The northern region of the continent was known only as Catherine’s Forest. It was separated from the Empire by the Swordscar Pass and the Grindstone Mountains, where the Cath's Door, one of the grand entrances into the forest, was also located. Behind it, the thick trees went straight towards the far north, stretching into the forever frozen gciers and mountains there, within the Wall of the World. The forest itself was vast, bordering both the Empire of Aerthus and the Kingdom of Ten from the north, causing both pces to constantly have to deal with demons coming down when their numbers swelled up. The thick wilderness itself extended from the eastern end of the continent, from the Storm Coast, a constantly raging, endless sea, towards the Western Desert, which was the end of civilization, an endless, burning sea of sand.

  Of course, it wasn't just one massive jungle. Within it, there were hills, ftnds, and dozens of rivers that flow downwards from the Wall of the World, coalescing into one, gigantic body of water, into the Shert River. It was the continent's main source of fresh water, separating the Empire and the Kingdom until it reached Calm Blue, the southern ocean, the st boundary of the world. But the most exciting things within the forest are the thousands of ruins, remnants of ancient cities, and towns that lie deep within.

  It wasn’t always the home of the beasts. Its name was also something else, as its current moniker came from the st Empress who ruled the nd before the Tear in the Sky, before the Mad God changed everything. Thousands of years ago, this nd was home to one of the wealthiest empires, called the House of Ein. They were ruled by one family for centuries and maintained an army of almost a million, dominating the entire continent either by force or by proxy. Yet when the Camity came to the world, the whole kingdom fell apart as the first demons began appearing within the nd's lush forests. As more and more of them rose, every neighboring country looked on, happy to see them struggling, waiting to jump in and start stealing their wealth for themselves. What they didn't expect was that the fall would be more violent than ever, as the entire forest, including the trees, rebelled against the humans.

  Only in a few hundred years, the people were massacred, pushed out of the mountains and forests, as everything was forcefully retaken by nature. The ruling family died out when the Jewel of Ein, their capital city deep within the forest, fell, consuming the st Empress, Catherine herself. As legends go... it was something almost literal. Legends state that a living, talking, and breathing tree came, released its seeds, and then devoured every living being as nutrients, killing hundreds of thousands by itself. On the corpses, it grew new trees by the minute, finally creating the forest as everyone knows it today.

  The survivors, a few of whom remained, soon fled south and poputed the southern regions, mingling with the surviving kingdoms and their poputions as the House of Ein became nothing more than a legend. It stayed that way until Aerthus came along, unifying hundreds of minor kingdoms and establishing his Empire. He even pushed up its borders as far as possible, reaching an old fortress of the Ein family, previously there to protect them from the southern barbarians. From then on, it was what guarded the Empire's northern borders: Cath’s Door, a gateway to the forest.

  Originally, it was built right between the Swordscar Pass and a sharp, untraversable mountain range that merged with the desert in the west, the Grindstone Mountains. Legends state that the mountain range was once as extensive as its northern cousin, but its constant erosion gave birth to the Western Desert. They say that all the sand within it originates from Grindstone and is still fed by the eroding rocks to this day, right until nothing will remain of it. The fortress immediately became a strategic point because Aerthus I could advance and retreat from there, strike into the territories of demons, hold them back whenever they came, and harvest natural resources from the forest before retreating.

  It was working as intended, right until centuries ter, under the rule of Aerthus IV, when the fortress was attacked by a never-before-seen wave of beasts. The main forces of the Empire were caught in the wild without warning, which led to their complete elimination. Not a corpse remained, as the tide did not stop, and soon, the fortress itself fell.

  The Emperor organized dozens of campaigns throughout his life, but it was evident that the demon folk had learned a lot in the previous centuries. They kept them out, even killing the Emperor in one of the fierce battles for the fortress. He fell, sword in hand, standing on the walls of Cath’s Door when they tried to retake it. After that, no Emperor tried again. Instead, they built defensive lines in the pins before the forest, repeatedly meeting the invading demo folks as they periodically moved downwards, cshing with the humans. Usually, the Empire's strategy was to hold the lines until the horde dwindled in numbers before they pushed them back to the fortress or into the Swordscar Pass’s depths as the nd was soaked in blood.

  In the long centuries of the comfortable status quo, the demon folk got careless, just as humans do. When they invaded, they almost left the fortress empty, not even thinking about guarding their backs. It was what meant their end. Xendar took notice of it early and struck on the advantage, unching a surprise attack with a small, elite force, taking Cath’s Door. At the same time, the main army pushed forward, catching them from two sides, eliminating them completely, and finally, retaking the fortress after so many generations.

  Years have passed since then, and the demon folk were hell-bent on not letting the Empire rest as they unched attacks almost every three months, none as significant as in the time of Aerthus IV, but still severe enough to keep the Empire bogged down around Cath's Door.

  The most concerning news was that, on the side of the Kingdom of Ten, where Catharine’s Forest had a more easily accessible side, they weren't experiencing the same kind of attacks. Yes, it was guarded by a long, ancient structure called The Great Wall of Naulins, but the demons still periodically attacked it... Yet nowadays, there are fewer and fewer invasion attempts, according to the Empire's intelligence. Everybody agreed in the Empire that something big was in the making, yet they didn’t know what... and that made everyone nervous.

