Guganyu Kingdom, Biscayne Forest Park, Special Species Sanctuary.
A camouflage-colored jeep rumbled along the winding mountain road, zigzagging up until it reached a flat area on a hillside.
"Ah, that familiar feeling."
As the car came to a stop, Kevin Carpenberg jumped out.
Just a dozen meters away, a simple campsite was set up.
A man with spiky hair was focused on something within the camp. Noticing the sound of the vehicle, he looked up slightly.
Upon seeing Kevin, the man waved. "Oh! You're here."
Kevin waved back and turned to the man still in the driver's seat. "Thanks, Begel."
Begel gave a small nod.
He seemed like a man of few words.
Then, through the window, he nodded to Jin Freecss in the distance, started the engine, and drove off.
His job was to bring Kevin into the sanctuary from outside.
After all, this was a national park, including multiple protected areas—especially this one for special species. Without proper clearance, entry was nearly impossible.
Anyone caught sneaking in would be treated as a "poacher."
Jin walked up and gave Kevin a once-over, then couldn't help patting him on the shoulder and nodding in satisfaction. "You've grown more than I expected in these past six months."
Kevin had crossed over to this world on February 2, 1994. Now it was October 3rd.
Unknowingly, he'd been here for quite some time, most of which he'd spent immersed in training and study. His days were fulfilling.
"All thanks to you. Biscuit was a great teacher," Kevin said with a smile.
He truly owed Jin for that. Without Jin's recommendation, Biscuit never would have paid him any attention, much less guided his training.
"Haha, to be honest, I'm not that close with her. We've only met formally a few times. But she's quite famous in the Association," Jin said with a grin.
Then, a sudden spark of excitement lit up his face, like a child eager to show off something. "Come on, I'll show you something cool."
With that, he led Kevin away from the campsite, heading into the dense forest along a familiar path.
Both of them were Nen users, so the rugged forest terrain didn't slow them down much.
Before long, they arrived at the familiar cave entrance.
"Feels like yesterday," Kevin murmured.
But this time, no twin-headed wolves came out to greet Jin as they usually did.
The two walked slowly into the cave.
The twin-headed wolves were gathered in a tight cluster. The pups from before had grown noticeably—one of them even had a horn-like protrusion on its head. The little ones whimpered softly.
A mother wolf lay nearby, quietly watching over them.
As they approached, Kevin finally saw that at the center of the pack, the once-mighty male wolf now lay barely breathing.
A faint glow emanated from the horn on the left side of its head, as gentle and soft as moonlight.
"Is it sick?" Kevin asked. From what he could see, the wolf didn't seem unwell—it was clearly something more.
Jin shook his head, then sat down.
These twin-headed wolves, capable of sensing good and evil and emotion, were extremely clean creatures. The cave was dry, quiet, and had almost no odor.
Jin reached out and gently stroked the large wolf, which let out a faint whimper in response.
"It's dying. Its life has reached its end."
Kevin crouched beside it and studied the creature closely.
To be honest, from what he could observe, the wolf looked perfectly healthy.
Its coat was glossy, its body strong—nothing about it suggested it was an old or dying animal.
Kevin had been eagerly absorbing knowledge of plants, animals, and minerals lately—these would all be vital in his future.
"They're not ordinary wolves. In modern times, we call them twin-headed wolves because of their appearance.
But in ancient times, they were revered as 'Haram'—messengers of virtue and vice.
What's fascinating is that across multiple continents, there are ruins and murals that feature these wolves."
Jin's face lit up with enthusiasm.
Kevin nodded—it was fascinating, but also a little sad. After all, in the modern world, these creatures had nearly been hunted to extinction.
"These wolves don't age and die like regular animals.
Even in their final moments, they remain youthful and strong. What brings them to death is something deeper—an internal willpower."
Jin looked at Kevin. "Or maybe you could call it the soul?"
As he gently stroked the wolf, he continued speaking: "There's a ruin in this forest park, an ancient kingdom's sacrificial ground.
They revered the twin-headed wolves as holy beasts. From the murals and carvings, it's clear that in that kingdom, these wolves guided souls to their rightful place.
Only those who lived honorably and kindly would be taken by the wolves to the afterlife."
Kevin looked at the dying wolf, thinking it made sense why ancient people believed such things. Even in death, the glow from its horn was dreamlike, as if the soul was ascending through that radiant point.
"From all the ruins I've uncovered and preserved, I've learned that long, long ago, when humanity first arrived on this land, the twin-headed wolves came with them.
That's why they appear in the ancient ruins of every continent."
Jin had slipped into full professor mode.
Kevin found it all genuinely fascinating and listened quietly.
"Wait a second. You said 'arrived'—what do you mean by that?" Kevin caught a subtle oddity.
At first it sounded like he was talking about an ancient kingdom settling here.
But Jin had used the word "humanity," and the implication was that they came from somewhere else—a place much farther away, a more ancient homeland.
"You heard me right. Our ancestors came to this land—this known world—and built their civilization here," Jin said, spreading his arms in an embracing motion.
Kevin stared at him and slowly asked, "Are you saying that beyond the ocean, beyond all unexplored lands, lies the true birthplace of humanity?"
Jin broke into a bright smile and gazed out of the cave, as if looking toward a distant world.
"That's right. That's where it all began."
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