Reon slowly opened his eyes and pushed himself up, blinking to clear his vision. Shadows draped the unfamiliar space around him, and the air was thick with a damp, earthy st.

  The atmosphere was less oppressive than the dense Shadowed Thicket, yet its silence felt weighty, almost reverent, as though the shadows themselves were guarding hiddes.

  The rough, jagged walls bore a grooves, each dampened by a faint trickle of water that echoed softly, remi of ageless, fotten caves.

  He realized he was in one of the many caves scattered throughout the Mystic Evergreen Forest.

  Some of these caves were creations of the Supreme Dao Sect, sanctuaries carefully carved into the ndscape to give disciples a space for solitude, strength-building, and ption.

  But others, like the one Reon now found himself in, were a formations, shaped over tless years by nature itself.

  These natural caves held treasures and mystical resources—crystals, herbs, and rare stoeeped in the essence of Heaven ah, their potent energy waiting to be harnessed by those who dared vehin.

  In the darkness, his gaze nded on a glimmer of light filtering through an opening ahead. Drawn to its faint glow.

  Reon moved forward, each step eg softly against the cave's stone walls. As he approached, the light grew until it burst into a brilliant glow, momentarily blinding him.

  When his eyes adjusted, he stepped out into a grove where sunlight pierced through tall trees, casting golden pools on the forest floor.

  This was not the Shadowed Thicket, where thick trees choked out every beam of light; here, the sun filtered through freely, though less brightly than ier Rim.

  "This must be the Whispering Grove of the Mystic Evergreen Forest," he murmured, a frowling over his face.

  But how had he ended up here? Only Cloudia could have brought him, no one else would care to have taken the risk. But where was she?

  He sed the area, his heart quiing with a flicker of worry. Moving forward, the soft ch of leaves underfoot broke the silenbsp;

  Theumbled upon a striking se: before him y dozens of Mid-Ranked and even a few High-Ranked Demonic Beasts, their massive forms sprawled lifelessly across the forest floor.

  Atop the falleures sat Cloudia, her body bloodied and bruised, yet her gaze steady and fierce, like a Beast Queen surveying her battlefield.

  Her fur, once smooth and pristine, was matted with dirt and blood, bearing marks of a hard-fought battle. Reon's chest tightened, a mixture of admiration and blooming within him; while he had in unscious, Cloudia had fought fiercely to protect him.

  As he stared, memories surfaced, jagged and vivid—the blood-drenched battle against the Shadow Cw Bear, the sensation of cws raking across his skin. He gnced down at himself, notig the dried blood of the Shadow Cw Bear ging to him like a grim reminder.

  It hadn't been a nightmare; they had truly fought and survived. Judging by the state of the blood, he must have been unscious for days, with Cloudia watg over him the eime.

  Sensing his gaze, Cloudia rose from her throne of defeated beasts and padded over to him, her fierce expression softening.

  Reon stepped forward, his heart swelling with gratitude as he met her halfway. He reached out, patting her head gently, his voice quiet yet full of feeling.

  "Thank you, Cloudia," he murmured, the warmth in his eyes refleg the bond they shared. She leaned into his touch, her fierce eyes closing as she savored the moment.

  With a grateful smile, Reon took a step bad, with a wave of his hand, drew the massive body of the Shadow Cw Bear from his spatial ring.

  The beast's form y massive and imposing before them, its hide glistening even ih, a fitting reward for her bravery.

  "Here is your reward for proteg me all this time," Reon said softly, admiration c his voice. Cloudia's eyes gleamed, her fierce expressioing into one of delight, like a dy presented with her favorite chocote.

  Cloudia eagerly began sav the flesh and blood of the Shadow Cw Bear, relishing the feast from the very creature that had once huhem, nearly being their doom.

  Now, it was reduced to nothing more than a hearty meal, its power and meransformed into sustenance.

  Watg her, Reo an unusual urge rise within him—a craving for the bear's blood that he had never known oh.

  The sight of fresh blood had irred such hunger in him before rather made him disgust. He paused, a flicker of realization dawning.

  "I see… I'm being a part of this world," he murmured to himself, a mix of acceptand awe in his voice.

  He gently patted Cloudia's head to get her attention. "Wait, Cloudia. I'll cook this first—it'll be eveer that way," he said with a warm smile.

  She looked up, a glimmer of curiosity in her gaze, momentarily breaking from her feast.