Major Kaelen managed to climb the biggest tree in the forest, checking if he could see any sign of life or a town afar, but he was sorely disappointed. All he saw was an unending sea of green—forest everywhere, despite the immense height he had gained.Instead, he spotted a thin column of smoke rising in the distance. He couldn't decipher what caused it, but he was convinced it marked some sort of location—a plain, perhaps, or a dwelling. He immediately started climbing down.Even if he wouldn't find his family alive, he desperately needed to lay eyes on his beloved wife and son one last time. He started walking toward the general direction, but the exact path was instantly lost. Down on the dark forest floor, the thick canopy and dense leaves swallowed the distant landmark, and he couldn't trace the place.Major Kaelen pushed on. One thing was painfully certain: he must locate that place and pay his last respects.The memory of his wife's final words at the barracks flashed through h

"Henceforth, this is my forest, this is my new home," he concluded, his voice echoing the magnitude of his decision. "I will live here until the universe decides to take me out of this place."He had already calculated his odds of survival. His assessment was complete: water was abundant, the game trails indicated healthy populations of animals for sustenance, and his military training provided the necessary skills. Satisfied, he moved inland, searching for a suitable base camp. He finally spotted a massive hardwood tree whose dense canopy offered deep, restorative shade. Kealen entered the space, used his hands to sweep the loose debris and clear the sparse undergrowth, and settled down for a much-needed rest.Some hours later, Kealen rose, refreshed, and decided to take a short exploratory walk to familiarize himself with the immediate surroundings. He hadn't gone twenty paces before he saw the same tiger tracking him silently from the dense underbrush.Kealen stopped. The animal di

Two weeks had passed, yet there was no sign of human presence, not even the distant sound of machinery or voices echoed in the Alpha-09 forest. Major Kealen was deeply confused, constantly wondering what could be delaying their arrival. He had lived in the crude shelter for the weeks without incident. Not even a single wild animal had attacked him.The tiger seems now more like a massive, powerful dog than a predator. They slept comfortably together, and every morning, the tiger would venture out and reliably return with a kill. Kealen made full use of the supplies the miners had stocked in the hut, operating under the fatalistic belief that his life was forfeit regardless; there was no need to reserve anything for men that would eventually determined to kill him. He knew that one day they must surely land, and he was prepared to face them, anytime, any day.For the rest of the year, the Alpha-09 forest was peaceful and strangely calm for Major Kealen. He had mastered its subtleties,

Commander Zain urgently waved the remaining few miners toward the transport plane. "Get to the shuttle! We'll handle this!"He didn't wait for confirmation. Zain sprinted toward the source of the recent, brutal exchange of gunfire, his rifle held high. He reached the clearing and found some of his men already gathered, grimly staring down at a figure on the forest floor. The scene was immediate and final."Report! What in God's name is happening?" Zain demanded, his voice tight with controlled fury."It's Officer Mack, Commander," Jarvis reported, his expression hardened. "We heard the shot and converged immediately. He was already gone. Looks like a close-range ambush."Zain stared down at Mack's lifeless body, a cold fury rising in his chest. They were here for a simple extraction, yet the resistance had escalated into murder."Sweep the perimeter," Zain commanded, his voice dangerous. "Search everywhere. Move in pairs. Kill anything that moves, and double-tap anything that doesn't.

As he reached the damp, shadowed spot where he had gunned down a soldier just hours earlier, he was met with a sight that stole the air from his lungs. Instead of the lifeless body, or even the possibility that the soldier's colleagues had retrieved it, something far more sinister awaited him. Only a bloodless, skeletal skull lay on the dark earth. Just hours ago, he had watched the man fall; now, only this macabre relic remained. He reached out with a trembling hand, tracing the clean, unmarred bone. A cold dread, unlike anything he'd ever known, seized him. For the first time in an age, true, primal fear took root in his heart.This wasn't the work of wild animals. There were no gnawed bones, no scattered flesh, no torn uniform scraps. If a beast had devoured him, there would have been an acrid scent of blood, a gory trail leading into the dense undergrowth. But what lay before him was pristine, chillingly clean. Only a freshly picked skull, stripped bare with impossible efficiency.