Ren now awake instantly snapped free from his shackles.
With a raw surge of strength he tore the thick root-vine apart — fibers ripping like wet rope. The sudden release sent him plummeting from a great height, 50 to 80 meters down toward the sound of battle down below.
The wind roared in his ears. He realized his mistake too late and tried to block with his hands as he neared the tree line. He hit a thick branch on the way down. The impact cracked the wood and knocked his balance completely. He spun, crashed through the branch, and slammed face-first into the ground.
The landing jarred every bone in his body. Pain exploded through his nose and jaw. Blood filled his mouth. The world spun and tilted.
Bjorn heard the crash. He looked back while blocking the dead puppets that were grabbing at him, breaking the roots that lashed toward his legs. In the dark, it took a moment to make out the shape that had fallen. When he got closer, he realized who it was.
"Ren!!"
Ren lifted his head, kind of dizzy. He looked toward Bjorn. The situation felt familiar — too familiar. The memory rose and filled his vision : the very same " hall of nightmares" that Lucius used back at the fortress, Bjorn in the same position as Shin had been, yelling his name. But it wasn't that alone that reminded him.
It was the corpses.
The same ones he had seen before, they were identical — rotten, naked flesh burned into his mind even though he had tried not to remember them. Ren just stared at them, wondering how it was possible.
Then he looked up and saw Peter dangling unconscious, hanging captured by those root vines like a broken doll.
Peter's words flowed back as if he were hearing them directly:
"Lucius's Manifest lets him project memories into the real world. But only memories."
Ren realized Lucius might have been here before — that explained the dead running. But he couldn't think further as Bjorn's voice cut through his thoughts, yelling at him.
Ren instantly shook his head, regaining his senses.
He sprinted toward Bjorn.
Bjorn blocked a corpse's punch and swung his hammer full force, throwing the body far away toward the others. He instantly rolled as a root launched at him and lodged into the ground, missing him by inches. Another root aimed for his head — he grabbed it, quickly snapped its pointy end, and hurled the broken piece aside. More corpses rushed toward him.
Bjorn was gasping for air, looking tired. He continued to channel Akrion through his body in defense, hammer raised and ready to strike again.
The corpses reached him — but Ren showed up, jumping from above and delivering a punch to the head of one. The impact sent it crashing to the ground and knocked the others back with sheer force.
Ren stood on top of the fallen corpse, looking down at his hands — as if thankful for his strength.
Bjorn saw him and threw the gauntlets toward Ren.
"What took you so long to wake up?"
Ren caught them and put them on. He smashed his fists together.
Bjorn got up and stood next to him.
Bjorn asked,
"How's your head?"
Ren got confused by the question and scratched his head.
Bjorn grinned.
"Nvm. You take care of those root vines. I'll take care of these dead folks."
He lifted his hammer.
"I can handle those damn roots — they can sense Akrion."
Ren nodded. Then he lifted his hand, pointing up at the massive tree.
"Our target is that tree and the one controlling it. If we manage to push through, we can free everyone."
Bjorn extended the Akrion flow to his weapon, coating it in a deep red glow. Then he charged at the corpses full speed and swung. The hammer hit the first body, throwing it against the others like a battering ram. He quickly jumped while increasing his Akrion flow and pressurizing it on the hammer face. With full strength from above, he landed the blow on the knocked corpses lying there. The sheer impact force squeezed the rotten flesh along with the ground beneath them, caving it in as the shockwave matched an explosion glowing red.
Meanwhile, Ren was blocking each root vine targeting Bjorn from a distance. He grabbed one and used it to disable the others, then delivered a strong punch that broke the fibers within them. Yet more kept emerging from the ground.
Ren heard the sound made by Bjorn's attack and looked back. He saw Bjorn standing in a big crater with small pieces of flesh near him. He looked toward the tree and saw more roots, but realized there were no roots near the tree itself.
He called to Bjorn, yelling:
"Bjorn! We need to reach the foot of the tree fast!"
Bjorn jumped out of the crater and ran toward him.
