As they finished sealing the crystal and continued their journey toward Agwankaya's heart, where shadows meet light, they stumbled upon a peculiar slime tree. The tree's trunk was a mass of dripping, gooey substance that seemed to shift and writhe like a living thing. Its sparse foliage consisted of fewer than ten leaves that resembled tangled, matted hair atop its head, each one a deep, sickly green color. Two protrusions, barely resembling branches, stretched out from its sides like skeletal fingers, giving the tree an unsettling, grasping appearance.
The group's eyes widened in a mix of fascination and revulsion as they took in the tree's bizarre appearance. Mike's brow furrowed in curiosity, while TJ's eyes narrowed, as if searching for hidden dangers. Gidado's expression was a mask of calm, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of unease. Amina's gaze was fixed on the tree, her face pale, while Bisola's eyes darted nervously between the tree and the surrounding landscape. Avovome, who was walking closest to the tree, felt a shiver run down its spine as it sensed the tree's strange energy.
At first, the tree seemed lifeless, a permanent fixture in the desolate landscape, its leaves quivering in the wind like the trembling fingers of a dying creature. But as the group walked past the tree, they couldn't help but notice its strange appearance and isolation. The air around them was heavy with an eerie silence, punctuated only by the faint rustling of the leaves and the soft squelching of the slime tree's trunk.
As they walked further, the tree began to move, its motion subtle and almost imperceptible amidst the barren landscape. Avovome's senses screamed warning, and it halted to observe the tree, while the others continued unaware. The tree froze, as if sensing Avovome's gaze. The air seemed to vibrate with tension, and the group's footsteps seemed to echo through the stillness.
After a few minutes of stillness, Avovome decided to rejoin the group, hurrying to catch up. Its heart was racing, and its senses were on high alert. Twenty minutes later, Avovome glanced back, and it eyes widened in alarm. The tree remained in sight, defying logic given the distance they'd traveled. Avovome's voice was laced with urgency as it alerted the others. "Guys! Look at that tree. Something's off." It voice dropped to a whisper, as if fearful of being overheard. "This might sound weird, but it's true. That tree is moving."
The group's attention snapped toward the tree, their faces illuminated by the fading light. Mike's expression was skeptical, but TJ's eyes were already scanning the tree, searching for signs of movement. Gidado's face was set in a determined mask, while Amina's eyes were wide with fear. Bisola's gaze darted nervously between the tree and the group, as if searching for reassurance.
The group's skepticism was palpable as Mike spoke up, "It indeed weird and unbelievable." His tone was laced with doubt, but Amina's words carried a different weight. "Avovome's claim could be true," she said, her eyes scanning the group's faces as if ensuring they were all paying attention. "If the tree wasn't moving, there's no way we could still see it from here," she demonstrated, using her hands to mark their position. "Its full body should be out of sight by now."
TJ nodded in agreement, "Yes, that's true. Logically, if we're still seeing the tree, it shouldn't be its full length. It should be just its base." The group was divided, with some believing the tree was indeed moving, while others thought it was just their imagination playing tricks on them.
Meanwhile, the tree stood motionless, its branches stretching out like skeletal fingers. It seemed to be watching the group, its presence growing more ominous by the minute. Finally, the group decided to keep a watchful eye on the tree while continuing their journey. Avovome suggested marking a point and observing if the tree moved beyond it. After a while, they looked back and saw that the tree had indeed moved closer to the marked point, its movement subtle but unmistakable.
The group's senses went on high alert, and they readied their swords, prepared for any eventuality. The tree, sensing it had been detected, began moving towards them. As it approached, it reached out with its branch-like appendages, touching and enveloping the group members. Mike, growing increasingly annoyed, swung his sword and severed one of the branches. To their shock, the severed branch healed back into another branch, while the cut branch on the ground materialized into a identical tree, standing before them like a clone.
Gidado sliced one of the trees in two, but the pieces fell and regenerated into full trees within minutes. The more they cut, the more trees seemed to sprout up, each one identical to the original. It dawned on the group that the tree's regenerative abilities made it nearly invulnerable. Soon, the landscape was filled with a battalion of trees, their branches reaching out like grasping fingers. The group was surrounded, with the trees closing in, ready to fight.
The atmosphere was electric with tension, the group's breathing synchronized as they prepared to face the onslaught. The trees seemed to be multiplying before their eyes, their numbers growing exponentially. The group's swords glinted in the fading light, ready to clash with the trees in a battle that would determine their fate.