The creature loomed over them like a nightmare given form.
Its upper body was carved from ancient bark, split open by jagged bones that pulsed faintly with sickly red light. Vines coiled through its limbs like veins, dripping black sap that hissed when it touched the soil.
When it opened its mouth, the sound wasn't a roar—it was the creak of breaking wood mixed with the rattle of bones.
Even Ashen, calm as ever, adjusted his stance. "It's an amalgamation," he said quietly, silver eyes narrowing. "Corruption fused with remnants of life magic."
Ryn swallowed hard. "So it's… half alive?"
"Half dead," Alaric muttered, gripping his staff tight. "And a hundred percent pissed off."
The guardian's glowing eyes snapped toward them. The ground trembled, roots shooting up like spears.
"Move!" Kael shouted, pushing Ryn aside just as a root smashed into the spot they'd been standing. Dirt and shards of stone exploded upward.
Ashen moved like a shadow—one step forward, sword flashing. His blade cut through a root mid-swing, the severed wood hissing as black ichor spilled from it.
Alaric darted behind him, planting his staff into the soil. His mana flared—white and black intertwining, the pulse spreading outward. "You're not the only one with tricks, you overgrown weed!"
A surge of life mana rippled from his staff, wrapping around the nearby vines. They glowed briefly—before the death mana underneath snuffed them out like dying embers. The vines recoiled, curling into themselves.
The guardian roared, lashing out again.
Ashen blocked a massive swing from its wooden arm. The impact shook the ground. His boots skidded slightly, but his posture didn't falter. "Its strength is excessive," he said evenly, eyes tracking every motion.
"Yeah, no kidding!" Alaric snapped, forcing mana into his staff again. "How are we supposed to fight something that regrows every time you cut it?"
"By ensuring it has nothing left to regrow from."
Ashen's voice was calm, but his aura changed. The faint mist of death mana began to rise from his body, subtle and cold. Shadows rippled at his feet, stretching outward like ink spilled across stone.
Ryn froze mid-step. "What the—"
Before he could finish, figures began rising from those shadows.
Silent, humanoid shapes—bone and armor wrapped in faint silver light. Their empty eyes glowed dimly as they took form, each gripping a weapon that looked half-real, half-smoke.
Kael's face went pale. "Undead…"
Ashen didn't even glance back. "They're mine."
The shadows moved, taking position beside him in perfect formation. Their movements were precise—no jerky staggering, no hunger. Just silent obedience.
Ryn gawked. "You can control them?!"
"Focus!" Alaric barked, sweeping his staff sideways. A wave of pure light burst forward, cutting through another incoming tangle of roots.
The guardian let out a hiss that made the air tremble. Vines struck from every direction.
Ashen's sword flashed, clean arcs slicing through the attacks before they reached Alaric or the others. The undead shadows mirrored his movements, forming a defensive line that moved with eerie unity.
"Don't let it get near the treeline!" Kael shouted. "If it connects with the forest roots—"
"It'll absorb more mana," Ashen finished sharply. "Understood."
He vanished in a blur of movement, his coat flaring behind him. With one clean strike, he cut through the creature's leg—splinters flying. The monster stumbled, its balance breaking for a brief moment.
"Now, Alaric!"
Alaric planted his staff forward, both hands glowing. The runes etched along its length lit up in alternating white and black.
"Life and Death—Resonance Burst!"
A shockwave of dual mana exploded outward. Light and darkness spiraled together, striking the creature's chest dead center. For a moment, its red glow faltered—cracks spiderwebbing across its wooden ribs.
Ryn shielded his face from the light. "Holy—did that work?"
The air stilled.
Then the cracks sealed shut.
"Of course it didn't," Alaric groaned. "Because why would anything ever be easy?"
Kael took a step forward, raising his weapon. "Then we keep hitting it until it stays down."
"Please tell me you have a better plan than that," Ryn muttered, but he readied his spear anyway.
The guardian slammed both hands into the ground. The soil split open, and dozens of vines erupted in all directions—longer, thicker, faster.
One nearly caught Alaric. Ashen grabbed him by the collar, pulling him out of range at the last second.
