Two days had passed since Theo silenced the roars of the six orcs from the "Bloodfang" tribe with the cold edge of his daggers, two days of continuous travel north, through a forest whose features gradually began to change.
The trees grew larger and older, their trunks twisted and covered with thick layers of strangely colored moss, dark purple and pale grey, like ancient scars on the earth's body. The air itself felt heavier, permeated by a silence that wasn't merely the absence of sound, but a dense presence, as if the forest was holding its breath, watching.
Theo moved with calculated agility between the tangled roots and oddly shaped rocks that seemed to have been sculpted by unnatural forces, it wasn't just walking, but continuous training. He maintained a light, steady flow of mana through his body, trying to make it as natural as breathing, as Celia had ordered him. He felt it as a faint warm current beneath his skin, whispering with latent energy, ready to burst forth at any moment. His movements were smoother now, his transition between stopping, walking, dodging, and almost instinctively jumping was more fluid, but he knew they were still imperfect in Celia's eyes.
Celia walked a few steps behind him, silent as usual, her clear blue eyes calmly scanning the forest, but Theo felt her scrutinizing gaze on him, evaluating every movement, every whisper in his mana flow.
"The flow is better," her voice came suddenly, cutting through the dense silence. "But it's still... conscious. You're thinking about maintaining it, not making it happen. It must become like your heartbeat, continuous without conscious effort. Only when it becomes an integral part of your being can you truly feel the flows around you and exploit them."
Theo paused for a moment, looked at his hands, then nodded in silent understanding. He had felt the difference, how maintaining this faint current made him more aware of his surroundings, but making it completely natural was another challenge.
"This forest," Celia continued, pointing to a giant tree with cracked grey bark, "is known as the Ancient Whispers Forest. It's the southern edge of what was once the great kingdom of Ilandar. The further north we go, the clearer the ruins become, and the whispers... louder."
Theo raised his eyebrows in silent question. 'Ilandar' - the lost kingdom of magic.
"Ilandar fell a thousand years ago," Celia continued, her voice taking on an almost dreamy tone, yet still cold. "It wasn't just a war against monsters or external enemies, as trivial stories tell. There was something deeper, an internal rot, magic gone wild, ambitions that exceeded the bounds of wisdom... and perhaps, interference from powers that don't entirely belong to this world." She left the last words hanging in the air, heavy with mystery.
"Our destination is what's known as the 'Silent Archive', one of the few ruins of Ilandar that still holds some of its secrets, or so the legends say." She added. "But the path to it isn't easy. These ancient lands, saturated with leaking mana and violent memories, are a breeding ground for monsters you haven't seen before."
They continued walking, Theo processing the new information in silence. Ilandar, an ancient war, dangerous magic, stronger monsters. Everything pointed to a darker, more dangerous world than he had imagined. The pain in his side, which had slightly subsided but not completely disappeared, was a constant reminder of the cost of weakness.
After a while, Celia suddenly stopped and pointed to the ground. Theo bent down to see what she was indicating. They were massive footprints, much larger than orc tracks, with three powerful claws that left deep marks in the damp soil.
"Griffin." Celia said calmly. "Majestic creatures, masters of the sky in these areas. A mix of lion and eagle, incredibly strong, fast, and fierce, especially when it comes to defending their territories or young. Their eyesight is so sharp they can see a mouse move a kilometer away. Approaching them undetected requires more than just hiding in the shadows."
Theo carefully examined the tracks, trying to engrave their shape in his memory.
"But their strength also lies in their weakness," Celia continued. "Their pride sometimes makes them reckless, and their aggression can be exploited to drive them into traps or unfavorable terrain. Their young, though weaker, are more reckless and aggressive, and may attack anything they perceive as a threat without thinking."
They continued walking with greater caution now. The presence of griffins in the area meant that the sky was no longer safe for mere observation, but had become a potential source of danger.
About an hour later, as they crossed a scattered rocky area interspersed with sparse trees, Celia pointed to a small, dark cave on the side of a low hill. "Look there." She whispered.
