Smoke rose in the distance.
Thin at first—
then thicker, curling into the sky where the solar beam had burned a clean scar through the forest.
That'll catch their attention.
I didn't linger.
The battlefield had already said everything it needed to say.
I moved quickly, slipping away from the smoke and weaving through broken ground and fallen trees until I reached a familiar vantage point overlooking the mimic nest.
High in the branches, I settled onto a sturdy limb, shifting my weight until the wood stopped creaking beneath me.
Below, a cluster of hatchling birds huddled on a lower branch.
Their tiny heads tilted in unison as they tracked my movement.
I ignored them.
I leaned into my perception, letting the forest sounds blur and fade—
until only one thing remained.
Human voices.
"Is this the nest?" the leader asked.
Boots crunched through ash as someone stepped forward.
"Yes," another voice replied quickly. "I told you it was here. I wasn't lying."
The leader crouched, brushing soot aside before lifting a fragment of charred eggshell.
He turned it slowly between his fingers, studying the blackened surface.
"I assume this was your doing."
"Yes—yes. It was." The man shifted, armor clinking softly.
"So," the leader continued, straightening, "you said one mimic ran away. Correct?"
"Yes. I killed a few mimics, then noticed one backing off." He gestured vaguely downhill. "That caught my attention immediately."
"It ran down the hill and lured me straight into a level thirty-four monster."
"Why was that monster even—"
"I'm not here about the monster," the leader cut in.
His voice was sharp enough to end the question mid-syllable.
"That's being handled separately."
He rose fully now, gaze sweeping across the scorched ground.
His eyes narrowed.
"So this mimic identified danger, fled, and used you as bait."
Silence stretched.
"…Interesting."
"I've never heard of a mimic doing that."
Kael spoke up, careful with his tone.
"Sir, are we sure this is reliable?"
He glanced at the survivor, then away.
"We're trusting the account of a single survivor. Mimics aren't known for intelligence."
"I share your concern," the leader replied evenly.
His voice didn't change—
but his jaw tightened.
"But Lord Koslov sent us to confirm whether such evidence exists."
A pause.
"Whether we find it or not is another matter."
Kael hesitated, fingers tightening around his pack strap.
"Isn't it dangerous to push deeper into Monster Lord territory?"
The leader smirked.
"The Monster Lord?"
He gave a short, humorless scoff.
"There is no Monster Lord."
Kael frowned.
"I don't understand."
"You will," the leader said.
"We'll meet it soon enough—and see what it knows."
Unease rippled through the group.
Several shifted their footing, hands brushing weapon hilts.
Monster Lords were territorial.
And lethal.
"Youichi," the leader ordered without turning, "collect samples."
"Yes, sir."
Youichi knelt immediately, tools already in hand.
"Then we head for the lord's den."
The man with the fire dragon stood rigid at the rear, shoulders tight.
The leader turned sharply.
"Is there something you're not telling me?"
The man stiffened.
"No—nothing."
"Speak."
He swallowed.
"Yesterday… I saw something."
The forest seemed to hold its breath.
"On the ledge above our camp," he continued, voice tight, "I felt something. I saw a silhouette—but that wasn't the worst part."
His hand curled into a fist.
"I felt its bloodlust."
The leader laughed.
Sharp.
Dismissive.
"With nerves like that, I'm surprised you survived this long."
He waved a hand.
"Did you expect the monsters to welcome us? Plenty of things here want us dead."
"They're just not strong enough to act."
"And they're more afraid of the lord's wrath."
The man nodded stiffly, eyes forward.
"That's enough," the leader said. "We move."
"Yes, sir."
They began descending the hill.
The same hill I'd tumbled down the day I was born.
They're not here for the monster.
They're here for me.
A cold knot tightened in my core.
Is a mimic running from danger really that unusual?
Images surfaced—
my siblings drifting without awareness.
My parents, oblivious to threats until it was already too late.
…Yeah.
I guess it is.
I slipped down from the tree, landing without a sound.
And followed them as they moved deeper into the forest.
Silent.
Watching.
Waiting.