ch 36

Chapter 36: The Pack That Follows (Part 2)

The wind shifted.

Elric leaned forward slightly, brushing his fingers through Rocky's moss-covered fur. His thoughts drifted—not to power or plans—but to memories. The kind that came quietly, like faded songs on the breeze.

He remembered his mother's voice humming lullabies in the candlelight. His sisters' tiny feet tapping on wooden floors. The scolding of the village baker when he tried to swipe bread. And Grandpa's deep voice rumbling through the house like thunder.

"I told you," Grandpa would say, "a good shepherd doesn't control the flock… he understands it."

At the time, Elric didn't get it.

Now?

Now it made sense.

Every beast he summoned—every creature that answered his call—didn't follow him because of force or orders. They followed because of trust. Because something inside him called out to something inside them.

That's why the System didn't give him commands.

It simply listened.

The Echo Forge had appeared because he was ready. Because Elric wasn't trying to build an army—he was creating a home.

Down below, the village was quiet.

The moon hung low, casting a soft silver glow over the rooftops. Lanterns flickered in windows, and faint laughter echoed from the tavern.

But something had changed.

Elric could feel it in the earth.

A gentle pulse.

Like footsteps approaching from deep underground.

"Rocky," Elric murmured.

The stone wolf raised his head slowly, ears twitching.

Hiss slithered out of Elric's hood and looked toward the horizon.

Then a soft voice whispered from behind him.

"You feel it too, huh?"

Elric didn't turn. He already knew who it was.

Riven stood on the edge of the roof, his arms crossed, his cloak swaying in the wind.

"I thought you were off sulking again," Elric teased.

"I was," Riven said. "Then the ground started… humming."

"So it's not just me."

Riven nodded. "It's not the jungle. It's something beneath it. Moving slow. Like it's waking up."

Elric sighed.

"I was hoping for one peaceful night."

"You've got a pack," Riven smirked. "You'll handle it."

Elric gave a tired grin. "Sure. But I'm still a kid, you know."

"Yeah. A kid with a glowing hand and a walking boulder for a pet."

Rocky gave a low grunt.

They both laughed.

That night, as the village slept, Elric stood at the edge of the forest—no longer called the Furious Jungle. It had been renamed by the children of the village, after Rocky chased away a wild bear without harming it.

They called it "Greenrest."

The forest was still dangerous, still untamed.

But it wasn't furious anymore.

Elric had changed that.

He knelt by the roots of an old tree, placed his hand to the soil, and focused.

The System responded.

[Echo Forge Interface – Activated]

Forge Requirements: A memory. A material. A bond.

— Material Present: Soil of Greenrest (Calm Earth)

— Bond Present: Rocky, Hiss, Boneclaw

— Memory Detected: Elric's first night holding his baby sister.

Confirm forge?

Elric blinked.

"That's… oddly specific."

But somehow, it felt right.

He whispered, "Confirm."

The earth trembled.

A shape slowly rose from the ground—a beast not made of bones or stone, but of flowering vines, soft soil, and a glowing heart.

It had gentle eyes, the size of a hound, and walked without sound.

Elric could feel it.

It wasn't born for battle.

It was born to protect.

Like a shield in the night.

A guardian for those too small to fight.

He smiled.

"Welcome," he said softly. "Let's call you... Melo."

The creature purred—like wind through tall grass.

Back at home, Yui stirred in her sleep.

She didn't know why, but she dreamed of soft vines wrapping around her and a warm heartbeat that whispered:

"You're safe."