The forest of Heartwood stirred with a strange tension as Aeryn, Kaela, Iris, and Eloria stepped out from the elder corridor. The branches overhead tightened slightly as if aware of the urgency in their stride. Even the air felt heavier—charged with mana distortions, like ripples from something vast shifting in the distance.
The Reclaimer was moving.
And every step they took felt like walking toward a ticking countdown.
Aeryn inhaled deeply, steadying his breath. Lyriel's last words still echoed in his mind:
"The Echo within you… is awakening."
"Soon, it will speak."
He clenched his jaw. The whisper he'd heard—his other self—lingered like a fading echo, but he couldn't afford to let it distract him now.
Kaela walked beside him, her gaze occasionally flicking toward his face as if trying to read the tension there. Iris kept scanning the treetops, her staff pulsing softly with violet energy. Eloria walked slightly ahead, calculating, listening, always reading the environment.
As they approached the outer paths of Heartwood, Lythrien appeared again—this time carrying an ornate staff carved from a pale silverwood branch. Its surface glowed with a soft, lunar sheen.
"This," he said, holding it out to Aeryn, "is the Warden's Branch. A conduit for stabilizing Echo resonance. You will need it."
Aeryn accepted it hesitantly. The moment his fingers closed around the wood, he felt a pulse.
Not painful. Not overwhelming.
Just… familiar.
As if the staff recognized him.
Kaela stared. "That's— That's a sacred artifact, isn't it?"
Lythrien gave a small nod. "It belonged to the first Oracle."
Iris nearly choked. "And you're just—giving it to him?!"
"He is the only one who can wield it without consequence."
Eloria murmured, "Because the artifact sees him as the successor…"
Aeryn swallowed. "I'll treat it carefully. I promise."
Lythrien smiled faintly. "Artifacts don't need gentleness, Aeryn. They need resolve. And you have that."
Aeryn wasn't convinced, but he nodded anyway.
Lyriel approached next, holding a small crystal fragment that shimmered with swirling silver. "A shard of Echo memory," she explained. "If you lose control, this will temporarily suppress the awakening—long enough for you to recover."
Aeryn stared at it. "…And if I don't recover?"
Lyriel met his eyes with quiet honesty. "Then things will unravel. But let's not assume the worst."
Kaela stepped forward sharply. "He's not going to lose control."
Aeryn shot her a thankful glance.
Lyriel smiled. "I hope so."
Iris huffed. "Well, let's not waste any more time. The Reclaimer isn't going to politely wait for us."
Eloria nodded. "Agreed. We leave now."
Aeryn tightened his grip on the staff, squared his shoulders, and turned toward the boundary roads.
"Alright," he said. "Let's move."
---
The Road to the Boundary
The path toward the boundary was long, winding, and draped with thick arcs of ancient vines glowing with faint mana. As they walked, the forest shifted—less vibrant, less warm. The trees grew taller, their trunks darker, their roots gnarled. Wisps of pale mist drifted between them.
It wasn't dangerous.
But it wasn't welcoming, either.
Eloria broke the silence first. "We'll reach the boundary's outer ring in an hour if we keep this pace. But the mana fluctuations are getting stronger. The Reclaimer is very close."
Aeryn felt the air prickle across his skin. His vision occasionally flickered—tiny silver sparks at the edge of sight.
Kaela nudged him gently. "Hey. You okay?"
"Yeah," he said. "Just… adjusting."
She smiled a little. "We're here, okay?"
Iris muttered, "If he collapses again, we're dragging him back."
"Not happening," Aeryn said flatly.
Iris smirked. "Good. Saves us the trouble."
Their steps quickened.
The faint whispers of the forest grew distant, replaced by a strange hum—like vibrating metal strings. It resonated with Aeryn's mana, sending shivers down his spine.
As they reached a wide clearing, Aeryn stopped.
Kaela followed his gaze. "…Hey. Isn't that—"
Yes. A figure stood in the middle of the clearing. Tall. Cloaked. Unmoving.
Not an enemy.
Someone familiar.
Aeloria.
The elven warrior who had first guided them into the forest.
She bowed gently. "Lythrien sent me to guide you. The boundary is unstable."
Eloria frowned. "How unstable?"
Aeloria's expression darkened. "Enough that we can hear the pulse from here."
Aeryn listened.
Thump.
A deep, distant heartbeat.
Not his.
Not human.
The barrier's pulse.
And it was irregular.
Iris gripped her staff. "That's not good."
Aeloria nodded. "Prepare yourselves. The Reclaimer is not subtle."
As if summoned by her words, a deep roar tore through the air.
RRRRRROOOOOOOOOAAAAARRRRRR—
The ground trembled violently beneath their feet. The trees shook, shedding leaves as mana crackled through the air.
Aeryn's heart pounded.
Eloria whispered, "It's here."
But nothing appeared.
Because the roar came from beyond the clearing—toward the boundary.
Aeryn felt instinct surge through him, cutting through his hesitation.
"We run," he said.
Kaela's eyes sharpened. "Right behind you."
Iris grinned. "Finally."
Eloria muttered a spell. "Acceleration."
Mana enveloped their legs, lifting their speed. They dashed through the forest, branches whipping past, roots cracking under their feet.
The roar grew louder.
The mana grew thicker.
And then—
They saw it.
The boundary.