Theo approached cautiously, feeling a strange coldness emanating from the cave entrance, and a faint rotten smell resembling decaying reptiles. He noticed small, shiny scales scattered near the entrance, black as obsidian.
"Basilisk." Celia said, her voice carrying a clear warning. "A royal serpent, often associated with dark magic or the ruins of ancient civilizations like Ilandar. Never look directly into the eyes of a mature basilisk, its gaze carries instant death. Even its young, its gaze can cause temporary paralysis, or a magical disease that exhausts the body and soul, or severe dizziness that makes you easy prey."
Theo felt a shiver run down his spine. Death with a mere glance. How could one fight something like that?
"In addition to its gaze," Celia added, "its venom is lethal, and some breeds can spit it short distances. Its shed skin is resistant to most physical and basic magical attacks. Fighting it requires avoiding direct confrontation, relying on senses other than sight, such as mana sensing or hearing, and exploiting its limited speed on rocky or uneven ground. Mirrors can be useful, but they are a great risk."
Theo nodded, his mind rapidly processing the new threat, the "Basilisk," another monster requiring completely different tactics.
They moved away from the cave and resumed their northward path. The sun began to dip towards the west, casting long shadows across the ancient forest.
"There's a third monster you should be aware of in these areas," Celia said after a period of silence. "The Manticore. A terrifying and unnatural hybrid a lion's body, a deformed human face, leathery, bat-like wings, and a long scorpion's tail capable of firing poisonous spikes with deadly accuracy. It's a malicious and cunning predator, preferring ambushes and surprise attacks."
Theo imagined the grotesque creature, feeling a mixture of disgust and apprehension. A human face on a beast?
"Its spikes aren't just venom," Celia warned. "Some breeds carry toxins that cause severe hallucinations or rapid paralysis. And it's merciless, devouring its prey completely, even the bones, thanks to its multiple rows of teeth. Fighting it requires extremely fast reflexes to dodge the spikes, and the ability to anticipate its cunning attacks. Your continuous mana flow, if mastered, will help you sense its intention to attack moments before it's launched."
Celia fell silent, leaving Theo to absorb this unsettling information. Griffin, Basilisk, Manticore—each representing a unique and deadly challenge. The orcs and goblins now seemed like noisy children compared to these beasts.
Suddenly, Celia stopped and raised her hand, signaling Theo to halt and hide behind a large moss-covered rock. Theo instantly complied, crouching low and pressing himself against the rock, trying to calm his mana flow so as not to be detected.
He heard a sound coming from above, not a roar or a growl, but a sharp, high-pitched shriek, full of anger and pain, followed by a powerful flapping of wings and a violent thud not far from them.
"Griffin." Celia whispered. "It seems to be young, and perhaps injured."
Theo peered out very cautiously from behind the rock. About fifty meters away, in a small clearing between the trees, he saw the creature. It was indeed a griffin, but smaller than the massive footprint might suggest, perhaps the size of a small horse. Its golden and brown feathers were ruffled and messy, and one of its wings appeared bent at an odd angle. It stood on its lion-like hind legs, while striking the air in front of it with its eagle-like foreclaws, emitting those sharp shrieks. It was glaring angrily at the sky, as if challenging an invisible enemy.
It was clear that it was in distress, perhaps it had fallen or been cast out from its nest. But even in this state, it looked incredibly dangerous. Its claws were sharp as blades, and its hooked beak capable of tearing through armor.
"An opportunity for training." Celia said with icy calm, her eyes fixed on the young griffin. "Remember what I told you. Exploit its aggression, its recklessness, and its possible injury. Maintain the flow. Don't give it a chance to fly if it's capable, prove to me that you've learned something."
Theo felt his heart pound, not just from fear, but from the challenge. A griffin... even if it was young and injured, this was a real test. He took a deep breath, drew his daggers, and felt the mana flowing more steadily now, fueled by adrenaline and sharp focus.
He nodded to Celia, then began to move, not directly towards the griffin, but laterally, using rocks and trees for cover, trying to approach from an angle the creature wouldn't expect.
The griffin was still screeching towards the sky, angry and distracted. It didn't notice Theo, who had now approached to about twenty meters. This was his chance.
