After Ariana left the cave, the goblins continued on.

  Once he finished eating, the Goblin King rose heavily and faced the others, who waited in silence. His gaze swept over the group before he spoke, his deep voice echoing against the stone walls.

  “We must kill wolves and trees,” he declared. “I king of this forest.”

  The goblins exchanged uncertain looks. Many of them knew the truth, even if none dared to say it aloud. The Goblin King rarely ever left his seat. He spent his days sitting, eating, ordering, demanding. His evolution had not come from leadership or skill, but from excess. Because he always ate more than the others, he grew faster. And when he once fought another goblin over food, he had won absolutely—devouring his rival in secret.

  That act had triggered his evolution.

  Now, they had no choice. Obedience meant survival.

  The Goblin King, however, did not know the forest as those who hunted did. He did not understand the true danger of the wolves, nor the strength of the great tree that dominated the heart of the woods.

  “But king…” one of the goblins said hesitantly. “Wolves always together. Tree very strong.”

  The Goblin King shot him a heavy glare and snorted.

  “You go big group,” he replied dismissively. “Just tree. Cut it!” he shouted, stomping his foot against the ground.

  Unbeknownst to Ariana, the goblins had begun planning.

  An attack against the wolves and against the tree that stood at the center of the forest. Not out of hatred, nor out of refined strategy, but for food. Territory was being contested.

  Even from afar, Ariana remembered that Kon also lived within that forest. Still, he preferred to remain secluded, far from most other creatures. There should be no problems for him.

  Elsewhere in the woods, Ariana observed alongside Kon.

  He had barely changed. He was only slightly larger now, his presence a bit more solid than before. Even so, upon seeing her, he showed the same calm as always. Kon spent much of his time watching the creatures of the forest and other regions—those Ariana herself had created—as if instinctively safeguarding the world’s balance.

  Perhaps that was it.

  He was the oldest creature in Arcadia.

  Ariana’s very first creation.

  And even without orders, he seemed to understand his role better than most.

  While Ariana observed other parts of Arcadia—regions where mana gathered more densely, or where subtle changes were beginning to occur—a group of goblins moved through the forest in silence, wielding crude weapons made of wood and jagged shards of iron. Their steps were careful, tense, all heading toward the same destination.

  The heart of the forest.

  There stood the great tree.

  As they approached, the goblins spread out, hiding behind smaller trees. The ground around the area was littered with old bones, mixed into the soil and exposed roots. Even so, at first glance, the great tree appeared… ordinary. Still. Silent.

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  Until one of them saw it.

  The skeleton of another goblin, partially buried among twisted roots.

  The shock was immediate. A short scream escaped his throat, shattering the forest’s silence.

  In that same instant, something changed.

  Eyes opened in the tree’s trunk. Beneath them, a mouth formed, tearing through the bark as if it had always been there.

  “A feast…”

  The voice was ancient—deep, laden with something that did not belong to this age. It echoed through the forest, making branches tremble.

  “Fools,” the tree continued, its body slowly twisting. “Mere goblins dare come to me. You offer yourselves as food.”

  The forest itself seemed to listen.

  “Hiding from me here is pointless.”

  Before anyone could react, one of the smaller trees—the one a goblin was hiding behind—came to life. Its branches wrapped around him with brutal force and hurled him through the air.

  The goblin flew helplessly.

  He landed at the base of the great tree, the impact driving the air from his lungs. His eyes widened in pure despair as he met the gaze of the creature. There was no anger in it.

  Only hunger.

  A root shot up from the ground.

  Too fast to follow.

  It pierced straight through the goblin’s chest without resistance. The crude spear fell uselessly from his hands, clattering against the soil. Then his body was pulled in, crushed against the trunk, and the tree began to devour him. Wet sounds filled the air, mixed with the dry crack of bones being crushed.

  It was then that Ariana perceived the anomaly.

  Guided by that sensation, she drew closer to the great tree. It had been the next creature she intended to observe more closely—she was curious how far its evolution had progressed. What she found instead was a forest drenched in violence.

  An attack was already underway.

  She knew she could not interfere.

  And this time, she felt no need to.

  As she watched the brutality unfolding before her, only one thought crossed her mind—cold and direct:

  Let them kill each other.

  In her past life, Ariana had been an ordinary girl. Kind. Always willing to help. Even now, as a goddess, the scene still unsettled her. But she understood.

  She could not place her hand over everything.

  Arcadia had to follow its own laws.

  The battle did not end there.

  Some goblins hesitated, instinctively retreating. But they knew the truth. If they fled, they would die at the Goblin King’s hands. If they stayed, perhaps they had a chance—even if it was small. With disordered cries, they charged together.

  It was useless.

  Thick roots exploded from the ground in every direction, piercing bodies, shattering bones, hurling goblins against trees and stones. Not even those who tried to attack silently were spared.

  “I have eyes everywhere,” the tree said, its rough, ancient voice echoing through the forest.

  The sound made Ariana shiver.

  Such a difference in power… she thought.

  It was clear. The goblins were weak. Their weapons were crude, their strength limited. The tree, on the other hand, was saturated with mana. It controlled every root, every branch, every inch of that territory.

  There, within that forest, it was her domain.

  And within it…

  she was invincible.

  Ariana watched silently as the great tree began to feed on the scattered bodies. Roots moved slowly, pulling scraps of flesh and bone toward the trunk, as if it were merely part of an ancient cycle. There was no urgency, no violence now.

  Only consumption.

  There was nothing more to see.

  Ariana turned away, allowing the forest to return to its natural silence.

  Terrifying… she thought.

  Far away, inside the cave, the Goblin King waited.

  He shifted restlessly upon his crude throne. Hours passed, and none of the goblins he had sent returned. The center of the forest was not far—and that was precisely what had always troubled them. Whenever they tried to hunt in that region, something went wrong. Goblins disappeared. Bodies were never found.

  The tree was there.

  Most of the creatures the goblins fed on had grown scarce in that area. Rabbits. Chickens. None survived long. Anything that strayed too close was seized by roots hidden beneath the soil.

  Even Kon had crossed that territory once.

  The tree had attacked him by instinct.

  But the difference had been immediate.

  Kon did not retreat. Nor did he react with violence. A single look had been enough. Before him, the roots had withdrawn, sinking back into the earth, as if the forest itself recognized that he was neither prey—nor enemy.

  Alone in the cave’s darkness, the Goblin King finally grasped the obvious.

  They would not return.

  His hand clenched tightly around an old bone beside the throne.

  “Useless…” he growled, the word echoing softly between the stones.