Deep in the heart of an untouched forest, beside a calm, glistening river, stood a small wooden house. It looked ordinary—just a chimney, a vegetable garden, and a tiny dock stretching into the water. But it wasn't ordinary. Not at all.
The house belonged to a young wanderer named Kael. He had built it with his own hands, hoping for a quiet life after years of drifting. But peace never lasts when the land itself is alive with magic.
One morning, while chopping wood near the edge of the trees, Kael heard a deep rumble beneath his feet. The ground cracked open, revealing a narrow shaft—an old mine, long forgotten, hidden under moss and roots. Driven by curiosity and a strange warmth pulling at his chest, Kael climbed down with only a torch, a pickaxe, and a pouch of supplies.
The mine was no ordinary place. Its walls shimmered with ores he couldn't name. Strange runes pulsed faintly on stone pillars. As Kael chipped away at one of the glowing crystals, a wave of power surged through him—visions, symbols, and something darker. Something watching.
That night, the forest changed. Shadows moved on their own. Trees whispered. A monster rose—a towering, faceless creature of bark, smoke, and hate. It had been sealed deep in the mine long ago, and now it was free.
Kael knew he had to fight back. Using the power from the crystals, he began to upgrade everything: his tools, his armor, even the house itself. Magic poured through the veins of the forest, and he could feel it responding to him—changing with him.
But every night, the monster grew stronger. It stalked the forest's edge, waiting.
And Kael wasn't just mining for treasure anymore.
He was digging for survival.