Chapter 60: Being a Spectator.
"YESSSSS!"
Volcano threw both hands into the Void in celebration.
It had taken several planetary months, but he had finally managed to guide the scattered Magnari groups toward places where they could survive.
For months, Volcano had remained painstakingly concentrated on the forest below, using the [Butterfly Effect] again and again with as much efficiency as he could manage. He couldn't simply descend into the world and lead the Magnari himself, nor could he directly dictate their actions. Every little change had to be made through coincidence, through things that could naturally happen within the world.
There had been plenty of dilemmas along the way.
Some groups had wandered too close to dangerous predators, others had entered territories with insufficient food, and a few had nearly found themselves trapped between several different predator territories at once. Volcano had been forced to constantly monitor their movements and search for whatever small natural occurrence he could manipulate to push them toward a safer route.
But eventually, he had managed it.
Every scattered group had been guided toward somewhere they could reasonably survive for years, perhaps even decades if they were careful with the resources available to them.
That alone was enough to make Volcano feel considerably lighter.
There was still a long road ahead of them, but at least they weren't going to die immediately after being displaced from their settlement.
There had only been one group that continued to worry him.
The final group.
After fleeing their original settlement, those Magnari had somehow managed to wander directly into an area filled with predators. Their situation had been considerably worse than the others, and Volcano had initially feared that he might not be able to guide them out without losing several lives along the way.
Fortunately, they weren't helpless.
The Magnari had already become considerably more capable hunters than they had once been, and their ability to learn quickly had helped them survive encounters that should otherwise have ended terribly. They learned which predators they could kill, which ones they had to avoid, and which areas could be crossed without immediately attracting unwanted attention.
That gave Volcano something to work with.
Rather than trying to guide them toward an entirely safe region—which was practically impossible given their current circumstances—he simply began guiding them through areas where the predators were dangerous but still within the Magnari's ability to handle.
It wasn't ideal.
But it was survivable.
And for now, survivable was enough.
Volcano had followed their journey for what felt like an eternity, carefully manipulating one coincidence after another until, eventually, the group began moving toward the territory belonging to Gre Ka Go's settlement.
That was when Volcano's confidence had begun to waver.
He had been so focused on keeping the Magnari alive that he hadn't properly considered what would happen once they finally encountered their own kind.
After all...
These were the Magnari who had abandoned Gre Ka Go.
They had fled when the High-Tier Predator appeared and left him behind to deal with the threat alone.
Volcano didn't know exactly how the Magnari who remained behind would react after seeing them again.
Would they accept them?
Would they remember what had happened?
Would they consider them traitors?
Or would they simply refuse to help them?
Volcano had prepared himself for the worst.
And then, finally, the hunting party had encountered them.
For several tense moments, Volcano could only watch.
The exhausted Magnari begged for help.
The hunting party remained cautious.
Then, after some discussion, they made their decision.
They would take them back to the settlement.
"YES!"
Volcano clenched his fists again, his previous anxiety disappearing beneath a wave of relief.
"They're taking them back!"
He had done it.
The last group had finally reached somewhere safe.
And more importantly...
They had been reunited with their own kind.
Now, however, Volcano found himself developing a strange sense of anticipation.
It was almost like the feeling a reader experienced when reaching the end of a particularly interesting chapter, unable to stop wondering what the next page would reveal and where the story would eventually lead.
For once, Volcano wasn't the one deciding what happened next.
He had guided the Magnari this far, but whatever happened after they reached the settlement would be determined by the Magnari themselves.
And that made him curious.
Very curious.
So, like an obedient and rather invested spectator, Volcano simply continued watching the story unfold.
As the hunting party finally returned to the settlement with the exhausted Magnari in tow, curious and confused gazes immediately began falling upon the newcomers from every direction.
The sight alone was enough to attract attention.
Nobody recognized them.
The Magnari who had arrived with the hunting party looked nothing like the people they had grown accustomed to seeing within their settlement. Their bodies were noticeably thinner, their fur was dirty and matted, and their exhausted expressions made it obvious that they had endured something terrible before reaching this place.
Whispers gradually spread among the surrounding Magnari.
Who were they?
Where had they come from?
Why did they speak so strangely?
And perhaps most importantly...
Why had the hunting party brought them back?
The questions continued spreading until word eventually reached the Elders.
The reaction of the older Magnari was immediate.
They were shocked.
Not merely because an unfamiliar group of Magnari had suddenly appeared within their territory, but because the explanation provided by the hunting party carried a possibility none of them had expected to confront.
The ancient manner of speech.
The direction from which the group had emerged.
Their unfamiliar appearance.
And the recollection of a group that had disappeared many years ago after fleeing alongside those strange creatures.
Could these really be the same Magnari?
The possibility left the Elders staring at one another in silence.
For a while, nobody spoke.
They simply remained deep in thought, each attempting to reconcile the strangers standing before them with the fragmented memories of their tribe's past.
If they truly were the Magnari who had separated from them all those years ago...
Then where had they been living all this time?
And more importantly...
What had happened to them?
Volcano stared at them with growing anticipation.
He couldn't help but wonder what his Magnaries would do next?
What decision would they make?
Would they reject them or simply accept them?