The roar continued long after the creature itself disappeared behind the mountains.
The sound rolled across the valley like thunder, shaking the wooden houses and sending flocks of unfamiliar birds into the sky. The villagers remained frozen where they stood. Some clutched their spears with trembling hands, while others pulled their children into their homes and closed the crude wooden doors. Even the animals had gone silent.
Kael stood at the edge of the settlement, his sword hanging loosely at his side.
He wasn't afraid.
Not exactly.
What he felt was something closer to caution.
This world was different.
There was no ancient system guiding its creatures. No cycle controlling their evolution. No predetermined laws written by someone who had existed before them.
Whatever lived in those mountains had been born here.
That made it impossible to predict.
Aren stepped beside Kael and looked toward the distant peaks.
"How big was it?"
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"I couldn't see its body."
"That's not an answer."
"Then imagine something large enough to hide behind a mountain."
Aren stared at him.
"That's worse."
Lyra approached from behind.
"Can we actually fight something that large?"
Kael looked at her.
"I don't know."
Lyra blinked.
"You don't know?"
"No."
She smiled faintly.
"That's new."
Kael glanced at the villagers.
"We shouldn't fight it here."
Aren nodded immediately.
"Agreed."
The creature's roar had already frightened them enough. If a battle took place inside the settlement, the villagers would be caught in the middle.
Kael turned toward Varek.
The large horned creature was standing near the center of the village, surrounded by several warriors.
Kael approached slowly.
Varek immediately raised his spear.
Kael stopped several steps away.
He pointed toward the mountains.
Then toward the village.
Then made a gesture with his hands, indicating something enormous moving toward them.
Varek's expression became grim.
He nodded.
Kael pointed toward the forest.
Then toward himself.
He pointed at Aren, Lyra, Rowan and the others.
Then toward the mountains.
Varek stared at him.
After several seconds, he understood.
His eyes widened.
He stepped forward and grabbed Kael's arm.
Kael remained still.
Varek shook his head violently.
"No."
The word was crude, but understandable.
Kael pointed toward the mountains again.
Varek shouted something.
Several villagers immediately gathered around them.
A woman came running from one of the houses.
She was carrying a small child.
Her face was filled with fear.
Varek spoke rapidly to her.
She looked at Kael.
Then at the mountains.
Then she shook her head.
Kael understood the emotion even if he didn't understand the language.
They were begging him not to go.
Kael gently removed Varek's hand from his arm.
He pointed toward the village.
Then toward himself.
He placed a hand against his chest.
He pointed toward the mountains.
Then raised his sword.
Varek stared.
Kael was telling him that he would go.
Varek shook his head again.
Kael smiled.
He pointed toward Aren.
Then Lyra.
Then Rowan.
"We're not alone."
The villagers obviously couldn't understand the words.
But they understood the gesture.
Aren stepped forward.
He planted his sword into the ground.
Then pointed toward the mountain.
His expression became serious.
Lyra stood beside him.
A small flame appeared above her palm.
The villagers immediately recoiled.
Lyra extinguished it.
She raised both hands.
A peaceful gesture.
The villagers relaxed slightly.
Kael looked at Varek.
Then he pointed toward the mountain one final time.
Varek's expression remained tense.
Finally, he nodded.
But he grabbed Kael's shoulder before he could leave.
He pointed toward the mountain.
Then touched two fingers to his eyes.
He pointed at Kael.
Then shook his head.
Kael frowned.
Varek repeated the gesture.
Kael suddenly understood.
"Don't look at its eyes?"
Varek nodded.
Kael's expression became serious.
"That's useful."
Varek released him.
The group began walking.
They didn't take the direct path toward the mountains.
Instead, Kael led them through the forest.
The trees became thicker as they moved away from the village. Their trunks were dark blue, and their leaves reflected sunlight like thin pieces of glass. Strange insects moved across the branches, producing faint pulses of light.
Seraphine stopped several times to examine them.
Mira collected samples.
Selene recorded everything in her book.
Aren eventually looked back.
"Are we hunting a monster or studying plants?"
