Chapter 12:
Leaving the cave felt like stepping into a completely different world.
The air outside was heavy—filled with the sharp smell of ozone, burnt wood, and something sour and metallic that made Leo's nose wrinkle. The light filtering through the broken trees felt strange too. Dim. Almost like even the sun was afraid to shine on the destruction.
What used to be a glowing, mysterious forest was now a ruined battlefield.
The forest floor, once covered with colorful moss and glowing mushrooms, was torn apart. Huge trees that had probably stood for hundreds of years were snapped and lying in pieces. Giant craters had been blasted into the earth. Some were shallow, others deep and filled with mud. The mushrooms were gone, crushed or burned to ash. This wasn't just storm damage—this was the result of something beyond nature. Beyond reason. A typhoon couldn't do this. Whatever caused it had the power to break the world itself.
And then Leo saw them—monsters.
Not just any monsters. These weren't goblins or slimes, or even the tougher corrupted beasts he'd seen in the deeper parts of the forest.
These were... different.
There was a lion-shaped creature made of shiny black stone, with a mane of live electricity crackling around its head. A massive one-eyed giant—like a cyclops straight out of a legend—was dragging huge pieces of tree aside, scanning the ground with its glowing eye. A huge serpent, shiny and wet-looking, slithered over the rubble, flicking its forked tongue in the air. And more—sharp-looking bug creatures, hulking brutes covered in crystals, even shadowy figures that seemed to flicker in and out of sight.
They weren't fighting each other. In fact, they moved as if they had the same goal. Searching.
Leo's stomach turned. His skin crawled. His **Survival Instinct** skill activated like a warning siren—his whole body screamed *run*. These weren't just strong monsters. They felt important. Ancient. Like they didn't belong in a regular world.
They felt like something the forest had buried deep, and the titan battle had dug them back up.
"Tarra," Leo whispered, ducking behind the still-smoking trunk of a fallen tree. "What are those things?"
Tarra stood beside him, silent but protective. Its eyes scanned the area. "Unknown entities. Very high power levels. Behavior suggests they are searching for something. Recommendation: avoid contact and leave area immediately."
"Searching?" Leo repeated, frowning. "For what?"
He peeked over the log. The creatures weren't just wandering—they were focused. Digging, sniffing, poking at specific places.
His gut told him it had to be connected to the massive fight between the titans earlier.
Part of him was terrified. But another part—the curious, crafter part—wanted to know more. Wanted to figure it out.
Still, curiosity wouldn't help if he got eaten.
"Alright," he breathed. "We sneak. Quiet and slow. Let's go."
He moved carefully through the wreckage, using fallen trees and mounds of dirt for cover. Tarra followed him, moving smoothly and silently. Every little sound—branches cracking, leaves rustling—made Leo flinch.
The air was quiet now. Not peaceful quiet—more like the kind of silence that comes *after* something terrible.
They moved deeper into the destroyed forest, away from the worst of the monster activity.
Then Tarra stopped.
Leo dropped to a crouch. "What is it?"
"There," Tarra said, nodding toward a massive tree trunk half-buried in the dirt. "Strange energy detected. It's strong—similar to the titan energy earlier."
Leo squinted at the spot. At first, it just looked like part of the forest wreckage. But as he got closer, he realized it wasn't a tree.
It was an **antler**.
Huge. Twisted. Dark like old wood, but solid and heavy like bone. It looked like it had grown out of the earth. And clinging to it—were glowing fruits. Shiny, jewel-like things glowing softly.
Leo stared.
He remembered the **Colossal Bear**. The one with antlers like trees. The one that shook the world with its roar.
This was a piece of it.
"Oh no way..." Leo whispered.
Tarra scanned again. "Confirmed. Remains of a titan. High-energy source. The fruits growing from it are alive."
Alive? These weren't just leftovers. They were still *doing something*. Still growing, feeding off whatever power the titan had left behind.
Leo crouched low and reached out, running his fingers over the surface. It was warm. The fruits were cool and smooth, almost humming with life.
He couldn't leave it behind. The creatures roaming the forest? They were *looking* for this.
Carefully, Leo broke off a smaller part of the antler—just the section holding the glowing fruits. It was heavier than it looked, packed with strange energy.
"In you go," Leo said, and with a thought, stored it in his inventory.
> **\[System Notification]**
> *New Item Acquired!*
He took a breath, then pulled up the system's description.
---
> **\[Fragment of Colossal Bear Antler]**
> **Type:** Material (Titanic Remnant)
> **Description:** A broken piece of an ancient titan's antler. Still alive with energy. Grows rare fruits that pulse with elemental power.
> **Uses:** Advanced crafting, power source, unknown potential.
> **Special Note:** Said to belong to one of the *Two Primordials* that shaped the Eldorian Forest.
---
Leo blinked.
> *One of the Two Primordials...*
This wasn't just some ancient beast. It was a **foundation** of the world itself. A creature tied to the forest's birth. And he was now carrying part of it.
Tarra gave another soft alert. "Something's approaching. Large. Fast. Recommend we leave now."
Leo didn't need more convincing.
He looked around one last time, then whispered, "Let's move."
They slipped away from the site, putting the relic behind them. Leo's heart thudded in his chest. The monsters were still out there, searching for the same thing he had just claimed. He had to be careful. Had to keep moving.
But as scared as he was… he felt something else too.
Determination.
He had seen the forest at its worst. Faced creatures out of myth. And now he held a fragment of something powerful and mysterious in his inventory.
He wasn't just a survivor anymore.
He was becoming part of the story. Part of the world's change.