I Can See Evolution Paths

Arthur, Mithra, Athena, Sun, and Leon sat in chairs. Steven sat behind his desk. Elaine stood beside the window, arms folded. The office was unusually quiet.

Steven smiled first. "Welcome back," he said.

Silence.

"I’m glad every one of you returned," he said. His eyes naturally drifted toward Mithra. No wounds. No missing arm. No bandages. She smiled back. Only then did his shoulder relax slightly.

Arthur noticed but kept quiet.

Elaine spoke next. "I’m glad you’re alive."

Everyone brightened.

"But that doesn’t change the fact you disappeared for nearly two months." Her crimson eyes narrowed. "That is unacceptable."

Everyone immediately straightened. Sun lowered his head. Athena adjusted her glasses. Leon smiled awkwardly.

Arthur scratched his cheek. "I agree," he said.

Everyone looked at him.

Arthur continued sincerely. "Being gone for two months was definitely a problem. We really didn’t mean to."

Steven nodded. "We assumed as much."

Then Arthur suddenly said, "Honestly, I’m really glad we came back."

Steven smiled. "So am I."

Arthur nodded. "Otherwise things would’ve been really awkward."

Silence.

Elaine blinked. "Awkward?"

Arthur nodded sincerely. "Imagine explaining to my mom that Pathfinder somehow lost five first-years."

Sun immediately closed his eyes. "Arthur," he said.

Arthur kept going. "Some people might even call the Academy incompetent."

Steven’s smile froze. Elaine slowly looked up.

Arthur continued thinking aloud. "Leon told me his family would’ve come too."

Leon laughed. "They definitely would’ve," he said.

Arthur nodded. "That would’ve been embarrassing. Especially for you."

Steven blinked.

Arthur innocently finished. "My mom let Mithra stay at our house. Imagine explaining how you lost both of us."

Complete silence.

Sun covered his face. "He did it again," he said.

Athena quietly adjusted her glasses. "Remarkable," she said.

Leon bit his lip trying not to laugh. Mithra immediately looked away.

Steven slowly rubbed his forehead. "Arthur," he said.

Arthur blinked. "Yes?"

Steven sighed. "Thank you. You’ve somehow made me feel worse."

Arthur smiled. "You’re welcome," he said.

Elaine quietly closed her eyes. "He’s sincere," she said.

Steven nodded. "That’s the problem," he said.

Everyone laughed. The atmosphere relaxed, the tension of the opening scolding finally breaking apart into something lighter.

Arthur raised his hand. "One question first," he said.

Steven nodded.

Arthur asked, "Did you already tell my mom?"

Steven immediately shook his head. "No. I delayed informing Greenleaf."

Arthur visibly relaxed. "Thank you," he said.

Steven watched him. "You thought about everyone else first," he said.

Arthur scratched his cheek. "Mom would’ve cried," he said.

Steven quietly smiled. "Yes. She would’ve."

Elaine calmly added, "Unfortunately, you’ve only delayed that conversation."

Arthur froze. "Right," he said.

Sun quietly muttered, "We’re still doomed."

Steven leaned back. "Start from the beginning," he said.

Arthur nodded. He began describing entering the Ruins. Evolution Town. The western gate. The forest. The strange feeling. The King’s Mark reacting.

Arthur casually said, "Then my King’s Mark suddenly started glowing."

Steven immediately interrupted. "Your what?"

Arthur blinked. "Oh. I forgot to mention that. I forgot to mention the King’s Mark."

Elaine stared. "Arthur. You forgot the magical mark that appeared on your hand?"

Arthur looked down at it. "...I got used to it."

Leon laughed. "...Only you could forget something like that."

Athena nodded. "Technically speaking, that’s incredibly concerning."

Arthur blinked. "Really?"

Sun sighed. "Yes, really."

Even Steven couldn’t help laughing. "...I’m beginning to understand why you guys went missing for so long."

Arthur quickly explained how the mark appeared. Elaine immediately began writing. Athena naturally added small details. Steven simply listened, occasionally glancing toward Mithra. Still safe. Still smiling.

"Wait, so you got it during your Entrance exam?"

"Yep, but I forgot about it by the time I arrived at the academy."

"No wonder you didn’t say anything about it."

Arthur then continued, explaining finding the throne room, Halburn awakening, calling Vedas a Successor Candidate. Then Arthur casually said, "Turns out the Goblins once ruled half the Secret Realm."

Silence.

Steven blinked. "Repeat that," he said.

Arthur scratched his cheek. "The Goblins ruled half the Secret Realm."

Silence. Nobody moved.

Steven stared at Arthur for several long seconds. "Arthur. Please tell me you’re exaggerating."

Arthur slowly shook his head. "I’m not."

Athena calmly opened her notebook. "The evidence was overwhelming," she said. "The architecture. The language. The murals. The government. The royal districts. Everything points toward the same conclusion."

Elaine slowly frowned. "Impossible. Goblins shouldn’t possess a civilization on that scale."

Athena nodded. "I agreed. Until we reached the first tribe." She looked toward Steven. "They confirmed the Kingdom’s name."

