Takemi woke to the smell of smoke.
The smoke did not pose any risk to safety.
He detected only the mild pleasantness of last night's campfire which began to emit its relaxed aroma.
He opened one eye.
The sky above the trees displayed a light gray color which indicated that dawn had begun to enter the world.
Someone was already awake.
He pushed himself up slightly and saw the instructor crouched beside the fire, feeding it a few dry twigs.
The flames produced soft crackling sounds.
Most of the others were still asleep.
Rauk lay on his back a few steps away, one arm behind his head, the other resting casually near his sword.
Takemi performed an overhead arm stretch.
His shoulders produced popping sounds.
"Is it already morning time?"
The instructor glanced at him.
"The last person to wake up last night was you."
Takemi rubbed his neck.
"Yeah. Forest felt weird."
The instructor stayed silent as he thought about the answer.
He turned his head to look at the trees which grew beyond the open space.
"Sometimes forests are like that," he said eventually.
"Like what?"
"Like they're thinking."
Takemi blinked.
"The statement brings me no peace of mind."
The instructor chuckled quietly.
The rest of the group woke gradually.
Someone yawned loudly.
Another student groaned as he rolled off his bedroll.
Within half an hour the quiet clearing turned busy again.
Students packed supplies, kicked dirt over the fire's outer ring, and checked their gear.
Lira was already awake, kneeling beside her satchel while carefully wrapping the Ironfang claw in cloth.
Takemi crouched nearby, tying the strap of his boot.
"You wake up early," he said.
"I wake up when people stop snoring."
Takemi glanced toward one of the sleeping students.
"…Fair."
She secured the pouch and stood.
"You're the one who noticed the tracks last night, right?"
Takemi nodded.
"Yeah."
"Did you recognize them?"
"Nope."
"That's not reassuring."
Takemi smiled.
"Would it be better if I said yes?"
"…No."
The group had already begun to move before sunrise when the sun finally emerged from the forest canopy.
The morning air produced a refreshing coolness throughout the entire atmosphere.
The leaves and grass surfaces held moisture which resembled tiny glass beads.
Takemi moved to the front again while Lira walked next to him and Rauk kept his distance behind them.
The trail had become difficult to see because only a narrow path remained between tree roots and moss-covered stones.
Takemi began to scan the ground every few minutes which he repeated throughout the entire duration.
Lira observed his activities.
You continue to consider the tracks.
Takemi shrugged.
The situation presents difficulty because I must handle everything.
She stepped over a fallen branch.
You think it's still nearby?
The answer remains uncertain.
Rauk provided an answer from his position behind them.
The answer remains true.
Takemi looked over his shoulder.
You know that how?
Rauk pointed toward the trees.
Rauk nodded toward the trees.
Takemi listened.
The birds were present.
The birds occupied the tree tops.
The birds stayed away from the lower tree branches.
The birds stayed away from the ground.
The birds exhibited behavior which suggested they were trying to escape from an unknown danger.
"…Good catch," Takemi said.
Rauk displayed indifference through his actions.
Around midday the forest began to change.
The trees grew older.
Wider.
Their trunks twisted in strange shapes like they had grown around something long ago.
The ground became uneven too.
Small hills.
Patches of exposed stone.
Takemi slowed slightly.
"Anyone else notice this?"
The instructor stepped forward beside him.
"Yes."
He pointed ahead.
"Look there."
At first Takemi thought it was just another large rock buried in the soil.
But as they got closer, he realized it wasn't natural.
Straight edges.
Carved lines.
Part of a stone wall.
Half of it had collapsed centuries ago and now lay buried beneath moss and roots.
Lira stepped closer.
"…Ruins."
The instructor nodded.
"Old ones."
Takemi brushed dirt away from one of the stones.
There were markings carved into it.
Not letters.
More like symbols.
Circles.
Lines.
Something that almost looked like wings.
"You know what this place was?" Takemi asked.
The instructor shook his head.
"These forests are older than the academy."
Rauk rested his sword on his shoulder again.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning no one knows how many things are buried out here."
While the others explored the edge of the ruins, Takemi wandered a few steps away.
Something had caught his eye.
Half buried near a tree root was a small stone slab.
He knelt down and pushed away the dirt.
More carvings.
This time clearer.
A creature with long wings.
Its body stretched across the stone like it was flying.
Takemi stared at it for a moment.
"…Dragon?"
Behind him Lira leaned closer.
"Looks like one."
Takemi brushed the rest of the dirt away.
The carving was old.
Really old.
Older than the academy probably.
He stood slowly.
"Didn't the professor say dragons are supposed to be almost extinct?"
Lira crossed her arms.
"Almost."
Takemi looked around the ruins again.
The broken walls.
The strange carvings.
The forest slowly reclaiming everything.
Something about it made the back of his neck prickle again.
"…Feels like this place used to be important."
Rauk looked toward the deeper forest.
"Maybe it still is."
Far beyond the ruins, hidden between massive ancient trees, something watched the students again.
The same presence from before.
Silent.
Patient.
It had seen them fight.
Seen them explore.
Seen the boy who threw stones with impossible accuracy.
And now it had seen him discover the carving.
The creature shifted slightly in the shadows.
Just enough for a pair of ancient eyes to catch the sunlight.
Then it disappeared deeper into the forest.
That night, Takemi would write something simple in his field journal.
"Found old ruins in the Emerald Verge today. Looked like dragon carvings."
What he didn't realize…
Was that this small discovery would eventually lead him toward something far more dangerous than any monster they had fought so far.
Something ancient.
Something that had been sleeping beneath the world for a very long time.