The black bark shattered and fell, disintegrating into black dust the moment it touched the ground.
And from within, rising through the debris of her former prison, a figure emerged.
It was a humanoid form. Female. Of a beauty that was not earthly but celestial and cold.
Her skin bore the pallor of moonlight reflected on porcelain, crossed by delicate light-green patterns that resembled veins of leaves or roots beneath the skin.
Her hair was a cascade of living foliage, a vibrant green that moved gently without any wind.
At the center of her chest, between perfect and pale breasts, the green core was embedded. It pulsed softly, causing the roots beneath the skin to shift. It was the source of that overwhelming pressure everyone felt.
