Victor slowed the truck and steered toward a break in the trees just wide enough for the vehicle. The branches above knitted together into a dense canopy, their shadows swallowing the sunlight. As they crossed the threshold, the air grew cooler, damp with the scent of moss and rich earth.
The trees themselves rose impossibly high, their trunks vanishing into the green gloom above. Thick vines looped between them like ropes, and here and there, strange flowers glimmered faintly with their own inner light. Sunlight barely touched the forest floor, slipping through in thin, broken shafts.
Devvyn's eyes widened. Life seemed to hum all around him. Strange plants curled toward the truck as it passed, their leaves trembling in a slow rhythm, almost as if they were breathing. Tiny motes of light drifted lazily through the air—lightbugs.
Victor turned the truck left, and suddenly the dimness broke. They rolled into a stretch of forest bathed in a gentle glow. Patches of vegetation shimmered with soft blues, greens, and golds, the light pooling across the undergrowth like liquid.
"This is the Luminous Glades. If you're lucky,” Gaur said, his voice carrying a rare note of warmth, "and we leave after sundown, you'll see how these glades turn the dark into perpetual twilight. Looks like something out of a dream.”
Devvyn pressed a hand against the glass, drinking in the sight.
At last, the dense walls of the Verdant Shroud gave way to open space, and Devvyn found himself staring down at a sight unlike anything he'd ever imagined.
The Emerald Basin spread out before them. A vast crater carved deep into the jungle's heart, its sloping sides covered in sparse layers of wild greenery. At the bottom lay a glassy lake, the water so still it mirrored the surrounding cliffs. Pale mist curled above its surface, moving as though stirred by some invisible hand.
Gaur gestured toward it from the passenger seat. "That's the Basin. Ancient impact site, according to Hunter stories, something massive hit here long before our time, maybe during the time of the Primordials. Earth Echos manifest here more than anywhere else. My team likes to start here before heading into the deeper jungle."
Victor guided the truck down the winding slope. The descent was rough, more sliding than driving in some spots, and the vehicle jolted so hard that Devvyn had to grip the chair to keep from being thrown against it. When they finally rolled onto the Basin floor and parked alongside the other trucks, Devvyn exhaled in relief.
The moment his boots hit the ground, he stretched his legs. They tingled with pins and needles from sitting too long, the muscles stiff and uncooperative. He shook them loose, flexing his ankles until the numbness faded.
Gaur swung down from the truck, rolling his shoulders until they cracked. The rest of the Hunters piled out of the other vehicles, gathering in a loose circle around him.
"Alright, boys!" Gaur bellowed, raising both arms. "Party time!"
A roar of cheers erupted. Two Hunters hauled coolers out of the back of a truck and popped them open to reveal bottles clinking on ice. The hiss of caps twisting off filled the air, followed by the first gulps of beer.
Before Devvyn could make sense of what was happening, one of the Hunters shouted, "I challenge Erkah to an arm wrestle!"
The circle erupted again, laughter and whistles echoing across the Basin floor.
Devvyn blinked, baffled. He turned to Victor, who had taken up his usual spot at his side. "Uh… aren't we supposed to be, you know… hunting for Echos?"
Victor laughed, shaking his head. "Relax. The team likes to have some fun first. Watch."
Two crates were dragged out and stacked into a makeshift table, with Erkah on one side and Wills on the other. The big men locked hands, muscles straining, while Gaur leaned over them like a referee at a championship match.
The Hunters crowded around, bottles raised, voices overlapping in drunken bets.
"That's Wills," Victor said, nodding toward the scrappy, wiry Hunter opposite Erkah. "My money's on him."
Devvyn frowned. "Why? Is he stronger?"
Victor's grin widened. "Nope. Because he's a cheat."
As if on cue, a sharp gust of wind kicked up dust around the crates. Erkah flinched, his arm wobbling. Wills slammed him down in an instant, jumping up with a triumphant howl.
"Yeahhhh!" he roared, snatching a bottle from another Hunter's hand and chugging it.
Erkah shot to his feet, face dark. "You cheated!"
Wills raised his hands innocently. "Hey, hey! There's no rule against using your Echo."
The crowd howled with laughter. Even Devvyn found himself chuckling as the realization hit him—the gust of wind hadn't been natural at all.
For a moment, in the middle of the jungle, with danger pressing on all sides, it felt almost… normal.
Gaur strode over, a bottle sweating in his fist. He pressed it into Devvyn's palm with a grin.
“Go on. Take a drink."
Devvyn stared at the bottle, then back at him. “Uh… I'm not sure I should. I'm underage."
