Deep Within the Darkburn Canopy

  Morning came again beneath the heavy canopy of the forest.

  The group had rested just enough to regain their strength, and as the first pale rays of sunlight filtered through the dense leaves above, Jericho and the others resumed their push deeper into the Darkburn Canopy.

  The forest was quieter now.

  Not peaceful.

  Just waiting.

  Jericho walked at the front of the group, his senses stretched outward, feeling the thick soul energy saturating the land itself.

  “Stay alert,” he said calmly.

  They didn’t need the reminder.

  Within minutes, the next wave arrived.

  A pack of wolf-like beasts burst from the underbrush, their bodies twisted by soul energy, their eyes glowing with a feral intelligence that no normal animal possessed.

  Jericho moved first.

  “Soul Casting — Silver Barrage.”

  Streams of liquid mercury shot forward like bullets, tearing through the leading beasts and scattering the pack.

  William followed immediately after.

  Soul energy surged through his body, strengthening every muscle as he launched himself into the remaining creatures, moving with blinding speed and crushing strength.

  Alice’s blade flashed next.

  Her sword cut through the creatures with precise swings before she followed with a controlled casting.

  “Soul Casting — Clement.”

  The technique struck the beasts with a force that sent them tumbling across the forest floor.

  Erica stepped forward last, gripping Surtr, the ancient weapon given to her by Princess Clover.

  Flames began to swirl around the blade.

  But not lava.

  She restrained herself.

  “Soul Casting — Hurricane Inferno.”

  A spiraling storm of blazing fire surged outward, engulfing the remaining creatures without spreading uncontrollably through the forest.

  Within seconds, the attack was over.

  But the deeper they traveled, the more often the battles came.

  And so the pattern continued.

  One day passed.

  Then two.

  Then three.

  For three additional days, Jericho and the others pushed deeper into the forest.

  Every few hours, new creatures attacked.

  Not random encounters.

  Not wandering beasts.

  These attacks felt deliberate.

  Different species moved together.

  They flanked.

  They waited.

  They ambushed.

  Jericho stopped at one point on the third day, looking down at the massive corpse of a mutated bear.

  “This isn’t natural anymore,” he said quietly.

  Erica wiped the sweat from her forehead.

  “I thought the same thing yesterday.”

  William crouched beside the body, studying the creature.

  “They’re not just stronger,” he said.

  “They’re coordinated.”

  Alice looked around uneasily.

  “Like soldiers.”

  Drako folded his arms, his sharp eyes scanning the dense forest around them.

  “Which means one thing.”

  Jericho finished the thought.

  “Drako was right— Something is controlling them.”

  The forest seemed to grow heavier with silence.

  And whatever was directing those creatures…

  Was still deeper inside the Darkburn Canopy.

  ?

  Night slowly descended upon the Kingdom of Vevaria.

  Lanterns flickered to life across the streets, bathing the stone roads in a soft amber glow. The lively chatter of merchants slowly quieted as stalls began closing for the evening, while travelers and workers alike made their way toward inns and taverns.

  Nass and her two subordinates moved carefully through the city.

  Even after years away, she still knew the streets well enough to navigate them without hesitation. Eventually, they stopped in front of a modest but well-kept inn near the outer district.

  The wooden sign above the door swayed gently in the evening breeze.

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  “The Iron Lantern.”

  Nass pushed the door open and stepped inside.

  Warm air and the scent of cooked meat greeted them immediately. A handful of demonoids sat scattered around the tavern area, quietly drinking or finishing their meals. The atmosphere was calm—almost peaceful.

  Something that would have been unimaginable in Vevaria years ago.

  They approached the counter and secured two rooms for the night. The innkeeper barely gave them a second glance, simply handing over the keys before returning to wiping down his counter.

  Once upstairs, the three quickly entered one of the rooms and shut the door behind them.

  The moment the lock clicked into place, both human subordinates finally released the tension they had been holding all day.

  One of them exhaled deeply.

  “By the gods… I thought someone would notice us at any moment.”

  The other leaned against the wall.

  “I still think someone might.”

