"You are meant to endure," she whispered. "Nothing more. Nothing less. To endure until the roots that strangle this world are cut away. Whether by your hand… or by the hand of another."
Ashwing's claws dug into his shoulder, and the little dragon whispered in his mind, uneasy. 'I don't like that answer. It sounds like she's saying you're… disposable'.
Lindarion's gaze sharpened, meeting Elyndra's unblinking eyes. "…I won't be anyone's sacrifice. Not yours. Not the Tree's. Not the world's."
The girl's faint smile returned, tinged with sadness. "Then prove it."
The chamber trembled faintly, the orb flaring brighter once again. Roots shifted in the walls, coiling like serpents as if reacting to her words.
"Your path has already begun, Lindarion Sunblade," Elyndra said softly. "But the world will not wait for you to choose. When it calls, you will answer, whether you wish to or not."
Her eyes glowed brighter now, her voice resonant like leaves whispering through endless forests.
