The path after the Whispering Pool was lined with quiet lights. Tiny moths with glowing wings floated through the air, showing Elarien the way. Each step she took felt lighter than the one before, though the ground grew stranger beneath her feet.
The silver wolf walked just ahead, his steps silent.
The cave opened into a round chamber. At the very center grew the largest tree Elarien had ever seen. Its roots curled through the stone floor like rivers. Its trunk stretched high into the earth, vanishing into darkness. The bark shimmered softly, as if starlight was trapped inside it.
Elarien stepped closer.
The tree was not just big. It felt alive.
And asleep.
Its leaves did not rustle. Its branches did not move. But there was something in the air, like the feeling of a held breath.
This is the Heart Tree, the wolf said quietly. It sleeps while the world forgets. But you are here to remind it.
Elarien looked up. A soft hum seemed to rise from the roots.
"How do I wake it?" she asked.
The silver wolf looked at her kindly.
With your truth.
Elarien closed her eyes. She placed both hands on the rough bark. It was cool, but not cold. It felt like touching a memory.
She took a breath.
"I am Elarien," she said softly. "I am my mother's daughter. I carry her song. But I also carry my own."
The tree did not move.
She leaned her head against the trunk.
"I used to be afraid. Of speaking. Of being too small. Too quiet. But I have learned that my voice is not weak. It is growing. And I will not run from it anymore."
A sound echoed through the chamber.
A creak.
A deep, slow sigh, like something waking from a long, gentle sleep.
The leaves above rustled.
A few drifted down, glowing softly. One landed in Elarien's hand.
The bark under her fingers grew warm.
Then the tree began to hum. The sound wasn't loud. It was soft, like a song without words. It moved through the ground, up through her legs, into her chest.
Elarien's eyes shimmered with tears.
The Heart Tree had heard her.
The silver wolf bowed his head.
You have awakened more than roots and branches. You have awakened the old bond.
A soft green light bloomed from the tree. It flowed around Elarien like wind, circling her hands, her heart, her voice.
Then, as suddenly as it began, the light faded.
But something remained.
A small, glowing seed rested in her palm.
"What is it?" she asked, holding it gently.
A gift, said the wolf. The first piece of your power. It will grow as you grow.
Elarien held it close.
The tree returned to its sleep, but now the chamber felt warmer, like it was smiling in its dreams.
Elarien turned toward the next path.
She was no longer just a girl.
She was the beginning of something new.