Chương 50: EDGE OF THE IRON FOREST

" Um, I think nodes are areas with a high amount of Flow concentrated in and around them.'' Elias answered. They walked along the edge of a timber yard, where the scent of freshly cut pine was potent. Aina walked slightly behind and to the side of Elias, her emerald eyes constantly scanning the streets, maintaining a silent, protective watch.

"Hmm. Nodes are not just areas of high ambient Flow," Roric continued, his gaze drifting from the dusty road to the horizon.

"They are where the elemental energy is so dense, it warps the land, twists the laws of nature. Every Hunter is a gardener who tends these areas. We are charged with managing the dangerous locations that have been saturated with this unstable energy." He paused, letting the significance of the distinction sink in.

"Aside preventing an outbreak of of creatures warped by Flow we also derive resources. Specifically an element called Flowstone. I think i have one on me right now." Roric reached into a pouch on his belt and produced a palm-sized chunk of the mineral.

"This stone," Roric stated, holding it up briefly before tucking it away, "is is basically solidified Flow from a node that takes on the properties or characteristics of the location it was harvested from. This one was taken from the Iron Forest.'' Elias nodded. They exited the city and entered the forest.

Roric moved with startling fluidity, his body charting the most efficient path between twisted roots and razor-edged ferns without conscious thought; he didn't to look where he was going, yet his steps never faltered. Aina walked behind him, maintaining unnerving composure, stepping over the snaking roots with light, precise steps. The forest itself pulsed with hidden life. Elias caught glimpses of squirrels, darting through the branches. Birds chirped and the insects buzzed.

A few ground rodents crossed their path and a few deer lifted their heads and observed the trio as they lazily chewed on grass. With Flow perception he sensed as a bird of prey plucked a squirrel off a tree and a snake lunged and caught a frog, sinking its fangs in and coiling itself around it. A deep serenity settled over Elias despite himself. Here, in this raw and unforgiving environment, his complex internal burdens- injustice and existential emptiness- seemed to be of no consequence.

What did a rodent know of injustice or a dove of unfairness?

"This is it," Roric announced bring Elias back to reality.

"The Iron Forest. A high-Flow zone, one of the few so close to a major settlement in Aerthos."

'Huh, so soon? we've only walked like a couple of miles. Why is it so close?" The Iron Forest was a place of deep, unsettling corrosion and distortion, a high-Flow zone where the ambient energy had physically warped the plant life, creating a metallic, oppressive cathedral of shadows. The ground was composed of a slick, unforgiving iron-red clay that yielded readily to the weight of their steps, reflecting the dark, dense foliage above.

The trees were the forest's most immediate horror: their bark was not organic but a deeply oxidized, rust-colored black, ridged and thick like poorly smelted armor plating, and their branches did not grow upward but twisted into gnarled, violent spirals, fighting an invisible gravitational pull that forced them into a ceiling of suffocating darkness.

The leaves looked like they were sharp blades formed from silver adding to the impression that the entire landscape was an ancient, decaying machine slowly being consumed by its own over-saturation of raw power and some of the trees had what appeared to be.... faces? on them.

The air was perpetually heavy, smelling sharply of ozone and wet metal, and the occasional, enormous leaf that managed to grow held a hard, stiff sheen of dark green, unnervingly similar to polished steel, To Elias's surprise, the forest's edge was not abandoned. A makeshift, but sturdy, outpost was established a few hundred yards from the warped trees. It consisted of several large, tents and armed, serious-looking individuals. These were the Hunters—the border patrol keeping the city of Blackhaven safe.

As they approached, Elias counted about a dozen figures. Most were focused on checking and resetting the energy seals, while two were sitting by a sputtering, low-Flow fire, sharpening long, curved blades. They looked rougher, more weathered than the uniformed guards of the Keep, their leather armor scarred and their faces permanently etched with caution. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

As Roric led the party closer, one of the sharpening Hunters, a burly man with a distinctive scar running from his eyebrow to his jaw, rose to his feet. He recognized Roric instantly, his initial curiosity transforming into respect.

