The tart taste of the berries lingered on my tongue as I sat at the edge of the forest, gazing toward the east. The sun had begun its slow ascent, casting a golden glow over the vast ocean, painting the sky in hues of pink and orange. Waves shimmered under the morning light, rolling onto the shore in a steady rhythm, their soft whispers filling the still air.
I tipped a broken coconut to my lips, letting the cool liquid wash away the sharpness of the berries. For a moment, I simply breathed in the serenity—the vastness of the sky, the gentle pulse of the waves, the quiet that stretched endlessly around me.
And yet, beneath that stillness, unease gnawed at my thoughts.
Where am I?
I had eaten several bushes' worth of different berries, enough to stuff my stomach full, yet the emptiness remained. The sweetness and tartness had been something, but it was hardly fulfilling. My body craved something more, something substantial. Meat.
Yet, the forest behind me had been eerily devoid of life. No birds fluttered in the branches, no small creatures rustled in the underbrush. I hadn't even caught the scent of prey.
That wasn't normal.
I set the empty coconut shell aside, my claws brushing against the earth as I focused on the land around me. The mana in the air still clung faintly to my senses, like an echo of something that had once been stronger. But it wasn't enough.
I needed answers.
My instincts told me to fly—to stretch my wings, soar above the land, and seek out what had happened to me. The forest was too quiet, too untouched. If there were clues to be found, they wouldn't be here.
The cliff to the south lingered in my mind. There was something unnatural about it, something that didn't sit right. The way the land cut off so sharply, as if it had been forcibly reshaped… But I doubted I would find life there.
No, if I was searching for signs of others—of my kind—my best chance lay beyond the mountains.
Still, I couldn't ignore the uneasy pull in my chest. If something had happened here, the land itself might hold answers. I would start at the cliffs, then scan the land to the west before finally heading toward the mountains.
I stood, stretching my wings, and leapt into the air. The wind caught beneath me, carrying me along the shoreline as I climbed higher. The ocean stretched endlessly to my left, its deep blue waves contrasting against the land.
The rhythmic crash of water against the shore grew distant as I soared toward the cliffs, my wings slicing through the early morning air. Sunlight cast long shadows over the rugged rock face, highlighting the jagged terrain below. I beat my wings harder, climbing higher as the cliffs loomed ahead.
And then I saw it.
I froze midair.
The land beyond the cliffs wasn't merely different—it was broken. Scarred. A vast stretch of destruction spread before me, as if some immense force had once torn through the terrain, leaving deep gashes and jagged fissures in its wake.
Some wounds had healed with time—creeping vines and stubborn trees taking root in the cracks—but others remained barren, lifeless. The earth itself seemed hesitant to reclaim what had been lost.
And then I felt it.
Mana.
Not just the faint traces of my own presence, but something else—many something elses. Faint, lingering echoes of power that did not belong to me. Even though time had passed, allowing plants to return in small patches, the mana signatures remained embedded in the land. And with them, an oppressive stillness.
It wasn't just that life had been wiped away here. It refused to return.
I hovered there, wings steady on the salty updraft, staring at the devastation that stretched toward the horizon. To my left, the ocean remained unchanged, untouched. But to the west, the land bore scars that refused to fade.
Was this a battle?
I could almost imagine it—dragons locked in combat, their wings slicing through the sky, fire scorching the earth, the land itself quaking beneath their might. But the mana signatures I sensed weren't just dragonic. Some bore the same deep, primal weight that I carried in my own blood, but others were… different. Twisted.
A sense of unease crawled beneath my scales.
I angled my wings, gliding forward but keeping the ocean in sight. The rhythmic crash of waves remained a steady presence behind me as I flew in a wide arc, scanning the land below for any sign of movement, any trace of life.
Hours passed.
The sun climbed higher, its warmth pressing against my scales as I soared over the wasteland. The land stretched endlessly beneath me—scarred, silent, empty.
No birds. No animals. Not even the buzz of insects.
Nothing.
Even in the most desolate places, there should have been something. But here? It was as if life itself had been erased. Or rather, driven away.
The hollowness in my stomach tightened. I needed real food, real sustenance—something more than berries and water.
But as much as I wanted to push forward and search the west now, I knew I couldn't afford to leave on an empty stomach. I still didn't know what lay ahead, how long I would be searching, or when I'd find food again. I would have to rely on what little I had.
Letting out a slow breath, I turned back toward the forest.
It didn't take long to return to the trees. I swooped down, scanning the undergrowth for any remaining fruit. The bushes I had picked from earlier had been stripped bare, but after searching deeper into the woods, I found another patch of dark berries clinging to thorny vines.
I ate as much as I could stomach, stuffing myself until the sweetness became cloying. It still wasn't satisfying, but it was enough to keep my strength up.
Not far from the berry bushes, I spotted a cluster of banana trees, their broad leaves rustling slightly in the breeze. The fruit hung heavy and ripe, and with a quick swipe of my claws, I tore down several bunches. Bananas weren't what I truly wanted, but they would provide some energy at least.
Satisfied with my findings, I moved toward the palm trees near the shoreline. A few well-placed strikes knocked down several coconuts, their heavy shells thudding against the ground. I gathered as many as I could carry, securing them between my forelimbs and against my chest.
It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
With my makeshift supplies gathered, I spread my wings and took to the skies once more.
The west awaited.