Night folded itself over the forest like a living creature—slow, deliberate, and ancient. Shadows thickened between the massive trees as Elara followed closely behind Riven, her boots brushing through ferns still damp from the evening mist. The deeper they walked, the quieter everything became, as if the world were holding its breath.
Elara sensed it before she understood it—a soft vibration beneath her feet. A faint, rhythmic thrum pulsing through the earth.
She stopped.
"Riven… do you feel that?"
He halted too, turning just enough for the glow of their small torch to catch the edge of his sharp profile. His hair, tangled and wild from years without civilization, fell into his eyes as he regarded her.
"That's not something you feel with your feet," he said quietly.
"That's the Wild's pulse. The forest's core beating."
Elara swallowed. "Why can I sense it?"
A long pause stretched between them, filled only by the distant drip of moisture from the leaves.
"Because the Wild recognizes you," he answered.
"Just like it recognized me."
Her breath hitched—not in fear, but with a strange spark of connection.
"Are you saying I'm like you?"
His jaw clenched, uncertainty flickering in his normally steady gaze.
"Maybe."
The answer unsettled her… yet thrilled her.
They resumed walking. Tree roots curled across the ground like frozen serpents, and ancient trunks rose above them like columns in a forgotten cathedral. The deeper they ventured, the more alive the air felt—charged, almost humming.
Suddenly, a low growl vibrated from the darkness ahead.
Riven reacted instantly. He stepped in front of Elara, one arm sweeping protectively across her torso as he crouched slightly.
"Stay behind me."
Elara barely had time to breathe before two golden eyes appeared between the thick brush. A huge, bear-like creature lumbered out, its fur matted with moss, its body enormous—larger than any animal she had ever seen.
"Easy…" Riven murmured, but his muscles tensed.
The creature sniffed the air. Its nostrils flared.
It growled again, louder.
Instinctively, Elara reached for Riven's arm.
"What is that thing?"
"Forest guardian," he muttered. "They protect the inner territories. They rarely attack unless—"
The creature snapped its jaws.
"—they sense something unfamiliar."
Elara stiffened. "You mean me."
Riven didn't answer, which was answer enough.
The guardian took a threatening step forward. Elara felt her pulse rising, matching the rhythm of the Wild beneath her feet. The heartbeat in the earth grew louder—almost deafening—until her own breathing synchronized with it.
And then something strange happened.
The guardian hesitated.
Its golden eyes shifted to Elara—not hostile, but curious. Its massive body slowly lowered, its ears flattening as it released a softer, almost questioning rumble.
Riven glanced back at her, stunned.
"What did you just do?"
"I—I don't know," Elara whispered.
"I just… felt something. Like the heartbeat got louder."
The guardian blinked once, snorted, then turned away, disappearing into the darkness without another sound.
The forest exhaled.
Riven stood frozen. "Elara… that shouldn't be possible."
She laughed nervously. "Trust me, I'm just as surprised."
"No." His voice was low, intense. "It means the Wild isn't rejecting you. It's testing you. And you passed."
Before she could respond, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder, grounding her. His touch was warm, steady—comforting.
"Don't be afraid of it," he said softly.
"The Wild doesn't choose often."
Elara swallowed. "Did it choose you?"
His eyes darkened with something she couldn't read.
"It didn't choose me. It claimed me."
They continued walking until they reached a clearing unlike any Elara had seen. The ground was covered in glowing moss, and a massive tree stood at the center—its roots twisted like veins, its trunk pulsating faintly with the same heartbeat she'd felt earlier.
Riven's expression softened with reverence.
"This is the Heartroot. The forest's oldest living being."
Elara took a tentative step closer. The glow intensified beneath her feet, as if reacting to her presence.
"Riven… why bring me here?"
"Because if the Wild truly recognizes you," he said quietly, "this is where we'll know."
The air thickened. Elara placed her palm against the glowing trunk.
Immediately—
A surge of warmth shot through her arm.
Her vision blurred.
She saw flashes—silver rivers, towering cliffs, Riven standing alone in the rain, a pair of unfamiliar hands reaching for him—
Then darkness.
Riven caught her as she stumbled back, gripping her shoulders with surprising gentleness.
"Elara! Elara, breathe."
She gasped as air filled her lungs again.
"I—I saw something. A vision, maybe. I don't know."
Riven's hands remained on her arms, steadying her.
"What did you see?"
Elara met his gaze. "You."
A strange silence fell between them. Riven's grip loosened, but he didn't step away.
"Elara… the forest only shows connections it considers important."
Her heart pounded. "Important?"
He hesitated, the wild confidence in his aura wavering for the first time since she met him.
"Bonded," he corrected quietly.
"People whose paths are meant to intertwine."
She felt herself grow warm.
"I didn't ask for that."
"I didn't either," he whispered.
The glow from the Heartroot illuminated their faces—two figures standing on the edge of something neither fully understood, yet both felt deeply.
Before either could speak again, a loud crack echoed from the trees.
Riven's head snapped toward the sound, his instincts returning instantly.
"That wasn't an animal."
Elara tensed. "Then who?"
He stepped in front of her again, protective and fierce.
"We're not alone. Someone else followed us into the inner forest."
And from the darkness… a human silhouette emerged.
Someone who knew her name.
"Elara?"
Her blood turned cold.