A cold wind swept across the clearing as the Reclaimer's ashes dispersed into the air, fluttering like dark snow before fading completely. The crack in the boundary sealed itself with a low hum, light rippling outward until the dome regained its steady rhythm. The forest quieted, but the air was still heavy—taut with the echo of what had just happened.
Aeryn exhaled slowly, steadying himself in Kaela's grasp. His vision swam at the edges, fading between sharp clarity and a hazy blur. Every breath felt like drawing in static. His heartbeat had not yet returned to normal; it thrummed with an offbeat resonance, like two rhythms overlapping.
Kaela pressed her forehead gently to his. "Hey. Stay here. Don't drift off."
"I'm fine," Aeryn murmured, though he knew he wasn't. "Just…need a moment."
Iris scoffed, though her voice was strained. "A moment? You nearly let that thing inside you hijack your entire consciousness."
Eloria approached, her expression carefully controlled, but Aeryn could see the concern in her eyes. "You held it back. That matters."
Aeryn swallowed. "Barely."
Kaela tightened her grip. "But you still did."
Aeryn closed his eyes. The entity's whisper still lingered in his mind, echoing faintly like a taunting memory:
"You can't keep me asleep forever."
He fought the shiver crawling up his spine.
Aeloria arrived moments later, emerging from the trees, bow in hand, her face tense. "Lythrien felt the resonance all the way from the Heartwood. He knows something happened."
Iris clicked her tongue. "Of course he did."
Aeloria glanced at Aeryn. "He requests your return immediately. He says… your Echo is unstable."
Aeryn grimaced. "Figures."
But Eloria held up a hand. "Before we move, we need to confirm something."
She walked toward the boundary, stopping right at the shimmering surface. Her hand hovered over it, fingers trembling slightly from the mana it radiated.
Kaela frowned. "Eloria?"
Eloria's voice was quiet. "The Reclaimer wasn't just attacking the barrier. It was searching for something."
Iris raised a brow. "Searching? For what, exactly?"
Eloria turned her head slowly, eyes fixed on Aeryn. "Him."
Aeryn froze.
Iris blinked. "…Are you serious?"
Eloria nodded. "Every Reclaimer has instinct. Primitive, but precise. They move where the Echo calls them. Aeryn's presence must've drawn it."
Kaela reacted instantly, stepping in front of Aeryn like a shield. "Meaning if he gets too close to another unstable point—"
"The Reclaimers will gather," Eloria finished.
Aeryn's stomach twisted.
"Why me…?"
Eloria shook her head. "We don't know yet."
But Aeryn knew.
Or rather… the voice inside him knew.
And it stirred, amused.
"Of course they're attracted to you. You are a beacon to them. A source. A fragment."
He clenched his jaw, shoving the whisper away.
Not now.
Not here.
Kaela touched his cheek. "Aeryn. Come back."
He blinked, refocusing on her. She frowned, but the worry in her eyes softened slightly when he nodded.
Aeloria motioned toward the forest path. "We must return. Lythrien and Lyriel will know what to do."
Aeryn stood, the world spinning before stabilizing. Kaela helped him until he gained his balance.
"Alright," he said. "Let's go."
---
The Walk Back — A Heavy Silence
The journey back toward Heartwood was slower, tense, and filled with an unspoken fear that clung to them like mist. The forest around them seemed to shift, branches leaning inward as if watching their steps. The trees felt more alert than before, as though they sensed the disturbance in Aeryn's mana.
Iris walked slightly ahead, staff drawn close to her chest. "I hate that it's getting quieter."
Kaela nodded, her voice low. "Feels like the whole forest's holding its breath."
Eloria scanned their surroundings, her expression dark. "The Echo resonance Aeryn released… It wasn't small. The Heartwood reacts to fluctuations like that."
Aeryn stiffened. "I didn't mean to unleash so much. I couldn't control—"
Kaela cut him off gently. "Stop. You didn't choose to almost get possessed."
Aeryn looked away. "Doesn't change the fact that I almost—"
"You didn't," she snapped softly. "That's what matters."
Aeryn wanted to argue, but the exhaustion in his chest made it difficult. His thoughts drifted back to the moment when the entity inside him had nearly taken control. He remembered the coldness, the unnatural calm, the sickening ease with which it had tried to seize his body.
For a moment… he had felt like he was the one being pushed out.
He touched his chest, where an invisible pulse thrummed faintly beneath his ribs.
The Warden's Branch moved at the same time he did, as though responding to something within him.
The artifact pulsed softly, a steady heartbeat that soothed his mana. Kaela noticed and moved closer.
"You're pale."
"I'm trying," Aeryn murmured.
Eloria glanced back at him. "We'll stabilize you once we reach Lythrien. You won't fade."
"Fade?" Kaela hissed. "Why would he fade?"
Eloria opened her mouth, but Aeryn answered first.
"Because my Echo is too active. Too awake."
Iris frowned. "Then shouldn't the artifact be helping?"
"It is," Aeryn replied. "But whatever's inside me… it's learning. Adapting."
Kaela felt her chest tighten, but she forced her voice steady. "Then we'll stop it from doing that."
