They went and followed the paths deep inside the earth. The pathway grew narrower and absolutely was ranked under overgrowth and fog. They did not walk long before they came across one-half natural, half-carved tunnel slanting down under the forest floor.
The air cooled as they went in, the lanterns flickering against damp walls covered in more glyphs. The whispers floated into the darkness but it was not in words, rather feelings: fear, grief, longing.
Ren said, "These walls...they feel alive."
Yumi just nodded and ran her fingers over a glyph. 'They're not just decoration. They're memories. Locked away.
The heart of the hollow found them rocky and ancient-altered by sky. On it sat a mask-plain and cracked but vibrating in a strange energy. Yumi reached for it, and just as her fingers brushed its surface, the room exploded in light.
There were explosions of images showing a village laughing, weeping, partying. Then silence. Then darkness.
Earlier, Ren would flinch and say, "It's the forest's memory."
And out of the shadow, the same golden-eyed remnant raised its voice, echoing around the chamber. "Through pain, this place remembers. Will you give it yours?"
Yumi did not waste any time. She left the shard they had carried with her on the altar.
That mask absorbed the shred of light, and then for a heartbeat, Hollow breathed.
The glyphs pulsed. The roots trembled. And then for the first time in decades, a breeze crossed the tunnel.
Life.
[QUEST COMPLETE: Enter the First Hollow] Reward: Forest Heart Restored. New Quest: Trace the Memory Vein.
They exchanged glances.
Whatever had been awakened was only the beginning.