Kael Riven was laying down beneath the wide branches of an old apple tree, arms folded behind his head, one leg lazily crossed over the other. The soft breeze rustled the grass around him, and the warm sun touched his face like a gentle hand. For a moment, the world was quiet. Peaceful.
This was one of those rare moments he allowed himself to pause.
He had walked many miles, seen many places, and met all kinds of people, but lying there, under the sky, felt just as important as any adventure.
Kael Riven loved adventures.
He always had. Maybe it was because he had nothing to lose.
He was an orphan, after all.
No parents. No home waiting for him. Just the road and the sky.
Bad things had happened to him, more than he could count.
People had hurt him. Days had passed where he had nothing to eat.
He'd faced storms, monsters, and cold nights without a fire.
But Kael never let any of it stop him.
He kept moving forward, always.
Because he never let the bad parts take over.
He wouldn't let one sad thing, one cruel moment, ruin the one life he had.
He only had this life, and he decided a long time ago that he would live it all the way through.
He valued it, his life, and the lives of others.
He didn't hate easily. He didn't carry anger around.
People called him too relaxed, too easygoing.
But he just smiled at them. Why not be chill? The world was already hard enough.
After a while, Kael stood up from under the tree and stretched his arms with a yawn. His back popped.
The apples above him looked good, but he was already full from a little bread he had earlier.
He looked out at the horizon, where the land rolled on and on, forever.
That's when he remembered.
"Oh, right…" he muttered to himself with a sheepish laugh. "I was supposed to be making a map."
It was funny, really.
He had already gone on so many adventures, traveled to places no one even talked about in towns anymore.
But he'd forgotten to draw any of it down.
All those incredible spots, hidden lakes, deep caves, lost ruins, none of it was on paper.
By his usual bad luck, he'd stumbled into those adventures without planning.
But now, it was different. Now he had a goal.
He was going to make the first ever map of this never-ending world.
Not just for himself,
but for every lost wanderer, every curious child, every future adventurer.
A real map. A full one. From edge to edge, even if no one knew where the edges were.
Kael tightened the straps on his bag and slung it over his shoulder.
He didn't have much, just a few tools, a notebook, and his heart.
But that was enough.
"This time, I'll start for real," he said with a grin.
On his way to a nearby village, Kael walked through a quiet valley filled with tall grass and the hum of summer insects. The wind carried the scent of flowers, and the road was peaceful.
Then he spotted it, a lake, nestled between low hills, its surface shining under the sunlight like polished glass. It wasn't even on purpose, but his feet naturally drifted toward it.
As he got closer, he paused and sniffed the air… and then frowned.
"Yikes," he muttered. "That's me, huh?"
He hadn't bathed since his last adventure, which involved two days trapped in a cave with a muddy goblin nest and barely any sunlight. No wonder he stank.
Kael laughed at himself and started pulling off his boots.
"If I walk into the village like this, they'll think a monster's rolled in."
He didn't want people to avoid him just because he smelled like dirt.
He stepped to the edge of the water, rolled up his sleeves, and knelt down. The lake was cool and clear, perfect for a quick dip.
But just as he reached for the water, he froze.
There was something moving under the surface.
Not a fish.
Not a ripple from the wind.
Something bigger.
It shimmered, almost like a figure, but blurred and slow, like it didn't belong to this world. A faint glow traced its shape beneath the surface. It didn't rise, didn't splash, just hovered there.
Kael's hand stopped just inches above the water. His easygoing grin faded slightly as he narrowed his eyes.
"What... is that?"
He leaned in, trying to get a better look, but the more he stared, the more the thing seemed to pull him in. Not physically, but mentally. Like it was looking back.
Something ancient. Something lost.
And then… it began to rise.
The thing beneath the water suddenly lunged.
It wasn't just a shimmer anymore. It exploded from the surface with a guttural roar, spraying cold water everywhere. Kael stumbled back just in time, slipping on the wet stones as the creature rosetall, twisted, and terrifying.
Its body was dark and slick, like wet stone wrapped in muscle.
Two massive horns curled from its skull like blades, and its jagged mouth gnashed with hunger.
Its arms were too long, its movements too fast for something that size.
Kael's eyes widened, and instinct took over.
"Of course it's never just a normal lake," he muttered, drawing the short sword strapped to his back.
The monster growled low and deep, then lunged forward again, this time grabbing Kael by the arm and trying to drag him back toward the water.
It wasn't trying to scare him.
It wanted to eat him. Dragging him to the cave wish could be the monsters house.
Kael gritted his teeth.
"No thanks, ugly!"
With a twist and a grunt, he pulled his arm free, kicking the creature hard in its chest. It stumbled back just enough for Kael to jump to his feet and swing his blade in a wide arc. Sparks flew where metal met horn, but the beast didn't back off.
He fought, fast and focused, dodging each wild swing of the creature's claws, landing shallow cuts that only made it angrier.
But just as he rolled behind a rock to regroup, he froze again.
There was someone there.
Tucked behind the boulder, knees pulled to her chest, was a small figure.
Not human.
A girl, no older than maybe seven or eight, sat trembling in silence.
She had tiny horns on her head, and her skin was a deep, glowing red.
Her hair was short and pink, wild like cotton candy blown in the wind.
Her big eyes looked up at him, not angry, not threatening…
Just scared.
She looked like a demon.
A small, scared demon.
Kael blinked, still catching his breath.
The monster roared again behind him, but he didn't look away from the girl.
"Wait... is that thing your,?"
The girl didn't speak.
She just hugged her knees tighter and closed her eyes, like she didn't want to see what happened next.
And Kael, sword still in hand, realized this fight wasn't as simple as it seemed.