The forest breathed silence.
Every step Hunnt took sank into ash and damp earth. The mist clung to his armor, cold and heavy, wrapping the trees like a shroud. Beside him, Pyro moved quietly, paws leaving faint prints along the blackened roots. Neither spoke — the silence itself felt alive, and neither dared disturb it.
For hours they had walked this way — no birds, no insects, not even the faint hum of the wind. Only the soft crackle of burnt wood and the faint scent of decay. Hunnt's senses sharpened; his Observation Haki pulsed outward like a heartbeat, reaching through the gloom. Nothing answered. No movement. No presence. Just emptiness.
"It's too quiet," Hunnt murmured.
Pyro's tail twitched nervously. "Nyah… It's like the whole forest is holding its breath, Master."
Hunnt crouched near a fallen tree, fingers brushing against deep claw marks embedded in the bark — grooves thick as his arm. The air around it reeked of burnt resin and blood. "These weren't made long ago… and not by any normal beast."
They pressed deeper into the woods. The fog thickened until visibility dropped to a few paces. Each step felt heavier, as if the earth itself resisted their advance.
Then Pyro froze. His ears perked. "Master… look."
Ahead, the faint light of the setting sun bled through the canopy, casting an orange glow on something massive half-buried beneath the trees. As they approached, the shape revealed itself — a claw mark carved deep into the ground, cutting through soil and stone alike. The trench stretched several meters, scorched at the edges.
Scattered nearby were fragments of scale — some charred, others gleaming faintly with metallic luster. Hunnt picked one up. It was large enough to cover his entire forearm. The moment his hand touched it, a faint warmth pulsed through the surface.
"Residual energy," he muttered. "This scale… it's still holding heat."
Pyro sniffed another, ears lowering. "Nyaaah… these aren't just leftovers. Whatever made them is close, Master."
They continued following the trail of devastation. The trees grew more twisted, their bark split and blackened. Sections of the forest floor had melted into glass, reflecting their distorted silhouettes.
The deeper they went, the more bones they found — some cracked open, others scorched beyond recognition. Rib cages of smaller monsters. Skull fragments of herbivores.
"It's not hunting for food," Hunnt said quietly. "It's killing for territory."
A low wind swept through, carrying the scent of iron and sulfur. Pyro's fur bristled.
"Master… should I go ahead and scout?" he asked softly, though he already knew the answer.
Hunnt's gaze stayed on the horizon, where the fog pulsed faintly with dying light. "No. If this is a nest, we move together. If there's more than one, splitting up means death."
Pyro nodded reluctantly.
They walked for what felt like an eternity before the forest opened into a clearing. There, at its heart, stood what could only be described as a graveyard.
The remains of countless monsters — great and small — lay scattered in a rough circle. Bones, scales, half-melted carapaces. All drawn inward, as if something had collected them.
Hunnt's breath caught.
In the center loomed a massive nest, built from the corpses of fallen creatures — fused bone and burnt wood, the structure spiraling upward like a twisted monument. The ground around it was still warm.
"Pyro," Hunnt whispered. "Observation Haki. Now."
Both closed their eyes. The world faded into stillness. The forest breathed through them — every flicker of energy, every heartbeat in the distance.
Nothing.
No living signatures. No movement.
Pyro opened one eye, whiskers twitching. "There's nothing here, Master. Not even insects."
Hunnt frowned, senses extending farther. "Then it's not here… or it's hunting."
They approached the nest. The closer they came, the more they saw — massive footprints, each deep and molten-edged, surrounded by the charred remains of monsters. Some scales were small and patterned like lesser wyverns; others were massive, blackened, and sharp-edged.
"This thing hunts its own kind," Hunnt muttered, crouching beside a melted skull. "An Apex that dominates everything — monsters, nature, even the land."
He glanced at Pyro. "If this is the one making those marks… it's unlike anything we've faced."
Pyro's tail flicked nervously. "Nyah… Maybe it's more than one, Master. A nest like this—"
Hunnt interrupted with a quiet nod. "That's what worries me."
A faint tremor rolled through the ground. Dust fell from the trees. Hunnt and Pyro looked up — the mist began to shift, spiraling as a shadow passed over them.
A low rumble echoed through the forest.
Hunnt's instincts screamed.
He grabbed Pyro and pulled him behind the remains of a fallen tree. "Down!"
The sky darkened.
A roar split the heavens — ROOOAAAR! — so deep and powerful it made the air itself vibrate. The shockwave flattened the grass and rippled through Hunnt's chest like thunder.
Leaves scattered as a massive shape broke through the clouds.
The wyvern descended — its wings spanning the entire clearing, scales shimmering like molten bronze streaked with crimson. Every movement radiated fury. Flames curled from its throat, its eyes burning with primal intelligence.
Pyro's fur stood on end. "Nyaaa… th-that thing… it's enormous, Master."
Hunnt said nothing. His gaze never wavered.
The creature circled once, the downbeat of its wings scattering debris like a storm. When it landed, the impact shook the ground — trees splintered, dust clouds rising around its claws.
Hunnt could feel its presence pressing against his mind, like a physical weight.
"Observation Haki…" he whispered, closing his eyes.
The creature's aura flooded his senses — enormous, chaotic, old.
It wasn't just strength. It was ancient rage, endless hunger, and fear twisted together.
So this is what dominates this forest.
The wyvern's gaze locked on them. It hissed, heat shimmering from its jaws.
Pyro bared his claws, stepping forward. "Master, if we don't move now—"
Hunnt raised a hand. "Not yet."
He took one steady breath, grounding his stance.
The monster's wings lifted again, the motion stirring an inferno of wind and fire. Hunnt's mind sharpened — every breath, every heartbeat slowed.
This was it — the source of the silence, the killer of the forest.
The Apex Wyvern.
He turned to Pyro, voice calm despite the chaos.
"Stay close. Watch for the wings. If it takes off, we retreat to the treeline."
Pyro nodded, tail low. "Got it, Master."
The wyvern's chest expanded, gathering air. Flames coalesced in its throat, glowing brighter with each second.
Hunnt's Observation Haki screamed — the attack was coming.
"MOVE!"
They dove aside as a column of fire tore through the nest, obliterating it in a single strike. Bones turned to ash. The ground melted into glass.
Hunnt rolled to his feet, the heat searing through his armor. Pyro scrambled beside him, coughing. "Nyaah! That was too close, Master!"
Hunnt's eyes narrowed. "It's protecting its nest — or what's left of it."
The wyvern turned, wings unfurling again, firelight gleaming off its scales.
For a moment, their eyes met — hunter and beast, both standing at the edge of instinct and will.
Hunnt straightened, flexing his gauntlets. His heart pounded, but his resolve was steel.
He whispered, "So be it. If this forest is your domain… then you'll have to prove it."
The wyvern roared again, rising into the air, flames swirling around it like a storm.
Hunnt and Pyro braced themselves, the ground trembling beneath their feet.
The hunt had begun.