A thin mist still clung to the village of Lumeris as Kael stood on the stone path that led into the forest. He was only eighteen, yet his heart had long rebelled against the narrow borders of the small place where he was born.
A worn leather pack hung on his back. Inside were only a few loaves of dry bread, a flask of water, and a dagger left behind by his mother. Not much, but enough for a first step.
"The world is far too vast to spend a lifetime in one place," Kael whispered, as if convincing himself.
The morning air carried the scent of wet earth. Usually, the Avelora woods were alive with birdsong and the chatter of crickets. But today... silence. A silence that felt wrong.
He stepped deeper, branches snapping under his boots. Something prickled at the back of his neck. Then a sound-crack!-the heavy break of a branch, far louder than any deer or boar could make.
From the shifting fog, a shape emerged.
A hulking creature, over two meters tall, its fur the color of damp moss, its eyes glowing a fierce yellow. Long claws scraped against the soil, leaving deep scars behind. The villagers had a name for it: Grath, a monster said to appear only when the forest itself felt threatened.
Kael's heart pounded. He had heard the stories, but never thought he would face them so soon. He could run back to the village-or stand his ground.
His hand tightened around the dagger's hilt. His fingers trembled, but his gaze did not waver.
The wind rose, scattering leaves through the mist, and Grath let out a low roar that shook the ground beneath them.
Kael drew a sharp breath.
"If the world is filled with monsters like this," he thought, "then I'll have to learn to face them, starting now."
He lowered his stance, blade ready in his grip. The forest seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the clash that would decide the path of his life.