I Can See Evolution Paths

Arthur and Mithra followed the golden trail deeper into the meadow, and slowly the sounds of the village faded behind them.

Children laughing.

Hunters talking.

The clatter of cooking pots.

All of it disappeared, replaced by nothing but the quiet rustle of wildflowers.

The path narrowed as they walked, wildflowers blooming everywhere around them, golden butterflies drifting lazily through the warm air. A towering ancient tree stood at the center of the meadow, its branches spreading wide overhead.

Arthur smiled. "Beautiful," he said.

Mithra smiled. "You’ve noticed something?"

Arthur nodded. "The King’s Mark hasn’t led us somewhere boring yet."

She laughed. "So we’re about to find another secret."

Arthur grinned. "I certainly hope so."

She folded her arms. "You actually get disappointed when nothing tries to kill us."

Arthur thought about it. "Maybe a little."

Mithra laughed harder. "I knew it."

She then slowly turned in a circle, taking in the untouched clearing. "I don’t think anyone’s been here in years," she said.

Arthur knelt down near the base of the tree. "Maybe longer," he said.

The King’s Mark on his hand suddenly grew warm, then hot, and the golden trail brightened more than it ever had before, leading directly beneath the ancient tree.

There, floating quietly among the flowers, a tiny golden light hovered in place. Almost like a firefly. Waiting.

Arthur walked toward it slowly. Without thinking, he reached out and gently touched it.

Warmth spread through his entire body the instant his fingers made contact.

He frowned. "I know this feeling," he said.

The tiny light trembled. Arthur leaned closer, and that was when he noticed it. A crack, running straight through the center of the light.

His eyes widened.

Mithra noticed his expression change. "What is it?" she asked.

Arthur slowly pointed. "It’s cracked," he said.

She froze.

Melo floated closer. She stared quietly at the tiny light. "I can feel it... It hurts."

Arthur nodded. "I know."

Melo gently reached out but stopped just before touching it. "Don’t break."

Arthur smiled softly. "We won’t let it."

"Could it be..."

Arthur nodded as he stared quietly at the fragile light. "Just like Voro," he said. "It’s fading."

Mithra slowly looked back toward the village behind them. "Don’t tell me," she said.

Arthur kept his eyes on the light. "Maybe," he said, "this is the Guardian Spirit."

Mithra shook her head immediately. "But they died over a hundred years ago," she said.

Arthur shrugged. "I’m guessing that’s what the village believed? Or somehow it has recovered?" ," he said.

Mithra blinked. "That might be true. What do you want to do?"

Arthur smiled. "Save them and find out," he said.

He nodded toward the vial at Mithra’s belt. "The spring," he said.

Mithra immediately understood, removing the crystal vial from her pouch. The golden liquid sparkled inside as she knelt beside the light and slowly poured a single drop onto it.

Nothing happened at first.

Then golden light spread outward through the flowers surrounding them. One bloom glowed, then another, then another, until the entire meadow shone bright, exactly the way Voro’s Sacred Grove had glowed back at the Su Tribe.

Arthur smiled. "It’s working," he said.

The tiny light slowly expanded, and a hand appeared within it, followed by an arm. Golden threads wove together in the air, forming hair, then armor, then the shape of a spear. Piece by piece, someone began returning, the flowers swaying gently around the forming shape.

Finally, a Goblin woman sat peacefully beneath the ancient tree, fully formed.

Arthur and Mithra both froze.

Mithra’s eyes widened first. "Wait," she said.

Arthur realized it at the same moment. "No way," he said.

Arthur blinked. "That face...."

Mithra looked between them. "And armor..."

Arthur and Mithra both began speaking at once.

"The memory."

"The spear."

"No way... The Goblin Commander."

The Goblin woman blinked, slowly opening her eyes.

Arthur’s face lit up. "Goblin Commander! It really is her!?" he said.

"How..." Mithra blinked in a daze.

The woman blinked at him before looking toward the distant village, and a peaceful smile crossed her face. "The village," she said, "is still standing."

Mithra smiled. "It hasn’t been harmed," she said. "Even after everyone believed you died."

The woman’s smile softened. "Well," she said, "they aren’t entirely wrong."

She looked back at Arthur. "But first," she said, "why do you both know me?"

Arthur excitedly explained everything, the Evolution Archive, the cracked crystal, the memory they had experienced, the day she had protected everyone with everything she had.

As he spoke, the woman’s eyes slowly widened. "No wonder," she said.

Arthur suddenly grabbed both of her hands, his eyes shining. "You were amazing," he said. "You protected everyone until the very end. You never abandoned them."

Mithra smiled warmly. "Because of you," she said, "the Yan Tribe survived."

Mithra smiled. "We’ve talked about you ever since we saw the memory."

The woman simply stared at them both. "You don’t think," she said quietly, "I was foolish?"

Arthur shook his head immediately. "Of course not," he said. "I couldn’t look away!"

Mithra nodded. "I wished you had survived but what you did was correct for helping the other goblins survive."