"Both," Selene answered.
"Can we study after we survive?"
"Survival is easier when you understand your surroundings."
Aren sighed.
"I knew you'd say that."
Kael smiled.
The forest became darker.
The further they traveled, the less sunlight reached the ground.
Eventually, they found enormous footprints.
Kael crouched beside one.
It was larger than his entire body.
Aren stood beside it.
"That's..."
"Yes."
"That's definitely too big."
Lyra looked at the footprint.
"There are three toes."
Kael nodded.
"Looks like a reptile."
Seraphine crouched beside him.
"Not exactly."
She touched the edge of the footprint.
"The pressure distribution is wrong."
"What does that mean?"
"It doesn't walk like a normal creature."
"How does it walk?"
She pointed toward the mountains.
"It pushes against the ground."
Kael frowned.
"Meaning?"
"It doesn't use its legs to move."
Everyone became silent.
Aren looked at the enormous footprint.
"Then what does it use?"
Seraphine slowly stood.
"I don't know."
A deep rumble passed through the forest.
The trees shook.
Kael immediately raised his hand.
Everyone stopped.
Another rumble.
Closer.
Kael looked around.
Nothing.
Then the ground beneath them moved.
Aren drew his sword.
"Below!"
The earth exploded.
A massive claw burst from underground.
Kael pushed Lyra aside.
The claw slammed into the ground where she had been standing.
Aren attacked.
His sword struck the claw.
The blade bounced away.
Aren's expression changed.
"Hard!"
Kael rushed forward.
His sword cut across the creature's limb.
This time, blood appeared.
Dark blue blood.
The creature pulled itself from the earth.
It wasn't the mountain beast.
It was smaller.
But it was still enormous.
Its body resembled a mixture of a lizard and an insect. Six legs emerged from its armored body, each covered in black plates. Its head was narrow, with four glowing eyes arranged vertically.
Lyra raised her staff.
"Finally!"
She released a lightning spell.
The bolt struck the creature.
Its body convulsed.
Then it looked directly at her.
Lyra's smile disappeared.
"It didn't hurt."
"It did," Seraphine said.
"How do you know?"
"Because it is angry."
The creature charged.
Kael stepped forward.
He blocked its first claw.
The impact forced him backward several meters.
Aren attacked from the side.
His sword cut through one of its legs.
The creature screamed.
Kael saw the opening.
"Lyra!"
She understood immediately.
Her staff glowed.
A massive ice spear formed above her.
Kael kicked the creature's remaining front leg.
It stumbled.
The ice spear descended.
It pierced the creature's armored back.
The beast collapsed.
Silence returned.
Aren stared at the corpse.
"That was a young one."
Kael looked at him.
"How do you know?"
Aren pointed toward the mountains.
"It wasn't the one that made that roar."
Kael looked toward the peaks.
He was right.
The dead creature was large.
But compared to what lived in those mountains...
It was nothing.
Kael approached the corpse.
Seraphine examined it.
"The armor is natural."
"Magic?"
"No."
She shook her head.
"It evolved."
Kael touched one of the plates.
The creature was warm.
Alive until moments ago.
"Then this world already has an ecosystem."
Selene nodded.
"And it's probably much more dangerous than we thought."
Kael stood.
"Then we need to move carefully."
They continued.
By late afternoon, they reached the base of the mountains.
The cliffs rose so high that their peaks disappeared into the clouds.
The air was colder here.
Snow covered the upper slopes.
Kael looked upward.
"There."
Aren followed his gaze.
A gigantic cave opened halfway up the mountain.
Smoke emerged from it.
Not natural smoke.
It was dark.
Almost black.
Kael's expression became serious.
"That's where it lives."
Lyra swallowed.
"How do we get up there?"
Kael looked at the cliff.
"We climb."
Aren laughed.
"Of course."
The climb took nearly two hours.
The rocks were slippery, and the wind became stronger with every meter.
Mira nearly slipped once.
Rowan caught her arm.
"Careful."
She nodded.
"Thanks."
Eventually, they reached the cave.
The entrance was enormous.
The ground was covered in bones.
