I Can See Evolution Paths

The group was preparing to leave camp. Arthur looked toward the direction of the old markers.

Vedas noticed. "You’re thinking about it again," he said.

Arthur smiled. "The path."

Sun immediately sighed. "I knew it."

Mithra laughed. "You really didn’t forget."

Arthur shook his head. "Why would I?"

Athena closed her notebook. "I’ve been thinking about it too," she said.

Arthur looked at her. "Really?"

Athena nodded. "The markers aren’t something I know. If they form a deliberate route, there has to be a reason."

Arthur’s eyes brightened. "Then let’s find out."

"Are you sure?"

"It’s fine. Since the professor allowed for more space to explore, that area is also under it." Mithra chimed in, making Sun sighed but he still nodded.

They traveled through the mapped region toward the location from days before. The journey itself contained small discoveries.

Enormous roots.

Glowing moss. Strange flowers. Shallow waterways. Small Beast nests. Strange mushrooms. Crystal fragments.

Eden kept pointing things out. "Arthur! Look!"

"I see it."

"What is it?"

Arthur examined a strange mushroom. "I don’t know."

Eden smiled. "You don’t know!"

Arthur laughed. "That’s why we’re here."

Sun muttered, "You two are way too happy about not knowing things."

Eventually, Athy suddenly stopped in the air.

She pointed toward the trees.

"There."

Athena looked in the direction she was pointing.

Between two enormous roots, something gray was barely visible beneath the moss.

Athena’s eyes widened. "The marker."

Arthur immediately stepped forward.

"We found it."

The old stone marker looked exactly as it had days ago. Moss covered most of its surface, while roots had slowly swallowed the bottom half.

Arthur brushed the moss away.

The strange symbol appeared again.

His smile faded slightly.

That familiar feeling returned.

He still didn’t know why.

Vedas noticed. "Again?"

Arthur nodded. "Yeah."

"Does it mean anything?"

Arthur shook his head. "Not yet."

This time they didn’t turn back.

The markers led deeper into the outer region, one by one. The path became harder to follow. Some markers were almost completely buried. Others were covered by roots. One was actually inside the trunk of a massive tree, as if the tree had grown around it.

Athena became increasingly fascinated. "Whoever built this expected the path to last," she said.

Arthur looked around. "And it did."

Mithra looked ahead. "For how long?"

Athena shook her head. "That’s what I want to know."

Arthur smiled. "Then we’re getting somewhere."

They encountered a group of Mistmane Stags drinking from a stream. Arthur expected them to flee. Instead they suddenly stopped, every stag raising its head, staring toward the same direction. Then they slowly turned away from that area.

Eden tilted her head. "Why are they leaving?"

Melo watched them. "They’re avoiding something," she said.

Vedas looked toward the forest. "Predator?"

Melo shook her head. "No."

Arthur asked, "How do you know?"

Melo’s ears twitched. "They’re too calm."

The herd wasn’t running. They were simply refusing to go forward.

Arthur became interested. "So they know something is there."

Athena looked at her map. "Nothing is recorded in this area."

Arthur smiled. "Interesting."

Sun said, "Don’t say it."

Arthur said, "I didn’t say anything."

"Your face did."

The group continued along the ancient markers.

The color wasn’t bright.

It was deep purple, almost black in some places. Thin lines spread through the bark like veins, disappearing beneath the roots and reappearing farther up the trunks.

Arthur slowly looked around.

One tree had it.

Then another.

Then ten more.

The farther they followed the path, the more the purple appeared.

Eden moved closer to Arthur. "Is it supposed to look like that?"

Arthur shook his head. "I don’t know."

Athena stared at the trees. "Neither do I."

Arthur wondered, "Then do you think it’s natural? Or did someone do this?"

Athena looked at him. "You think a Beast Tamer altered the forest?"

Arthur gestured toward the trees. "The pattern is strange. Either that or a Beast did it..."

Athena studied the stains again. "We don’t have enough evidence."

Arthur nodded. "Then we’ll keep looking."

Suddenly, boom!

Something enormous crashed through the forest and then multiple trees collapsed. The students immediately stopped.

Arthur looked toward the sound. "Beasts," he said.

They carefully approached.

Two enormous Beasts were fighting.

An Ironhide Thunder Ape, massive, covered in metallic stone like plates, lightning crawling across its body whenever it moved, its fists capable of shattering trees.

Facing it, a Swampfang Tyrant, six legged, crocodilian, enormous jaws dripping glowing venom.

The Thunder Ape punched the ground.

Boom!

The Swampfang launched itself through the water.

Splash!

The two Beasts crashed through trees and tore apart the swamp, trading blows that sent shockwaves rolling across the wetlands.

Eden’s eyes shone. "They’re huge!" she said.

Arthur said, "They’re strong."

Sun said, "That’s what you noticed?"

