Aeryn's first month passed beneath the shimmering canopy of the Heartroot's sacred chambers. Though time flowed strangely for him—long stretches of sleep followed by brief moments of awareness—he slowly came to understand the faint rhythms of his surroundings. The cradle beside his mother's resting roots, the warmth of Eryndis's embrace, the calm yet sharp voice of Vaelor as he checked the protective runes each evening. The scent of herbs, the glow of spirit-vines, the whisper of the colossal tree above him. These sensations formed the early boundaries of his world.
But even in his fragile, nearly helpless state, something stirred within him beyond simple instinct. A steady presence beat quietly, like an unseen heart. The System. Silent now, but awake. Observing. Calculating.
For the elves around him, Aeryn was a weak child. Slower to react. Slower to grow. His ether was nearly absent, his body frailer than any newborn the clan had seen in decades. The healers whispered, though they thought a babe wouldn't understand:
"Perhaps the Heartroot gives him life but not strength."
"Perhaps the roots found him… lacking."
But Eryndis silenced them with a single look. She never let their doubts reach him.
On a calm morning—one where the shimmering dew glowed softly along twisting branches—Eryndis brought Aeryn to the outer roots of the Heartroot for the first time.
The place was vast. The roots rose like colossal columns, twisting in spirals that formed natural walkways, arches, and halls. The air hummed with deep, ancient energy. Pale mist curled around the ground, gathering where mana pooled thickest.
Eryndis cradled Aeryn close as she walked with slow, measured steps.
"Feel the world," she murmured to him. "Let its breath mingle with yours."
Aeryn couldn't answer in words, but his tiny ears twitched. His silver hair, short and soft, stirred like strands of moonlit thread.
Vaelor walked beside them, spear in hand—a ceremonial guard for his own son. His eyes scanned the surroundings with suspicion. The night-shard incident haunted him. Even the slightest shift in the mist put his nerves on edge.
"Eryndis," he said, voice low. "You're certain this is safe?"
She shot him a sharp look. "The Heartroot will protect us."
But her fingers tightened around Aeryn just a little more than usual.
The deeper they ventured, the more the world changed. The hum of roots grew louder, resonating with Aeryn's heartbeat. Strange glyphs pulsed faintly along the bark—ancient markings that shifted like streams of light. Aeryn stared at them, entranced. Something in him responded to those shifting runes, something quiet and subtle.
[Minor Ether Resonance Detected.]
[Growth Potential: +0.01%.]
The System's whisper flickered through his mind like a cool breath. Aeryn blinked, and Eryndis smiled softly, believing it a sign of wonder.
"At ease," she whispered to him. "These roots are older than any crown, older than any clan. You are safe here."
Yet the roots themselves seemed to listen. Their hum deepened whenever Aeryn passed, vibration shifting from neutral to curious.
Vaelor noticed.
"The Heartroot is… reacting to him." His voice held uncertainty. "That's unusual."
Eryndis nodded once. "It feels him."
"Do you think it knows why his birth shook the aural wards?"
"It might."
Aeryn didn't understand their words, but the tone seeped into him. Their worry. Their confusion. Their hope. He breathed shakily, small fingers curling against Eryndis's robe.
Then the pulse changed.
The air rippled as a presence stirred—subtle at first, then unmistakable. A low wave of ether rolled across the roots like a slow, powerful breath.
The Heartroot… was watching.
Eryndis halted mid-step. Vaelor lifted his spear instinctively. A thin line of mist parted before them as the roots shifted, revealing a hollow space that had not been there before.
Aeryndis whispered, "…A pathway?"
Vaelor clenched his jaw. "We shouldn't enter. The Heartroot never opens by chance."
But Eryndis didn't turn back. She felt the gentle tug the same moment Aeryn did—the faint pull on his soul, guiding him forward.
"He wants to see."
Vaelor frowned sharply. "He is an infant."
"He is our son," Eryndis replied firmly, stepping toward the opening.
The hollow pulsed with dim light as they entered. Inside, the air was warm and thick with ether. Threads of glowing pollen drifted like floating stars. In the center was a single root—a massive trunk-like tendril, thicker than a house. It glowed with a soft white sheen.
Aeryn stared at it. The root pulsed again.
Then a whisper entered the chamber. Not spoken. Not heard. Felt.
Eryndis gasped, hand flying to her mouth. Vaelor's grip tightened, knuckles white.
The Heartroot was speaking.
Its voice wasn't a voice at all—more like memory and wind and age woven together. A wordless understanding seeped into their minds.
Eryndis trembled. "It… acknowledges him."
Vaelor's eyes widened ever so slightly. "Impossible."
But the moment deepened.
A faint glow emerged from the massive root. Light drifted down like falling petals and touched Aeryn's forehead.
Warmth spread through him—gentle, comforting, ancient.
And then—
The System reacted violently.
[Warning: External Ether Attempt Detected.]
[Analyzing Source…]
[Source: Unknown Entity. Power Level: Cataclysmic.]
