I Can See Evolution Paths

Arthur’s senses returned all at once, sight first, then sound, then the feel of stone beneath his boots. He blinked several times, breathing deeply as the plaza slowly came back into focus, everything blurred for a moment as though he’d just woken from a deep sleep before the sensation faded on the next breath.

The first thing he noticed was Melo, standing directly in front of him, her five tails still spread behind her though the glow in her eyes had already faded. She looked toward him, then the others, before finally letting out a long breath. "That was close."

Mithra giggled immediately, reaching over to rub the top of Melo’s head. "Thank you for the help." Melo’s ears twitched, her expression turning noticeably happier.

Arthur smiled. "You saved us." Melo puffed out her chest, looking so proud of herself that he couldn’t help laughing.

"You know," Mithra said, still rubbing her head, "I think she likes being praised."

Melo’s chest puffed out even further, and Arthur laughed. "Definitely." She gave a satisfied little sound before turning toward the others, apparently expecting the same treatment from them.

Before anyone could oblige, crack.

Everyone turned. A thin fracture had appeared across Sun’s stone body, another following, then another, until the stone covering him broke apart entirely.

"Finally!" Sun stumbled forward as pieces crumbled from his body, stretching his arms overhead, twisting his shoulders, rolling his neck. He took a deep breath. "I never want to be a statue again."

"You were only one for a few minutes," Arthur said.

"That was long enough."

Another crack came from beside him, and Kong burst free, the Stone Monkey shaking himself violently, sending chunks of stone flying before immediately punching the air several times.

Arthur watched him. "What are you doing?"

Kong stopped, checked his hands, then his arms, then his legs, and gave a grunt.

Eden flew over. "He’s checking that everything still works."

"Smart," Sun said, glancing at him.

Kong nodded seriously.

Sun looked at his own arms. "Maybe I should’ve done that."

"You did."

"I was making sure."

Arthur laughed.

A third crack appeared, and Eden emerged from her stone shell, flapping her wings several times before rising into the air. "I can move!" She spun once, then twice, then flew straight at Arthur. "Arthur! That was horrible!"

He laughed. "You were conscious the entire time?"

"Of course I was!" She hovered in front of him with an offended expression. "I could see everything!"

He blinked. "Everything?"

"Everything!" She pointed toward Sun. "I watched him complain."

Sun looked offended. "I was trapped in stone. I was allowed to complain."

"You complained before you were even free."

"I had a lot to say."

Eden crossed her arms. "I couldn’t even close my eyes."

Athy emerged from her stone shell next, shaking pieces from her feathers. "I couldn’t either." She looked toward the shattered statues around them. "I could see everything, but I couldn’t move."

Sun pointed at her immediately. "Exactly! That’s what makes it terrible."

Athy nodded. "For once, I agree with Sun."

He looked pleased. "See?"

Arthur smiled. "That’s quite the endorsement."

Luna broke free next, taking a few steps forward and flexing her fingers, rotating her shoulders as she checked herself over, staring down at her hands for several seconds. "I’m still me."

Arthur glanced at her. "You thought you might not be?"

"I didn’t know what turning to stone would do," she said, her voice quieter than the others’.

He nodded. "Fair."

The final crack came from Athena, the stone shattering around her feet. She remained completely still for several seconds, then took a slow breath, flexed her fingers, turned her wrist, and looked toward the enormous plaza. "I have decided that I dislike this place."

Arthur laughed. "You were already saying that before."

She adjusted her glasses. "I dislike it more now."

Mithra smiled. "At least we know what the light does."

Sun shook his head immediately. "I’d rather not know."

Arthur looked around at everyone, the difference almost comical now that they were free, everyone stretching, shaking themselves off, checking their bodies for damage. He tilted his head. "So, what did it actually feel like?" Everyone looked at him. "Turning into stone."

Sun stared. "You want to know?"

"Yeah."

"Don’t."

"No, seriously," Arthur laughed.

Sun sighed. "It felt like my body stopped belonging to me. I could think, hear, and see, but I couldn’t move anything." He rubbed his shoulder. "That was the worst part. Knowing I was awake but not being able to do anything."

