Looking back, Charlie realized this was when everything truly began to unravel.
The day the Pillars fell was a turning point, but it wasn't the ringing sound or even the vision that changed the settlement—it was what his father did afterward. True to his nature, his father didn't wait for permission or consensus. Without consulting the council, he gathered a small group of trusted hunters and left the settlement under the pretense of scouting. No one thought much of it at the time. It wasn't unusual for hunters to venture out, and his father's group often moved in silence.
But when his father returned days later, there was an urgency about him that Charlie now recognized as something more. At the time, all he saw was his father's worn face, the dirt on his clothes, and the sharp focus in his eyes. His father had always been a steady presence, but now there was an edge to him, as if every word and action had to count. He didn't explain where he had been or what had happened. Instead, he called the entire settlement to the square and climbed onto an overturned crate, speaking with a voice that cut through the crowd like a blade.
"The Pillars are essential for humanity's survival," he proclaimed. "Every person with a skeletal age of twelve or older must visit one. I cannot explain everything now, but what I've learned is clear—if we do not take this opportunity, we will fall behind. And the consequences of that are not something I am willing to accept."
At the time, Charlie had watched his father with awe. His words carried such certainty that they seemed impossible to question. But the crowd hadn't reacted as uniformly as he had. Some whispered that his father had lost his mind, that he was reckless, even dangerous. Others nodded in agreement, murmuring that they trusted him, that he had never steered the settlement wrong before. The council, standing near the back, exchanged wary glances but said nothing yet.
What Charlie didn't know then was that his father had crossed the river—the warlord's territory—to reach the nearest Pillar. He'd led his hunters into enemy land, knowing full well the risks. Sure enough, the warlord had appeared with his men, and there had been a fight. His father's group had held their ground long enough to interact with the Pillar, which gave them something Charlie couldn't have understood at the time: cultivation manuals, combat techniques, and knowledge about soul binding.
But his father had kept this a secret upon his return. He hadn't mentioned the fight or the manuals, nor had he explained why the Pillar was so important. In hindsight, Charlie realized his father had been working against the clock. He knew the council would object, would demand control, and he needed to act before they could stop him.
Within days, his father was organizing a second trip to the Pillar. This time, the group was larger—fifty men and women, including Gretchen, who hadn't gone on the first expedition but was determined to go now. Charlie had been left behind again, along with Amber, who had watched all of this unfold with her usual detached calm.
When they returned, the truth could no longer be hidden. His father and his group had accessed the Pillar again, clashing with the warlord's forces in the process. The council, furious at being excluded, demanded answers. It didn't take long for everything to come to light: the location of the Pillar, the fight with the warlord, and the manuals his father had brought back. The council insisted that the manuals be turned over and that the settlement's leadership decide how to distribute and use them.
Charlie's father didn't argue. He didn't shout or defend himself. He simply stood there, silent and impassive, as the people who had gone with him—his supporters—made their voices heard. The arguments were loud and crude, with the council's authority questioned openly for the first time. One of the hunters, a grizzled man who had followed Charlie's father for years, told the council to "go fuck yourselves" when they demanded the manuals.
The settlement began to fracture. Even as a child, Charlie could feel the tension in the air, the way people looked at each other with suspicion and anger. His father, meanwhile, retreated into himself, spending nearly all his time cultivating. Gretchen followed suit, training with the same intensity, her focus sharper than ever. Neither of them took the time to explain what they were doing or why.
Charlie and Amber were left in the dark. It frustrated him endlessly, the way his father and sister had changed so suddenly. Amber, in contrast, seemed unaffected. She watched them with quiet curiosity, her journals filling with notes and sketches as if she were studying their behavior. Charlie couldn't understand why she didn't care, why she wasn't angry about being left out.
It wasn't until much later that Charlie began to understand. The manuals his father had retrieved warned of threats far beyond the warlord. Other races would come, hostile and united, armed with knowledge and supplies. Goblins were only the first wave, but they wouldn't be the last. The Pillar's message had been clear: humanity was falling behind, and cultivation was the only way to catch up.
The manuals also revealed the process of soul binding, a means for humans to bond with beasts and unlock their potential. But there was a catch. The manuals advised against bonding with any random beast, urging instead to wait for offspring born of beasts that had already formed a core. This process would take time—time humanity didn't have.
Looking back, Charlie could see the desperation that had driven his father. The tension with the council, the secrecy, the risks he had taken—none of it had been reckless. His father had seen what was coming, even if no one else had. But in the moment, all Charlie could see was the distance growing between them, the way his father's eyes seemed fixed on something far beyond the horizon.