[Recommendation: Reject Link.]
[Override Attempt Detected.]
Aeryn tensed in Eryndis's arms. His breath hitched. The warm presence of the Heartroot pressed softly against him, while the cold precision of the System coiled defensively inside.
Two forces—ancient and mechanical—met for the first time.
The glow pulsed again.
Eryndis whispered desperately, "What is happening to him?"
Vaelor stepped forward, spear raised as if he could protect his family from the tree itself. "Eryndis, step back!"
But Aeryn couldn't step back. He was caught between them.
The System continued.
[Warning: Host Ether Vessel Size Critically Low.]
[Warning: Heartroot Link Will Overload Vessel.]
[Initiating Defensive Protocol.]
Aeryn's tiny body shook.
Eryndis clutched him close, panic creeping into her voice. "Aeryn!"
The Heartroot responded—not with aggression, but with a soft, steady pulse. A calm reassurance, like a gentle hand soothing a crying child. The glow dimmed, lowering in intensity.
The System adjusted.
[External Source Reduced Output.]
[Reevaluating Threat Level.]
[Recalibrating…]
A long pause.
Then:
[Resolution: Link Denied.]
[Result: Trace Ether Fragment Absorbed.]
[Host Vitality: Slightly Improved.]
The glow faded.
Aeryn gasped once—sharp, sudden—then slumped weakly against Eryndis's chest. His breathing slowed, steady but soft.
Eryndis's hands trembled. Vaelor lowered his spear with a shaky exhale.
"What did it do…?" he murmured.
Eryndis's voice broke slightly. "It gave him something. Just a spark."
Vaelor's expression shifted—still guarded, still worried, but touched with a glimmer of hope.
"Then perhaps the Heartroot sees a future for him."
Eryndis held Aeryn against her cheek, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. "He is our son. Of course it does."
But deep within his consciousness, the System recorded everything.
[Trace Fragment: Heartroot Origin Ether.]
[Purity: 0.02%.]
[Stored in Vessel.]
[Access locked until growth threshold met.]
The faint warmth remained in Aeryn's body long after they left the hollow. He slept quietly in his mother's arms, the glow of ancient magic lingering faintly beneath his skin.
But even as they walked back toward the clan halls, the calm did not last.
At the entrance to the chambers, two elven sentinels knelt in urgency.
"Vaelor, Eryndis—urgent summons."
Eryndis stiffened. Vaelor stepped forward. "What happened?"
"An anomaly beneath the southeastern roots," one sentinel said. "The wards flickered again."
"Creatures stirring," the other added. "Not mere night-shards this time."
Vaelor's expression hardened instantly. "I will go."
Eryndis reached out, fingers brushing his arm. "Be cautious."
He leaned close, touching his forehead to hers briefly—a gesture of ancient elven vow. "Always."
He looked down at Aeryn.
"At least promise me the Hall of Leaves will protect you both."
Eryndis nodded. "I will not leave its wards."
Vaelor turned away, spear gleaming with runic light, and strode toward the deeper halls with the sentinels.
Once he disappeared into the mist, Eryndis carried Aeryn into the Hall of Leaves—one of the most heavily protected chambers of the Heartroot clan. As she laid him gently into his cradle, she brushed her fingers across his cheek.
"You are stronger than they see," she whispered. "The Heartroot felt it. I felt it."
Aeryn didn't fully understand her words, but he sensed her warmth. Her trust. Her determination. A child's eyelids fluttered softly.
The System chimed again.
[Trace Ether Fragment stabilizing.]
[Vitality: Improved.]
[Potential Growth Path: Rootbound Affinity (Locked).]
Aeryn's breath eased. Warmth settled into him like a small ember waiting for fuel.
But that peaceful moment shattered with a distant tremor—faint, barely audible, but unmistakable. The roots beneath the hall vibrated. The lantern-vines flickered.
Eryndis instantly moved into a defensive stance, her hand summoning faint green light.
Another tremor.
Aeryn opened his eyes.
The System flickered awake.
[Warning: Spatial Disturbance Detected.]
[Threat Level: Unknown.]
Eryndis whispered Aeryn's name, voice taut.
Outside the hall, muffled shouts erupted.
Then a roar—deep, unnatural, echoing through the Heartroot's roots like a beast born of the earth itself.
Aeryn's heart thumped in his tiny chest.
Eryndis lifted him, clutching him to her chest.
"Stay with me, Aeryn," she whispered. "No matter what comes."
The roots trembled again.
And from the darkness beyond the hall's entrance, a presence unfurled—ancient and hostile, like a shadow slipping free from the earth.
Aeryn felt it, even before it stepped into view.
The System felt it too.
[Analysis Failed.]
[Entity Class: Unknown.]
[Warning: Proximity Danger Critical.]
The chamber darkened as a silhouette emerged between the vines. Its body was tall, warped, twisting with shifting black bark and veins of pulsing crimson.
Eryndis froze.
"…That should not exist."
The creature's head turned, glowing red eyes landing directly on Aeryn.