Chapter 488
Across the continents, irritation toward the druids was not uncommon.
They were too zealous. Too... different.
It wasn’t just their doctrines—it was their unwavering protectiveness of nature. The creatures that inhabited it. The wild places others sought to tame or harvest, the druids vowed to defend with their lives.
More than that, they didn’t merely coexist with nature—they melded with it.
They reshaped themselves, both body and spirit, to better understand the creatures they protected. Some took on the forms of beasts—wolves, birds, reptiles—losing their humanoid shape entirely for seasons at a time. Others built their homes within the dens of wild animals, sharing space with them like family.
To outsiders, it was... unsettling.
Their bond with nature wasn’t just mystical—it was deeply personal, deeply emotional.
And among the creatures most fiercely guarded by the druids were the Beast Kings.
While most of the world regarded these titanic beings as natural hazards—dangerous entities to avoid or subdue—the druids saw something far deeper. To them, the Beast Kings were ancient spirits of balance, the raw and untouched will of the world incarnate.
It was not rare for some druids to befriend a Beast King, forging bonds that exceeded even the ties they had with their own kin. Some Beast Kings even took young druids under their wing—or paw, or scale—and raised them in remote, forgotten places.
For the druids, there were no "bad" creatures. Only misunderstood ones. And for those that could speak, reason, or emote—even if only in gesture—they would rather remain silent or feign ignorance than ever be complicit in their harm.