"Yo, Roric," the man greeted, giving a curt, practiced nod.

"Did not expect to see you here."

"Just an educational walk with the youngsters," Roric replied easily fist-bumping the man and tapping the fist on his chest.

"Everything quiet at the edge?"

"Quiet as a tomb. Too quiet, if you ask me," the hunter reported, glancing nervously at the dense, ominous trees.

"We've been monitoring the deep-woods pulses. They're heavy today, but nothing has broken the line, thankfully." The hunter's eyes then moved to Elias, assessing him with quick, professional scrutiny, before freezing on Aina. His mouth actually fell slightly open. The contrast between her powerful, platinum appearance and the maid's outfit was so jarring that it momentarily broke the discipline of a seasoned Hunter. The other men, noticing the commotion, stopped their work and stared.

"By the gods, isn't that the Lords son?" the hunter asked, doing his best to ignore the girl in the apron.

"What is he doing here? Don't tell me you kidnapped him." Roric chuckled.

"Stop fooling around Braun, the Lords children are here for a practical lesson," he stated simply, offering no further detail.

"Oh, so you're a teacher now? What next, you're gonna open a restaurant?'''' I just might, with you as my main dish.'' Roric said, his eyes flaring subtly. The two then broke into laughter. The trio had already drawn the attention of the other Hunters who observed them as they did what they were doing. Aina, seemingly immune to the collective gawking, gave a cold, dismissive glance at the gathering. Elias, already feeling the oppressive presence of the Iron Forest, used the distraction to engage his senses.

He cast his Flow Perception. The effect was immediate and overwhelming. The ambient Flow was a churning, visible reality to his enhanced senses. It looked like a gigantic, twisting vortex, an immense, terrifying spiral of luminous red, orange, yellow and green energy that thickened and intensified the closer it got to the center of the Node. The sudden saturation of energy sent a visceral chill down his spine, a cold, electric feeling that had nothing to do with the temperature.

He couldn't see the beasts, but he felt them—massive, coiled Flow signatures lurking just behind the black-iron bark, their awareness focused directly on him. The pressure was a palpable, ancient hunger, the primal desire of the Beasts. who sensed a source of infinite energy. His breath hitched, and a fine layer of cold sweat instantly coated his skin. He was paralyzed, feeling the immense weight of predators whose power defied anything he had read in textbooks.

Suddenly, a cold, hard weight pressed against his ribs. Aina moved, interposing herself between Elias and the forest. She didn't touch him physically, but she threw out her own controlled Flow—a shield of pure, dense, cold energy that acted as a shock absorber. The oppressive weight of the beasts' hunger faltered, then slowly receded, the predators apparently deciding that breaching the immediate, unyielding coldness of the Mellou prodigy wasn't worth the immediate effort.

Elias visibly shook, not from fear of the beasts, but from the raw, terrifying power of the Node itself. Roric watched the entire exchange, the interaction between the two students, before finally speaking.

"This is the reality of the world, Elias. We are not a safe distance away. There creatures are capable of attacking even from this distance so you should always be alert." He put a heavy, reassuring arm on Elias' shoulder, squeezing gently. The gesture was a comforting weight, but his words remained fiercely pragmatic.

"The city is here because the Iron Forest is here," Roric explained, nodding at the trees.

"The Flowstone—the energy—is the single most valuable export Blackhaven handles. We need easy access to the Node for efficient harvesting and rapid transport. Furthermore, the Blackwood lumber, grown here under high-Flow conditions, is unnaturally hard, almost iron-dense, making it exceptionally valuable for building and crafting. We don't push the dangers away; we build our lives right up against them, because the risk is worth the reward. Get accustomed to it. This is our area of operation now."

Elias looked up at Roric, his face now a perfect mask of relieved reassurance. He was shaking, but not from fear. Inside, a terrible, exhilarating glee was blooming.

'This place...' The energy vortex, the hungry, palpable pressure of the beasts, the proximity to a complete collapse of safe reality.' It is perfect!''' I can freely practice my death techniques without restraint. And if I fail, the forest can finish the job for me!'.