Some belonged to animals.
Others were too large to identify.
Kael stepped inside.
The temperature immediately changed.
The air became hot.
The walls were covered in glowing red veins.
Seraphine touched one.
"Volcanic."
Kael looked deeper.
"Then why is the mountain cold?"
She shook her head.
"I don't know."
They continued.
The cave descended.
And descended.
And descended.
Eventually, they were far beneath the mountain.
Kael could hear something.
A heartbeat.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
The entire cave seemed to pulse with it.
Aren whispered,
"That's not a heartbeat."
Kael looked at him.
"What?"
"It's too slow."
Boom.
The ground shook.
Boom.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Boom.
The darkness ahead moved.
Two enormous eyes opened.
They were not red.
They were golden.
Kael raised his sword.
The creature slowly lifted its head.
Its face emerged from the darkness.
It had scales like black stone.
Two enormous horns curved backward from its skull.
Its mouth opened.
Rows of teeth were revealed.
But the most frightening thing was its eyes.
They were intelligent.
Not animalistic.
Not wild.
It was looking at them with the same awareness that Kael possessed.
The creature spoke.
The voice shook the entire mountain.
"Who are you?"
Everyone froze.
Aren looked at Kael.
Kael stared at the creature.
"You can speak."
The creature's eyes narrowed.
"You can understand."
Kael nodded.
"Yes."
The creature slowly lowered its enormous head.
"You carry the scent of the old world."
Kael's expression changed.
"The old world?"
"Yes."
"How do you know about it?"
The creature stared at him.
"I remember."
Kael stepped forward.
"You were alive before the cycle ended?"
The creature laughed.
The sound echoed through the cave.
"No."
It lowered its head until one golden eye was level with Kael.
"I was born after."
Kael frowned.
"Then how do you remember?"
The creature's expression became strange.
Almost amused.
"Because I inherited the memories."
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"From whom?"
The creature stared at him for several seconds.
Then it looked beyond him.
Toward Elara.
Its eyes widened.
"You."
Elara stepped forward.
The creature's expression changed completely.
"Impossible."
Elara frowned.
"Do I know you?"
The creature slowly lowered itself.
Not attacking.
Kneeling.
The entire mountain trembled.
"My creator."
Kael froze.
Elara stared.
"What?"
The creature bowed its enormous head.
"You created my bloodline."
Elara looked at Kael.
Kael looked back.
Neither understood.
The creature continued.
"Before the cycle ended, she left something behind."
"What?"
The creature looked at Elara.
"A seed."
Kael's heart skipped.
"What seed?"
The creature's golden eyes moved toward the entrance.
"The first seed of this world."
Kael immediately thought of the tiny tree they had seen.
The one that had grown beneath their feet.
He looked at Elara.
She seemed just as confused.
"Where is it?"
The creature's expression became grim.
"Above us."
Kael looked toward the mountain.
"What happened to it?"
The creature's voice became quieter.
"It was stolen."
"By whom?"
The dragon's eyes turned toward the darkness behind Kael.
"By the first beings born from the new world."
Kael's grip tightened around his sword.
"Where did they take it?"
The dragon stood.
Its enormous body filled the cave.
"To the western continent."
Kael looked at Elara.
Then at the others.
The creature's gaze returned to him.
"If you want to understand this world..."
It spread its massive wings.
"...you must find the seed."
Kael stared.
"And if we don't?"
The dragon's expression became cold.
"Then this world will repeat the mistake of the last one."
The cave fell silent.
Kael looked toward the distant horizon.
A new world.
A new beginning.
And already...
someone was trying to control its future.
Kael slowly smiled.
"Then I guess we have our first destination."
The dragon watched him.
"Do not mistake this world for the one you left behind, Kael."
Kael looked up.
The dragon's golden eyes narrowed.
"Here, even you are not the strongest."
Kael smiled wider.
"Good."
He turned toward the cave entrance.
"I was getting bored."
Behind him, Elara laughed softly.
And somewhere far beyond the mountains, on a continent none of them had ever seen...
a stolen seed began to grow.