Kael continued along the path, two days having passed since the battle. He hadn’t rested once, except at night and during storms.

As he woke early in the morning, he lifted his hand from his neck. Dried blood clung to his skin, and the sharp scent of iron lingered in the air around him.

‘It must have come close to infection for it to take this long to heal.’

He examined his hand before slowly running his fingers over the three claw marks left from the battle. The wounds had completely healed, leaving behind only ugly scars.

Kael pushed himself off the ground and rose to his feet. A few meters away, several sticks with skewered meat were planted firmly in the dirt.

Wasting no time, he began gathering wood to start a fire. With a spark and a steady breath, flames flickered to life, casting faint shadows against the trees. Soon, small embers curled into the air, drifting upward like fleeting remnants of something long burned away.

Wasting no time, he began gathering wood to start a fire. His movements were precise, methodical with no wasted effort. Soon enough, small flames danced before him, sending sparks into the air. The skewered meat rested above the fire, sizzling as fat dripped onto the embers. The rich aroma of grilled meat filled the air, slowly drowning out the lingering scent of iron.

As he watched in silence while the meat slowly roasted, his thoughts wandered. He would reach the giant tree today. That much was certain.

What he was unsure of was how they would greet him.

They wouldn’t try to kill him, not immediately, at least. That would be pointless. A noble family had no reason to go through the effort of hiring a mercenary just to dispose of him at the meeting point. But that didn’t mean they were trustworthy. Nobles never acted without layers of intent, their words polished and rehearsed, their actions deliberate. If they had a reason to get rid of him, they would. But they wouldn’t waste resources doing it recklessly.

Kael didn’t plan to put himself in a situation where they could.

The fire crackled as fat dripped onto the embers, sending up a faint hiss. He turned the skewered meat slightly. The scent of iron still clung to him, mixing with the rich aroma of cooking flesh. He ignored it. The wounds on his neck had closed, but they had taken longer than they should have. That meant one of two things: either the Dreadborn’s claws carried something unnatural, or his body had been worn down from the journey more than he realized.

Neither possibility mattered. The fight was over.

A gust of wind stirred the trees around him, carrying with it the scent of damp earth. Dark clouds loomed in the distance, a quiet reminder that storms moved as they pleased, uncaring of those caught beneath them. He tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing. He would reach the meeting point before the weather turned.

He wasn’t afraid. Fear was pointless.

But wariness was necessary.

Kael pulled his coat over his shoulders and sat in silence, waiting for the food to finish cooking. He would eat, he would move forward, and when the time came, he would decide how to act.

Until then, there was nothing more to think about.

He ate one piece of skewered meat in silence before grabbing another to eat as he walked. The taste was surprisingly good, far better than the boar-like creature he had eaten before.

Trees passed by at a steady pace as Kael moved forward. The wind had begun to pick up, steadily building toward the inevitable storm he had endured many times before. Noticing this, he quickened his pace slightly. The giant tree was close now.

Slowly, the trees grew sparser, the forest thinning with each step. The shadow that had loomed over his path these past days, stretching like an unbroken veil, finally began to reveal its source. A colossal trunk emerged before him, its sheer size defying reason. The bark was as thick as the surrounding trees, its surface weathered by time yet unyielding. Though it had died millions of years ago, its presence remained, a monument to an age long past. Even now, it stood proud, exuding an oppressive weight, as if refusing to acknowledge its own demise.

As Kael gazed upon the titan, he felt nothing, not awe, not sorrow, not reverence. It was a titan among titans, a being that had stood for countless ages, perhaps longer than any empire or kingdom, and yet, in the end, it had still fallen. Time had worn it down, stripped it of its life, reduced it to a husk of what it once was. That was the nature of all things, nothing was eternal, not even giants.

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And yet, even in death, it stood.

Its remains loomed over the land, defiant in its ruin, its colossal frame refusing to crumble. A monument not to its former glory, but to its final struggle. A pointless one. Kael's gaze lingered on the withered bark, tracing the jagged cracks that covered its surface. Once, this tree had towered over everything, its roots sinking deep into the earth like veins drawing life from the world itself. Now, it was nothing but a relic.

He exhaled slowly. Strength meant nothing if it failed you in the end. Even titans fall. Even legends fade.

Kael adjusted his coat and resumed his pace.

