For half a second, Kael stopped existing in any direction he understood.
There was no ground beneath his feet, no air against his skin, and no sound from the people around him.
His stomach seemed to remain somewhere behind while the rest of him was pulled forward through something that wasn’t quite distance.
Then his boot sank into wet soil.
Sound returned all at once.
Leaves rustled overhead.
Water trickled somewhere nearby.
Insects chirped from every direction, and a distant animal call echoed through the trees.
Kael opened his eyes.
“Whoa.” Greenmist Hollow stretched before him.
The trees were enormous.
Some trunks were wider than houses, their roots rising from the ground like natural walls.
Thick vines hung between branches far overhead, several glowing faintly beneath broad leaves.
Green mist drifted lazily between the trees, turning the distant forest into layers of emerald shadows.
Everything smelled alive.
Wet earth.
Water.
Flowers.
Rotting vegetation.
And animals.
Lots of animals.
Rexia froze beside him.
Her nostrils expanded.
Her head moved left.
Right.
Up.
Down.
Through their bond came an almost overwhelmed impression.
Everywhere.
Kael smiled.
“Yes.” Another breath.
Rexia’s pupils widened.
Prey everywhere.
“That is not permission.” Immediate disappointment.
Nyx reacted differently.
The Xenomorph lowered its body and became almost completely silent.
Its elongated head slowly moved as it processed unfamiliar sounds and scents.
Unknown territory.
Potential threats.
Possible prey.
Kael touched its shoulder.
Stay with pack.
Acceptance.
Behind them, Finn stumbled out of the portal.
“I hated that.” Thunder appeared next and immediately shook himself.
Finn pointed at the portal.
“Nobody warned me my stomach would arrive after the rest of me.” Mira stepped through.
“I think that’s just you.” Damian followed with considerably more dignity.
Instructor Hale emerged last.
The twelve students were quickly separated into their three assigned squads.
Kael remained with Finn, Damian and Mira, while the other two groups moved toward nearby marked routes under academy supervision.
Hale stopped in front of them.
“My presence is insurance.” Finn raised an eyebrow.
“Comforting.” “It is not permission to be stupid.” Finn opened his mouth.
Mira grabbed his sleeve.
“No.” “I was only going to ask what level—” “No.” Kael laughed.
Their first encounter happened less than twenty minutes later.
Damian noticed movement first.
“Left.” Everyone stopped.
Shapes moved through the mist.
Rexia crouched.
Kael felt excitement.
Then the creatures emerged.
Large deer-like beasts walked slowly between the trees.
They had thick brown hides, wide antlers and patches of moss growing naturally across their backs.
Small flowering plants actually sprouted along the oldest one’s spine.
“Mossback Grazers,” Mira whispered.
There were seven.
Two juveniles remained between the adults.
Rexia lowered herself further.
Hunt.
No.
Her head turned slightly.
Food.
You’re not hungry.
A pause.
Then: Can become hungry.
Kael stared at her.
There was an uncomfortable amount of logic in that statement.
The herd continued grazing.
Nyx disappeared.
Kael felt it moving toward the animals.
“Nyx.” Hale raised a hand.
“Wait.” Kael stopped.
Nyx approached from the side.
Its body blended almost perfectly against bark and shadow.
One Grazer suddenly lifted its head.
The moss across its back expanded.
Puff.
A cloud of glowing spores filled the air.
They settled across Nyx.
Its silhouette appeared.
Black armor outlined in green light.
Nyx immediately stopped.
The herd turned.
Nyx retreated.
The Grazers didn’t pursue.
Kael stared.
“They detected it.” “Not exactly,” Mira said.
“Mossback spores react to air disturbance when they’re nervous.” Kael looked toward Nyx.
A peaceful herbivore had just countered camouflage that most predators would struggle to notice.
Nyx waited.
Then circled.
This time it approached from upwind.
The spores released again.
They drifted away.
Kael smiled.
Already learning.
They left the herd alone.
Their first resource discovery came shortly afterward.
Mira crouched beside a fallen tree.
“Greenmist Dewcaps.” Finn showed no interest.
“Wonderful.” Mira carefully harvested several blue-green mushrooms.
“They store concentrated moisture and low-grade natural energy.
Recovery tonics, beast feed, basic evolution mixtures—” “How much?” Mira stopped.
Finn crouched beside her.
“Market value.” She told him.
Finn’s expression changed.
“Mira.” “What?” “Teach me everything.” “You called plants boring yesterday.” “I was young.” “Yesterday.” “People change.” Kael shook his head and continued searching.