Eloria raised a brow. "Do you have a plan for stopping a parasitic Echo consciousness stronger than anything we've ever studied?"
Kaela crossed her arms. "Step one: don't let Aeryn die."
Iris cracked a grin. "I can support that plan."
Aeryn sighed. "Thank you… I think?"
The group continued deeper into the forest.
But Aeryn sensed something strange—like the forest was… aligning itself to guide them. Branches shifted subtly, clearing the path. Animals remained silent, watching from the shadows. The mist parted where Aeryn walked.
He whispered, "Why do I feel like the forest is reacting to me?"
Eloria answered without turning. "Because Heartwood recognizes the Echo inside you."
"Recognizes?"
"It knows you're not…ordinary."
Aeryn's chest tightened.
He already knew that.
But hearing it out loud made it real.
Kaela slid her hand into his briefly. "Doesn't matter if you're ordinary or not. You're still Aeryn."
That… helped.
A bit.
---
Return to Heartwood
The closer they grew to Heartwood, the stronger the mana became—warm, flowing like currents of gentle wind. The ancient trees shimmered faintly, glowing with internal light that pulsed in sync with the Heartwood's living heartbeat.
Aeryn felt the resonance again.
This time, it didn't suffocate him.
It… welcomed him.
As though the forest itself sensed his struggle and embraced him like an old friend.
Kaela glanced around. "Heartwood feels different."
Iris nodded. "Yeah. Almost… brighter."
Eloria slowed her pace. "It's responding to Aeryn's Echo."
Aeloria added, "Lythrien foresaw something like this. He said the Heartwood would react if the Echo inside Aeryn was awakened too rapidly."
Aeryn exhaled. "So this is because of me."
Kaela gently bumped his arm. "Not in a bad way."
Eloria added, "This reaction is neutral. It can become good or bad depending on how you stabilize yourself."
Aeryn nodded grimly.
As they stepped onto the Heartwood's main path, Lythrien appeared—this time more hurried than before. His usually calm expression was tense, eyes focused entirely on Aeryn.
"You triggered a resonance that nearly ruptured the Heartwood's core."
Aeryn winced. "Sorry."
Lythrien shook his head quickly. "Do not apologize. You resisted something that should have consumed you. That alone is remarkable."
Kaela crossed her arms. "It nearly took him, though."
Lythrien's eyes softened. "And yet… it didn't."
Lyriel emerged silently from behind him, her expression filled with concern. "Aeryn. Your essence is unstable. We must act before the entity inside you awakens again."
Eloria nodded. "We need immediate containment."
Kaela stiffened. "He's not being locked up."
Lyriel raised a calming hand. "Not contained physically. Stabilized."
Aeryn stepped forward. "What do I need to do?"
Lythrien nodded approvingly. "Follow us."
---
The Silver Vein Chamber
They were led deeper into the Heartwood, through winding stairways and narrow corridors until they reached a chamber unlike anything Aeryn had ever seen.
The walls were alive—veins of silver mana pulsing like streams of light, casting ethereal illumination across the room. In the center lay a circular platform carved with ancient runes.
Lyriel gestured. "This is the Silver Vein Nexus. A place where the forest's consciousness aligns with Echo resonance."
Kaela whispered, "It's beautiful…"
Aeryn stepped onto the platform. The runes glowed instantly, reacting to his presence.
Lythrien's voice grew firm. "Aeryn. Sit. Breathe. Let the forest flow into you."
Aeryn did as instructed, sitting in the center. The Warden's Branch lay across his lap, pulsing with synchronized energy.
The runes brightened.
Mana surged.
The chamber trembled faintly.
Aeryn closed his eyes.
And then—
The voice returned.
"So they wish to tame me."
Aeryn clenched his jaw. "We're stabilizing me. Not you."
The entity chuckled softly.
"You still speak as though we are separate."
"We are."
"We won't be forever."
The Silver Vein pulsed, sending a wave of warmth through his body. The entity hissed, recoiling.
Aeryn forced his thoughts to steady.
The forest's mana wrapped around him like silver threads, weaving into his veins, pulling his consciousness into focus. His heartbeat steadied. His breathing synchronized with the pulse of the Heartwood.
And slowly, painfully, the entity's presence… dimmed.
Its whisper faded.
Its pressure weakened.
Until—
Silence.
Aeryn opened his eyes.
Lythrien exhaled in relief. "The stabilization succeeded."
Kaela ran to him immediately. "Aeryn!"
He smiled tiredly. "I'm here."
Iris let out a long sigh. "Finally."
Eloria nodded. "Good. But this isn't permanent."
Lyriel approached with a serious expression. "Aeryn… that presence inside you is not a simple Echo fragment. It's something far more dangerous."
Aeryn frowned. "What is it?"
Lyriel hesitated. "We don't know."
A heavy silence fell.
But Aeryn felt the truth settle inside him.
The entity wasn't just another presence.
It was part of him.
Something that wasn't supposed to exist.
Something ancient.
Something hungry.
Kaela placed her hand on his shoulder. "We'll face it together."
Aeryn smiled faintly. "Yeah. Together."
But in the back of his mind…
He felt a faint, distant laugh.
As though the entity was simply waiting.
Watching.
Growing.