---
The Boundary's Edge
A massive wall of shimmering light stretched across the horizon, curving upward like a dome enclosing the world. It pulsed with silver-blue hues, destabilizing with each wave—rippling violently around a single point where cracks of darkness spread like spiderweb fractures.
Standing before that crack was the Reclaimer.
Aeryn froze.
He'd expected a beast.
But this thing…
It was a nightmare given shape.
Its body was tall and vaguely humanoid, but its limbs were too long, too thin, ending in clawed tendrils that hissed like writhing smoke. Its surface was not skin—more like liquid obsidian, rippling with shifting eyes and faceless mouths that vanished as soon as they appeared. A gaping core swirled in its chest, drawing in mana from the air like a vortex.
It turned its head—or what passed for one—toward them.
And the air dimmed instantly.
Kaela inhaled sharply. "It's draining mana just by existing…"
Iris cursed. "Reclaimers shouldn't be this close to the barrier. This is—"
Eloria stepped forward. "We don't have time for shock. Formation!"
Aeryn nodded, gripping the Warden's Branch tightly. The artifact responded with a pulse of light—gentle but powerful.
The Reclaimer screeched.
SCREEEEEE—
The boundary flickered violently.
"We need to push it back!" Kaela shouted.
Iris launched a barrage of arcane bolts. Eloria summoned a radiant sigil, blasting it with condensed magic. Kaela's dual blades shimmered with golden light as she lunged forward.
The blasts hit the Reclaimer—
—and dissolved.
Disintegrated.
Absorbed.
The creature grew larger.
Aeryn's blood ran cold. "It absorbs magic?!"
Eloria gritted her teeth. "Of course it does. That's its nature!"
Kaela dodged a swipe from its elongated arm. "Then how do we fight it?!"
Iris shouted, "Aeryn, try the staff!"
Aeryn stepped forward, raising the Warden's Branch. It thrummed with energy.
The Reclaimer turned toward him, reacting instantly. Its core pulsed violently—as if recognizing its natural predator.
Aeryn steadied his breath.
Okay.
Here goes nothing.
He channelled his mana through the staff.
A beam of pure silver-white light shot forward—clean, stable, resonating with something deeper than basic magic.
It hit the Reclaimer's chest.
This time, the creature SHRIEKED.
The light didn't dissolve. It burned.
Eloria gasped. "It works!"
Iris grinned ferally. "Of course it works! He's the Oracle successor! That staff is built to counter Echo entities!"
Kaela slashed at its legs while Aeryn maintained the beam, pushing the Reclaimer slowly backward. The creature struggled, its limbs writhing, its core flickering irregularly as if in pain.
But it didn't fall.
It began mutating—its body warping, limbs splitting into multiple arms that shot toward Aeryn.
"Aeryn, move!" Kaela cried.
But he couldn't stop the beam. If he did, the barrier would collapse further.
The tendrils reached him—
—and froze inches away.
Aeryn blinked.
The tendrils trembled violently, locked in place by a force that wasn't his.
A voice echoed inside him.
"My turn."
Aeryn's body stiffened.
No.
Not now.
Not here.
But the presence within him surged—a cold, elegant pressure twisting around his consciousness.
Kaela was shouting something. Iris and Eloria were moving toward him. But their voices felt distant.
The world dimmed.
Aeryn's breath faltered.
Something inside him opened its eyes.
"You're doing well, Aeryn."
The voice was calm. Gentle. But undeniably other.
"But you are far too slow."
Aeryn gritted his teeth. "Get… out…"
"Not yet."
His grip tightened around the staff—but it wasn't him tightening it.
The beam brightened violently.
The Reclaimer howled, its body fracturing.
Kaela cried, "AERYN!"
Eloria shouted, "He's losing control—stop him!"
Iris tried to reach him—but a shockwave exploded outward, knocking everyone back.
Aeryn's vision blurred.
The whisper inside him grew sharper.
"Let me help you, Aeryn. Just for a moment."
"No—" Aeryn gasped.
"Accept me."
Aeryn's consciousness flickered.
His knees buckled.
His heartbeat slowed.
Kaela screamed his name again, desperate.
But the voice inside him…
Was smiling.
"Very well. Then I'll take control myself."
Darkness surged.
The world twisted—
—but Karla's hand grabbed him.
Warm. Real. Anchoring him like a lifeline thrown into a storm.
"Aeryn! Stay with us! You hear me?! Don't let it take you!"
Her voice cut through the haze.
The presence inside him faltered.
Aeryn gasped and forced everything he had left into one single word:
"STOP!"
The internal entity recoiled.
The staff's light flickered—
—then stabilized under his control.
Aeryn roared and unleashed the final surge.
The Reclaimer shrieked one last time before its body split—collapsing into black dust that dissolved into the air.
The boundary steadied.
The crack receded.
The silence afterward was suffocating.
Aeryn collapsed to his knees.
Kaela rushed to him first, holding him up. "Aeryn—Aeryn, look at me—! You okay?!"
He nodded weakly. "Yeah… just tired."
Iris approached, shaken. "That… thing inside you almost took over."
Eloria kneeled beside him. "You need training. And fast."
Kaela hugged him tightly. "Don't scare me like that again."
Aeryn tried to smile. "I'll… try."
But inside him, the whisper returned—quiet, patient, and unsettling.
"You can't keep me asleep forever."
Aeryn swallowed.
This wasn't over.
Not even close.