The emerald light swallowed them whole.
For a moment, there was only silence—no roots, no cavern, no shadows—only an endless sea of green, shimmering like the breath of the forest itself.
Then, the ground re-formed beneath their feet. They stood on a vast plain of glowing moss, where towering trees rose higher than sight, their leaves burning like emerald fire. Streams of light coursed through the trunks, flowing upward to vanish into a sky that pulsed like a living heart.
Prava staggered slightly, her senses overwhelmed. "This… this is not just a place. It feels like… we're inside the forest's soul."
Allara nodded, her eyes narrowing. "You are not wrong. This is the heart beyond the roots—the inner sanctum. Few have ever stood here."
A voice rolled across the expanse, deeper than thunder yet gentle as rainfall:
"Welcome, heirs of memory."
From the center of the plain, a vast shape rose—neither tree nor spirit, but something between. Its form shifted with every heartbeat, now a serpent of light, now a woman robed in leaves, now a figure cloaked in shadow.
Prava's breath caught. "Who… who are you?"
The being's voice echoed, layered with countless tones.
"I am what remains when memory and destiny entwine. I am the Guardian of the Forest's Heart. And you, Prava, carry the echo of what was lost."
The words struck deep, sending shivers down her spine. She remembered the woman from the stream, the flames, the promise. It was all connected.
Rafael stepped forward, his hand near his blade though his voice stayed calm. "If she carries this 'echo,' then what do you want of her?"
The Guardian's form steadied into that of the woman made of leaves.
"She must choose. To embrace the past self, or to sever it. Either path will shape not only her fate, but the forest's survival."
The moss beneath their feet brightened, splitting into two paths: one glowing with a golden light, the other shrouded in silver mist. Both stretched into infinity.
Prava's heart thundered. Her friends turned toward her—Rafael steady, Allara unyielding—but the choice was hers alone.
For the first time, she did not tremble. She raised her head, eyes fixed on the paths.
"I… will decide. Not as who I was, but as who I am now."
The Guardian inclined her head, and the plain itself seemed to bow in silent recognition.