"What are you?" Elara demanded, forcing her fear into stillness.
"We are what your kingdom buried."
The roots parted.
She saw bones.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Ancient armor. Rusted swords. Crowns swallowed by time.
"This forest was once a realm," the being continued. "Your ancestors burned it. Salted the earth. Built their palace atop our graves."
Elara's breath thinned.
"That was centuries ago."
"To roots, centuries are moments."
The creature leaned closer.
Sap — dark as blood — dripped from its ribs.
"We rose."