"Eyes forward," Ashen said firmly.
"Maybe stop throwing me like luggage first!"
Ashen's expression didn't change, but there was the faintest flicker of amusement in his tone. "You land well."
Before Alaric could respond, a massive vine speared toward Kael and Ryn.
Ashen's undead reacted instantly. Three of them leapt forward, forming a barrier with their bodies. The vine smashed into them—one shattered on impact, but the other two grabbed the root and pulled, their skeletal frames glowing with faint runes.
The corruption burned them away, but not before the attack was halted.
Kael stared, caught between shock and disbelief. "They… they protected us."
Alaric grinned faintly, even as sweat dripped down his face. "Told you the zombie-dad's soldiers are reliable."
Ashen ignored the nickname, though his next strike hit harder, slicing through another vine with clean precision. "Alaric. Focus."
"Right, right!"
Alaric planted his staff again, channeling more mana through it. The glow intensified, the stone floor beneath him cracking from the pressure.
This time, he didn't try to destroy. He aimed to disrupt.
A pulse of death mana shot through the ground, turning the soil beneath the guardian's feet to ash. The creature staggered, its lower body collapsing into rot before regrowing wildly.
Ryn's eyes widened. "It's eating its own decay to heal!?"
"Then we stop feeding it," Alaric said grimly.
Ashen raised his hand. His remaining undead rose again—those that had fallen reformed in the shadowed ground beneath them. Their glowing eyes turned upward, awaiting his silent command.
"Contain it," he ordered softly.
The undead lunged, their forms melding into black mist that coiled around the guardian's legs. Chains of shadow wrapped tightly, halting its regeneration.
"Now!" Ashen shouted.
Alaric's staff flared, both hands gripping it tight. The mana swelled—too much, too fast—but he didn't care. The light burst outward again, spearing straight through the creature's chest.
For a brief, shining moment—it screamed.
Then the forest screamed with it.
The ground shook violently, roots tearing free from the earth as if in agony. The glow from the guardian flared red-hot, and the undead chains began to burn away.
Ashen's expression hardened. "Alaric—fall back."
"What? No, I can finish it!"
"Not yet."
The guardian's body began to twist—its torso elongating, wooden limbs cracking as new ones sprouted.
Alaric's eyes widened. "It's evolving—again!?"
The creature rose taller than before, its chest splitting open to reveal a crimson core pulsing like a heart.
Kael cursed under his breath. "Everyone retreat! Now!"
Ashen swept his sword, summoning the remaining undead to form a barrier as they backed away.
The guardian let out a final, distorted roar—its power surging like a storm breaking loose.
The forest itself dimmed.
Alaric gritted his teeth, clutching his staff. His mana flickered erratically, the light and dark energy around him unstable.
Ashen placed a cold, steady hand on his shoulder. "Control, not chaos."
For once, Alaric didn't argue.
Together, they fell back toward the edge of the clearing—shadows moving like silent sentinels between them and the monster that refused to die.
The fight wasn't over.
The creature loomed over them like a nightmare given form.
Its upper body was carved from ancient bark, split open by jagged bones that pulsed faintly with sickly red light. Vines coiled through its limbs like veins, dripping black sap that hissed when it touched the soil.
When it opened its mouth, the sound wasn't a roar—it was the creak of breaking wood mixed with the rattle of bones.
Even Ashen, calm as ever, adjusted his stance. "It's an amalgamation," he said quietly, silver eyes narrowing. "Corruption fused with remnants of life magic."
Ryn swallowed hard. "So it's… half alive?"
"Half dead," Alaric muttered, gripping his staff tight. "And a hundred percent pissed off."
The guardian's glowing eyes snapped toward them. The ground trembled, roots shooting up like spears.
"Move!" Kael shouted, pushing Ryn aside just as a root smashed into the spot they'd been standing. Dirt and shards of stone exploded upward.
Ashen moved like a shadow—one step forward, sword flashing. His blade cut through a root mid-swing, the severed wood hissing as black ichor spilled from it.
Alaric darted behind him, planting his staff into the soil. His mana flared—white and black intertwining, the pulse spreading outward. "You're not the only one with tricks, you overgrown weed!"