Steven frowned. "...The Kingdom of Dawn."

Athena nodded. "Yes. We already knew historians believed the Kingdom of Dawn was founded by Humanity."

Arthur nodded. "That’s what surprised us too."

Steven slowly leaned back. "I don’t think you understand."

Arthur blinked. "Hm?"

Steven folded his hands together. "The Kingdom of Dawn isn’t simply another ancient civilization. It’s considered the birthplace of countless modern Beast Tamer traditions."

Everyone became quiet.

Steven continued. "The first recorded Golden Weapons. The earliest Beast Tamer military formations. The oldest surviving records on mana engineering. Several modern Kingdoms even claim descent from Dawn."

Arthur blinked. "...Really?"

"Yes, but the biggest thing is..." Steven slowly looked toward Arthur. "You’ve just challenged the foundation of every history textbook taught in various academies."

Silence.

Steven quietly studied Arthur. "You’re surprisingly calm."

Arthur blinked. "It’s interesting but Athena already went crazy when she learned it."

Athena immediately nodded. "I did."

"So she basically did it for both of us."

Mithra nodded with a smile.

Steven’s smile grew before he continued. "If this reaches Yggdrasil Tower, the academic world will descend into chaos."

Even Athena blinked. "...Chaos?"

Steven nodded. "Entire departments would spend decades rewriting history."

Elaine quietly added, "Assuming they even believe it."

Elaine quietly continued. "For centuries the Yggdrasil Tower has treated the Kingdom of Dawn as one of Humanity’s greatest achievements." Her crimson eyes met Arthur’s. "...If what you’re telling us is true, then every historian in the world has attributed Goblin accomplishments to Humanity."

Complete silence.

Even Leon stopped smiling.

Athena quietly nodded. "History remembers the Kingdom but forgot the people who built it."

Silence settled over the office. Nobody moved to break it, the weight of what Athena had said sitting there a moment longer than any of the earlier jokes had been allowed to.

Arthur slowly rubbed his chin. "That’s..." He searched for the right words. "kind of unfair."

Nobody answered.

Because nobody could disagree.

After several moments, Steven quietly exhaled. "Do you realize what Halburn entrusted to you?"

Arthur scratched his cheek. "So... I’m basically carrying around the world’s biggest group assignment?"

Complete silence.

Sun slowly lowered his head. "Why are you like this?"

Leon burst into laughter.

Steven covered his eyes.

Even Elaine’s lips twitched. "...I can’t tell whether he’s unbelievably dense, or unbelievably calm."

Steven smiled. "...I think he’s simply Arthur."

Arthur casually added, "They even had dragon friends."

Silence.

Steven slowly blinked. "...Friends?"

Arthur nodded. "...Apparently."

Athena immediately corrected him. "...Trade partners."

Arthur thought about it. "...Close enough."

Athena sighed. "...No."

Sun quietly leaned toward Leon. "...He’s making this sound like they traded vegetables."

Leon smiled. "Knowing Arthur, they probably did."

Athena slowly nodded. "Actually, they did."

Silence.

Elaine slowly lowered her pen. "This rewrites centuries of history."

Arthur scratched his cheek. "There were also Storm Giants."

Elaine and Steven’s expressions shifted.

Arthur thought for a second. "And Forest Spirits."

Elaine slowly put her notebook down. "Arthur."

"Yeah?"

"...Could you please stop casually rewriting history for five minutes?"

Arthur blinked. "I can try. There was also multiple Beast civilizations—"

"Of course." Elaine’s pen slowly stopped moving with a sigh. "I’m not sure what’s worse. How much this expands our history, or rewrites it," she said.

Arthur smiled. "Yeah. Athena got really excited."

Athena immediately answered, "I did."

Steven quietly laughed.

Then Arthur explained Halburn himself. Not a monster. Not an enemy. Just a tired King.

Arthur’s voice softened. "...He wasn’t angry."

Everyone looked toward him.

"He had already accepted that his Kingdom was gone."

Silence filled the office, and this time nobody rushed to break it, everyone letting the sentence settle before Arthur was allowed to continue.

Arthur continued. "But he never stopped believing someone would eventually come."

Steven quietly listened.

Arthur smiled faintly. "He prepared everything."

"The Crown."

"The Guardian Spirits."

"The Trials."

"He even left behind people to watch over the surviving Goblins. He planned for someone he would never meet."

Silence.

Steven slowly leaned back, his fingers interlocking beneath his chin. "I can understand."

The room became quiet.

Arthur blinked. "You do?"

Steven nodded once. "If you truly care about the people relying on you, you prepare for the day you’re no longer there." His gaze naturally drifted toward Mithra, just for a moment, then toward the Academy outside his window.

Arthur followed his gaze but didn’t say anything.

Steven smiled faintly. "He entrusted a thousand years to hope." He looked back at Arthur. "...That is a remarkable King."

Elaine quietly nodded. "...Not because he expected to succeed. But because he refused to leave his people with nothing."