Eden nodded immediately. "It was like being trapped inside myself." She shuddered. "I hated it."

Kong crossed his arms and gave several frustrated grunts.

"Kong says he hated it too," Eden translated.

"Good to know," Arthur nodded seriously.

Kong gave him an annoyed look.

He grinned. "What?"

Kong pointed at himself, then made a series of exaggerated punching motions, and Eden started laughing. "He says he never wants to be unable to punch something again."

Sun nodded solemnly. "I understand him completely."

Athy folded her wings. "For me, the strangest part was that I couldn’t even blink. I could still see everything, but I couldn’t react to anything."

Arthur looked at her. "So you basically watched us fight while trapped in stone."

"Yes."

"That must have been frustrating."

"It was." She paused. "Especially when Arthur was fighting."

He blinked. "Why?"

"Because I couldn’t warn you when you were being reckless."

Mithra laughed. "She has a point."

He looked around. "You all saw that?"

Sun raised a hand. "I saw enough."

Eden nodded. "You were definitely reckless."

Kong grunted in agreement.

Arthur sighed. "I thought we were discussing what turning to stone felt like."

"We are," Sun said. "I’m just adding context."

Athena looked toward the shattered stone around her. "It wasn’t merely physical paralysis. The transformation affected the body’s ability to respond to external stimuli."

Sun looked at her. "That’s your advice?"

She paused. "Fine." She looked directly at Arthur. "My advice is simple. Don’t look at the light."

"That’s much better," Sun said.

Luna quietly touched her arm. "It was frightening."

The conversation quieted, and Arthur’s expression softened. "Yeah."

Melo moved closer to her, leaning against her leg, and Luna smiled faintly, reaching over to stroke her fur. "Thank you." The fox’s tails swayed happily.

Arthur watched the two of them a moment before looking across the plaza. The eight Beast Chiefs lay scattered across the ancient stone, their enormous bodies finally still. Around them, the broken statues of the old civilization. Beyond them, the massive underground city.

They had survived the battle. They had survived the light. And somehow, they had only scratched the surface of this place.

Athena seemed to reach the same conclusion. "At least we now have a way to circumvent the effect," she said, glancing toward Melo. "If the light returns, she can suppress our senses before we see it."

Melo nodded confidently.

Arthur smiled. "Then we’re not completely helpless."

"I wouldn’t use the word helpless," Sun said.

He raised an eyebrow. "What would you use?"

"Extremely inconvenienced."

Mithra laughed, and Athena sighed. "Either way, we shouldn’t remain here."

"Agreed," Arthur nodded.

Luna raised the compass. The needle trembled, spinning in small circles for several seconds while everyone watched, then suddenly stopped, pointing toward the eastern side of the underground city.

Her eyes widened. "It found something."

Arthur’s curiosity returned immediately. "Then let’s go."

...

They left the plaza, the ancient streets stretching ahead, half-buried beneath layers of sand and roots. The further they traveled, the more the remains of the old civilization emerged, collapsed buildings rising from beneath the sand, ancient roads disappearing under enormous roots, broken statues standing beside the streets, some missing their heads, others shattered into dozens of pieces.

Eden slowed as they passed one. "Why are there so many broken statues?"

Athena examined it. "Some were damaged deliberately."

Mithra looked toward her. "Deliberately?"

"Look at the damage." She pointed toward several deep fractures. "These weren’t caused by erosion. Something struck them."

Luna frowned. "Could it have been the people who lived here?"

"Possibly."

Arthur looked around. "Or someone who came later."

Athena glanced at him. "That’s what concerns me."

"Why?"

"If this city was abandoned naturally, we’d expect the statues to show the effects of age. But many of them look as though someone wanted to destroy them."

Sun glanced at the broken figures. "That’s reassuring."

"You don’t sound reassured," Arthur said.

"I’m not."

Kong gave a grunt.

"Exactly," Sun nodded.

They continued. A massive statue of an unfamiliar Beast lay broken across the road, its head separated from its body. Eden floated down beside it. "Do you think this was one of the Chiefs?"

Athena looked closely. "No."

"How can you tell?"

