After days of walking through the remnants of forgotten planes, Eidan and his cousin reached a new threshold to the Abyss. Before them lay an ancient forest, alive but diseased, where roots writhed like serpents and trees weeped black sap.
A sign awaited them at the entrance: a broken statue of a dryad, skin carved like bark, tears petrified down her cheeks. And beneath, words carved in stone:
—Rebalance what has been corrupted. Only then can the heart beat again. —
Eidan stepped forward, and the book responded. A new quest opened within the ethereal pages:
[Quest Acquired: The Root Balancer] Objective: Purify the Broken Forest and help the captive dryad reclaim her lost fragment. Reward: Green Soul Shard (skills related to life, regeneration, nature, and plant control).
The journey through the forest was not easy. The plants seemed alive, but hostile. Some branches stretched like claws, and roots tried to drag them underground. The two had to fight, cutting away infestations with swords and spells. The cousin summoned wolves to clear the way, while Eidan used an ancient shard of forbidden fire to burn away the creeping shadows.
In the heart of the forest, they found a corrupted lake. There, bound by dark vines, a dryad lay dormant, her body trapped in a cocoon of thorns.
Eidan approached and placed a hand on the cocoon. A voice whispered in his mind:
—You… can feel my agony…? Are you here to free me…? —
A root demon emerged from the lake, a guardian born of decay. Tall as a tree, with claws made of fused bone and poisonous sap dripping from his eyes.
The fight was brutal.
The cousin was thrown against a tree and rose, spitting blood. Eidan summoned techniques from forgotten warriors: strikes swift as wind, slashes empowered by fragments of the blacksmith and the swordsman.
But it was when he activated an unknown fragment—the Song of Roots—that the battle changed. The plants responded to his command, lifting the dryad and purifying her, while the vines wrapped themselves around the monster, holding it.
With a cry, Eidan plunged his sword into the demon's heart. Black sap exploded.
Silence.
Then, the forest lit up. The dryad's tears melted into the earth, and life returned. Her spirit soared, depositing a luminous fragment in the book.
[New Skill Acquired: Root Blessing] Description: Allows you to slowly heal wounds, grow natural barriers, and communicate with living flora.
The dryad smiled before fading away. "My heart still beats… thank you, voidwalker."
The two cousins looked at each other. They had faced much darkness, but now nature itself was on their side.
And the Tower still awaited them.