Declaring My Territory
I woke up in the morning to the World Tree's tremors still vibrating beneath me. They felt a touch stronger than yesterday. 'Let's wrap this up today.' I grilled a piece of Abysal meat for a quick bite, then pulled out the communication orb.
"Hey, Michael. Got a question for you."
[……Lord Knox. What is the matter?]
"How do I claim a territory? Just go there and assert dominance?"
[That would work, but there is a more reliable method. Each territory has a spot thick with mana. Implant your mana there, and the magic beasts will retreat on their own.]
"Ah, like the pond next to my nest? The mana was super dense there."
[Yes. That is likely the core of each territory.]
A brief silence fell.
[……But Lord Knox.]
"Yeah?"
[Have you……not declared your territory at your nest until now?]
"Territory declaration? I figured the magic beasts just knew not to mess with me since I live here, so they'd stay away on their own."
No response from Michael. It was a pretty long silence.
[……It's been a short time since I came to know you, Lord Knox, but you have a talent for throwing me off balance.]
"Sorry?"
[No, no. You've only been in this world a short while, so it's natural you wouldn't know. I should have informed you earlier.]
A short sigh leaked through the connection.
[Please declare the territory. I beg you.]
The connection cut off. I stored the orb in my subspace and tilted my head. 'What did I do?'
I headed to the pond first. If Michael was right, this was the heart of my territory. Holding my talon close to the surface, thick mana wrapped around it.
'Just implant my mana here, huh.'
I dipped my talon into the pond. Cold water enveloped my wrist as condensed mana pushed back against my palm with a prickling sting. I shoved through the resistance, pouring in dense mana. The surface pulsed once, sending ripples outward around the nest. I felt the auras of magic beasts across the entire territory sink away all at once. It was over quick.
'That settles this place.'
Since I was living here anyway, no need for anything fancy.
I released my polymorph and spread my wings wide, hurling myself downward from the nest. Leaving the World Tree behind, I veered south, and soon the familiar heat rose up. It was Ignar's Domain, the scorched plains.
The heat lingered even without its master, warming the air, with blackened earth stretching endlessly. As I landed, residual warmth rose under my talons, and the scent of charred soil tickled my beak. Looking around, there was a spot thick with mana here too, just like the pond—a dense cluster in the middle of the plains.
Unlike my nest, magic beasts were actively vying for control here, a couple of high-grade ones playing lord of the turf. But as I spread my mana, the air shifted. One bared its teeth to resist but soon crumpled like its legs gave out. The rest didn't even try.
I walked over and infused my energy. The marking finished quick, but coming down here every time to manage it sounded annoying.
'I'll have Kar bring his kin here to relocate later.'
I plucked a feather, infused it with mana. When Kar got back, he could reinforce it. I stuck the feather in the center and stepped back to admire it. The black feather gleamed faintly in the middle of the plains—looked pretty legit. A breeze rustled it before it settled steady.
Off to the final territory: Abysal's Domain, the deep lake section where I'd fought before and gotten slimed. The lake was clear now, settled calm. Even from above the surface, I sensed mana clustered below. A pulse like the other two throbbed from the bottom.
I descended to the lake and released mana. It seeped through the surface to the depths, and the whole lake pulsed once, light spreading out. Magic beasts lurking around retreated en masse.
I landed on the edge, plucked another feather, infused it, and planted it nearby. Stepping back, I gazed at the surface. But it wasn't quiet below. Land beasts fled quick, but the aquatic ones were different. Large and small auras moved sluggishly in the depths. A massive shadow passed just under the surface, then eyes flashed toward me. Eyes with no intent to flee.
'……Annoying.'
My gaze locked below.
'Better make it thorough. Don't wanna come back down here.'
I shot up above the lake, high enough to see the whole thing at a glance, and spread my wings wide. I gathered thunder at the wingtips. Azure light beaded on every feather.
Pzzzt—!!
Lightning burst from all six wings at once. Azure bolts lanced everywhere, shredding the darkness over the lake in an instant. Each strike on the water made the whole lake flash white, geysers erupting as shockwaves rippled in circles. The electricity coursed through the depths, making the lake hiss and bubble.
