When morning came, the cave shook with a deafening roar. The stone walls groaned, and small rock fragments began to fall from the ceiling. It was as if a beast at the heart of nature had awakened and taken a deep breath. The wizards, startled awake by the noise, leapt to their feet, looking around in panic and confusion, their eyes wide with shock.
But one among them, Kaelen, remained calm, as if he had been waiting for this moment. His black hair fell messily over his shoulders, and his red eyes scanned the cave with cool precision. His gaze soon settled on the other two wizards.
Liam, struggling to keep his balance against the violent tremors, leaned against the wall, his hands gripping the quaking ground. His pale face and furrowed brows betrayed his tension. Olivia, meanwhile, tilted her head upward, staring anxiously at the cave's ceiling. Dust particles slowly trickled through the cracks in the rocks, harbingers of a potential collapse. It wasn't just the cave— it seemed the entire island was trembling.
Kaelen took a deep breath. Seeing this scene for the second time felt strangely familiar to him, almost comforting. He rose silently and headed toward the cave's exit. With each step, gravel crunched beneath his boots, and as he neared the entrance, a cool breeze from outside brushed against his face. Narrowing his eyes, he stepped into the outside world.
Olivia was the first to follow, hesitant but resolute. Liam trailed behind, reluctantly choosing to join his companions rather than stay behind the safety of the stone walls. The cost of staying safe had been paid by many the previous morning.
The cave was situated at a relatively high point on the island. From there, the green canopy of the forest, the golden shoreline where it met the coast, and the rhythmic dance of the waves were laid out in an almost 180-degree view. In the distance, the blue of the ocean blended with the sky. But within this natural beauty, the signs of an approaching disaster were already becoming visible.
Liam's voice broke through, laced with a mix of worry and astonishment. "What is that… Should we stay here?"
Kaelen didn't respond immediately. His eyes locked onto the beach at the island's farthest edge, and he slowly raised his index finger to point in that direction.
At that moment, the sea's surface began to boil. Steam rose from the frothing waters, spreading a thick sulfurous smell into the air. An ominous heat, like the breath of an unseen creature, mingled with the sky. It was as if something—or someone—was clawing its way to the surface from the depths of the sea.
And then came the sight—the beach was slowly but relentlessly swallowed by crimson lava. First, the grass withered and curled under the heat, then the tree trunks caught fire one by one. The lava spread like a red disease coursing through nature's veins, unstoppable until it reached the forest's edge. The trees, unable to withstand the heat, burst into flames, their crackling mingling with the smoke rising into the sky.
This was a message—Pheniyet's clear, undeniable message. The island's outer layers would be destroyed one by one. The only way to survive was to move forward, toward the island's center. Those who retreated, hesitated, or chose to wait faced an inevitable end.
By the morning of the second day, every wizard who had chosen to remain on the beach was gone. The lava didn't just burn flesh—it consumed hesitation, fear, and weakness. In the world of mana, there was no place for cowards. Pheniyet's rule was clear: move forward or die. The message was unmistakable.
Kaelen glanced at the two wizards beside him. Liam's expression was as if he'd swallowed his tongue; his eyes wide, his lips parted. Olivia was quieter, but the horror in her eyes ran deeper. Her brows were knitted, her face pale. The reflection of the flames danced in her eyes, and though her lips parted, she couldn't utter a word.
Kaelen thought to himself: "Even a seer has limits to their abilities. Perhaps she had no vision of the effects tied to mana." Kaelen had many thoughts about the young seer. Seers… To the common folk, they were beings who saw the future, knowing every possibility. But that was a great misunderstanding. The truth was, a seer's visions were limited. They couldn't see events that didn't directly affect them or touch their fate.
After the children's shock began to fade, Kaelen spoke. "It's time to leave this place," he said, stretching his shoulders with a yawn. The cracking of his joints broke the silence. His muscles, stiff from prolonged stillness, were finally waking up. A faint smile spread across his face. "So that's how it's going to be," he muttered to himself.
Liam, now regaining some control over his voice, turned his curious eyes to Kaelen. It was as if he was slowly piecing things together. The island's outermost layer—the endless golden beaches—had been obliterated. The once-peaceful boundary where sea met land was now a collapsed, scorched void covered in ash. Even the birds circling the sky didn't dare approach that side, and the smell of burnt seaweed drifted toward the forest's interior with the wind.
"This will force us toward the center," Liam said, his eyes fixed on the horizon. "Just like a battle royale, they're trying to trap us all in a shrinking circle. The area is closing in."
"So…" Olivia narrowed her eyes, turning to Liam with concern. "Where do we go?"