  It was amongst this that the group finally reached their destination.

  “Finally, we are here!” Ren stretched on her horse as they arrived. With a satisfied smile, she looked up to the giant obsidian walls that rose more than thirty meters high before them. It was almost the same size in width, too, while in the middle, five gigantic gates were facing them, all shut, forming angry mouths... It was the famous Pentagate of Cath’s.

  To their left, the reddish, short, and barren mountain range went on endlessly as they looked, while on the right side, the walls ended where the Swordscar Pass’ deep chasms started, proving a long, deadly drop for any guard who was not careful enough.

  The fortress’s primary constructs were either inside the giant walls or carved into the mountainside, proving to be a perfect design that allowed it to function even after so many years and without proper maintenance. Looking at it a bit more, it was more of a reinforced bck dam than a traditional fortress.

  “You are te.” A thundering voice came as a fsh of lightning struck before them as they approached the narrow passage toward the Pentagate.

  “Fath-” Ren said, but her words quickly were stuck deep in her throat by Xendar’s gaze, standing before them in full, wearing a heavy military armor decorated with scars, dents, and dried blood. “General Xendar, the 1st Recon Squad, is reporting for duty!” she corrected herself while saluting.

  “Named first yet arriving st. Every other squad sent by the Capital already took on missions, yet here you are. Any excuses?”

  “Yes!” Ren nodded, presenting the head of the scorpion demon folk.

  Xendar watched on calmly, but his eyes showed a brilliant light as he watched over them, clearly radiating happiness to see his daughter again after so many years. It was only concealed by his status as the General of the Vanguard forces, preventing him from just going and hugging the light out of his daughter.

  “I see. I want a full report." He nodded, "Come to my office, Captain Ren. The rest will head to Barrack 101 to take residence and await further orders.”

  “Sir, yes, sir!” The group answered in unison as they got accepted into the garrison, going inside the giant byrinthine walls, filled with torches and on-duty patrols, never resting. Losing Cath for a second time was not an option...

  Silently, Ren followed her father up the spiraling stairs, reaching the top to enter a spacious room filled with giant tables. Hundreds of maps and reports from different squads covered the tables, showing the outposts established by the various squadrons currently patrolling the woods. Stepping in, there was another familiar figure inside, wearing a tight-fitting military outfit. She was in the middle of organizing the parchments, and when she turned, she just smiled warmly at Ren when she stepped inside after her father.

  “Captain of the First Recon Squad reporting for duty, Vice Commander Anya!” Ren saluted but couldn’t scrape off her smile from her face.

  In the past four years, Anya successfully advanced to the 9th stage of Body Refinement. Exactly two years ago... Then, just another half a year ter, she reached the Harmony Realm just like her husband. The moment it was done, she was ordered by the Emperor to come here and help out General Xendar. It wasn't a coincidence, and she quickly became the General’s second hand, to nobody's surprise. Of course, there was some resistance at first, but most of the army followed Xendar for years and were aware of her involvement in battles fought even before they were married. As Anya wasn’t directly commanding units, only helping Xendar out closely, even the louder commanders found themselves barking up an empty tree, having to accept that Anya was going to stay.

  “You can drop the formal speech; we are family when we are alone.” Xendar ughed, grabbing his daughter, lifting her, and showering her with kisses. “Oh, how I missed you, you little imp! Come, give daddy a big kiss!”

  “Ahaha, Daaaad, put me down! I’m all grown up now!” Ren giggled, somehow managing to wiggle out of his embrace.

  “Huh? Really?” Anya’s ears perked up. “I knew I couldn’t leave you to Hal alone at home! You are too slippery for the old man!”

  “Eh? No, not that way!” she rolled her eyes, “I mean by age. Leinor and I haven't done that... yet. Anyway! I missed you too, Dad, Mom~!”

  “I heard differently from your mother, ahaha! But tell us, what is this all about?” He asked as he put down the head on the table while Ren recounted their meeting with the demon folk.

  “I’ll organize a mission to scout the Pass. They may have more bridges built.” Anya stood up, unfolding a map with deadly seriousness to organize a search party, making Ren smile as she saw a side of her parents she hadn't seen until now.

  “Make it so they have someone with far-seeing abilities and, at a minimum, have two Harmony experts as escorts." Xendar nodded, "If they have other paths of crossing over and are defended with the same strength, the scouts could be wiped out even if they are being cautious. Demons sense better than any human could...”

  “How many Harmony Realm fighters do we have?” Ren suddenly asked, intrigued because she learned that not all Harmony experts wait until the 9th body refinement to advance. That was rare, while the majority did so between the 5th and 8th.

  “Here? Around a hundred.” Xendar said after gathering his thoughts, “Most within the army advance around the 5th and 6th realm. Only a handful reached 7th or 8th, sadly. Those who did all fill some kind of leadership role and are important assets to the Empire.”

  “What about you and Mom?”

