The clearing bowed.
Not the people—
the land itself.
Soil dipped.
Ferns flattened.
The air grew heavy, tense, and old.
The Verdant Judge stood tall enough to brush the lower canopy.
Its body was a cathedral of roots wound around ancient armor—
a forgotten warlord swallowed by the jungle and reborn as its enforcer.
Vines pulsed like veins. Moss draped its shoulders like ceremonial cloth.
Its face, carved from living wood, bore no expression—
yet the green fire burning inside its hollow eyes was unmistakable.
Judgment.
Kael felt it before he understood it.
The Judge spoke again.
His name rolled through the clearing like thunder passing through stone.
"Kael Omari."
His breath vanished.
Nia froze mid-step, her daggers half-raised.
Taye clung to a tree trunk, trembling so hard his shadow shook, too.
Even the river went silent, as if the Verdict would settle in its waters.
Dare stood still as carved obsidian.
For the first time since appearing, confidence cracked on his face.
"Judge…" he whispered. "Why is Verdant's Judge awake?"
The kapok spirit stepped forward, vines shifting beneath its feet.
"Because two sons of Verdant have opened old wounds."
The Judge's gaze did not leave Kael.
"YOU BEAR A BROKEN CHAIN."
Its voice held weight like a mountain leaning forward.
"YOU BEAR A BROKEN PROMISE."
Kael swallowed, throat tight.
"I… know."
The Judge lowered its horned head until its gaze met his fully.
"DO YOU ACCEPT JUDGMENT?"
Kael's pulse hammered.
Not from fear—
but from the echo of the serpent behind him,
and the burning brand over his heart.
Before he could speak, Dare stepped between them.
"No," Dare said sharply. "Judgment is for the guilty. He hasn't been judged by me yet."
The Judge's wooden jaw creaked as its head tilted.
"A MORTAL SEEKS TO INTERRUPT VERDICT?"
Dare squared his shoulders.
"We have our own unfinished business."
Kael looked at him, chest tightening.
"You'd challenge the Judge for me?"
Dare didn't look away from the colossal spirit.
"I challenge anyone who tries to take what belongs to me."
The words hit Kael like a thrown stone.
Nia hissed and stepped forward. "Kael doesn't belong to—"
But Dare raised his metal hand, chains rattling.
"You don't understand," he said. His voice shook—not with fear, but with an old crack of grief.
"I looked for you for years, Kael. Through war camps. Trade caravans. Under Giltspire's floors. I swore I'd drag you home myself if I had to."
Kael's chest stung, hot and cold at once.
Taye whispered, "Kael… he's been chasing you like you were the last star in a storm."
The Judge's vines rustled.
When it spoke again, the earth quivered.
"YOU SEEK POSSESSION. NOT JUSTICE."
"YOU SEEK CLAIM. NOT TRUTH."
Dare's eyes flashed. "Verdant abandoned us. I won't let it take him back only to waste him. Giltspire made me strong. Strong enough to demand answers."
He turned to Kael, voice raw as exposed stone.
"Why didn't you ask me to come with you?"
Kael blinked—
the question punched harder than any strike.
"Dare…"
He stepped forward, feeling the serpent coil behind him like a guardian heartbeat.
"I didn't ask because…"
Because he feared Dare would follow.
Because he feared Dare would die.
Because he feared Dare would stop him.
Kael's voice cracked.
"…because I didn't want to lose you."
Dare froze.
Nia closed her eyes, pain flickering across her face.
Taye whispered, "Oh. Oh no… that's going to hit him like lightning."
And it did.
Dare staggered one step back—
as if surprised by a blow to the heart.
His metal hand clenched.
"You idiot," Dare whispered. "You absolute river-brained idiot."
The Judge's eyes flared brighter.
"BOTH OF YOU CARRY TRUTH. BOTH OF YOU CARRY WOUNDS."
The giant straightened to its full height—
towering, rooted, ancient.
"THE FOREST WILL DECIDE."
Kael's stomach dropped.
"Decide?" he echoed. "Decide what?"
"WHICH SON VERDANT KEEPS."
"WHICH SON VERDANT CASTS OUT."
"AND WHAT BOND SURVIVES BETWEEN YOU."
Nia swore under her breath.
"You're telling me Verdant is about to make you FIGHT for your place here."
Taye wheezed. "This forest is dramatic."
Kael stepped forward. "Judge—"
Dare's voice cut through him like a blade.
"I accept."
Everyone froze.
Kael stared at him. "Dare—what are you doing?"
Dare didn't blink.
"This isn't about the Chancellor anymore. Or chains. Or Giltspire."
He turned to Kael, eyes fierce and wounded and whole.
"This is about us. You and me. What we were—
and what we became without each other."
Kael's throat tightened.
The Judge's vines lifted—
forming a circle of roots around the clearing, a vast ring sealing them inside.
"THE TRIAL OF RIVER AND ROOT BEGINS."
Kael's pulse thundered. Dare took his stance.
The serpent behind Kael rose in full height.
The kapok spirit watched with ancient sorrow.
The Judge raised its hand—
a gesture that felt like the tilt of the world.
"ONE FIGHTS WITH LAW."
Its gaze burned into Dare.
"ONE FIGHTS WITH BURDEN."
Its gaze settled on Kael.
"BOTH FIGHT WITH TRUTH."
Silence gripped the world.
Then
"BEGIN."