Drawing back his attention from Claire’s curious eyes, Kai focused on the woodland elk that was in the small spacious area, taking its position into his aim. He noticed how its antlers were a crown of polished bone.

It looked majestic, but it was barely a Grade 2 monster. It would take a few spells to deal with it, but his main focus was on simply scaring it away.

White streaks of mana formed around his palm, turning into a spell structure for [Wind Blade].

Within a second, the wind solidified into a shimmering blade, humming with his mana.

As he shot the blade towards the beast, blood immediately stained its flank. It got caught off guard by the attack as it grunted in pain, its feet hurrying around the nearby trees. Kai landed another blow with the wind blade, sending the elk crashing back into the bush with a startled snort.

It ran deep inside the forest, vanishing from sight with an enraged bellow.

Kai sighed and let his arm down as he deactivated the spell, the remaining mana dissipating into the cool morning air.

No more disturbances, he thought as he glanced around the clearing.

It was as good a place as any.

Claire, who was behind him the entire time, walked forward, her feet crunching the dried leaves that were all over the floor.

“Now…” Kai said in just above a whisper.

“What now, Lord Arzan?”

From his pouch, he retrieved a vial filled with a white powder, shimmering faintly for what was inside.

He bent down and began to trace a complex symbol on the forest floor, the powder leaving a luminescent trail in its wake. He paid extra attention to the patterns he connected, trying to make sure there was no mistake in even a slight dent.

The swirling pattern of circles and intersecting lines vibrated with subtle mana he pushed through to seal the lines as he continued with the overall image in mind.

He worked in focused silence, the only sound the rhythmic crunch of his boots on the forest floor as he moved between points of the design.

Ten minutes melted away.

As he finished the final line, a feeling washed over him— the first step was done.

Claire, who had watched the entire process with curious eyes, spoke up. "What now?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"The first step is complete," Kai replied his thoughts aloud, wiping his brow free of sweat. "Now for the second." He held up his hand, and a ball of condensed green mana materialized in his palm.

Claire's eyes widened further as she stared at the glowing orb in Kai's hand. Then, he handed the small ball of light to her hand and started creating one for himself as well.

"Hold on to it," he instructed, watching as she wrapped her fingers around the ball of mana like a precious gem. "Now, stand inside the symbol." He gestured towards the completed design on the forest floor.

Claire did as instructed, stepping into the centre of the drawn pattern.

Kai took a few paces back, then walked purposefully towards the symbol.

He reached out a hand, touching the cool earth where the lines intersected at the centre. The moment his hand made contact, a surge of mana erupted from the symbol, a wave of power that washed over them both and the air that surrounded them.

Claire gasped, the sensation both exhilarating and slightly terrifying. But before she could dwell on it, Kai spoke, his voice dropping to a low murmur.

"This might sting a little," he warned, producing a small, glinting needle from his pouch. "But I need a single drop of your blood on the symbol."

Claire's eyes widened in surprise.

Too many surprises for a morning, but what could Kai do— he needed her for the ritual. He shook his head inwardly at his own thought process and focused on the task at hand.

"Let me demonstrate," he said, pricking his own finger with a swift motion.

A bead of crimson welled up, and he guided it down to the centre of the ritual symbol, where it merged with the dim light that came from the pattern. The luminescence pulsed briefly, then settled back to its previous intensity.

Taking a deep breath, Claire held out her hand.

Kai gently gave her the needle as she took a deep breath.

She squeezed her finger, letting a single drop of blood fall onto the symbol. Like his offering, it was absorbed by the light.

The clearing remained stubbornly silent. The ritual circle continued to glow, fueled by Kai's mana, but nothing else seemed to happen. He looked at Claire who tilted her head.

"What exactly is this ritual supposed to do, Lord Arzan?" she finally asked, her voice laced with a hint of apprehension.

"Since the spider attack," he began, his voice low. "There's been… concerns about a potential threat to the city."

Claire's eyes widened. "A threat? You never mentioned this."

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"No one other than a few people knows. There's a chance, a possibility, that a beast wave might be coming."

He explained the unusual behaviour reported by the hunters and the unnatural calm after the dungeon opening. All signs pointed towards a brewing storm, a monstrous tide threatening to engulf the city.

"You see, I need more information," he continued, his gaze meeting hers. "Information only someone who had lived in the forest from birth might have."

Claire's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Kai's gaze held hers. He could visibly see how she scrunched her forehead while her lips trembled, thinking of ways to connect the dots between the threat, the ritual and his words. "This ritual," he said, "is meant to call upon the spirit of the forest."

Claire gasped at the information, her eyes shifting from his to look at the surroundings.

A forest spirit should be here at any moment if the ritual he did was right. And Kai, with all the information he had, knew this ritual must work one way or another.

They simply have to wait.

A few minutes passed by as they did so, simply waiting for something to happen. Claire kept looking towards the forest as if she was waiting for someone to emerge from the trees.

Finally, as he wondered if there was even a spirit in the forest, there was a shift.

The air shimmered, distorting the world around them. A low hum vibrated through the earth, resonating deep in Kai’s bones. It was as if the world had stopped for a second as a being revealed itself.