A surge of life mana rippled from his staff, wrapping around the nearby vines. They glowed briefly—before the death mana underneath snuffed them out like dying embers. The vines recoiled, curling into themselves.
The guardian roared, lashing out again.
Ashen blocked a massive swing from its wooden arm. The impact shook the ground. His boots skidded slightly, but his posture didn't falter. "Its strength is excessive," he said evenly, eyes tracking every motion.
"Yeah, no kidding!" Alaric snapped, forcing mana into his staff again. "How are we supposed to fight something that regrows every time you cut it?"
"By ensuring it has nothing left to regrow from."
Ashen's voice was calm, but his aura changed. The faint mist of death mana began to rise from his body, subtle and cold. Shadows rippled at his feet, stretching outward like ink spilled across stone.
Ryn froze mid-step. "What the—"
Before he could finish, figures began rising from those shadows.
Silent, humanoid shapes—bone and armor wrapped in faint silver light. Their empty eyes glowed dimly as they took form, each gripping a weapon that looked half-real, half-smoke.
Kael's face went pale. "Undead…"
Ashen didn't even glance back. "They're mine."
The shadows moved, taking position beside him in perfect formation. Their movements were precise—no jerky staggering, no hunger. Just silent obedience.
Ryn gawked. "You can control them?!"
"Focus!" Alaric barked, sweeping his staff sideways. A wave of pure light burst forward, cutting through another incoming tangle of roots.
The guardian let out a hiss that made the air tremble. Vines struck from every direction.
Ashen's sword flashed, clean arcs slicing through the attacks before they reached Alaric or the others. The undead shadows mirrored his movements, forming a defensive line that moved with eerie unity.
"Don't let it get near the treeline!" Kael shouted. "If it connects with the forest roots—"
"It'll absorb more mana," Ashen finished sharply. "Understood."
He vanished in a blur of movement, his coat flaring behind him. With one clean strike, he cut through the creature's leg—splinters flying. The monster stumbled, its balance breaking for a brief moment.
"Now, Alaric!"
Alaric planted his staff forward, both hands glowing. The runes etched along its length lit up in alternating white and black.
"Life and Death—Resonance Burst!"
A shockwave of dual mana exploded outward. Light and darkness spiraled together, striking the creature's chest dead center. For a moment, its red glow faltered—cracks spiderwebbing across its wooden ribs.
Ryn shielded his face from the light. "Holy—did that work?"
The air stilled.
Then the cracks sealed shut.
"Of course it didn't," Alaric groaned. "Because why would anything ever be easy?"
Kael took a step forward, raising his weapon. "Then we keep hitting it until it stays down."
"Please tell me you have a better plan than that," Ryn muttered, but he readied his spear anyway.
The guardian slammed both hands into the ground. The soil split open, and dozens of vines erupted in all directions—longer, thicker, faster.
One nearly caught Alaric. Ashen grabbed him by the collar, pulling him out of range at the last second.
"Eyes forward," Ashen said firmly.
"Maybe stop throwing me like luggage first!"
Ashen's expression didn't change, but there was the faintest flicker of amusement in his tone. "You land well."
Before Alaric could respond, a massive vine speared toward Kael and Ryn.
Ashen's undead reacted instantly. Three of them leapt forward, forming a barrier with their bodies. The vine smashed into them—one shattered on impact, but the other two grabbed the root and pulled, their skeletal frames glowing with faint runes.
The corruption burned them away, but not before the attack was halted.
Kael stared, caught between shock and disbelief. "They… they protected us."
Alaric grinned faintly, even as sweat dripped down his face. "Told you the zombie-dad's soldiers are reliable."
Ashen ignored the nickname, though his next strike hit harder, slicing through another vine with clean precision. "Alaric. Focus."
"Right, right!"
Alaric planted his staff again, channeling more mana through it. The glow intensified, the stone floor beneath him cracking from the pressure.
This time, he didn't try to destroy. He aimed to disrupt.
A pulse of death mana shot through the ground, turning the soil beneath the guardian's feet to ash. The creature staggered, its lower body collapsing into rot before regrowing wildly.
