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Chapter 126 - Chapter 121: The Hunter's Shadow

Location: Dark Forest - Yinxin's Cave

Time: Day 564 | Telia: Day 54

Realm: Telia (Mission World)

The forest felt wrong.

Jayde noticed it immediately as she and Reiko climbed the familiar path toward Yinxin's cave, both carrying fresh meat and supplies. The usual ambient sounds—birds, insects, small animals rustling through undergrowth—had gone quiet. Not silent, but muted. Cautious.

Environmental indicators: Predator presence. Large or numerous enough to affect local ecosystem behavior. Threat assessment: Unknown but significant.

[Something's here,] Reiko growled, hackles rising. [Something that doesn't belong.]

"I feel it too."

They'd been visiting daily since the celebration ended—bringing food, checking on the wyrmlings' growth, ensuring the cave's wards held. Routine that had become comforting, family visits that felt natural despite the impossibility of a human teenager befriending an ancient dragon.

But today, routine shattered against instinct screaming danger.

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