  “Besides us, I only know about Dermitos, who had advanced from the 9th realm. Of course, there are others, but they are usually held back for actual crises. I do know that when Aerthus IV died, about twenty Harmony experts were dying with him, who were all at the 9th stage before breaking through.”

  "Damn..." Ren clicked her tongue, feeling herself in awe.

  “Everyone who became Emperor did so after reaching the 9th stage.” Anya added, “There is ample hidden strength in every pce in the world. Back in the Kingdom, too. More than you would think...”

  “I see... Hmmm. Then we should be fine.” Ren nodded, “If you want, we can scout past the Pass and-”

  “No. Your team has its orders already.” Xendar cut in, presenting a written order to her.

  “Oh? Let me see~!” She giggled, quickly taking it and opening it with an excited face, as if she had received a birthday present, making her father ugh out loud. “Huh? We are to head to the First Prince’s location?”

  “Yup," Xendar nodded, "He asked for adequate reinforcements. He is now camping in an old ruin, around ten kilometers to the north, researching the history of the nd and scouting the area. He is trying to establish a peaceful contact with the demon folk living there.”

  “Did he succeed?” she asked, raising her eyebrows. "Wait..."

  “Your guess is right.” Anya nodded. “He successfully established a connection to a tribe called... Forest Fairies. By the description of Prince Feynor, they are butterflies that gained intelligence." She read from his report, "They are low in fighting strength, peaceful by nature, but almost half of their numbers are evolved beyond their animal form. So we view them as a threat to the Prince’s forces... if their meeting turns out to be a trap.”

  “More than half of them evolved? How are we then the adequate force?” Ren grimaced, not believing her parents would approve of something dangerous like this. An evolved demon most likely counted as a Harmony level expert!

  “Don’t worry, Feynor is at the 9th stage, and he fought with evolved demons in the forest already. He captured five of them, managing to do it without hurting them.”

  “Wha… wait…”

  “Yup, as he reported, they are weak." Xendar expined, "Turns out, this tribe dislikes fights, is peaceful by nature, and is easily scared. They are vulnerable. They attacked because they were frightened. After defeating them and releasing them without extortion or harm, Feynor successfully established frequent connections with them over the past seven months. The reinforcement is because these... Fairies... They asked for help, as they are threatened by other demon folks and want to move their nest.”

  “This is big, Ren. This could be a breakthrough, so go and help the Prince,” her mother nodded, watching her.

  “Will do! You can count on us!” Ren saluted, her mouth reaching her ears with how widely she grinned.

  “We do! Now come, come, tell Father what you were up to in the past years! Don’t leave out anything!” Xendar ughed, picking her up again, and soon Ren felt like her tongue would fall out depending on how much she needed to speak.

  …….…..

  “Fairies? Whoa, sounds exciting!” Poli sat up on his bed when he heard Ren’s expnation.

  “Huh, I never thought I would go and try to talk with demons one day." Isha added, "We were always told how they ravaged everything like locusts.”

  “The low-level ones are no more than animals controlled by the stronger, evolved counterparts in their herd." Leinor commented, while munching on a dried piece of meat, "So it’s not so surprising. What is surprising is that they are still alive... if they are really this weak.”

  “True.” Zern nodded. “They may have a body that evolves quickly, expining their inferior strength. Maybe they are really like butterflies, and live a shorter life.”

  “Not sure about the life expectancy," Poli inclined his head, "Cultivating expands our lifespan as our vitality grows. The same should go for them.”

  “Doesn't matter,” Ren said, raising her hand. “For now, we should get a good sleep and rest because the road will take almost all day with the rugged terrain, and we will go on foot.” She added as she climbed up to the top level of her bunk bed.

  “I agree. I had had enough sleeping on the ground, finally a soft pillow~!” Isha moaned, lying down on her bed as the others followed suit.

  “This is going to be a fun adventure!” Poli giggled, polishing his sword before going to bed.

  “You are too much alike with Master,” Zern murmured while climbing up right above Poli.

  “Ahaha, Lil’ Poli is my protege. Leave him alone, fufufu~!” Ren giggled, sticking out her head from the top of her bed. “Anyway, LeiLei, don’t you want to come up?”

  “Mmm?” Leinor blinked his eyes as he was lying on the bottom portion, looking up at her.

  “Should we go out for… I don’t know. Five minutes? It should be enough.” Isha smirked at the two.

  “Five? Come on. The Prince could go on for hours, I bet!” Poli added with righteous vigor, but soon he got a pillow thrown into his face with such force that it exploded into a million pieces, showering him with white feathers.

  “Stuff it!” Leinor snorted. “Both of you and Isha! You too, Ren!”

  “Tsk. Oookaaay~!” Ren giggled, disappearing, pulling her head in.

  “We should have a good rest and focus on the mission. We will have time to fool around when we are back home!” Leinor looked around the room, taking up the leading role.

  “Just as the Vice Captain said. Let’s rest, everyone!” Zern nodded, agreeing with Leinor as the small room became silent for about half an hour.

  “How the hell did I get feathers in my underwear? Fuck, they are making me itchy!” Poli murmured, causing loud giggling and ughter to echo within the room.

  Corty