Sylvia's steps fell softly on the carpet of silent, fallen black leaves. This forest was quiet, not the dead kind of quiet, but the watchful kind.
Towering trees stretched upward like dark metal spires. Their bark gleamed like polished obsidian, and the deep–purple leaves trembled every time the wind passed through, creating faint whispers like living creatures breathing without lungs.
Sylvia paused and laid her hand on the nearest trunk.
The surface was hard and cold, yet beneath it she felt a faint pulse like a heartbeat.
"…Nether Wood," she murmured. "Same type as my element."
She closed her eyes and released a small wave of Nether Wood energy.
The forest reacted immediately.
BRRUUMMM
The ground trembled. Leaves fell. The air thickened. The trees around her bent slowly… as if bowing.
Sylvia blinked.
"…huh?"
