A few eventless days flew by as Kael continued moving east. The once-familiar forest was now unrecognizable. The trees stood farther apart, and the once-melodic birdsong had vanished, but the woods remained dense. They towered above him, tens of times taller than those he had grown accustomed to, their trunks massive enough to carve a home into.Their sprawling crowns covered nearly the entire sky, allowing only the faintest slivers of sunlight to pierce through. Some stretched hundreds of meters into the sky, their crowns forming a vast, shadowy expanse overhead. The ground between the trees was mostly barren, with only small, sapling-like plants sprouting out from the earth.

Kael wasn’t surprised by the sight. Many stories surrounded the origins of this forest—tales of deities locked in a bloody battle, their spilled blood nurturing the land, or of paragons experimenting with their powers, leaving behind a landscape forever changed.

He had no way of knowing, nor did he make much effort to find out. The wind picked up, growing stronger as it whipped up dust and leaves, forcing him to raise an arm to shield his face. His hair moved with it, flickering like dancing flames, while his coat billowed behind him, its fabric rippling like waves on a stormy sea.

‘This won’t do.’

Kael moved his hand from his face, quickly noticing a tree nearby, he moved close to it to take cover from the raging winds. The wind was increasing at an alarming rate, the trees creaked and moved, trying desperately to resist it. It was a grand view, watching the ginormous trees move and dance in the wind.

Kael leaned against the thick trunk of a tree, taking cover from the relentless winds. It was unfortunate, but he had no other choice. The trails through this part of the forest were far more difficult to track than in other regions. It was well known that storms regularly tore through these woods, wiping away paths and erasing any plant life too weak to endure them.

Though the winds howled around him with force, he knew they would only last a few hours at most. Now safely shielded behind the tree, he finally lowered his arm from his face and took in his surroundings. The gale continued to build, its strength growing with each passing moment. The towering trees groaned and creaked under the assault, their massive trunks swaying dangerously and their crowns forced to bend unnaturally. The air was thick with swirling dust, stripping it of any trace of warmth or moisture. All that remained was the sharp, raw scent of earth, carried on the howling wind.

Hours passed slowly as Kael battled against the raging winds, using all his strength to stay grounded and At last, the storm began to calm down, and the trees were finally allowed to rest.

‘It’s finally over.’

Kael rose to his feet, brushing off the thin layer of dust that had settled on him. His gaze lifted to the colossal tree that had shielded him. He never doubted its endurance—each of these ancient sentinels had stood for thousands of years, enduring countless storms just like this one.

He raised a hand, placing his fingertips against the tree’s thick, weathered bark. He willed, and his soulbound mote activated instantly.

His brows furrowed slightly as he traced the rough surface.

"Impressive indeed," he murmured.

‘I see… No wonder it can withstand and survive in such harsh environments. The bark is as strong as forged iron, but its core—it's even harder. Even if I used my full strength, I wouldn’t be able to make a dent in it.’

Kael could feel the water moving upward within the trunk, the silent pulse of life moving through its veins. He sensed every fiber straining and rubbing against each other as the massive tree swayed ever so slightly with the wind, movements undetectable to the mundane eye.

‘The roots are just as resilient, if not more so.’

They burrowed no less than five hundred meters deep, spreading in all directions like the veins of a living being. The roots of different trees intertwined, tangling together like searching tendrils, anchoring themselves in the depths below.

‘Ah… no wonder they never tip over. Not only do their roots stretch multiple times the length of the tree itself, but the way they weave together forces them to rely on one another, forming an unbreakable net.’

He let his attention wander along one of the roots, and before he knew it, he sensed another tree—its hardened core just as resilient.

Kael’s brows furrowed at the discovery.

Ever since obtaining his soulbound motes, he had experimented relentlessly. No matter how he tried, he had never been able to shift his focus to a different object through thin air or even items touching each other. He was always forced to place his hand on the object he wanted to use his mote on.

But now… it was different.

It was almost as if this entire forest was a single organism.

Kael shuddered slightly at this thought before pulling his hand away from the tree.

Throughout the world, beasts roamed the wilderness—some as vast as mountains, others barely visible to the naked eye. The truly fearsome ones, those that once prowled near civilization, had long been hunted down by powerful Luminaires.

And yet, not all creatures were predators. Some roamed aimlessly, existing without the need to feed. These were often ancient beasts that had lived for hundreds of thousands of years, growing to unimaginable sizes. They would have witnessed countless historical events, watching as the world shifted and changed around them.

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The possibility that this entire forest was a single, colossal living organism wasn’t beyond reason. Perhaps it was even known to some and deliberately left undisturbed—either because it kept greater threats at bay or simply because no one had the power to destroy it.

Kael threw these thoughts to the back of his head, picked up his cane and started moving again slowly closing in on the destination where he would meet up with an Eirendaile member. Or at least where he speculated it was.

Even though this path was known to many merchants and travelers, little was ever written about it. Too few people used it regularly to keep records of the constantly shifting landscape, so no one bothered. However, there was a key point along the route that everyone familiar with the path knew about.

—

Long ago, long before people dared to travel within this forest, there was an explorer obsessed with the Titanwoods. He would travel deep into the forest, studying its towering trees, collecting samples, and sketching the strange flora that thrived beneath the dense canopy. He meticulously recorded theories about the powerful winds that howled through the region, trying to understand their unpredictable nature.

