The Great Serpent's question settled not in Ren's ears, but in the very marrow of his bones. What is it you truly wish to protect? It was a question so vast it seemed to encompass the entire world, yet so simple it demanded a truth from the deepest part of him.
His first thoughts were of his village—the smell of his family's small farm after a rain, the sound of laughter in the square during the festival. He thought of the Elder's kind, weary face. Yes, he wanted to protect them.
Then his mind turned to Kael, the gruff hunter, a man just trying to survive in a world growing harsher by the day. He thought of the pained, maddened deer, a creature that deserved a life of peace but was twisted into a monster. He thought of the majestic Griffin at the gate, and the wary but beautiful beasts of the valley. He wanted to protect them, too.
But as he looked at the ancient, emerald eyes before him, he knew those answers were not enough. They were branches, but the Serpent was asking for the root of the tree. He let the memories of his journey flow through him: the pure magic of the Whispering Glade, a place of perfect balance; the foul, corrupting energy of the Weeping Gorge, a place of absolute imbalance. He finally understood.
"It is not one thing I wish to protect," Ren said, his voice quiet but resonant in the sacred grotto. "It is the connection between them all."
He met the Serpent's gaze. "I want to protect the balance. The right of the forest to thrive, the right of the river to run clean, the right of beasts to live uncorrupted, and the right of people to live in peace alongside them. The blight… the men in robes… they don't just destroy. They unravel. They sever the bonds that hold the world together. The Covenant that marks my hand, the bond I share with Shiro"—he looked down at the small, trusting snake on his arm—"that is what I wish to protect. A world where that bond is possible."
A low, resonant hum vibrated through the water and the stone of the cavern, a sound of profound antiquity and approval. The Great Serpent's immense form shifted, its mother-of-pearl scales sending ripples of coloured light across the grotto.
"Many of your kind, when faced with power, seek to protect only their own tribe," the Eldest's voice filled his mind. "They see the world as a thing to be owned. You have a Guardian's heart. You see the thread, not just the beads on the string."
The Serpent's head drifted closer, its emerald eyes focusing on Ren's corrupted scar. "Because you understand, you will be given the knowledge you seek. The men you saw call themselves The Hollow. They worship nothingness. They believe life is a flaw, a chaotic mistake, and their purpose is to undo Creation itself, to unravel the world back into the silent, empty void from whence it came. The Shade-blight is their instrument, a power that dissolves the bonds of life and magic."
Ren listened, a cold dread filling him as he finally understood the scale of his enemy's nihilistic ambition.
"You acted with courage in the gorge," the Serpent continued, "but you were lucky to escape with only your life and a single wound. The poison in your flesh is a seed of their Unraveling. Here, in the heart of the Sanctuary, its power is suppressed by the pure magic of life around you. But were you to leave now, it would rage once more, and you are not yet strong enough to contain it a second time."
Ren's heart sank. He had come all this way, only to be told he was trapped.
"You came seeking knowledge to fight a war," the Eldest said, sensing his despair. "But a warrior with a poisoned blade cannot win. You are not ready to leave. You must stay. You must learn. The poison cannot be removed, for it has bonded with your own life force. But its nature can be understood. Its power can be mastered."
The Serpent offered him a new, unexpected path. "I will teach you, Ren-Guardian. I will teach you to feel the Unraveling within your scar, to understand its purpose, so that you may know your enemy as no other can. And I will teach you to deepen the bond with your serpent companion, to forge your two spirits into a single, unified power, for the strength of the Covenant is the ultimate antithesis to the Hollow's goal."
The choice was laid before him. He had thought he would be armed with secrets and sent back into the world. Instead, he was being asked to stay, to turn his gaze inward and confront the darkness he carried, to forge it into a weapon.
"Your journey to the Sanctuary is over," the Great Serpent's voice concluded. "Your training as a Guardian is about to truly begin."