Scene 138 — "Leave Everything"
Silence held the valley.
No wind.
No birds.
No whispers from the crystal forest.
Then—
it came.
A roar.
It was not merely loud.
It possessed weight.
The sound crashed across the mountains like an invisible tide.
The wooden house trembled.
Windows rattled violently.
The crystal trees bent as if struck by a storm.
Far across the valley, cliffs shed loose stone.
The younger girl instinctively covered her ears.
The brother staggered half a step before planting his spear into the ground.
The elder sister remained standing, though her breathing had become noticeably heavier.
The Traveler did not move.
His silver eyes remained fixed upon the forest.
Another roar followed.
Closer.
The earth answered.
A deep vibration rolled beneath the settlement.
Cups fell from shelves.
A wooden fence collapsed.
Several frightened animals bolted across the fields without direction.
Then—
the warning bells began ringing.
Not one.
Dozens.
Their desperate rhythm spread from house to house.
People emerged from their homes.
Children.
Elders.
Hunters.
Every face carried the same expression.
Urgency.
No one questioned the bells.
No one hesitated.
They had heard this warning before.
"Leave everything!"
A voice echoed through the settlement.
"Head for the eastern shelters!"
Another shouted,
"Don't stop! Keep moving!"
Within moments, the peaceful village dissolved into motion.
Families gathered one another.
Parents carried frightened children.
Elders were supported by younger hands.
Doors were left open.
Meals remained untouched.
Nothing mattered except distance.
The brother turned toward his sisters.
"We're leaving."
The younger girl nodded immediately.
The elder sister looked at the Traveler.
"You come with us."
The Traveler's gaze remained on the distant forest.
The crashes had stopped.
That disturbed him more than the destruction itself.
Something that large...
Should have continued making noise.
Instead—
it had gone silent.
As though it had reached the place it wanted.
The survivor, still kneeling on the ground, lifted a trembling hand toward the trees.
His lips barely moved.
"...It's here..."
A heartbeat later—
the first crystal tree at the forest's edge snapped in half.
Not slowly.
Not under pressure.
It shattered.
Fragments of glittering crystal rained across the hillside.
Then another.
Then another.
A path opened through the forest.
Straight toward the settlement.
Yet the creature itself remained hidden beyond the broken trees.
Only its approach could be seen.
Measured.
Unstoppable.
The brother tightened his grip on his spear.
His knuckles turned white.
The elder sister spoke quietly.
"Move."
This time—
she was not asking.
Around them, the last of the villagers fled toward the eastern mountain paths.
The Traveler finally turned away from the forest.
Not out of fear.
But because the people beside him had chosen to save a stranger they believed was nothing more than an injured human.
He would not ignore that.
Together—
the four of them began moving with the fleeing villagers.
Behind them—
another earth-shaking step echoed from the crystal forest.
Closer than before.
Much closer.
Whatever had crossed into the hidden world...
Had finally reached the settlement.