One day, while taking cover against a massive tree to shield himself from the raging winds, he heard low uneven pants, barely audible over the storm. The sound came from just tens of meters away, near a neighboring tree. Heart pounding, the explorer struggled to catch a glimpse of the source.

Then, he saw it.

A colossal creature stood on two legs, its massive hands wrapped tightly around the trees as if bracing against the storm. Its pale fingers were unnaturally long, curling effortlessly around the thick trunks, holding on with an eerie stillness. Its mouth gaped wide—almost stretching to its ears—revealing disturbingly human teeth. Its tongue lolled out, moving like that of an exhausted dog. The creature’s face was unsettlingly human-like, yet its black, empty eyes stared straight ahead with cold indifference. Its greasy black hair thrashed wildly in the wind, yet it remained unfazed by the rocks and dust scraping against its skin.

Upon seeing the creature, the explorer’s face drained of color, turning almost as white as paper. Panic seized him, overriding all rational thought. Before he could stop himself, he sprang to his feet and ran into the storm, away from the colossal being. He ran and ran, never daring to look back. The raging winds tossed him like a ragdoll, slamming him against tree trunks and pelting him with debris. Jagged rocks tore into his flesh, carving deep wounds across his body, but he didn't stop. He couldn’t.

He had no idea how many hours he had been running. His body moved on instinct alone—until, without warning, his legs gave out, sending him sprawling onto the ground. Gasping for breath, he frantically scanned his surroundings, searching for any sign of the creature. His heart pounded in his ears, each beat hammering against his skull like a warning drum.

Only after what felt like an eternity did his panic begin to subside. Slowly, his breathing steadied, and his senses returned to him. He took in his surroundings—not just in fear, but in an attempt to understand where he had ended up.

Towering trees loomed all around him, their immense forms stretching endlessly into the sky. But ahead of him, the forest broke. Instead of more trees, a massive, dark wall rose before him, piercing through the canopy and seemingly breaking the clouds. It stretched endlessly in both directions, disappearing into the distance as far as the forest allowed him to see.

At its center, a massive crack split through the wall’s surface like an old wound, deep and jagged. Summoning what little strength remained, he dragged himself forward, using his arms to pull his battered body toward the crack. He had long lost track of time, but that no longer mattered. He needed shelter—something, anything to shield him from the storm if it were to rise again.

Soon enough, he realized his wounds were too severe. He could stop the bleeding but he couldn’t heal his broken bones nor did he have a way of hunting for food or finding water. His days were numbered. Yet, he refused to let his passion fade. With the time he had left, he wrote down everything he knew—every encounter, every detail of the forest, and all the speculations his mind could conjure.

It was only decades after the explorer’s death that travelers stumbled upon his remains. His notes and research spread like wildfire among merchants and wanderers, revolutionizing the way they navigated the Titanwoods. Thanks to his relentless dedication and unyielding passion, paths were carved—just safe enough for seasoned travelers to traverse.

He became known as one of the greatest researchers of his time, his work saving countless lives and forging vital trade routes that connected distant cities. In the present day, many explorers followed in his footsteps, mapping safer roads than the treacherous one Kael now walked. Yet, despite the advancements, the original explorer was never forgotten, his legacy honored and respected by those who came after him.

Within the explorer’s research lay the very key point Kael had mentioned earlier. The massive wall the explorer had stumbled upon in his desperate bid for survival was not a wall at all—it was the remains of a tree. A titan that had once stretched thousands of kilometers into the sky, long dead for millions of years. Its lifeless trunk was all that remained, and the massive crack in its surface had only formed after its death.

This was the landmark Kael had gambled on as their meeting place.

His reasoning wasn’t baseless. Kael had an exceptional understanding of how noble families operated, and more importantly, his grasp of human nature was nothing short of extraordinary. Though the noble family’s note had only specified that the meeting would take place within the Titanwoods, Kael was certain it had to be along this particular route. Of the countless paths that wove through the Titanwoods, only this one met all the necessary criteria.

It was treacherous—far too dangerous for ordinary travelers. Only the most seasoned wanderers, or in this case, mercenaries, dared to take it. The risk of death was simply too high, making it a path that few would ever consider worth the gamble.

In a way, the noble family was gambling as well. By choosing this path, they ensured that only a mercenary capable of enduring its dangers would reach the meeting point—a silent test of skill and resilience.

Its isolation also made it the ideal route for secrecy. Few dared to travel it, making it the perfect place to move unnoticed. The noble family’s desperation was clear—not just in hiring a mercenary, but in staking everything on the chance that the right one would accept the task and survive the journey.

But noble families operated differently. Few within the continent possessed their level of knowledge about the surrounding terrain. To them, understanding the environment was paramount—not just for defense, allowing them to fortify key positions against potential threats, but also for offense, enabling them to plan precise and strategic attacks when necessary. It would also enable them to create the ideal route for their trade caravans.

For this reason alone, Kael was certain they would choose this route. The dangers that made it nearly impossible for most were little more than an afterthought for the noble families.

As for why he believed the giant tree was the meeting point—it was simple. The explorer who had perished there was one of the earliest ancestors of the Eirendaile family.