Chapter 14: Betting Culture
It had been an hour since all partakers of the Test of Fang had taken their vials. Within the towering marble pavilions of Aetherthorn, every spectator sat with bated breath around the vast, long-distance viewing circle. Dozens of translucent magical screens hovered in the air, each relaying the live feed from across the forest.
From these floating displays, they could clearly see how the Goldhair carriers had placed the participants deep within the heart of the Runewood—far from their native soil and anything familiar.
To understand the gravity of the event, one must know the scale of the Runewood.
It spanned a staggering one million square kilometers—roughly the size of Egypt, if one were to compare it to Earth. But unlike the sunbaked sands of the desert, Runewood was a sprawling megaforest—a mystical labyrinth of ancient trees older than kingdoms.
Filled with forgotten ruins swallowed by moss and time, and untamed biomes where the air itself seemed to whistle with secrets.
The forest was alive in every sense. Whispering winds carried echoes of ancient chants. The air hung heavy with the scent of wet bark, moss, and distant flowers. Shafts of light pierced through canopies the size of castles, dappling the forest floor in ethereal patterns. Bioluminescent vines curled lazily from massive trunks, some trees wide enough to house entire families inside their hollows.
Runewood wasn’t just vast—it was sacred. Dangerous. And fiercely aware.
Despite its enormous size, the entire forest could detect and track any human intrusion. This was thanks to the Queen of the Elves herself, who shared a bond with the Mother Tree. Through this ancient connection, the forest communicated. Every leaf, every vine, every petal fed into her awareness. To trespass was to be seen.
Moreover, every colossal tree bore unique runic inscriptions—etched naturally into their bark as if carved by the forest’s will. These glowing patterns weren’t just decoration. They enabled the flora to absorb mana at extraordinary rates and served many purposes: energy storage, magical conduits, and perhaps most crucially—surveillance.
Through these ancient trees, the Queen saw all - except on a few exemptions on Primal Beasts that freely roams this land.
As the sleeping contenders arrived at their designated locations, their Goldhair escorts laid them gently on mossy beds of fern and leaf, then slipped into hiding. They would watch silently, unseen.