They chose a clearing far from the forest path.
No ruins.
No monster tracks.
Only uneven ground and old trees spaced wide apart.
"This should be far enough," **Lyren** said, scanning the surroundings. "Nothing strong usually wanders this deep."
**Aerin** nodded, though his shoulders were tense. "I'll try… carefully."
He stepped into the center of the clearing and closed his eyes.
Training had never gone well for him.
Focus.
Gather mana.
Release.
That was what instructors said.
Aerin inhaled slowly.
Nothing answered.
He reached inward again, trying to feel the faint current others described.
It slipped away.
"Still nothing," Aerin muttered.
Lyren frowned. "Don't force it."
"I'm not," Aerin replied. "I'm barely touching it."
That was true.
Aerin wasn't trying to cast a spell.
He was trying to **exist quietly**.
The air shifted.
Lyren stiffened. "…Did you feel that?"
Aerin opened his eyes. "Feel what?"
The clearing felt heavier, as if the space itself had grown aware.
"I didn't do anything," Aerin said quickly.
"I know," Lyren replied. "That's the problem."
Aerin raised one hand hesitantly—not to cast magic, but to focus.
The ground trembled.
Just slightly.
Aerin froze. "I didn't—"
"Stop," Lyren said sharply.
Aerin lowered his hand.
The trembling ceased instantly.
Both of them stood still.
"That reaction," Lyren said slowly, "came before intent."
Aerin swallowed. "So it's not magic responding to me."
Lyren met his eyes. "It's the world."
Aerin tried once more, clearing his thoughts completely.
No command.
No desire.
No control.
The clearing pulsed.
Leaves rustled without wind.
Shadows stretched unnaturally.
The air thickened, bending inward.
Aerin staggered back instinctively.
The pressure vanished.
His heart pounded. "I didn't even try."
Lyren exhaled slowly. "That's what scares me."
Far away, something massive shifted its attention.
Not threatened.
Not alarmed.
Interested.
And deep within the forest, monsters stopped moving.