"It's here," Kai murmured, his eyes fixed on the distortion before them.

The air suddenly solidified, coalescing into a being of pure emerald light.

It lacked any defined features yet radiated a force of raw mana. It pulsed with a life force and if Kai was right, the mana he felt meant that it was an old spirit that had formed at least a century or two back.

As he squinted his eyes at it, he barely saw a humane figure.

It drifted closer, the air crackling as it passed. For a while, it kept observing the both of them, as if in the middle of making a decision.

Finally, it hovered towards Claire, its formless light seeming to focus on the mana orb she still clutched tightly in her hand.

Kai leaned in, his voice barely a whisper. "Give it your mana," he instructed, his eyes locked on the green entity. "And ask questions. About the beasts, their movements… is there indeed a beast wave coming? Think of it in your mind"

Claire nodded, still trembling slightly.

Claire’s eyes closed, her mind probably raising the questions they needed answers to. He waited patiently, letting her carry on with his commands.

The forest spirit pulsed in response, then moved closer, engulfing the mana orb in its luminous form. A few minutes passed by, and the green light continued to pulse after every thirty seconds or so— probably every time Claire questioned it.

Finally, it took a step back, giving one last look to Claire before retreating into the forest and disappearing.

As soon as the spirit was gone, Claire slumped down onto the soft earth, drained from the experience. Kai rushed to her side.

"Are you alright?" he asked, gently offering her a hand.

Claire took a shuddering breath. "I… I think so," she stammered. "That was… incredible. I never expected to… talk to someone in my mind."

Kai gave her a weak smile, offering her his waterskin. "It's a lot to take in," he admitted, taking a seat beside her. "The forest spirits are powerful beings, guardians of their domain. Not all are readily accessible, especially to those who don't possess… certain qualities. The one you talked to wasn't young, so it's normal to feel like you have lost all your strength."

He watched her take a sip of water, a flicker of understanding crossing her face as he talked more. "The ritual is designed to be a call, an offering of goodwill. Sometimes, the spirits are particular about who they commune with. It differs from each of them. Forest ones tend to like females more and earth spirits are much easier to talk to if one is a male. Though, it's not absolute and there have been enough exceptions."

Claire's eyes widened in realization. "That's why you brought me," she gasped. "You weren't just showing me a nice place for a walk."

Kai nodded. “I have no idea about the spirit of the Vasper Forest and as I couldn't take a chance, I brought you here." He offered her a wry smile. "So I enlisted your help. By the way, what did it say?"

Claire seemed like she was hesitating before she spoke.

"The spirit confirmed what you told me," she said, her voice low. "The creatures are indeed gathering, uniting under the leadership of the arachne brood mother, Vermorga. Apparently, the other species agreed to aid it since the spiders threatened to attack and kill them. It said the spider is the strongest and most of the species in the forest have rarely liked humans.”

He rubbed a hand over his face, the weight of the revelation pressing down on him. “That complicates things.”

He frowned. He knew there was a good chance of a beast wave before, but this basically confirmed it. No matter how much he thought, the current him could never go against a beast wave.

Maybe he would be able to deal with dozens of those spiders at once, but just the brood mother was enough to topple over any chances they had. Not to mention the other species the forest spirit had talked about.

Maybe, only the kingdom's army would be able to deal with it.

“Lord Arzan, are you okay?” Claire looked at him, her eyes looking concerned.

“I'm fine,” he replied, his mind coming back from his thoughts. “Did the forest spirit tell you about every species that has agreed to take part in the beast wave?”

“Yes.”

“Then we prepare,” he said, more to himself than her.

***

Despite the grim confirmation of the looming beast wave, he hadn't given up entirely. He wanted to prepare for it and see what choices they had to defend against it.

Before calling a meeting to talk about the beast wave, he had other matters to deal with.

He hadn't forgotten about the Archine Tower and the two Mages, Jacks and Klan, who had been cooped up in their quarters, pestering the servants with inquiries about his whereabouts. After days of refusing their requests, Kai decided it was time to hear them out.

As he entered the room, he found them pacing around in a nervous demeanour. When they saw him, they straightened up, as if they hadn't forgotten how easily he had subdued them.

"Lord Arzan," Jacks greeted him. “You are finally here!”

“We have been meaning to talk to you,” Klan said, not bothering with greetings. “Our reports are due at the Archine Tower in two months. If we don't leave, they are going to think something unfortunate happened…” Klan trailed off, his eyes darting nervously as he saw Kai's gaze hardening. “Uh– if we don't return, they will send more Mages until you show yourself in the Tower. Please come with us! We are missing our theory classes and if we stay here for long, we are going to fall back on our curriculum.”

Both the Mages seemed different when he had first met them. If they had seemed like haughty nobles before, now they acted like school students who were requesting him to come to the dean's office with them.

He gave them a look before taking a seat.

"Like before," he began, his voice steady, "I will decide when it suits me to travel to the Archine Tower. However, I will make it quicker for you if you address a few of my questions first."

"Questions, my Lord?" Jacks stammered.

"Indeed," Kai said, his gaze flickering between them. "Let's start with a simple one. How would you two rate your magical prowess compared to the other mages at the Archine Tower?"