"Yes, I don't get it. He should know that we'll kill him on sight, especially now that no one can prove he was ever here," Teun said with a smile that held no warmth whatsoever. To him, the intruder was nothing more than a rat that had wandered into the wrong nest. The fact that one of their family's oldest enemies had appeared in their forest was reason enough to put an arrow through his skull. The only thing stopping him was the possibility that the man still possessed information worth extracting.
"We'll find out why he's here soon enough. It doesn't really matter either way, but try to aim for his arms and legs. We want him alive," Karl replied calmly as he slowly drew back the string of his bow. His target was one of the surviving members of the family that had spent generations trying to seize the Sonnenberg forest for themselves. Those rats had fled when the trail ended, as if they saw the changing winds. Seeing one of them appear in Europe after they fled so decisively was both surprising and, from Karl's perspective, an unexpected opportunity to gather valuable intelligence.
Before the intruder even realized that he had been discovered, the forest came alive. Dozens of bowstrings hummed in perfect unison, their sound so synchronized that it resembled a single sharp note echoing through the trees. Five arrows struck each of the man's arms and legs with frightening precision, pinning his limbs to the forest floor and instantly robbing him of the ability to fight back. The ambush had been so fast and so overwhelming that the man never even caught sight of his attackers.
As he collapsed onto the damp earth, the man immediately understood that his mission had failed. There would be no escape, and he doubted these hunters would allow him the mercy of a quick death. Part of him wanted to bite through the poison capsule hidden in his mouth to ensure that no secrets were extracted from him. Yet another part wanted revenge before he died, even if all he managed was dragging one enemy into the grave alongside him.
Unfortunately for him, accomplishing even that proved impossible.
"We caught a rat. It proves our forest is still in good health. Though I have to admit, this one is a little bigger than usual," a sarcastic voice suddenly echoed from somewhere between two trees. The words seemed to come from an empty patch of forest, making it impossible to identify the speaker's location. In reality, it was Karl using a skill he had perfected during his childhood by constantly playing tricks on his friends and family. What had once been an amusing pastime had evolved into a surprisingly effective hunting technique.
"Now tell us why you're here," Karl continued, his unseen voice carrying calmly through the trees. "And don't waste your time trying to lie. We found you before you even realized you were being hunted, so hiding the truth is pointless. Confess, and perhaps we'll grant you an easier death."
The wounded man spat onto the ground before letting out a bitter laugh. "Go to hell. I won't tell you anything. What gives you the right to look down on me? Your family should have died long ago. It was our family's generosity that allowed you to continue living, so it's only natural that we inspect what belongs to us." The more he spoke, the more emotional he became, until hatred completely overtook reason. His breathing grew erratic, and his body began trembling with barely restrained rage.
It was at that exact moment that Karl noticed something the others completely missed.
A faint wisp of black energy mixed with a dark purple hue slowly leaked from the man's body before disappearing just as quickly as it had appeared. It was subtle enough that anyone focused on the prisoner's insults would have overlooked it entirely. Karl, however, had remained perfectly calm throughout the interrogation, allowing him to spot the strange phenomenon immediately. His expression shifted from mild curiosity to outright horror in the span of a heartbeat.
Without the slightest hesitation, Karl opened the System Shop and purchased one of the most expensive emergency items available to him. His fingers closed around the beautifully crafted medallion the instant it materialized, and he crushed it in his hand before anyone could ask what he was doing. The artifact shattered into countless glowing fragments that drifted into the air like tiny stars. An overwhelming pressure descended upon the entire forest almost immediately afterward.
The world itself seemed to change color.
A breathtakingly beautiful woman appeared where the fragments had gathered, her very existence seeming to eclipse the surrounding forest. She possessed a beauty that no mortal language could accurately describe, while an indescribable divine aura radiated from every movement she made. Everyone present was forced onto one knee without resistance, not because she attacked them, but because their bodies instinctively recognized a being infinitely above themselves. This was no longer the Trial, where she had needed mortal vessels and enormous amounts of energy just to manifest a fraction of her true self.
Now she stood upon her own planet.
Earth was her domain, her home, and within it her authority was absolute. The pressure she released wasn't meant as intimidation, yet no human alive possessed the strength to resist it. For many years to come, there would be no Earthling capable of challenging her directly. Before such an overwhelming existence, all anyone could do was lower their heads in silent respect.