  Nass walked toward the window and slowly pulled the curtain aside, scanning the street below. Her sharp eyes studied every movement outside before she finally let the curtain fall closed again.

  “No one followed us,” she said calmly.

  They relaxed slightly, but the tension in the room remained.

  The male subordinate stepped forward.

  “Commander Nass… what we saw today… this changes everything.”

  She turned to face them.

  “Yes,” she replied quietly.

  “It does.”

  The second subordinate the woman, folded her arms.

  “I thought this was normal, but you’re saying the Demonoid Continent is supposed to be chaotic and unstable. With constant war between kingdoms. Brutal rulers. Citizens living in fear?.”

  She gestured toward the window.

  “But what we saw today… that’s the opposite.”

  Nass remained silent for a moment.

  Her mind replayed everything she had seen since entering the kingdom.

  The open markets.

  The trade between nations.

  The absence of constant military patrols.

  The laughter of children in the streets.

  Four years ago, Vevaria had been a brutal place where strength ruled everything.

  And yet now…

  It felt like a completely different world.

  “That king…” the male subordinate said carefully.

  “Casto Vel Blac.”

  “Could one ruler really change an entire continent like this?”

  Nass slowly sat down at the small wooden table in the room.

  Her red eyes darkened slightly with thought.

  “Not alone,” she said.

  Both of them looked at her.

  “Even a Demonoid King wouldn’t have the power to force peace between four nations without overwhelming support… or overwhelming fear.”

  The female subordinate frowned.

  “You think something else is happening?”

  Nass nodded slowly.

  “This change came too quickly.”

  She leaned forward slightly.

  “And the most important part…”

  They both listened carefully.

  “…is that no one is talking about the Demonoid Lord.”

  Silence filled the room.

  For a moment, neither subordinate spoke.

  The female subordinate finally asked the obvious question.

  “Shouldn’t he have interfered?”

  “Exactly,” Nass replied.

  The Demonoid Lord is the supreme authority of the continent.

  If something as monumental as uniting the four kingdoms had happened…

  He should have been involved.

  Yet throughout the entire day, she hadn’t heard his name mentioned once.

  Not in the markets.

  Not in the streets.

  Not even from the shopkeeper who had eagerly explained the new era.

  That alone was unsettling.

  Nass slowly leaned back in her chair.

  “Something happened here during the years I was gone.”

  Her gaze hardened slightly.

  “And whatever it was… it changed the balance of power on this continent.”

  The male subordinate spoke again.

  “So what’s our next move?”

  Nass didn’t hesitate.

  “We gather more information.”

  She stood up.

  “If this peace is real, we need to know how it was achieved.”

  Her eyes narrowed slightly.

  “And if it isn’t…”

  The room grew quiet again.

  “…then we need to know who is really pulling the strings behind this new era.”

  Outside, the night deepened across Vevaria.

  ?

  Later that night, the city of Vevaria was far from asleep.

  While most markets had closed, the taverns and bars were now at their liveliest. Laughter, loud conversations, and the clinking of mugs echoed through the streets as soldiers, merchants, and nobles alike gathered to drink away the day.

  Inside one particularly crowded tavern, Nass sat quietly at a corner table.

  Her cloak hid most of her features, while the dim lanternlight helped keep her identity obscured. Across from her sat one of her subordinates—a human woman who had been traveling with her since the start of the mission.

  The other subordinate remained back at the inn to avoid drawing too much attention.

  The tavern door suddenly burst open.

  A group of demonoids stumbled inside, already clearly drunk. Their voices were loud, careless, and full of arrogance.

  Nass glanced toward them subtly.

  Her sharp eyes immediately noticed the emblems stitched into their cloaks.

  Not soldiers.

  Not merchants.

  Noble retainers.

  One of the demonoids loudly slammed himself into a chair at the bar.

  “More drinks!” he shouted.

  The bartender sighed but obeyed.

  Nass leaned slightly toward her subordinate and spoke quietly.

  “Those men serve nobles.”

  The human woman followed her gaze.

  “And they’re drunk enough to forget what they should and shouldn’t say.”

