Abel_Gabriel
When the Beasts run, humanity follows.
For centuries, the kingdoms of Eryndor have lived under an uneasy peace. Ancient forests, vast mountains, frozen lands and unexplored seas separate powerful kingdoms, each protecting its own interests while old rivalries slowly return.
But something has changed.
In the northern forests, men are disappearing.
Animals are abandoning their territories.
Strange tracks are being found in the snow.
And creatures that once avoided human settlements are beginning to move.
When Caelan Vareth, the second son of one of Eryndor's most powerful rulers, arrives in the kingdom of Valeria, he believes his mission is simple: represent his family in a political negotiation.
But Caelan is hiding another reason for coming.
His older brother, Darius, disappeared after investigating something in Valeria-and left behind only a cryptic warning:
"Do not trust the Council."
As Caelan searches for answers, he becomes caught between ancient secrets, powerful families, political ambitions and a threat that no kingdom fully understands.
And he is not the only one searching for answers.
Across Eryndor, other lives are beginning to intertwine. A soldier investigates a massacre in the forest. A scholar discovers that the official history of the Beasts may be a lie. A young woman follows the trail of her father's disappearance into unexplored waters. And a mysterious traveler walks through villages where people seem to recognize him for reasons he cannot understand.
Five lives.
Five paths.
One continent.
And somewhere beyond the borders of civilization, the Beasts are running from something.
Because the greatest danger facing humanity may not be the creatures living in the wild.
It may be what made them afraid.