Something near the stream caught his attention.
A smooth green stone.
Silver veins crossed its surface.
Kael picked it up.
No energy.
No unusual properties.
Completely worthless.
Perfect.
Damian noticed.
“Resource?” “My sister asked for a pretty rock.” Damian examined it.
“Acceptable.” Kael placed it inside Lily’s cloth pouch.
Finn immediately started looking around.
“What are you doing?” “Finding a better one.” “Why?” “Competition.” “With my little sister?” Finn looked serious.
“I don’t make the rules.” “You absolutely just made that rule.” Their first actual fight began because Finn nearly stepped on a nest.
A sharp buzzing filled the air.
Finn stopped.
“That sounds bad.” Mira looked upward.
Her face changed.
“Glasswing Wasps.” Dozens of translucent wings caught the light above them.
Finn slowly stepped backward.
“Run?” “Correct.” Kael almost laughed.
Then everyone ran.
No dramatic stand.
No attempt to wipe out the nest.
They simply left.
Unfortunately, several Wasps disagreed with their retreat speed.
Five pursued.
Damian reacted first.
His Thunder Griffon launched upward.
One Wasp was knocked aside.
Thunder released a short electrical burst.
Another dropped.
Mira’s Vinehorn Deer raised a wall of vines.
Nyx’s tail struck a third from the air with frightening precision.
Rexia jumped.
Crunch.
Kael’s eyes widened.
“DON’T—” Too late.
Rexia landed.
Chewed.
Stopped.
Her expression changed.
Through the bond: Bad.
Finn started laughing while still running.
“You deserved that!” Rexia glared at him.
A Wasp slipped past Nyx.
Its stinger struck Rexia’s flank.
She roared.
Kael felt the pain.
Rexia spun.
The Wasp escaped toward the nest.
Destroy.
“No.” Enemy.
“We entered their territory.” Stung.
“Because you ate its friend.” Rexia became silent.
Kael wasn’t certain whether she accepted the logic or was simply planning future revenge.
Once they were safely away, he checked the wound.
Minor swelling.
Nothing dangerous.
Hale watched.
“Good decision.” Kael glanced up.
“Running?” “Especially running.” The next few hours were calmer.
Kael saw Barkscale Lizards flattened against tree trunks so perfectly that Finn repeatedly failed to notice them.
Lantern Frogs sat beside pools with glowing yellow throats.
Tiny Mistfin Drakes swam through shallow streams, their narrow heads occasionally rising above the surface.
Kael asked questions constantly.
“What does that eat?” “Mostly insects,” Mira answered.
“Venomous?” “No.” “Territorial?” “During breeding season.” Finn nodded knowingly.
“I knew that.” Damian looked at him.
“You asked whether it was a fish ten seconds ago.” “I was testing Mira.” Near another stream, Nyx suddenly stopped.
Kael felt an impression.
Life.
Small.
Hidden.
Nyx moved toward a hollow beneath exposed roots.
Three speckled eggs rested inside.
Finn’s eyes widened.
“Eggs.” He took one step.
“Registered discovery.” Hale’s voice came from directly behind him.
Finn jumped.
“How do you keep doing that?” “Practice.” Hale examined the nest.
“Barkscale Lizard.” Finn looked at Kael.
“Could contract one.” Kael crouched.
Fresh tracks surrounded the nest.
“Mother’s nearby.” Finn’s excitement faded slightly.
He looked at the eggs.
Then nodded.
“Leave them.” Kael smiled.
They moved on.
Ronan’s squad passed them shortly afterward.
Their packs contained noticeably more harvested resources.
Ronan glanced toward Kael’s mostly empty collection bag.
“You’ve barely gathered anything.” “We’ve been looking around.” Ronan scoffed.
“Secret Realms are for resources, Ashborne.” Kael shrugged.
“Then go collect them.” Ronan seemed almost disappointed there wasn’t an argument.
He left.
Finn waited until he was out of hearing range.
“Can Rexia eat him?” “No.” Rexia immediately sent: Can.
Kael looked at her.
“That wasn’t the question.” Lunch came beside a shallow stream.
Finn finally removed the frying pan Rowan had reluctantly allowed him to keep.
He held it up triumphantly.
“You mocked me.” “I still do.” “You won’t when you’re eating.” Mira identified several safe herbs.
Finn mixed them into academy rations and somehow produced something that actually smelled good.
Even Hale accepted a portion.