The office became silent again. Even Leon’s smile faded, and for a moment the room simply held that thought together before anyone was ready to move past it.

Steven’s eyes drifted toward Mithra again. She looked completely absorbed. Safe. He quietly smiled.

Arthur explained the first Guardian. The trial. The fragment. Guardian Strike. Elaine interrupted several times asking questions. Athena answered nearly all of them.

Arthur eventually said, "Honestly, King Mu was pretty nice."

Sun immediately answered, "He literally sent us into a trial that tried killing us."

Arthur blinked. "That’s because he had faith in us," he said.

Leon burst into laughter.

Steven laughed.

Sun groaned as he held his face.

Even Elaine pinched the bridge of her nose. "Only you could describe a life and death trial as professional," she said.

Arthur tilted his head. "He explained the rules first," he said.

Sun sighed. "Don’t encourage him," he said.

Arthur explained finding another Goblin Tribe.

Steven immediately interrupted. "Another?"

Arthur continued. "Then we reached the second tribe. The Su Tribe, but they’d already been attacked."

Steven frowned. "Attacked?"

Arthur nodded. "Thunderbirds."

The office immediately became quiet. Elaine’s pen stopped moving. "...Thunderbirds?"

Athena nodded. "The entire village had nearly been wiped out."

Steven immediately looked toward Mithra. "...Were you hurt?"

Before Arthur could answer, Mithra quickly shook her head. "No. When we arrived, the Thunderbirds had already left."

Steven visibly relaxed, his shoulders lowering slightly. "...Thank goodness."

Elaine looked between every student. "...Just to confirm. If you encountered an entire flock of Thunderbirds, you didn’t try fighting them."

Silence.

Arthur laughed awkwardly. "...O-Of course not."

Sun nodded far too quickly. "Definitely not."

Athena adjusted her glasses. "...Naturally."

Leon smiled. "...Absolutely."

Elaine looked at all of them. "...I don’t believe any of you."

Steven’s expression twitched. For just a moment real concern crossed his face. He quietly rubbed his forehead. "...Please continue."

Arthur scratched his cheek. "...Okay."

"Then we met Voro, who protected the entire tribe with his powers." And then Arthur continued talking about Voro being too injured to remain, so they ventured into the underground trial to find the Golden Spring. Melo heals him. Then Melo’s evolution.

Steven looked toward Mithra. "Melo evolved?"

Mithra smiled proudly. "She became their Guardian Spirit after it," she said.

Steven slowly blinked. "Like the one who protects and oversees the tribe? That type?"

Athena nodded. "The tribe and Voro recognized her."

Elaine’s pen completely stopped. "I know those positions are passed on, but I didn’t think other races could inherit it."

Athena nodded. "Apparently."

Steven quietly smiled. "She wasn’t chosen because she was the strongest or a Goblin..."

"No." Mithra smiled. "She was chosen because she cared."

Steven laughed. "I think that’s even more impressive."

Mithra smiled even brighter, and for a moment nobody spoke, letting her have the quiet pride of the moment before the conversation moved on.

Elaine quietly asked, "How?"

Arthur smiled. "She wanted to protect everyone," he said.

Athena quietly added, "She earned the faith of an entire Tribe."

Elaine repeated the word softly. "...Faith..." Her pen stopped moving. She slowly looked toward Athena. "...Evolution through belief..."

Athena nodded. "...That appears to be the case."

Elaine quietly leaned back. "...Remarkable."

Steven smiled. "...You’re excited."

Elaine immediately answered. "...No." Beat. "...Continue."

Arthur quietly whispered toward Sun. "...She’s excited."

Sun nodded. "...Definitely."

Even Leon smiled. "...She’s trying really hard not to show it."

Elaine calmly ignored every one of them. Though her notebook was already half-filled with new questions.

Then Steven asked, "How many Tribes have you found?"

Arthur answered naturally. "Well. That was the second. The third one was a little harder."

Silence.

Elaine slowly lowered her notebook. "Third?"

Steven looked toward Arthur. "...You mentioned a third tribe."

Arthur nodded. "It took a while to find."

Sun laughed weakly. "...We actually thought they might already be gone."

Athena nodded. "When we reached the northern mountains, we found something else first."

Elaine looked up. "What?"

Arthur smiled. "...A war."

Silence.

Steven blinked. "A war?"

Arthur nodded. "Three different apex predator armies. They were all fighting each other."

Leon added with a grin, "And Arthur thought it was amazing."

Arthur immediately answered, "It was."

Sun sighed. "Of course you did."

Arthur scratched his cheek. "I’d never seen anything like it."

Athena quietly nodded. "Neither had I."

Steven leaned forward. "Continue."

Arthur scratched his cheek. "It’ll probably sound unbelievable."

Steven smiled. "You stopped sounding believable about twenty minutes ago."

Leon laughed.

Sun nodded. "...He’s got a point."

Arthur smiled. "Alright."

"So after the beasts left, we looked for the tribe until we realized it was invisible."

Elaine blinked, then blinked again.

Steven tilted his head and said, "What?"

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