The moment Elara's fingertips brushed the glowing shard, the world detonated into light.
Not the warm golden pulse she had felt before—this was blinding, raw, and ancient, like sunlight filtered through the memory of a dying star. The forest vanished. The ground vanished. Riven's and Eli's voices were swallowed whole by the eruption of energy.
Elara did not fall. She floated.
At least… that was what it felt like.
A vast expanse stretched around her—endless darkness streaked with golden roots that glowed like constellations. They pulsed in rhythm, each beat echoing in her bones, syncing with her breath until she couldn't tell where her body ended and the forest began.
"Elara."
A voice vibrated through the void—deep and layered, like thousands of whispers speaking in unison.
"Elara."
This time it was softer. Almost… familiar.
"Where… where am I?" she whispered.
"In the memory of the Heart," the voice answered. "In what remains of what once was whole."
Shapes formed in the darkness—trees rising like pillars of ancient stone, forests stretching farther than sight. Shadows shifted beside them, creatures with glowing eyes emerging from roots and branches.
She saw beasts like the Hunter—only larger, more graceful. She saw Wardens towering like giants. She saw creatures like Riven, their forms half-wild, half-human, moving with fluid power.
But then—
Cracks.
Splinters.
A darkness spreading through the roots like poison.
The golden constellations dimmed, one by one, until only fractured remnants glowed weakly.
Elara's breath caught. "What happened?"
The voice trembled, not with fear—but grief.
"An intruder came. A force foreign to us. It cut through the Heart and shattered the core. The forest bled. It still bleeds."
Golden cracks flashed again, and Elara felt the pain as if it were her own—sharp, tearing, unbearably deep.
She cried out.
"Elara!"
A different voice this time—warm, desperate.
Riven.
Her eyes snapped open.
The forest returned in a dizzying rush. The Warden towered over her, glowing faintly. Eli knelt beside her, hands shaking as he gripped her shoulders. Riven held her arms, his face pale with fear.
"Elara—say something," Riven whispered.
She took a long, trembling breath. "I'm here."
Eli pulled her into a fierce embrace before she could say anything else. "Don't ever do that again."
Riven didn't hug her—but his hands stayed on her arms for a long moment, as if he wasn't ready to let go.
"What did you see?" Riven asked softly.
Elara swallowed. "Its memories. The Heart… it was broken by something. Something not of this forest."
Riven's expression hardened. "So it's true."
Eli frowned. "What's true?"
Riven didn't answer. Not yet.
The Warden lowered its massive head, placing the shard in Elara's hands. The moment she touched it again, the glow softened—warm, steady, alive.
"Elara…" Eli whispered. "Your eyes."
She blinked. "What about them?"
"They're glowing," Riven murmured.
Not like the forest's light.
But like the seed itself—golden cracks radiating faintly from her pupils.
The forest had marked her again.
Elara clutched the seed to her chest. "I can feel it… calling me. It wants to be part of me."
"That's exactly why you shouldn't take it," Eli said quickly. "It wants to control you."
"No," Riven said quietly. "It wants her to save it."
Eli turned on him. "You don't know that!"
Riven met his gaze without flinching. "I do."
"How? How do you always know everything about this forest? About her?"
Elara looked at Riven too. He tensed, jaw tight.
"It's time," Elara said softly. "Tell us the truth. All of it."
Wind rustled through the trees, carrying a strange, heavy silence. Riven looked at her—really looked at her—his eyes full of turmoil.
Finally, he spoke.
"I wasn't born," he said. "I was created."
Eli's eyes widened. "Created? By who?"
Riven touched one of the glowing roots. "By the forest."
The words hung heavy in the air.
Elara stepped closer. "Riven…"
"I wasn't meant to be human," he continued, voice low. "I was shaped to be its guardian. Its voice. Its weapon. But—" He hesitated, eyes dropping. "I wasn't enough. I couldn't protect the Heart when the intruder came."
Elara's heart clenched. "Riven… that wasn't your fault."
Riven shook his head. "I failed. The forest grew weaker. And then, decades later… it felt something. Someone. A child born far from here, with a heartbeat that resonated with the Wild."
Eli grabbed her wrist. "Elara—he's talking about you."
Riven nodded. "The forest sensed you long before you ever entered it. You were already connected—but you didn't know."
Elara felt the truth settle inside her like a missing puzzle piece.
"So the forest chose me," she whispered.
"No," Riven said softly. "It recognized you."
The Warden stepped forward, its deep voice rumbling.
"Chosen… accept the seed. Restore what was lost."
Eli grabbed Elara's shoulders. "Elara, you don't have to do this. You don't even know what will happen to you."
She looked at Riven, searching his face. "If I take it… will I die?"
Riven's throat tightened. "No. But you will change."
"How much?" she asked.
"Enough that you'll never be fully human again."
Eli's voice cracked. "Elara, please—think of yourself. Of your future. You can walk away."
Elara held the seed in both hands. It pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat—gentle, patient, alive.
She looked at Eli.
At Riven.
At the glowing roots and the fractured stump that breathed faintly beneath her feet.
"I'm already changing," she said. "And I can't pretend I'm not part of this."
Eli backed away, shaking his head. His eyes shone with fear—not of the forest, but of losing her.
Riven stepped closer. "Elara… whatever you choose, I'll stand with you."
Her breath trembled.
Slowly, she lifted the glowing shard.
The forest went silent.
"Elara!" Eli shouted.
Riven whispered her name like a prayer.
She pressed the seed to her chest.
Light exploded.
Not painful this time—warm, consuming, endless. It wrapped around her like a cocoon, lifting her off the ground as golden cracks spread across her skin. Her heartbeat synced with the forest's pulse.
Her eyes opened—glowing fully gold.
She wasn't floating.
She was becoming.
The Warden bowed deeply.
Riven stared, breath shaking.
Eli reached for her but stumbled back, terrified.
When the light dimmed, Elara stood barefoot on the glowing roots. The seed had vanished—absorbed into her.
She touched her chest. The heartbeat there was no longer just her own.
The forest whispered inside her.
"Elara," Riven breathed, awe-struck.
She lifted her gaze.
"I can hear everything," she whispered. "Every root. Every leaf. Every wound."
Her eyes glowed brighter.
"And I know who did this to the Heart."
Riven froze. "Who?"
Elara looked past them, deep into the shadowed woods.
"Something is coming," she whispered. "And it's not from this forest."
The ground trembled beneath her feet.
The real enemy had arrived.