  A faint smile appeared on Nass’s lips.

  “Exactly.”

  Moments later, the two women stood and casually moved toward the bar.

  They sat a few seats away from the loud group.

  One of the retainers immediately noticed them.

  His drunken eyes widened slightly.

  “Well now…” he slurred.

  “Didn’t expect such lovely company tonight.”

  The other retainers laughed loudly.

  Nass lowered her gaze slightly, pretending to be shy.

  Her subordinate leaned casually against the counter.

  “We were just looking for somewhere interesting to drink,” she said smoothly.

  “And you gentlemen seemed… entertaining.”

  The men burst into laughter.

  “Well you came to the right place!”

  Another mug of alcohol was placed in front of them.

  Within minutes, the drunken retainers were talking loudly as if the women were already old friends.

  Nass mostly remained quiet, letting her subordinate guide the conversation.

  Eventually, one of the men slammed his mug down.

  “You know what?” he said loudly.

  “All this peace nonsense… it won’t last forever.”

  Another retainer snorted.

  “Of course it won’t. Not with what that king is planning.”

  Nass subtly tilted her head.

  Her subordinate played along.

  “Oh?” she asked curiously.

  “What do you mean?”

  The men leaned closer.

  One of them lowered his voice slightly, though it was still far too loud for something meant to be secret.

  “You didn’t hear this from us,” he muttered.

  “The King of Blac… that young ruler… Casto Vel Blac.”

  He shook his head in disbelief.

  “That man is insane.”

  Another retainer laughed drunkenly.

  “Insane? He’s worse than that.”

  “He wants to extend this stupid alliance beyond the Demonoid Continent.”

  Nass’s fingers tightened slightly around her mug.

  But her expression remained perfectly calm.

  Her subordinate widened her eyes in pretend surprise.

  “Beyond the continent?”

  The men nodded.

  “Humans… Drakziel… all of them.”

  “He wants peace with everyone.”

  Another retainer scoffed.

  “Can you believe that?”

  “Our King, the King of Vevaria actually supports him too.”

  “That’s why the alliance between the four kingdoms happened in the first place.”

  The first retainer leaned forward again.

  “But not everyone agrees.”

  His drunken smile faded slightly.

  “A lot of nobles still hate the other races.”

  “Humans… Drakziel… it doesn’t matter.”

  Another man slammed his mug down.

  “They’re enemies. Always have been.”

  “And now our kings want to pretend we’re all friends.”

  Nass’s subordinate leaned closer, lowering her voice conspiratorially.

  “So… the nobles don’t like this plan?”

  The men laughed bitterly.

  “Half the court is furious.”

  “But what can they do?”

  “The King of Blac holds too much influence now.”

  “And our king stands beside him.”

  The first retainer suddenly pointed a finger at the two women.

  “But listen…”

  His voice dropped again.

  “This is confidential.”

  “Only the king’s court knows about the plan right now.”

  The others nodded seriously—at least as seriously as drunken men could.

  “So don’t go spreading this around.”

  Another retainer chuckled.

  “If the court finds out we said anything… we’re dead.”

  Nass smiled politely.

  “Your secret is safe with us.”

  The men relaxed immediately and returned to their loud drinking.

  A few minutes later, Nass and her subordinate quietly left the tavern.

  The cool night air greeted them as they stepped outside.

  They walked silently through the dimly lit streets.

  Only once they were several blocks away did the subordinate finally speak.

  “…That changes everything.”

  Nass nodded slowly.

  “Yes.”

  Her mind was already racing.

  The alliance of the four Demonoid kingdoms had already been shocking enough.

  But this…

  If Casto Vel Blac truly intended to extend peace to the Human and Drakziel continents…

  It would reshape the entire world.

  And judging by the nobles’ reactions…

  Not everyone was willing to accept that future.

  Nass looked up toward the distant palace towering above the city.

  A quiet thought crossed her mind.

  What kind of king…

  tries to unite races that have hated each other for centuries?

  The answer, she suspected…

  …was someone very ambitious.

  She slowly began to question if she really wants to ruin something as life changing as that.