beasts lowered their heads one last time, watching silently as the trio disappeared within.
The ground swallowed their steps. The forest behind remained silent. And in the distance, something deep inside the cave stirred—waiting.