The Evolution Chronicles

"It's best if we leave it for when we are going back." Lux suggested after they had gathered up the bodies of the dead bats. They were just around two dozen in number, and would not pose too much trouble for the four of them to carry back to their camp.

When asked what he wanted the bats for, Mian's reply was simple, but still strange nonetheless.

"Their vocal chords might come in handy. I'm not sure how, but my intuition just tells me something whenever I think about it." Mian told them with a grin on his face. Everyone looked at him strangely, but they had come to accept that Gifted were all strange and quirky in their own respective ways. They had yet to see how the Gifts affected Malim and Dion, as well as the other new Gifted that were back at the pack lands, but Lux had already noted that Kai had been a bit more dreamy headed as of late.

After setting aside the bat corpses, the group continues onward. They did not run into any more hindrances on their way, and arrived at the end of the tunnel within another ten minutes of walking.

"Whoa..." Daniel gasped when he laid his eyes on the sight before him. Malim and Mian were also surprised, but Malim managed to hold in his emotions better, while Mian had already expected something a bit similar after finding out that there was an excess concentration of Natural Energy in the environment. As for Lux, he had already seen something similar in the mountain pass, so this instance was not as shocking as then.

Grand, tall walls surrounded them from all directions, with a few distant tunnels leading out of the wide area they had stumbled upon. It looked similar to the paradise that Lux and his fellow lizardmen had come across in the mountain pass, but this one was more suited to the brown walls and rocks that the canyon featured.

Trees and lush greenery grew all around the expansive paradise, making the place look like a natural haven where one would never lack sustenance. Birds chirped as they flew through the air of the place.

Lux narrowed his eyes when he looked upon those birds. He could clearly remember the birds that were in the mountain pass paradise, and he suspected that these birds were similar, in that they were much more dangerous that they seemed.

"Let's keep moving." Mian snapped everyone out of their thoughts as he took a step forward. He could already sense multiple strong life forces from the creatures that lurked around in this seemingly peaceful paradise. He wanted to get what they came here for and then continue with their journey before heading back to the Zelan pack to join the war that was going to break out any moment.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The sounds of their footsteps reached their ears even with the constant backdrop of nature. It was an eerie feeling that made them remain tense and on their toes. Letting down their guards was not an option.

"This way." Mian stopped for a couple of seconds before turning to his left and continuing to lead them. They went around boulders, and through small patches of trees and bushes. Flowers that bore fragrances and bushes that bore fruits that looked like they were from the heavens tickled their eyes and noses as they walked through, but Mian ignored it all. Something within this space was calling out to him, and he knew he had to answer. There was just something about that presence that reached out to him that he could not ignore, and it put him in a trance like state. Not even Hana bothered to wake him up from that state of mind because she knew what was calling out to him was beyond her control.

Half an hour later, Mian finally sensed that they were close to their goal. He broke into a quick jog, prompting the rest to do the same, lest they get left behind. The chase only lasted a minute, as Mian had reached the area he had sought.

At the center of this paradise, a stack of giant boulders that were at least as large as a carriage remained untouched by the insects and birds that fluttered around. From the top of the stack of boulders, a continuous stream of glistening crystal like water cascaded down into a pool that seemed to never overflow, yet there was no obvious path for it to flow away.

This scene was eerily familiar to Mian, although it bore some slight differences. It reminded him of the time that he had gotten his own Gift. The brilliant scenery, the lush surroundings, the vibrant air that was brimming with Natural Energy. It just hinted at the potency of the Gifts that could be found here.

From the corner of his eyes, Lux noticed movement of some sort. He turned to find a large elk that crept out of the thick bushes that lined that side of the clearing they were in.

"Everyone, watch out!" The lizardman cried out and placed a hand on Daniel's shoulder. The young Beastkin was currently the weakest among the group, so he took priority in protecting him from any danger that the others could not protect him from.

"Hold on! It's okay." Mian raised his hand to stop them from panicking. He kept his eyes on the large, horned elk that watched the four of them with guarded eyes. The Elk was much larger than any other one that Mian had ever seen, and stood at about two meters tall. It remained the same length as the usual ones, but its height was something strange.

'Perhaps the abundance of Natural Energy had caused it to undergo an Evolution of sorts.' Mian concluded in his mind.

The Elk slowly walked forward while keeping its beady eyes locked on Mian. It sensed something calming and familiar from within him and wanted to get closer to him to find out what it was.

"What's happening?" Malim asked nervously. The Elk's unnatural size, and its sudden interest towards Mian was something that unnerved him.

"Don't worry, it doesn't mean any harm. I just want to make sure it doesn't do anything that might startle us." Mian reassured them as he stretched his arm out even further. A few moments passed until the dark nose of the Elk made contact with Mian's calloused palm. It closed its eyes for a moment before relaxing its tense muscles and allowing Mian to come closer. Mian held its head in his arms and gave the crown of its head a light tap with the tip of his finger. A mote of golden energy flecked between the points of contact before vanishing before anyone else could notice it. The Elk opened its eyes, revealing a swirl of golden light that vanished into the Elk's beady eyes.

After making sure that the Elk was calm, Mian turned back to the stack of boulders with a calm look under the incredulous gazes of the rest of his companions.

Malim stuttered and raised his arm to stop Mian, but he froze, unsure of what to say. What could he even say in this situation? Nothing concerning the Gift bearers had ever been normal, and that was even more so for the Original Six. He could only attribute Mian's strange behaviors and actions to the strangeness of his Gift.

'What will my own Gift do to my personality?' The red haired man asked himself and looked at his open palm before clenching his fist.

Mian approached the cascading fountain of crystal clear water with the Elk in tow. He stopped just a couple meters away from the bank where the water stopped and examined the unnatural occurrence. He eyed the boulders that had been piled up on top of each other, as though they had intentionally been stacked there by some greater power.

Through Mian's alternate vision where he identified things through the saturation of Natural Energy around and within them, he was able to see the amount of Natural Energy that was present around and within the fountain before him, and the sight left him speechless.

The fountain glowed with a blinding gold light within his vision, and he almost had to look away to preserve his vision. It was very obvious that the concentration of Natural Energy here was much higher than what had been present around the other Gifts that he had seen in his life. Perhaps the only one that beat this concentration was that of his own Gift.

Just then, before Mian could finish processing his thoughts on the boulder, the shaking rumble shook the canyon and the earth beneath their feet. The Elk which had once been calm, cried out in alarm as it looked to the sides of the clearing in panic. It turned to face Mian, before crying out again, as though hurrying him up so that they could leave.

"Dan! Come, quickly!" Mian held out his hand for Daniel to take, which the Beastkin nervously did.