A small house carved from white bark stood among towering trees, its pale surface almost glowing beneath the dense green canopy of the Forest Hidden Monster Hunter Academy. Thick roots coiled through the earth around it, and shafts of light slipped between the branches high above, leaving the elder's home wrapped in a stillness that felt set apart from the rest of the academy.
Nothing there looked neglected. The roots curled around stones and flowerbeds with almost deliberate care, as though the land itself had been taught where to stop and where to grow. Faint lines ran through the white bark of the house like natural carvings, like age-old script written by wood instead of ink, and even the wind seemed to soften by the fence.
Few NPCs ever came this far. This was where the elders lived, in quiet seclusion, far from the noise of common paths and burdened with responsibilities that reached far beyond the Forest Table.