Arthur looked down for a moment. "I wished I could’ve helped." He glanced back up at her. "I know it happened long ago. But I still wish you didn’t have to face that alone after giving your all."

Mithra nodded. "You saved everyone," she said. "I wish you had survived too."

Silence fell in the area for a couple of seconds.

Yasha laughed quietly through her tears. "You two really are strange."

Arthur tilted his head. "Why?"

"You watched the worst day of my life and somehow remembered the best parts."

"We’re only saying the obvious." Arthur says with a tilt of his head.

"You deserve it." Mithra gave the Command a thumbs up.

"I never thought of it that way..." She smiled again after a moment. "You must be the partner chosen by the Goblin King candidate," she said.

Arthur nodded proudly. "His name is Vedas," he said. "I promised your King that Vedas will succeed, and protect every Goblin."

The woman laughed quietly. "Then there’s nothing left for me to worry about," she said.

She gently reached out and touched the King’s Mark on Arthur’s hand, studying the symbols glowing faintly beneath his skin. "Mu Tribe," she said. "Su Tribe." She smiled. "They accepted you. Then I will too."

She raised one hand, and golden mana erupted around her. A beautiful golden spear formed above her palm and flew straight toward the ancient tree.

Boom.

The spear pierced the trunk, and hidden roots shifted beneath the bark. A compartment opened, and something rolled free. A Crown Fragment, trembling in the grass before it flew toward Arthur and landed gently in his open palm.

[Additional Evolution Data Unlocked]

[Goblin King Evolution — Requirement Completed]

[Restore Ancient King’s Authority: 3 / 3]

Arthur blinked at the notification. "That was surprisingly easy," he said.

Mithra laughed. "I expected another impossible trial," she said.

Arthur grinned. "I was hoping for one," he said. "The Su Tribe fortress was fun."

Mithra laughed harder. "Fun?" she said. "The entire fortress tried to kill us."

Arthur scratched his cheek. "Fair," he admitted.

The Guardian Spirit laughed. "The original trial was simple. Earn the trust of the Yan Tribe." She smiled. "But... I could already feel it. The Mu Tribe and tThe Su Tribe... Even this village..." She laughed softly. "It was only a matter of time, there was nothing left to test."

Arthur grinned at those words.

"Well considering the rumor and how they were looking at Vedas. I’m not surprised." Mithra lightly said.

Arthur chuckled before looking back toward the village in the distance. "Actually," he said, "I’m curious about two things."

The woman smiled. "Ask," she said.

Arthur tilted his head. "What’s your name?" he asked.

She blinked. "My name?" she repeated. "Is that really important?"

Mithra nodded enthusiastically. "Of course it’s important," she said.

The woman smiled slowly. "Yasha," she said.

Arthur grinned. "That’s a great name," he said.

She actually laughed at that. "It’s been a long time since someone said that," she said.

Arthur smiled. "Well, I mean it."

Mithra nodded. "It suits you."

Yasha looked genuinely embarrassed. "You’re both unusually kind."

Arthur shrugged. "We’ve been told that."

Melo nodded. "At least most of the time for Arthur."

Arthur looked offended. "What do you mean mostly?"

Melo thought. "Mithra too."

Mithra laughed. "I’ll take it."

Arthur huffed before rubbing hard on Melo fur, and making her squirm while Mithra laughed at this. Yasha’s expression softened as she watched this interaction.

Arthur after being satisfied looked back with a smile. "My next question," he said. "Were the Yan Tribe really lucky?"

Yasha’s smile slowly disappeared. "Why do you think otherwise?" she asked.

Arthur thought about it for a moment. "Because," he said, "every Guardian we’ve met gave everything they had."

Mithra nodded. "We don’t think you’re any different," she said.

Yasha quietly closed her eyes. "Amazing," she said. "You figured it out."

She opened them again. "No," she said. "The Yan Tribe was never lucky. I cloaked the entire village. For one hundred years. No beast has ever been able to find them."

Silence.

Arthur slowly looked toward the village, then back toward the meadow around them, and suddenly everything clicked into place.

"The trail," he said.

Mithra gasped. "That’s why it went in a circle," she said.

Arthur nodded. "The village wasn’t hidden by distance," he said. "It was hidden."

Yasha smiled. "The only people capable of finding the village," she said, "are Goblins."

Silence.

Arthur suddenly froze. "Wait," he said.

He slowly turned toward her. "Don’t tell me," he said. "The Yan Tribe doesn’t know."

Yasha simply smiled.

She didn’t answer.

She didn’t need to.

Arthur and Mithra immediately understood, and they exchanged shocked looks with each other.

Arthur slowly looked back toward the village. For an entire century they had believed they were simply lucky. He quietly looked back at Yasha. "You’ve been protecting them all this time."

Yasha smiled softly. "They deserved one peaceful home."

Neither Arthur nor Mithra spoke for a long moment.

Then...

Arthur realizes.

Every single peaceful day.

Every child that grew up without the terror of predator beasts.

Every generation that grew up without fear.

It happened because one Goblin Commander refused to leave.

"...You’ve been alone."

Yasha smiles. "Not anymore."