"Tell me, Karl," Gaia said with genuine curiosity as her brilliant golden eyes settled upon him. "Why have you summoned me? As far as I know, you are not wealthy enough to spend that much money on a joke." Her tone remained calm and almost friendly, but everyone present understood that the token Karl had used was an item reserved for only the most serious of emergencies. Simply obtaining one required an enormous amount of trust from Gaia herself.
The pressure surrounding Karl eased ever so slightly, allowing him to raise his head enough to answer. Even then, he remained kneeling out of respect rather than necessity. Whatever else Gaia might be, Karl considered her the guardian of humanity, and he had no intention of treating such a being casually.
"No, I certainly don't have that kind of money," Karl admitted with a respectful bow. "But I noticed something suspicious, and I need your help to verify it. I sincerely hope that I'm mistaken, because if I'm right, things are about to become very troublesome." His voice remained steady despite the immense pressure surrounding him as he slowly pointed toward the mangled man lying on the forest floor. "I suspect he has become a corrupted creature. I humbly ask that you investigate him, because if my suspicion is correct, it would explain far too many things."
Although Karl had already bowed once, he lowered his head even further after making his request. In his own mind, he wasn't merely speaking to a powerful being but to the closest thing humanity had to a goddess. The amount of money he had spent to summon her felt insignificant compared to the favor he was asking. If his suspicion proved true, however, there was no one else capable of confirming it with absolute certainty.
"You don't have to be so humble," Gaia replied with a small smile that quickly faded into a serious expression. "Only people I trust are capable of purchasing that summoning token in the first place." As she spoke, she slowly approached the dying man and knelt beside him, her hand hovering just above his body. The atmosphere around her changed instantly as every trace of warmth disappeared, replaced by the focused concentration of someone examining a dangerous enemy.
To ordinary humans, Gaia appeared almost omnipotent, but the truth was slightly more complicated. She processed an incomprehensible amount of information every second, far more than any conscious mind could ever hope to analyze directly. Most of that work was delegated to an enormous subconscious process that filtered ordinary events while only drawing her direct attention to truly unusual situations. That system worked remarkably well, but it also meant that an intelligent enemy capable of understanding its limitations could potentially disguise themselves well enough to avoid immediate detection.
Because of that possibility, Gaia inspected the dying man personally instead of relying on her usual methods. Her consciousness carefully peeled away every layer of corruption surrounding his soul while simultaneously examining his memories one by one. Karl watched in complete silence, knowing that interrupting her now would only slow down the investigation. Every passing second seemed to make her expression grow more solemn.
"This is... quite interesting," Gaia finally murmured after several moments. "To think that these rats have become active this early." Her eyes reflected countless memories that no one else could see as the dying man's entire life unfolded before her. Unfortunately for him, his final thoughts were filled with nothing but bitterness and regret over failing to complete his mission.
"Your suspicions were correct," Gaia continued as she slowly stood back up. "He was indeed corrupted. His objective was to infiltrate your secret realm, remain hidden until it became completely filled once again, and then release every creature inside at the same time." Her normally calm voice had become noticeably colder, causing everyone present to exchange uneasy glances. If this operation represented only one agent acting alone, it would already be dangerous, but if it was part of a coordinated plan, the consequences could be catastrophic.
"Were you able to learn anything useful from him?" Karl asked immediately, unable to hide the eagerness in his voice. His family had been plagued by these people for well over one hundred and fifty years, forcing generation after generation to remain vigilant against enemies who refused to disappear completely. Since those rats had gone into hiding, they had become little more than an invisible thorn lodged deep within the Sonnenbergs' side. If this incident finally provided a way to eradicate them once and for all, Karl would gladly seize that opportunity.
Gaia slowly shook her head, disappointment visible in her expression. "No. Interestingly enough, he possesses no genuine memories older than roughly three months ago apart from the details required to complete his mission." That discovery troubled her far more than she cared to admit. While continuing to analyze the fragments of his mind, she began searching for an explanation as to how someone could have traveled such a great distance without triggering any of the countless warning systems constantly monitoring her world. Under normal circumstances, her subconscious would have flagged such unusual movements immediately, making the existence of this man a mystery she intended to solve.