Liam ran a hand through his curly brown hair as he answered, a hesitant silence spreading before his words. For a moment, instead of responding, he listened to the surroundings. The distant chirping of birds had fallen silent, an ominous sign of an approaching storm.
"No need to rush for now," he said finally. "The next layer's destruction will likely extend to where we are now. So, we're safe for at least another day. But…" His sentence hung in the air. His eyes, serious, seemed to be mentally mapping the shrinking area. He took another deep breath before continuing.
"If the beasts on the beach start fleeing inland en masse, it'll create a snowball effect. Meaning…" His eyes met Olivia's. "It'll disrupt the hunting grounds of every species. This won't be a simple migration—it'll be chaotic, aggressive advancement. If the fleeing beasts clash with the species in the areas they enter, the local species will be pushed out. This chain reaction could drag us deep into the forest."
Kaelen paused, seemingly bored by the grim conversation. A familiar glint sparkled in his eyes—as if he saw opportunities amid the chaos. "So…" he said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What do you suggest we do?"
Liam didn't meet Kaelen's gaze directly. His eyes remained fixed on some unseen threat in the distance. Olivia, too, stayed silent, focusing on Liam as if his every word would determine their fate.
"Hmm…" Liam murmured. "We have two options. Either we hold our position and face the approaching beasts… or we descend to the next layer and join the territory wars."
Olivia's brows furrowed. "Joining territory wars… that could turn into a massacre." Her voice was low but filled with palpable fear, as if merely speaking the words could summon misfortune.
Kaelen, unable to bear the silence any longer, shared his own thoughts. "But the rewards would be great," he said, a fierce spark in his eyes. "Think about it—while everyone else flees inward, we go the opposite way. We use the vacuum left by their escape, hunting the wounded or territorial beasts. To survive, we need weapons, and the best weapons come from fallen enemies."
Kaelen's words were logical, but his motives were different. He wasn't thinking about the danger; rather, he found diving into it thrilling. To him, this was just a game—a chance to break free from the chains of fate that kept pulling at him.
Such situations were called "the knot of fate." It seemed like you had options, but in reality, you didn't. The path was already set, and no matter what you did, it made no meaningful difference. That's why Kaelen wanted to shatter his own chains. The only way to cut through fate's threads was to charge forward.
He took a step and leapt from the few-meter-high ledge, landing softly in the forest below. The leaves crunched underfoot, and the air was thick with humidity. Olivia and Liam exchanged glances in the silence. At first, they hesitated, but ultimately, they decided to trust Olivia's foresight.
The trio moved forward through the forest with quiet steps, keeping their mana traces to a minimum using "Kai" techniques. This suppressed the energy radiating from their bodies, ensuring they left no trace.
Kaelen occasionally paused the group, listening to the surroundings, feeling the pulse of the earth. He read the vibrations in the air, the subtle swaying of the trees. Liam watched him with a mix of awe and curiosity. Most of the time, Liam couldn't perceive what Kaelen sensed. But this didn't make him feel inadequate; his observation was backed by knowledge.
For instance, he was the first to notice the faint tracks on the ground. "Wait," he said in a sudden whisper, stopping Kaelen and crouching down. He pointed to deeply embedded tracks in the soil. Liam tried to cover one with his hand, but the track was far larger than his palm.
"This belongs to a large predator," he said carefully. "It passed through here a few hours ago. Looks like it clashed with some chimpanzees."
Kaelen didn't comment on the scenario Liam pieced together from the tracks. He merely glanced at them, his eyes catching on some dull metallic beads. They were infused with mana, meaning they'd been used with it—a sign of a specific group.
"Pheniyet…" Kaelen muttered. "Ugh, this test is starting to get on my nerves." He smirked. He was genuinely curious about what Pheniyet was thinking. Setting traps like this was clever but insufficient. Kaelen's mind worked in far more complex ways.
Liam pointed toward a denser part of the forest. "The beast is badly wounded… It went that way." That direction led to the heart of the forest, a dark region where even sunlight struggled to penetrate the thick canopy.
A spark of impulse flickered within Kaelen. A wounded prey… meant an opportunity. "Let's go take a look," he said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
The group nodded and continued forward. The sun had reached its peak in the sky. Time was slipping away quickly, and the shadows were growing shorter. The humidity in the forest had intensified, and the bird calls had almost entirely ceased. Time was running out. It was too late to turn back.
The beast had headed deep into the forest. Kaelen felt a strong urge to track the wounded creature. "Let's go take a look." As the group nodded, the sun climbed to its zenith. The hours left to escape the forest were dwindling rapidly.