I Can See Evolution Paths

Chapter 88: Turf Wars

The collision echoed again through the valley, and nobody on the cliffside said a word for a long moment. The trees around them swayed from the pressure alone, branches trembling even though no wind blew. Arthur stood quietly, staring east, where smoke and dust still hung faintly in the air from whatever had just happened.

"That was loud," he finally said.

Sun nodded slowly, still watching the same direction. "That thing is definitely not Bronze."

Raku’s expression grew serious as he studied the horizon. "Silver," he said quietly.

One of the Goblin children grabbed Vedas’s hand without thinking, her small fingers curling tight around his. She looked up at him, wide-eyed and nervous. "Chief," she said. "Is it coming here?"

Vedas knelt to her eye level, voice steady and calm. "No," he told her. "It’s too busy fighting."

She studied his face for a moment, searching for any sign he was just saying it to comfort her, then nodded and relaxed completely, as his word alone had settled it.

Arthur smiled, watching the exchange. "You’re good with kids," he said.

Vedas scratched his cheek, looking almost embarrassed. "I don’t know," he admitted.

Mithra smiled too. "You really are," she said.

They kept climbing along a rocky path winding up the cliffside until the trees thinned enough to see the valley stretched below. Far in the distance, two enormous shapes moved against each other, too far to make out clearly but unmistakably massive even from here.

One was a gigantic Crystal Mammoth, its whole body wrapped in armor that caught the sunlight and threw it back in sharp glowing fragments.

The other was a six-legged Storm Panther, low and fast, impossibly quick for something its size. Every collision sent a shockwave rolling through the valley strong enough to bend entire sections of forest and send boulders tumbling down the mountainside.

A third collision echoed through the valley. The Crystal Mammoth slid backward several dozen meters before digging its crystal-covered tusks into the ground. The Storm Panther vanished.

Then it reappeared above the Mammoth.

Lightning exploded across the sky as it crashed down. The whole mountain shook. Several Goblin children instinctively hid behind Vedas.

One Hunter swallowed. "That’s only Silver Rank?"

Athena nodded slowly, eyes still on the battle. "Only."

Sun looked toward Arthur. "Let’s stay dealing with Bronze Beasts."

Arthur nodded immediately. "I agree."

Mithra laughed. "Fastest agreement ever."

"Finally," Sun said, with obvious relief.

Mithra laughed quietly. "Your survival instincts are improving," she told Arthur.

Arthur nodded seriously, like accepting a compliment for something he’d worked hard on. "Slightly," he said.

The Goblin children pressed closer to the cliff’s edge, watching the battle with open amazement. One tugged at Vedas’s sleeve. "Can we become that strong?" she asked.

Vedas watched the fight for a long moment before answering. "One day," he said.

Arthur smiled quietly. "Definitely," he added.

The Goblins cheered at that, like the promise alone was enough.

The battle below suddenly stopped. Both massive Silver beasts froze and turned their heads upward at the exact same moment, and everyone on the cliff followed their gaze without understanding why until they saw it too.

A shadow the size of a small mountain passed overhead, darkening the whole valley for several long seconds. The Sky King moved across the clouds with wings wide enough to blot out the sun, hundreds of smaller flying beasts trailing behind it in loose formation, not attacking, not threatening, just following.

Arthur’s eyes lit up. "I still want to ride one," he said.

Mithra laughed. "You haven’t given up on that?"

Arthur shook his head firmly. "Never."

Sun sighed. "One day I’m going to regret encouraging you," he muttered.

Arthur blinked. "You encouraged me?"

Sun paused, reconsidering. "Never mind," he said.

Athena had already pulled her notebook back out, sketching furiously to catch the creature’s shape before it vanished. "Its wingspan," she murmured to herself. "That’s impossible."

Raku smiled quietly. "Every Guide exaggerates the size of the Sky King when they describe it," he said. "Until they finally see one for themselves."

Athena lowered her notebook slowly, still staring at the empty sky. "The stories were too small," she said quietly.

One Goblin child whispered, "It’s carrying the sky."

Another nodded slowly. "I thought mountains were the biggest thing."

Raku smiled. "The Realm enjoys proving us wrong."

Arthur kept staring upward. "How does something that big even fly?"

Athena adjusted her glasses. "I don’t know. And I desperately want to."

Sun looked between them. "You two really are alike."

Arthur watched the Sky King disappear over the far ridge and laughed. "Mom would scream," he said.

Mithra laughed with him. "She absolutely would."

Arthur’s smile widened. "Then she’d want to pet it."

Mithra’s lips twitched. "She’d probably tell it to eat more."

Arthur nodded confidently. "Mom thinks everything looks hungry."

Sun sighed. "That part sounds like you. Now I know where you get it from."

Everyone laughed, even Vedas, who rarely laughed out loud but couldn’t help it this time.