He walked along the massive trunk for nearly thirty minutes, his thoughts drifting toward unnecessary things before circling back to the tree. His steps slowed. Then, without thinking, he halted and turned toward it, his expression unreadable.

A moment passed. Then he shook his head and kept walking.

‘It’s not worth it.’

A small part of him was curious. What would he feel if he placed his hand against the ancient bark and activated his mote? But he didn’t let his curiosity get the better of him. It wasn’t just the risk of revealing his Luminaire presence; it was also the uncertainty of the outcome itself that stopped him from trying. He had never attempted to use his second soulbound mote, the obsidian shard, on something this grand before.

Depending on how profound an item was, the mote would consume more or fewer thoughts. And living beings were nothing but profound. They were made of thoughts, souls, and, in the case of humans, a will.

It was too much. Too vast, too intricate, too beyond comprehension. It wasn’t something meant for humans to fully grasp. Perhaps it wasn’t even possible.

If Kael were to use his obsidian shard mote on the boar-like creature he had previously slain, it would have consumed nearly 80,000 thoughts in an instant, only to drain even more the longer he kept it activated.

And for this tree? He was uncertain. Something so ancient, a once-living titan that had endured millions of years before finally succumbing to time… If he had the capacity to grasp its profoundness, he was sure he would uncover something remarkable. But what if the moment he activated his technique, his thoughts were drained completely, leaving him powerless—unable to move for who knows how long?

This was why he refused to take such a risk under the current circumstances.

The day had grown late as he continued walking along the massive trunk. To his right, trees passed by at a steady pace. To his left, the colossal tree remained unchanged, its bark shifting patterns now and then.

Soon, in the far distance, unnatural shapes began to emerge, distinct from the surrounding environment. Fabric fluttered gracefully in the wind, disrupting the forest’s usual stillness. A thin trail of smoke coiled upward like a serpent, marking signs of life ahead.

Kael's pace quickened at the sight. As he drew closer, more details emerged. In front of a massive crack in the colossal tree, a temporary shelter had been built. Dark fabric was stretched over it, offering protection from both wind and rain. At its center, a small campfire burned, the scent of cooking meat drifting through the air.

Two—no, three—people were at the camp, each engaged in a different task. A young woman with golden-blond hair moved swiftly, gathering branches to keep the fire alive. Nearby, a young man with short black hair hung strips of meat on a line, seemingly to dry them. Closer to the fire, a man in a black coat sat on a rock, scribbling something into a notebook.

As he approached the camp, the young pair finally lifted their heads from their tasks, their gazes locking onto Kael. Only the man in the black coat remained unmoved.

The woman opened her mouth and called out in a calm, steady voice.

“Stop. Don't come any closer. State your business.”

Kael halted, about to respond, when the man in the coat raised his free hand. He didn’t look up, his focus remaining on the notebook as he continued to scribble.

The young pair turned their gaze to the man who had raised his hand, gave a slight nod, and then returned to their tasks.

Kael loosely gripped his cane in his right hand and strode toward the camp. When he finally stood before the man in the coat, the man shut his notebook with a quiet snap and looked up, casting a brief glance at Kael.

The man spoke with a low, powerful voice. “So... you're finally here.”

Kael was slightly taken aback by the remark, though his expression remained unreadable.

‘Ah, as I suspected. They made sure no one could approach unnoticed.’

“Yes, it was quite the journey, but I finally got here,” he replied evenly.

Without hesitation, he reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, extending it toward the man.

The man raised an eyebrow, eyeing Kael with mild curiosity before taking the paper and reading it on the spot. His expression remained neutral, but there was an unmistakable air of slight disappointment about him.

“I see… You’re indeed the mercenary our family requested.”

Kael was now certain, he had been watched for at least the past few days. But he also knew there was no way they could have identified him beforehand. That was precisely why he had brought the request note, torn straight from the billboard in Farkath, as proof of his legitimacy.

“Well, no matter. Eat and rest here for today, you must be tired from the journey. We’ll discuss the details tomorrow.”

The man's voice remained calm, but there was an undeniable weight behind it. His tone was steady, his words deliberate, carrying an authority that made it difficult to ignore. Even without force, his presence alone commanded attention.

Kael gave a slight nod before moving toward the tree, resting his cane against its massive trunk. Without a word, he returned to the fire, lowering himself beside it and extending his hands toward the flickering flames, letting the warmth chase away the lingering cold from his fingers.