Ryn's eyes widened. "It's eating its own decay to heal!?"
"Then we stop feeding it," Alaric said grimly.
Ashen raised his hand. His remaining undead rose again—those that had fallen reformed in the shadowed ground beneath them. Their glowing eyes turned upward, awaiting his silent command.
"Contain it," he ordered softly.
The undead lunged, their forms melding into black mist that coiled around the guardian's legs. Chains of shadow wrapped tightly, halting its regeneration.
"Now!" Ashen shouted.
Alaric's staff flared, both hands gripping it tight. The mana swelled—too much, too fast—but he didn't care. The light burst outward again, spearing straight through the creature's chest.
For a brief, shining moment—it screamed.
Then the forest screamed with it.
The ground shook violently, roots tearing free from the earth as if in agony. The glow from the guardian flared red-hot, and the undead chains began to burn away.
Ashen's expression hardened. "Alaric—fall back."
"What? No, I can finish it!"
"Not yet."
The guardian's body began to twist—its torso elongating, wooden limbs cracking as new ones sprouted.
Alaric's eyes widened. "It's evolving—again!?"
The creature rose taller than before, its chest splitting open to reveal a crimson core pulsing like a heart.
Kael cursed under his breath. "Everyone retreat! Now!"
Ashen swept his sword, summoning the remaining undead to form a barrier as they backed away.
The guardian let out a final, distorted roar—its power surging like a storm breaking loose.
The forest itself dimmed.
Alaric gritted his teeth, clutching his staff. His mana flickered erratically, the light and dark energy around him unstable.
Ashen placed a cold, steady hand on his shoulder. "Control, not chaos."
For once, Alaric didn't argue.
Together, they fell back toward the edge of the clearing—shadows moving like silent sentinels between them and the monster that refused to die.
The fight wasn't over.
It was only beginning.
The canopy above tore open with a deafening crack.
Leaves scattered like falling embers as the guardian unfurled itself from the treetops. It had changed—grown monstrous.
The body that had once been humanoid now spread outward, its arms elongated into jagged, root-like wings. Veins of black light pulsed beneath its bark, and from its back hung tattered shreds of glowing moss that fluttered like decayed feathers. The crimson core in its chest beat slowly, like a heart refusing to die.
Ashen stepped forward, his shadow stretching long behind him. "It's merging with the forest itself."
Alaric tightened his grip on his staff. "That's not fair."
Kael squinted through the dust. "It's drawing power from everything around us."
"Then we cut it off," Alaric said. "Again."
His tone was light, but his heart pounded so hard it hurt. Every inch of the forest around them thrummed with life—and death. The two forces were at war, and he was standing right in the middle of it.
The guardian let out a low, distorted howl. The air trembled. Black mist poured from its wings, falling like rain that burned the soil wherever it touched.
Ashen didn't move immediately. His pale eyes followed every shift of the monster's body. The moment it lunged, he reacted—so fast the others barely saw him move.
He met its blow head-on, sword clashing against bone-hard wood. Sparks flew, the impact sending ripples through the air.
The creature's strength was monstrous, but Ashen didn't falter. His posture never broke. He stepped into the strike, turning it aside, his blade slipping between the gaps in its arm and cutting through.
The guardian's limb fell, hitting the ground with a crash that shook the clearing.
Kael couldn't help but stare. "He's not even human…"
Ryn's voice cracked. "No kidding."
Alaric exhaled, raising his staff. Mana rushed through his veins—wild, heavy, but responsive. The tip of his staff glowed faintly white. He guided it downward, drawing a line across the ground.
The forest answered.
Roots stirred beneath the soil, glowing softly. The pure mana from life answered his call, wrapping around the corrupted vines still crawling toward the monster. They sizzled and retreated, smoke rising from their ends.
"Come on," Alaric muttered. "If you're gonna fight me, at least pick a side."
The guardian screamed again, its core pulsing brighter. The air turned red.
Ashen's undead shadows rose once more—this time fewer, but stronger. They were taller, bulkier, their armor darker and more ornate. Their eyes burned with pale light, and each carried a weapon made of the same black energy that flowed through Ashen's aura.
