The Primeval Era

Mount Vorrath’s heart was a place where power accumulated across ages beyond counting.

The Ancestral Pillars rose from stone saturated with Mana so dense that ordinary beings would struggle to breathe here.

One in particular was grand. Its bark was ancient beyond measure, carved by wind and time and the passage of countless generations. Near its peak, the surface curved into a flat platform naturally formed across millennia, a space large enough to hold councils and ceremonies and conversations that would shape the fate of Sacred Mountains.

Masamuk had never felt so small!

His obsidian body trembled slightly despite his best efforts to project calm. The stellar blue points within his form flickered with nervous energy as he faced three Noble Simbas whose combined power could have flattened territories. Their golden fur shimmered in the filtered light, their eyes holding intelligence refined across lifetimes of cultivation and conflict.

But one of them demanded all his attention.

Tiaret’s father sat before him like a monument to what Noble Beasts could become. Nine tails swept behind him in slow arcs that spoke of controlled fury rather than agitation. Golden fire burned in his mane, casting shadows that danced across the platform’s surface. The Crown of Kingship floated above his head with light that never wavered, recognition from the Lands of Stone themselves that this being was meant to rule.

Those bright eyes fixed on Masamuk with intensity that made his essence want to dissolve.

"Explain."

One word. Heavy as the fuckin’ mountains!

Masamuk’s crimson eyes darted briefly toward Tiaret, who stood nearby with blue flames still flickering across her humanoid form. She gave him the slightest nod, encouragement that did little to settle his nerves. He turned back to her father and gathered what courage a slime could muster.

"The healer is a friend of mine."

His deep baritone voice emerged steadier than he felt.

"A beast of unique power who dwells on a Holy Land some distance from here. I call him The Tokoloshe. I...brought him here earlier for treatment."

The Noble Simba’s eyes narrowed.

"A Holy Land."

The words came out flat, probing.

"In what direction?"

Masamuk hesitated for only a heartbeat. The information had come to him just hours ago through the Inkanyamba he’d left behind with Damian. That serpent had communicated across the vast distance between them, its consciousness touching his with news that seemed impossible to believe.

The Tokoloshe had created something extraordinary.

A place filled with Mana concentrations that exceeded even the highest points of Mount Vorrath. A paradise spanning miles where barren Threshold Lands had stood before. The Inkanyamba’s report had been filled with wonder that the ancient beast rarely displayed.

And Masamuk saw how Damian had a beast body now.

A massive golden lion with nine tails and a Crown of Kingship manifesting above its head. The same Physique that belonged to Tiaret’s father. Masamuk still didn’t fully understand how that was possible, but it gave him an option he desperately needed.

Did he have to reveal that Damian was human?

No. Not yet. Not until he understood how this gathering would respond to such information. So he crafted his words carefully, mixing truth with strategic omission.

"To the west, past the Threshold Lands. My friend belongs to a lineage of unique power..."

Tiaret’s father rose.

The motion was smooth and deliberate, power contained within every shift of golden muscle. His cape of Mana rippled as he moved, responding to mood rather than wind. The other two Noble Simbas straightened at his movement, their attention sharpening.

A moment of heavy silence stretched between them.

Then Tiaret’s father smiled, and it wasn’t a warm expression. It was the smile of a predator recognizing another predator’s gambit and choosing to play along.

"Very well."

He turned to address the other Noble Simbas.

"We shall set off with a delegation from Mount Vorrath immediately. I want our strongest representatives present when we meet this mysterious healer."

His golden eyes swept back to Masamuk.

"You also mentioned demons. Seeds planted within Warriors of the Dominion. Cooperation between human empires and forces from beyond the River of the World."

"Yes."

Masamuk’s crimson eyes hardened.

"One called Imperator Vienna carried such a seed. When she died, a demon emerged from her corpse. My friend destroyed it, but the implications are clear. The Dominion has been compromised."

Tiaret’s father absorbed this information with an expression that grew more severe with each passing moment. The fire in his mane burned brighter, responding to anger he didn’t bother to conceal.

"If I confirm this with my own eyes, I will send word to the Noble Beast Clans across the Lands of Stone. Demons are a threat that transcends territorial disputes. They are a threat to existence itself. Vile soul sucking fuckers that need to be scorched from existence."

...!

He began moving toward the platform’s edge, his tails sweeping behind him with purpose.

"Get ready to set off."

His voice carried across the Ancestral Pillar with authority that permitted no argument.

"We shall give our recognition and thanks to this Tokoloshe who healed my daughter first."

...!

Tokoloshe!

He felt Tiaret’s hands close around his slime body, lifting him gently as she moved to follow her father. Her grip was warm, her touch familiar. She held him close to her chest as they walked, blue flames flickering across her skin.

Their eyes met.

Her golden irises held hesitation that matched his own, uncertainty swimming beneath the surface of her restored beauty. She didn’t speak. But...

The question was written clearly across her features.

Just how will this unfold?

Masamuk didn’t have an answer.

He thought of Damian with his two bodies and his garden that had transformed the Threshold Lands into paradise.

He thought of a human prince about to receive a delegation of Noble Beasts led by one of the more powerful beings on Mount Vorrath.

His stellar points flickered with anxiety he couldn’t suppress!

Tiaret’s arms tightened around him slightly, and they followed her father!