"The construction is different." She gestured toward it. "The Chiefs were positioned around the central plaza. These appear to have been placed throughout the city."

Arthur glanced at the broken Beast. "So they were probably just records."

"That’s my current theory."

He looked toward the road ahead. "Then why were so many destroyed?"

Nobody had an answer, and the question lingered as they walked on.

Then Arthur stopped, a strange warmth spreading through his hand. He looked down.

His King Mark was shining.

His eyes widened. Vedas noticed immediately, turning toward him. "Why is your mark shining?"

The others stopped. Sun’s expression changed. "Wait." He looked at Arthur’s hand. "The last time that happened was—" His eyes narrowed. "Back when we were dealing with Halburn’s trials and Dawn City."

Arthur nodded slowly. "Yeah."

Eden flew closer immediately, hovering beside his hand to poke the glowing mark. "You guys mentioned that whenever it shines, a trail of light appears." She looked around. "Will it appear again?"

Athena nodded. "Usually." She studied the mark. "But that’s only because it was set up by Halburn—" Her voice trailed off, eyes widening.

Arthur looked toward her. "What?"

She didn’t answer, staring at the ground instead. Everyone followed her gaze. A thin golden line had appeared beneath their feet, stretching across the ancient street. Then another section illuminated, then another, the light racing forward, winding through the ruins, turning around collapsed buildings, disappearing beneath the sand before emerging again farther ahead.

Everyone stared. Even Vedas looked surprised. The trail continued east.

Arthur blinked, then laughed. "I guess..." He looked at the glowing path. "It also works for places Halburn has been to?"

Kong crossed his arms, staring at the trail suspiciously, then at the ancient city, then back at Arthur, and gave a slow grunt.

Sun’s expression darkened. "I feel like..." He pointed toward the trail. "Halburn was just keeping stuff from us."

Vedas sighed. "I wouldn’t be surprised," he said, already walking.

Arthur looked at him. "Oh?" A grin crossed his face. "Is my partner curious?"

Vedas didn’t even turn around. "You’re going to go anyway."

"That’s true," Arthur laughed.

Mithra smiled as she followed. "He’s right."

He looked at her. "You too?"

"Obviously."

Athena adjusted her glasses. "We were already going to follow the trail."

Athy nodded. "It would be unreasonable not to."

Luna tightened her grip on the compass. "I want to know where it leads."

Eden flew ahead immediately. "If Halburn came here, there might be something important!"

Sun groaned. "That’s exactly why I didn’t want to follow it."

Kong had already started after her. Sun looked at him. "You too?" Kong glanced back and gave an enthusiastic grunt. Sun sighed. "Of course."

Melo trotted after them, Mithra walking beside her, and Arthur shook his head, amused. Everyone had complained. Everyone had warned him. Everyone had somehow ended up following the trail anyway. He couldn’t help smiling. "Well, let’s see what our mysterious Goblin King was hiding."

...

They followed the golden trail deeper into the eastern district, the ancient city slowly changing around them. The buildings grew larger, the roads wider, the statues more elaborate, some depicting Beasts, others humanoid figures carrying strange objects. One even appeared to show a group of people standing before something remarkably similar to a Mirror.

Athena stopped for half a second. "Wait."

Arthur looked back. "What?"

She stared at the statue. "I’ve seen that symbol before."

"Where?"

She looked toward the trail. "Near the Broken Mirror."

His eyes narrowed. Another connection. Another piece of the puzzle.

But before they could examine it further, the golden trail moved on, and they had no choice but to follow.

Eventually the streets became almost completely buried, and they climbed over fallen stone and pushed through thick roots, following the thin line of light as it disappeared and reappeared between the ruins. Then the trail suddenly turned, leading directly toward a massive collapsed building.

Arthur slowed, the others gathering behind him, the golden line continuing forward until it disappeared beneath the entrance.

For several seconds, nobody spoke. The structure was enormous, even partially collapsed, larger than most of the buildings they’d passed.

Athena stared at it. Luna tightened her grip on the compass.

Sun looked at Arthur. "I don’t suppose you’re thinking about going inside."

"Of course I am."

Sun sighed. "I knew it."

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