The air changed the moment they stepped through the living gateway.
It was colder—still, yet humming with unseen life. No birdsong, no wind, just the subtle hum of roots deep in the earth and the low whisper of stone against stone.
Kael and Elenor walked side by side beneath a canopy of ancient trees, their bark twisted like they had grown for centuries under pressure. Their roots wound above the ground like veins, pulsing softly with a faint blue glow.
"This place…" Elenor whispered. "It feels… alive."
Kael nodded. The mark on his hand warmed as they moved deeper into the vale, like a compass pulling him toward something hidden.
They passed shattered stone archways half-buried in moss, rusted lanterns hanging crookedly on hollow tree branches, and runes carved in languages Kael had never seen but somehow… understood.
"They're warnings," he murmured, placing his fingers over one of the runes.
Elenor raised an eyebrow. "You can read that?"
Kael stared at it. "I don't know how. But I can feel what it says. It's like it's… reminding me."
The rune flared faintly beneath his touch.
Beware the voice beneath the roots. Not all that sleeps is forgotten.
⸻
They followed the narrow path until it opened into a stone clearing—circular, ancient, with standing stones around its edges. Each stone bore a different sigil, weathered by time but still pulsing faintly with energy. In the center lay a mirror-like pool, perfectly still, surrounded by small lanterns that lit as they approached.
Kael stepped forward cautiously. As he neared the pool, the pendant at his chest glowed brighter, and the surface of the water rippled without touch.
Then the voice came.
Not loud. Not commanding. But soft and low, like the roots of the forest were speaking together.
"Stormline. You have returned."
Kael stiffened. "Who's there?"
The water shifted, and a figure formed beneath the surface—a robed woman with long silver hair and eyes that glowed like Kael's. She did not rise or speak with lips. The words echoed inside Kael's mind.
"Child of Balance. You carry the blood of the last Guardian. The Hollowroot recognizes your lineage. The Vale awakens to your presence."
Elenor stepped beside Kael, cautious. "Is this one of the Watchers?" she asked.
The figure's eyes flicked to her. "You are brave, Sister of the Stormbound. You walk where others flee. But your path is not his. Not yet."
Kael reached out to the pool.
"Tell me who I am," he said. "Why do I have this mark? Why me?"
The figure's form darkened slightly. "You were not chosen by chance. When the great seal broke in the East, when the first shadow reawakened, a spark was sent into the storm. That spark was you."
Kael's thoughts swirled. He saw images—a city on fire, a great tower collapsing, a shadow with no face, and a woman carrying a baby through pouring rain.
His mother.
The image faded.
"There is more to learn," the figure said. "But to awaken the knowledge buried in your blood, you must face the Trials."
"Trials?" Kael asked.
The ground trembled slightly, and around the clearing, the runes on each standing stone blazed to life.
The voice grew colder.
"Three trials. Mind, Spirit, and Storm. Pass them… and the Vale will yield its memory. Fail… and the forest will reclaim you."
Elenor drew her blade instinctively. "He's not facing them alone."
But the voice replied sternly:
"Only he bears the mark. Only he may walk the path."
Before Kael could argue, the ground beneath him opened in a flash of white-blue light. He fell—not down, but inward—into a vortex of swirling clouds and whispering voices.
Elenor screamed his name, but he was already gone.
⸻
Meanwhile…
Far beyond the forest, across hills and fog-shrouded lakes, in the ruins of an old watchtower, a man cloaked in ash-gray robes stood before a frozen pool of black water.
Beside him, another figure knelt—covered in bark-like armor, breathing heavily.
"The boy has entered the Vale," the armored figure rasped.
The robed man smiled faintly. His eyes were sharp—red as embers, burning with knowledge and rage.
"Good," he said. "Let the Vale awaken him. Then we'll see if he survives what comes next."