By afternoon, the forest finally opened up in front of them, revealing a lake so large it looked like it belonged to the sky rather than the ground. The surface was perfectly still, not a single ripple, and the whole group stopped walking the moment they saw it. Along the shoreline, countless beasts of every size and rank gathered to drink. Bronze beasts stood beside Iron ones, and here and there a Silver beast lowered its head to the water without a single creature flinching away. Predators stood beside prey without either paying the other any mind. Nobody fought. Nobody hunted. Nobody even growled.

Arthur stared at the scene in complete silence, then finally whispered, "Why?"

Raku smiled at the question. "Evolution," he said simply.

Arthur looked at him, clearly confused.

Raku continued after a moment. "When everyone is thirsty," he said, "everyone drinks. The Realm understands that much, even if nothing else."

Arthur watched a wolf lower its head to drink right beside a rabbit, a massive bear drink peacefully next to a small group of deer further down, and a giant snake coil quietly beside a flock of resting birds.

None of them attacked. None of them even seemed to notice each other as anything but fellow drinkers sharing the same water.

Nobody hurried either. The predators waited patiently, and the smaller beasts drank first. Only after they stepped away did the larger beasts move forward.

Arthur noticed quietly. "They’re taking turns."

Raku nodded. "Even strength can choose kindness."

Nobody spoke after that. They just watched.

Melo walked forward slowly on her own, and a tiny rabbit near the shore looked up at her without fear. Melo blinked at it. "Kyu," she said, and the rabbit happily settled beside her like an old companion.

A second rabbit hopped over slowly. Then a third. Soon three tiny rabbits were drinking beside Melo.

Melo blinked. "Kyu?"

Arthur laughed. "You made friends."

Melo puffed her chest out proudly.

Arthur smiled, watching it happen. "I like this place," he said.

Mithra nodded quietly beside him. "Me too," she said.

Athy flew down and landed directly on the surface of the water. Instead of sinking, she simply stood there, perfectly balanced, as the lake had solidified just for her.

Arthur blinked. "That’s cheating," he said.

Athy chirped proudly, and the whole group laughed.

Nearby, a small creature too short to reach the water struggled at the edge of the shoreline, and Kong noticed before anyone had to point it out. He lifted the tiny beast gently in both hands and held it steady until it finished drinking, then set it back down carefully on the grass. The little creature rubbed happily against his leg before wandering off, and the Goblin children immediately started cheering.

"Kong is everyone’s big brother!" one shouted.

Kong scratched the back of his head, thoroughly embarrassed.

Another tiny beast walked over, then another. Soon Kong had three tiny creatures following behind him.

He looked at Arthur, pleading.

Arthur laughed. "You’re adopted now."

Athena studied the lake a long moment before turning to Raku. "Why don’t they attack each other?" she asked.

Raku looked out over the water, considering. "No one truly knows," he said. "Some believe the Realm itself forbids conflict here."

Arthur smiled quietly. "I hope that’s true," he said.

Athena lowered her notebook slowly. "There are so many things nobody outside has ever seen."

Arthur smiled. "Then we’ll show them."

Athena looked at him, a small smile appearing. "Yeah. We will."

As they finally started walking away from the lake, Arthur spoke almost to himself. "If the whole world was like that," he said, "people would probably smile more."

Vedas looked quietly toward the lake. "Maybe that’s why the Goblin King wanted peace."

Arthur smiled. "Maybe."

Raku nodded slowly. "Kings who have seen enough war usually do."

Nobody answered right away. Mithra glanced at him after a moment. "That’s a very Arthur thing to say," she told him.

Arthur blinked, genuinely surprised. "Is it?"

"Extremely," Sun said immediately.

Even Athena smiled at that, without looking up from her notebook.

Evening began settling over the forest as they walked, and the King’s Mark on Arthur’s hand slowly started glowing brighter than it had all day. It wasn’t only Arthur who noticed. Everyone around him saw the golden trail beneath their feet widen and brighten until it was impossible to ignore.

Raku stopped walking. He raised his staff slowly and pointed toward the horizon. "There," he said.

Everyone followed his gaze. In the distance, smoke rose into the darkening sky above what looked like a settlement far larger than the Mu Tribe, surrounded by wooden walls and watchtowers taller than anything Arthur had seen since entering the Realm.

Behind those walls, more smoke curled upward, thick and dark, and faint shouting carried across the distance with it. Small shapes that could only be Goblins ran along the walls in obvious panic.

It was too thick.

Too dark.

Too much.

"...That’s not normal." Arthur’s smile faded completely. "Something happened," he said quietly.

Vedas stepped forward without hesitation, gripping his spear tight. "We’re going," he said.

Arthur nodded once. "Yeah."

The King’s Mark pulsed brighter than it ever had before, and the golden trail beneath their feet turned sharply toward the smoke rising in the distance.

The entire tribe broke into a run.