Soon, magic beasts started floating up belly-up, one by one—including that big shadow eyeing me. Up close, it was eel-like, long body covered not in scales but dark blue mucus membrane. Longer than Kar, with whisker-like tentacles dangling from its head, splayed across the water.
'……Whoa. This one's huge.'
I hooked it with a talon and tore off a bite. Crunch. The flesh bounced chewy between my beak, flooding my mouth with mild juice. The more I chewed, the saltier aftertaste tingled the back of my tongue—totally different from land fare, kinda refreshing.
'Not bad.'
Munching away, curiosity hit. The Four Kings had cores; something like this size probably did too. I clawed open the head—yep, a mana cluster inside. Faint blue pulse, but nothing compared to the Four Kings' cores. Smaller, weaker density.
'Less a core, more just pooled mana.'
I ate it. A zing hit my tongue but faded fast. No kick like the Four Kings' cores.
'Eh, still tasty.'
I swept the rest of the floaters into my subspace. Might eat 'em someday—no loss storing them.
I circled the lake slowly. With Abysal gone, the water was crystal clear to the bottom, way bigger than my nest pond. The energy rising from it felt crisp and pure.
'Nice spot. Gotta come bathe here sometimes.'
I shook my wings hard, flinging water droplets everywhere from between my feathers.
'That should do it.'
Leaving the lake, the dark, heavy deep-layer air lightened as I ascended, light returning. I made one big loop near the nest, flicking off the lingering thunder from my wingtips. Crackling echoes spread through the World Tree's upper branches, azure light seeping between leaves before vanishing. The whole tree went still, like it held its breath.
'Perfect. Should be quiet for a while now.'
I landed at the nest and cast polymorph. Flopping onto the Turaka-hide blanket, the tremors under me were barely there. The growls from before were gone.
'Guess that's it.'
I pulled out some Abysal meat from subspace for an early lunch. I'd left in the morning and was back before the sun hit its peak. Belly full, my eyes drooped.
'Nothing to do—nap time.'
Around that time, in the elven kingdom.
Since the World Tree's ecosystem fell into chaos, a defensive barrier enveloped the entire kingdom. From midday today, strange changes were detected. The pressure on the barrier was dropping sharply.
Kaiel rushed to Kaelion with the barrier officer's report.
"Your Majesty. Magic beast activity outside the barrier has dropped dramatically. The World Tree's mana flow is stabilizing as well."
Kaelion gazed at the World Tree beyond the office window. The massive trunk stretching to the heavens gleamed softly in the afternoon sun.
"……Since when?"
"Around noon today. Reports say the beasts' auras sank all at once, as if someone pressed down on the entire depths at once. And just before, azure lightning was observed in the World Tree's upper branches."
Kaelion's eyes fixed on the treetop. Memories of Knox's visit to the palace flashed, but he kept unconfirmed thoughts to himself.
"Relay to Sylvaster: Assemble a scouting party to search the depths."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After Kaiel withdrew, Kaelion stood by the window a while longer.
As the sun dipped, Sylvaster arrived at the depths with his scouts—and was greeted by silence. The beasts were quiet. Areas once rumbling with territorial fights were still. Every visible beast had its head bowed, crouched low—not one or two, but all, facing the same direction.
Sylvaster followed their gaze upward. The World Tree's peak. Turaka's domain, Ignar's realm, Abysal's lair. All subdued under one will.
Sylvaster stood speechless for a long time. His lieutenant approached cautiously, but he didn't look away. A breeze blew. The rustle of World Tree leaves filtered faintly down to the depths.
Finally, Sylvaster whispered to his lieutenant.
"Report to His Majesty: Depths fully stabilized. Single entity's dominance observed across all vacant Four Kings' territories. The entity is……."
He trailed off, staring at the treetop.
At that moment, at the World Tree's peak, Knox lay sprawled belly-down on the Turaka-hide blanket. The tree was extra quiet today—perfect for a nap.