THE TRANSMIGRATED LORD: RISE OF THE NEW KINGDOM

The Thing in the Forest

The horns kept sounding.

One long blast, then another and lastly, three more in rapid succession. Every soldier in the courtyard turned toward the eastern watchtower.

“What can you see?” Jade climbed the stairs two at a time.

The young sentry pointed beyond the treeline. “Smoke, milord. It appeared less than a minute ago.”

“How far?”

“About six miles.” He narrowed his eyes. The smoke was not rising from a single point. It was moving, five dark columns crawling slowly between the trees. A sixth column appeared as he watched.

The captain came up beside him. “There are no villages that far east.”

“Exactly.” The smoke suddenly stopped. Silence followed. Birds had gone quiet, the wind had died. Even the insects seemed to have vanished.

The golden mark on his palm burned. He pulled his hand into his sleeve.

“Something is wrong.” The captain nodded.

“Should we send scouts?”

“No, whatever is out there wants us to.” A deep vibration rolled through the ground. Not an explosion but a heartbeat.

THUMP.

Jade’s expression hardened. The same sound he had heard beneath the castle. Horses screamed, one reared so violently its rider spilled into the mud.

Just then, the eastern forest moved. Not the trees but the ground itself.

 A long ridge of earth rose beneath the roots and traveled toward Villeran as if something enormous were crawling just under the soil.

“Get everyone inside!” Jade ordered.

 “You heard him! Move!” The captain turned and shouted. Defenders scrambled to secure the courtyard. He remained on the wall.

The dragon landed beside him, its wings folding with a heavy rush of air. [You have awakened it.] He glanced at the creature.

 “I didn’t do anything.”

[You awakened the World Heart.]

“And?”

[The World Heart was not only a prison.]

Jade frowned. “What was it?” The dragon stared toward the forest. [It was a beacon.]

“A beacon for what?” His stomach tightened. The dragon did not answer, the suddenly ground exploded.

A wave of earth and shattered trees erupted skyward. Something colossal dragged itself from the forest floor. At first Jade thought it was moving hillside. Then it fully emerged.

Black armor-like plates covered a body the size of a small fortress. Four massive legs tore into the ground. Long spines ran from its skull down the length of its back. Its head lifted, and two pale blue eyes opened.

The creature looked directly at Villeran and roared. The sound shook every remaining window in the castle. Soldiers dropped to their knees.

“What is that?” Jade stared.

 [An Abyssal Behemoth.] The dragon’s voice was unusually quiet.

“How strong?”

[Strong enough to destroy this fortress.]  He looked at the half-ruined walls. “Wonderful.”

The captain approached, breathing hard.

“Milord, the soldiers are ready.”

“How many archers?”

“Sixty.”

“Spearmen?”

“Forty-two.”

“Cavalry?”

“Twenty-three horses remain.”

 “Good.” Jade nodded.

 “Good?” The captain blinked.

“Get the archers on the walls, and spears behind them. No one attacks until I give the order.” The captain hesitated.

“What are we waiting for?” Jade watched the Behemoth.

 “It hasn’t attacked.” The creature stood motionless at the edge of the forest, studying the castle. Then, slowly, it lowered its enormous head and bowed.

The captain’s mouth felt open, as the dragon’s eyes narrowed.

[Impossible.]

“What?” He asked.

[It recognizes you.] The Behemoth raised one massive claw. Across the armored surface, a golden symbol flared into existence. The same seven-lined circle that burned on Jade’s palm.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” He stared. A deep, rumbling voice entered his mind. It wasn’t a roar but words.

[Bearer of the World Heart.]

[The ancient kingdom has chosen its king.]

Silence fell across the walls, the captain instinctively looked at Jade. “What did it say?” He didn’t answer.

[Six seals remain broken.] The Behemoth continued.

“Broken?” His eyes widened.

The dragon’s head snapped toward the creature. [That is impossible.] The Behemoth ignored it.

[The first has awakened. The remaining six will awaken when your kingdom rises.

“What happens if they awaken?” His heart began to pound. The Behemoth lifted its head toward the distant mountains.

[The Abyss will rise with them.] A cold silence followed.

Jade looked at the ruined castle, the exhausted people, and the empty fields. He had inherited a starving territory, a dragon, six mysterious seals, and now a monster capable of leveling everything he was trying to rebuild.

He rubbed his forehead. “This is going to be a long year.”

 “Milord?” The captain stared. Jade pointed at the Behemoth.

 “Can it understand orders?”

The creature lowered its head. [I await yours.] Jade blinked, then slowly smiled.

“Good.” He turned to the captain. “Cancel the attack.” The older man nearly choked.

“Cancel—?”

“We’re not fighting it. We’re recruiting it.”  The dragon gave a low, disbelieving growl.

[You would bind an Abyssal Behemoth to your kingdom?]

Jade shrugged. “I need workers.” He pointed at the destroyed walls. “It can move stone.” He gestured toward the ruined fields. “It can clear land.” Then toward the mountains. “And apparently it knows something about the ancient kingdom. We’re going to need all three.”

The dragon looked genuinely speechless. Jade turned back toward the castle. “Tomorrow, we rebuild.”

His expression hardened as he looked once more at the forest. “But tonight I want to know who sent the smoke.”

---

Far beyond the trees, on a distant ridge, a cloaked figure lowered a black crystal. The crystal pulsed once. A voice whispered through it. “He has awakened the Behemoth.”

“Then the prophecy is true.” Another voice answered.

The first figure gazed toward VILLERAN. “Inform the capital.”

“And the other kingdoms?” There was a pause. “No. Let them discover the new king when it’s too late.”