'Flow,' he whispered to himself internally, and felt the mana respond, nourishing his muscles, sharpening his senses.
He lunged from behind a large tree, using "Shadow Step" to quickly close the distance. He didn't aim directly for the head or chest, but focused on the powerful hind legs, remembering the movement disruption tactic he used against the orcs.
The griffin was surprised by the sudden attack, and turned with astonishing speed for a creature of its size, letting out a different shriek of anger now, directed at this small intruder. It struck with its foreclaw, a lightning-fast movement.
Theo narrowly dodged, feeling the powerful wind from the claw pass by his face. The continuous flow helped him react quickly, but the force of the attack was immense. He retreated a step, maintaining his balance.
"Don't retreat too much!" Celia's voice came into his mind. "Press it while it's still on the ground!"
Theo lunged again, this time he tried to use "Drain Touch" on his left dagger, not to absorb life, but to create that slight disturbance in the griffin's mana, to distract it for a moment.
He swept the dagger past the creature's face, and the griffin felt the strange disturbance, and faltered for a moment. Theo seized this opportunity and delivered a quick stab with his right dagger towards the joint of one of its hind legs.
It wasn't a deep stab, the griffin's hide was tough, but it hit its mark. The creature roared in pain and anger, and limped slightly.
The griffin now tried to use its good wing to strike Theo, a broad, powerful movement. Theo leaped back, using a small rock to propel himself away.
"Good." Celia commented. "Environmental exploitation. But it will try to fly. Stop it!"
Theo saw the griffin lower its head and begin flapping its wings, trying to take off despite its obvious injury to the other wing and leg, it was desperate to reach its natural domain, the sky.
Theo had no time to think, he quickly focused, drew dark mana, and formed a thin whip of shadows, not strong enough to completely bind the creature, but he hoped it would be enough to disrupt it.
He lashed the shadow whip towards the injured wing, the whip wrapping around feathers and bone at a painful angle. The griffin shrieked again, lost its balance, and its attempt to take off failed.
"Effective, but it consumed a lot of mana." Celia noted. "Be more efficient."
Theo lunged again while the griffin was still dealing with the shadow whip and the pain. This time, he shrouded his right dagger with that unstable mana of fire and darkness he had tried against the orcs, but he tried to control it better, making it smaller and more focused.
He approached the griffin's blind side almost, dodged a desperate claw strike, then plunged the shimmering dagger into the side of the creature's neck, where the feathers seemed less dense.
The dagger pierced the hide with difficulty, and Theo felt heat and cold warring at the wound site. The griffin shrieked one last time, a mix of pain, anger, and confusion, then its body convulsed and fell to the ground, motionless.
Theo stood panting, looking at the young griffin's corpse in front of him. The battle was short, but it was intense and violent. He felt a slight pain in his arm where the claw had almost hit him, and his mana flow was choppy now due to exhaustion and intense focus.
Celia landed beside him, looked at the dead griffin, then at Theo.
"Acceptable performance." She finally said. "Your exploitation of the opponent's weakness and injury was good. Your use of the environment and disruption tactics showed improvement. But your mana control is still fluctuating, especially under pressure. And the shadow whip was overkill for merely disrupting an already injured wing. Efficiency, Theo, efficiency is key to survival when facing stronger and more numerous enemies."
She pointed to the griffin's corpse. "Collect the most intact feathers, claws, and anything else that might be valuable. Even in death, monsters can serve a purpose."
Theo nodded silently, and began the arduous and gruesome task of collecting useful parts from the griffin, as Celia had previously instructed him. His mind was still replaying the battle, analyzing his mistakes and successes, while Celia's cold words echoed in his ears.
As he worked, he looked north, towards the direction they were heading. The Ancient Whispers Forest, the ruins of Ilandar, the Silent Archive. He felt that this young griffin was just the beginning, he had to become stronger, faster, and more efficient. There was no other choice.
When he finished, and they had gathered what they could, they continued their journey north, leaving the griffin's corpse behind as a silent witness in a place where the shadows were lengthening, and the whispers in the forest seemed a little louder now.