Ryn took a shaky step back. "There's… more of them again."
Kael didn't speak, but his expression said enough. He was both horrified and in awe.
Ashen moved among his undead like a conductor among soldiers. His sword swept through the air, and they moved with him, their strikes perfectly synchronized. Every motion of his hand summoned a blade, a parry, or a wall of dark mist.
The guardian countered with a roar. Roots lashed, vines struck, and branches fell like blades. But each time, shadows intercepted them—crashing into the attacks and dissolving in silence.
It was like watching two storms collide.
Alaric joined in, his staff spinning as he poured both life and death mana through it. He didn't separate them this time. He let them dance. The magic flared out in waves, bright gold intertwined with gray. Wherever the light touched, the corruption slowed. Wherever the shadow spread, the forest's decay burned away.
The guardian recoiled, its body shaking.
For a brief moment, Alaric felt hope.
Then everything changed.
The monster's chest cracked open wider, and the crimson core inside split into several smaller orbs of light. They floated free, spreading out across the battlefield. Each one sank into the ground—and the earth began to rise.
Vines twisted together, forming smaller creatures—half the guardian's size, but no less deadly.
"Clones," Alaric hissed. "It's splitting its energy!"
Kael gritted his teeth. "There's too many—"
Ashen raised a hand. "Then we thin them out."
His shadow exploded outward.
The ground went black for a heartbeat, then came alive with motion. Dozens—no, hundreds—of skeletal arms clawed upward from the dark soil. They grabbed the newborn creatures by the legs, dragging them down into the shadows one by one.
Kael and Ryn froze where they stood. The entire clearing seemed to shift—the forest floor itself turning into a battlefield of light and darkness.
Alaric watched it unfold, wide-eyed. "You've been holding back this whole time."
Ashen didn't answer. His expression didn't change, but the faint gleam in his eyes said everything. He didn't fight for pride. He fought for control.
Even still, the power made the air vibrate.
The guardian shrieked again, its smaller clones being pulled down into the shadows. But one managed to slip through, rushing straight at Alaric.
He raised his staff to block, but it was too fast.
Ashen moved.
His sword intercepted the blow just inches from Alaric's chest. The impact sent a shockwave through the clearing, throwing dust and debris into the air. Ashen pushed back hard, his blade cutting through the smaller creature's neck in a single motion.
Alaric's heart pounded in his ears. "You good?"
Ashen didn't look back. "You're unfocused."
"That's not an answer!"
Before he could argue further, the main guardian let out another screech. The air thickened, red energy pulsing across the forest floor like veins.
The smaller creatures dissolved, their energy flooding back into the core.
Ashen's shadows flickered—the strain visible even on him now.
Alaric bit his lip, glancing at the glowing ground. "It's absorbing everything again. We can't keep fighting it here."
Kael tightened his grip on his weapon. "Then what do we do?"
"Retreat," Ashen said.
Ryn's eyes widened. "You're kidding—"
"Not this time."
Ashen's tone left no room for argument. His shadows gathered at his feet again, expanding into a swirling pool of darkness. He reached out, grabbing Alaric's arm and pulling him closer.
"We regroup," he said firmly. "Then we end it properly."
The guardian roared one last time, its massive form twisting higher, its wings spreading across the clearing.
The moment the roar hit, Ashen snapped his fingers.
The shadows surged upward, swallowing the group whole.
The world blurred.
When the light returned, they stood on the edge of the village again—muddy, bloodied, and barely holding their breath.
Alaric dropped to one knee, his staff clattering beside him. The mana in his veins burned hot and cold all at once.
Ashen stood beside him, silent, his blade dripping black ichor.
Kael turned back toward the forest, where faint red light still flickered between the trees. "It's not following."
"Not yet," Ashen said quietly. "But it will."
Ryn exhaled shakily. "Next time, let's not fight walking trees that scream, yeah?"
Alaric chuckled weakly. "Deal."
But his gaze stayed on the forest. Deep inside, the crimson light pulsed again—steady, rhythmic. Like a heart.
The forest wasn't done with them.
And neither was whatever was buried inside it.