Arthur said, "Yes."

Mithra laughed. "At least he’s consistent."

The two Beasts chased each other toward the ancient path, still attacking each other. Then they crossed into the purple stained section.

Both Beasts suddenly stopped. The Thunder Ape froze. The Swampfang stopped moving. Neither Beast attacked. Both slowly looked toward the same distant area.

Arthur’s smile disappeared. "What?"

The Beasts backed away and then again before turning around. The Thunder Ape didn’t even look back as it started sprinting away.

Neither did the Swampfang Tyrant.

The same Beasts that had just been tearing through trees were now fleeing as if their lives depended on it.

Arthur stared after them. "What could scare them that badly?"

Nobody answered.

Even the Everglades seemed to have gone quiet.

Arthur took a step forward.

Melo’s tail immediately wrapped around his arm. "Don’t," she said.

Arthur looked at her. "I was just looking."

Melo said, "You’re always ’just looking.’"

Arthur smiled.

A sudden rush of wind came from above. A flock of enormous birds flew across the sky. Then they reached the same region, and the entire flock suddenly changed direction. Not one or two. All of them, avoiding the purple stained area entirely.

Eden watched. "Even the birds don’t want to go there," she said.

Arthur looked upward. "That’s interesting."

Athena checked her notes. "That’s several unrelated species now."

Then something even larger appeared.

Cloud Whales, drifting through the clouds.

Arthur recognized them immediately. "The Cloud Whales," he said.

They began passing over the strange region and then their massive bodies trembled. The cloud formations around them became unstable.

One let out a low cry.

Another rose sharply.

Everyone watched silently.

Mithra whispered, "They’re afraid."

Vedas nodded. "Whatever is there affects flying Beasts too."

Arthur looked toward the forest, his curiosity reaching another level.

Arthur followed the ancient markers farther. The group discovered a small clearing, and at its center, several ancient stone structures. Not a city. Not a giant ruin. Just remnants. A collapsed stone platform. Several broken pillars. An old circular stone arrangement. The same symbol from the markers appeared on one of the pillars.

Athena immediately knelt. "This is connected," she said.

Arthur looked around. "So whoever built the markers came here."

Athena nodded. "Probably."

Mithra looked around. "What was this place?"

Athena examined the ruins. "I don’t know."

Arthur smiled. "We’re finally finding something."

Athy suddenly pointed upward. The group looked. Inside one of the enormous trees was a gigantic abandoned nest. It was enormous, large enough for a Beast several times larger than the Thunder Ape. The nest contained enormous broken bones, pieces of strange crystal, old scales, and several empty eggshell fragments.

Eden looked amazed. "What lived here?"

Athena studied the remains. "Something enormous."

Arthur’s eyes brightened. "How enormous?"

Athena looked at him. "I don’t know."

Arthur smiled. "Even better."

Sun groaned. "Please stop saying that."

Arthur noticed something. The ancient ruins weren’t covered in the purple stain. The trees surrounding them were. He looked between the two. "The purple growth stops here," he said.

Athena checked. She was right. The purple stains covered the surrounding trees but didn’t cross the stone boundary.

Arthur crouched, studying the ground. "That’s strange," he said.

Athena said, "Very."

Arthur looked toward the Beast nest, then toward the purple trees, then toward the ancient markers. Several things seemed connected. But nothing was explained.

Athy suddenly became nervous, pointing toward the deeper forest. She had seen movement. Something enormous. But she couldn’t identify it.

Vedas immediately said, "We’ve seen enough."

Arthur looked disappointed. "Already?"

"Yes."

Arthur looked toward the ruins, then the purple trees, then the deeper forest. He smiled. "Fine," he said.

Sun looked shocked. "Fine?"

Arthur nodded. "We found what we came looking for."

Athena smiled slightly. "And several things we weren’t."

Arthur said, "That’s the best kind of exploration."

On the way back, the group kept talking about everything they’d seen.

Mithra said, "We actually followed the path."

Sun said, "And almost got ourselves killed by whatever made those Beasts run."

Arthur said, "We didn’t almost die."

Sun said, "You don’t know that."

Arthur paused. "Fair."

Everyone laughed.

Eden looked toward the ancient path behind them. "Are we coming back?"

Arthur smiled. "Definitely."

Vedas sighed. "I knew it."

As they left the area, Arthur looked back one final time. The purple stained trees stood silently. The ancient stone markers disappeared into the forest. Far above, the Cloud Whales had already moved away.

Arthur smiled. They had finally explored the path they’d discovered days ago. And instead of answering their questions, it had given them more.

Who built the markers? Why did the symbol feel familiar? What were the purple stains? Why did the Beasts refuse to enter? And what was Athy’s enormous shadow?

Arthur’s eyes shone. "The Everglades is getting more interesting," he said.

Then they disappeared into the trees.