Days, or perhaps weeks, passed in the portal realm — time moved strangely here, bending with the energy of the tree and the shimmering mist that never truly lifted. Renkai stayed close, moving with quiet caution and curiosity, observing Liralis as she tended to the glowing bark, murmured softly over symbols etched into the ground, and manipulated the streams of elemental energy around her.
Sometimes, she performed rituals so intricate and subtle that Renkai could not comprehend them at all. She would trace patterns in the air, and faint streaks of light would follow her hands, converging into shapes that seemed almost alive. At times, she whispered words in a tongue that resonated like wind through stone, and the tree would pulse in response, its glow shifting in color and intensity.