Finn looked unbearably proud.
Rexia tried stealing from Kael.
He blocked her snout.
“You have your own.” She looked toward her portion.
Then his.
Yours better.
“It’s the same.” Yours.
Better.
Across the camp— “HEY!” Kael turned.
Nyx had taken a piece of meat from Finn’s plate.
Finn stared in betrayal.
“Why does everyone steal from me?” Damian continued eating.
“Weak defenses.” Finn looked around the camp.
“I hate this team.” Nobody believed him.
After lunch, they continued deeper along their approved route.
For the first twenty minutes, nothing seemed different.
Then Kael noticed the silence.
No chirping.
No distant calls.
Even the insects had become quieter.
Nyx slowed.
Rexia stopped wandering.
Damian’s Griffon repeatedly looked toward the deeper forest.
Mira frowned.
“Do you feel that?” Kael listened.
“No.” Mira nodded.
“Exactly.” They found the territorial markings minutes later.
Deep claw scratches covered a tree trunk.
Mira approached.
“Ironjaw Panther.” Kael looked around.
“Where is it?” Nobody answered.
Hale crouched near the ground.
Tracks.
Large feline prints.
Several.
They led away from the territory.
Kael crouched beside him.
“Running?” “Looks like it.” Finn stopped joking.
“What makes a territorial predator leave?” “Many things,” Hale said.
“Environmental changes.
Toxic bloom.
Fire.
Stronger predator.
Territorial displacement.
Seasonal migration.” He stood.
“We observe before deciding.” Nyx suddenly disappeared.
Kael felt it move through the trees.
“Nyx?” A response came.
Blood.
Kael immediately told Hale.
They followed, but only a short distance.
The clearing beyond was disturbed.
Broken plants.
Scratched soil.
Blood.
Not much.
No body.
Damian crouched.
“Tracks.” Kael saw them.
Not one species.
Many.
Hooves.
Claws.
Paws.
Small.
Large.
All moving the same way.
Outward.
Away from deeper Greenmist Hollow.
“They’re migrating,” Damian said.
Mira shook her head.
“Not like this.” Kael stared into the mist.
Predators and herbivores.
Different territories.
Different behaviors.
Something had disturbed all of them.
“We should check.” “No,” Hale said immediately.
Kael looked at him.
“You’re a first-year student on your first Secret Realm expedition.” Kael considered that.
“Fair.” Finn stared.
“You agreed suspiciously fast.” “I’m learning.” Mira clasped her hands.
“Thank every god available.” Hale activated a communication crystal.
His expression became increasingly serious.
Other squads had found similar signs.
Displaced beasts.
Abandoned territories.
Unusual movement.
Finally, Hale lowered the crystal.
“Change of plan.” Everyone listened.
“All squads regroup.
We’ll establish camp closer to the gate.
Instructors investigate from there.” Finn looked deeper into the forest.
“So expedition over?” “No.” Hale started walking.
“But until we know what’s happening, students don’t go deeper.” Nobody argued.
They began returning.
Kael had walked perhaps fifty meters when Rexia stopped.
Not slowed.
Stopped.
Her head turned toward the deeper forest.
She smelled the air.
Nyx stopped too.
Kael felt something through Rexia’s contract.
Not excitement.
Not hunger.
Caution.
That got his attention.
“What?” Rexia stared into the mist.
Big.
Kael frowned.
“How big?” Bigger than me.
Kael almost laughed.
“You’re still a hatchling.
Most things are bigger than you.” Rexia didn’t react.
Instead another impression came.
Deeper.
Instinctive.
Not comparison to her current body.
Something buried within the predatory knowledge written into her biology.
Big predator.
Kael’s smile faded.
Nyx’s tail slowly lifted.
Neither beast moved toward the scent.
That worried him more than a roar would have.
Kael stared into Greenmist Hollow.
Nothing.
Only trees.
Mist.
Silence.
Whatever waited deeper inside had apparently convinced established predators to abandon their territories.
Part of Kael wanted to know what it was.
Immediately.
He looked toward Hale.
Then toward Finn, Damian and Mira.
Finally at Nyx and Rexia.
Not today.
Kael turned toward camp.
“Come on.” Rexia hesitated.
Then followed.
Nyx moved beside her.
Behind them, green mist slowly swallowed the abandoned territory.
No roar followed.
No monster emerged.
The forest simply remained silent.
And somewhere beyond the trees, something large enough to disturb an entire ecosystem continued moving through Greenmist Hollow.
End Chapter 22