"Ren!"
"The roots aren't targeting you," Bjorn said, lifting his hammer and pointing up. "Instead, you should aim up quickly."
Ren looked up. He saw Shin up there wriggling and fighting his restraints, as if he was awake because he was shaking and fighting the roots around him.
Bjorn said:
"If he keeps unleashing that much Akrion further, he will die."
Ren confirmed his suspicion. He ran toward Bjorn full force, yelling:
"Throw me up!"
As he jumped and turned mid-air, his feet facing Bjorn, Bjorn swung precisely against Ren's feet and launched him up toward the tree branches.
But Ren missed them and went above. He witnessed the amount of people hanging up there while passing through, but what caught his attention was the boy standing on a branch — eyes glowing red and smiling.
Ren looked up, stretching his arms as he slowed down. He knew if he didn't grab onto something he would fall again and couldn't withstand another fall. The massive tree's main branches were too wide. He needed to aim for the smaller ones.
He missed the first. Broke the second. He reached the next one but it was too far. He extended his arm further and swung, and managed to pierce the bark thanks to the gauntlet fingers being pointy and sharp. He swung his body back and forth and climbed the branch.
Ren looked down and barely could see Bjorn. He was back fighting the roots as he rushed toward the tree. Ren understood he didn't have time to waste. He ran and tried to descend lower to reach where the people were hanging.
He landed on a main branch which was wider than a wagon. He ran full speed inward toward the trunk. He looked around, fascinated — not by the size of it, but by how much it had grown compared to Tamara's memories of it.
Ren suddenly stopped.
Orrin stood at the path's end.
Ren hesitated, but once Orrin smiled he realized the best sympathy he could give this child was death. He charged full speed at Orrin. He swung with lethal intent. The punch landed, but he was surprised by the impact. It didn't feel right as he approached Orrin's body and where the hit landed.
It was made of small tree roots and branches intertwined in the shape of a small kid. It was a puppet of some sort.
He looked around again, seeking the glow of his eyes. Orrin was standing on another branch.
Ren didn't bother going after him and focused on descending.
Moments after, he reached the same height where the victims were hanging unconscious. The roots began from the ground below. Some stretched along the trunk and twisted around the branches. Lower ones stood straight from the ground like snakes. One thing in common: each held a mindless person. Some held in various positions and in different restraint patterns. Some roots stretched on the victims' spines and heads. Some twisted around the victims' torsos. Some enveloped them completely like cocoons.
Ren focused on Shin as he approached him through the branches. Shin's neck veins were about to burst. He was shaking, wriggling, and resisting. Through white eyes like a blind person's, and how he clenched, he showed a state of pain.
Ren walked slowly so he wouldn't trip the root running around the branch. He grabbed Shin and tried to pull him up, but realized it was a bad idea. He called to Bjorn below:
"Bjorn!! I'm gonna drop Shin — can you catch him?"
Ren pulled the roots loose from the branch and started lowering Shin as if it was a rope. Bjorn below was waiting and still pushing the roots, swinging and looking up.
Shin was halfway down. Bjorn saw a movement behind Ren.
"Ren! Behind you!"
Ren turned behind him, upward, and saw a woman held by the root vines through the head and back, limbs free. He slowly slowed Shin's descent as he stared. She extended her arm, pointing at him. Suddenly a blinding flash of light shined through it.
Ren instantly let go, covering his eyes. Bjorn barely could see — the light was too bright. He only saw Shin drop at great speed. He instantly jumped several meters in the air and managed to catch Shin, but as soon as he landed the root pulled Shin back. Bjorn grabbed him close to his chest and the root vine kept pulling them both. He spun, swinging his hammer, breaking it, and retreated holding Shin.
After the link broke, Shin's eyes glowed red and returned to normal as the white faded.
Shin blinked slowly. All he saw was Bjorn's face looking forward, sprinting.
"Bjorn? What's going on?"
Bjorn replied:
"Don't worry, captain. I got you."
As he carried him in a cradle-hold toward the forest.