Gaur barked a laugh and slapped him on the shoulder, nearly knocking him off balance. “All my Hunters drink before a hunt. Tell you what—" he gestured toward Victor with a mischievous glint in his eye “—if you can beat this one in an arm wrestle, you're off the hook."
Victor snorted, already rolling up his sleeve. “That's dirty, Gaur. Setting him up to fail." He leaned down toward Devvyn, flashing his teeth. “You don't stand a chance, kid."
Devvyn smirked, surprising even himself. “You sound awfully confident for someone about to lose."
That set the Hunters off. Cheers and chants erupted around them: “Wrestle! Wrestle! Wrestle!”
Crates were shoved forward again, forming the makeshift table. Devvyn sat down opposite Victor, planting his elbow with more bravado than he felt. Their hands locked, Victor's grip like iron.
“Ready?" Gaur called. “Go!"
Victor surged immediately, trying to slam Devvyn's arm down in one motion but Devvyn caught him. His muscles screamed with the effort, but he held his ground, teeth bared in defiance.
The crowd roared. Erkah cupped his hands around his mouth and bellowed, “My money's on the kid! Don't you dare fail me, Devvyn!"
And suddenly the chants shifted: “Devvyn! Devvyn! Devvyn!”
Devvyn's arm trembled, his shoulder burning. Victor's smirk faltered for the briefest second.
“You're stronger than you look," Victor grunted, pushing harder. “For a minute there, I thought I was actually in trouble."
Devvyn grit his teeth, straining against the inevitable. His arm began to give, inch by inch, until—slam. Victor pinned him.
The Hunters whooped. Victor leaned back, laughing, sweat on his brow. “Not bad, kid. If you start training, you'll give me a real fight someday."
Devvyn blew out a breath, shaking out his sore arm. Gaur shoved the bottle back into his hand. “A deal's a deal."
Devvyn raised it reluctantly, the cool glass sweating against his skin. He took a tentative sip—then blinked in surprise. It wasn't bitter or burning like he'd imagined, but smooth, cool, almost sweet. He swallowed again.
The Hunters erupted in cheers as he tilted the bottle for another pull. Gaur clapped him on the back hard enough to rattle his teeth.
Warmth rushed through Devvyn's chest, mixing with the buzz of laughter and the chants still echoing in his ears. For the first time since stepping into the Basin, he felt it, that giddy, exhilarating rush of belonging.
Victor pushed his way into the center of the circle of Hunters, a sly grin tugging at his lips. “Alright, boys. Time for the main event."
He flicked open a battered lighter and coaxed a tongue of flame from it. The fire rose higher, stretching like it had a mind of its own. Gasps and cheers went up as Victor shaped it, first into a chain of blazing rings, then into animals that leapt and bounded in the air: a hound with glowing eyes, a serpent that curled around his arm, a hawk that took flight before dissolving into sparks.
The Hunters whooped and clapped. When he turned the flames into a skipping rope and hopped through it with a flourish, half the men doubled over laughing.
Devvyn stood at the edge, wide-eyed. The fire moved like it belonged to Victor. Every flick of his wrist, every snap of his fingers, the flames obeyed.
Beside him, Gaur folded his arms and smirked. “Don't look so shocked. The lad used to be in the circus. He's been showing off since he was old enough to walk."
Devvyn shook his head, still transfixed. “That's… insane."
Before he could say more, a broad-shouldered Hunter passed through the crowd, holding a tray piled high with golden pastries. The sweet smell hit Devvyn instantly, warm dough, sugar, and something fruity.
“Here, try one," the man said, thrusting a puff into Devvyn's hand.
Devvyn bit down, and his eyes widened. The pastry burst open with soft, pink filling, tangy and sweet all at once. He licked the sauce from his lip. “What is this? I've never tasted anything like it!"
The Hunter grinned, his scarred face crinkling. “Made it myself."
Devvyn blinked. “Wait. You made this?"
“What, a man who looks like me can't bake?" He laughed, deep and booming.
“Well… yeah, kinda!" Devvyn admitted, mouth still full.
The man's laugh rolled louder. “Name's Ragnar. You come by my place sometime, I'll bake you something proper. Not just rations and field scraps."
Devvyn nodded eagerly, cheeks bulging with pastry. Ragnar chuckled and slipped him another when no one was looking.
A heavy hand landed on Devvyn's shoulder. He looked up to see Gaur, smiling faintly beneath his beard.
“You fit in well," Gaur said, his voice low but earnest. “Think about sticking with us, lad. Hunters like this. We're a family. Always room for one more."
Devvyn glanced around. At Victor's flames dancing in the air. At Ragnar grinning with sugar dusting his chin. At the Hunters laughing, drinking, cheering, alive.
This was it. Devvyn thought. This was what he was supposed to do. Become an Echo Hunter.
