Night covered Duke Kael's fortress like a funeral veil.
Cold mountain winds drifted endlessly across the black stone battlements while distant clouds moved slowly above the Wild Southern Mountain Range beneath a sea of silver stars. Far beyond the fortress walls, the ancient jungles stretched endlessly into darkness, silent yet somehow alive, like colossal sleeping beasts waiting beneath the moonlight.
The wilderness looked beautiful at night.
And terrifying.
Inside the castle, the Exploration Unit gathered within the grand hall after dinner.
Massive iron chandeliers illuminated the dark chamber with flickering golden flames while armored mercenaries, mages, hunters, and nobles sat scattered around long wooden tables discussing tomorrow's expedition in lowered voices.
Some laughed nervously.
Others sharpened weapons silently.
A few younger members studied maps desperately like students before execution.
The atmosphere carried tension.
Not panic.
Not fear alone.
Expectation.
Tomorrow they would finally enter the true wilderness.
Not border forests.
Not monster territories near civilization.
The real Southern Wildlands.
One mercenary quietly drank from a metal cup before muttering—
"I heard entire battalions vanished there."
A younger explorer forced a laugh.
"Wonderful thing to hear before sleeping."
Another older hunter leaned back against his chair.
"You should worry less about monsters."
His scarred face darkened slightly.
"The mountains themselves kill people faster."
The hall quieted briefly afterward.
Because everyone here understood something clearly already.
Once they crossed beyond Duke Kael's territory—
There would be no immediate rescue.
No nearby cities.
No stable roads.
Only wilderness.
Yet among all those gathered within the grand hall—
One person was missing.
Kel.
Sairen's voice echoed softly through the soul-link.
"…You're avoiding people again."
Far away—
At Scarder Lake—
Silver mist drifted slowly around Sairen's ancient figure while she observed the world through Kel's senses.
Kel stood atop the highest tower of Duke Kael's fortress.
Silent.
Still.
Cold wind moved through his black coat while silver moonlight illuminated portions of his face beneath the endless night sky. Before him stretched the Wild Southern Mountain Range in all its ancient terrifying beauty.
Gigantic black mountains pierced the clouds themselves while endless jungles spread between valleys like oceans of darkness. Occasionally distant thunder echoed somewhere beyond unseen peaks while ancient mist drifted slowly between forests older than kingdoms.
And above all of it—
The stars.
Countless silver stars shimmered across the night sky with impossible clarity untouched by city lights.
The wilderness felt endless.
Ancient.
Almost divine.
Kel's calm eyes reflected the distant mountain range quietly.
And inwardly—
Old memories surfaced.
Twenty playthroughs.
Twenty journeys through Destiny.
Countless deaths.
Countless battles.
Countless ruined endings.
And every single time—
The Southern Wildlands remained one of the most dangerous regions within the game world.
Not merely because of dragons.
No.
Because the mountains hid things older than dragons.
Older than humanity.
Sairen softly spoke again.
"…You're thinking too deeply."
Kel remained silent internally this time.
Because she was right.
The wind shifted suddenly behind him.
Heavy footsteps echoed softly against the stone tower.
Kel did not turn.
Because he already recognized the presence.
Duke Kael Draven.
The Duke approached slowly beneath the silver moonlight, dark military coat moving slightly beneath the cold wind while exhaustion remained carved deeply into his sharp features.
For several moments—
Kael simply stood beside Kel silently.
Looking toward the endless mountains.
Then finally—
He spoke.
"You are a strange fellow."
His deep voice echoed softly against the cold night air.
Kel remained facing the mountains.
Silent.
Kael's gray eyes narrowed slightly.
"I have watched countless men."
A faint pause followed.
"Soldiers."
"Mercenaries."
"Nobles."
"Explorers."
The wind carried his voice across the tower slowly.
"And yet…"
His gaze shifted slightly toward Kel.
"…I have never seen you under pressure even once."
Silence followed briefly.
Kael continued quietly.
"It is almost as if…"
A faint pause.
"…you have already stood at the edge of death so many times…"
His eyes darkened faintly.
"…that pressure itself has become meaningless to you."
The cold wind swept across the tower again.
Kel's dark hair moved slightly beneath moonlight.
Then finally—
Without turning—
He answered calmly.
"And if I say you are correct…"
A slight pause followed.
"…how would you view me then?"
Kael stared at him several seconds afterward.
Long enough that only the wind spoke between them.
Then—
The Duke answered honestly.
"The most dangerous man I have ever seen."
No hesitation.
No exaggeration.
Only truth.
Sairen softly laughed through the soul-link.
"…He's not wrong."
Kel ignored her.
Instead—
He finally turned slightly toward Kael.
Moonlight illuminated half his face while the rest remained hidden beneath shadow.
"You know how my son became insane?"
The question came unexpectedly.
Yet Kael's expression darkened instantly.
Kel answered calmly.
"Rumors say he encountered something within the wilderness."
A faint pause.
"And afterward…"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…lost his reasoning."
Kael slowly looked back toward the mountains.
And for the first time tonight—
Real emotion appeared within his exhausted eyes.
Pain.
"Half truth."
His deep voice sounded colder now.
Heavier.
"He did not simply become insane."
A brief silence followed.
"…Something drove him into that madness."
The wind intensified briefly across the tower.
Below them—
The fortress remained quiet beneath lanternlight.
Kel's gaze sharpened faintly.
"Dragons?"
Kael immediately shook his head.
Slowly.
Firmly.
"Far worse."
Silence.
The Duke's gray eyes darkened beneath the night sky.
"The wilderness hides things far more dangerous than dragons, Heral."
The atmosphere changed instantly afterward.
Even the mountains themselves suddenly felt heavier somehow.
Older.
Watching.
Far away—
At Scarder Lake—
Sairen's silver eyes narrowed slightly for the first time in a while.
"…Interesting."
Kel quietly observed Kael.
Then calmly asked—
"But isn't that exactly what makes the wilderness valuable?"
Kael slowly turned toward him.
Kel's voice remained steady.
Unshaken.
"The more dangerous a place becomes…"
A faint pause followed.
"…the greater the rewards hidden within it usually are."
The Duke remained silent.
Kel continued calmly beneath the moonlight.
"You possess something, don't you?"
His eyes met Kael's directly now.
"Something obtained from the same incident that destroyed your son."
The atmosphere froze.
Kael's expression changed instantly.
Not rage.
Not shock.
Recognition.
Because Heral understood far too much already.
Kel's calm voice echoed softly against the night wind.
"Yes…"
A slight pause.
"…it is another matter entirely that you will never use it."
Silence.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
"Because that thing…"
Kel's eyes remained fixed upon Kael.
"…is the reward paid for by your son's insanity."
The cold mountain wind swept violently across the tower.
And for the first time since meeting Heral—
Duke Kael Draven felt genuine unease standing beside him.
Because somehow—
This young man spoke about the wilderness…
Like someone who already understood its true nature.