CHAPTER 51 — When the Forest Bleeds
The night refused to end.
Even after Korran was driven back, even after the uproar of molten monsters scattered into the blackness, the forest remained tense—breathing hard, like a living creature wounded but refusing to fall. Every tree groaned. Every root trembled. The Ironroot was alive, yes… but it was hurting.
Kieran felt it in his bones.
He walked slowly through the dying embers of the battle, the Shadowblade by his side, both of them wading through ash, molten cracks, and the torn remnants of roots. The air reeked of smoke and burnt sap, thick enough to choke.
"Something's wrong," the Shadowblade whispered, kneeling beside a root blackened by fire.
Kieran nodded, jaw clenched. "Korran pushed the Ironroot too hard. This isn't just burning—he infected it."
The Shadowblade's eyes narrowed. "Infected?"
Before Kieran could answer, a low rumble shook the ground. Birds scattered. Leaves shivered violently. Roots twisted upward like snakes caught in agony.
The forest was in pain.
A glowing fissure suddenly tore open across the forest floor, molten energy pulsing like a heartbeat.
Kieran grabbed the Shadowblade's arm and yanked them back as fire erupted from the fissure.
Then he heard it—Korran's voice echoing faintly through the molten cracks.
"You cannot kill molten divinity, boy… I am beneath your feet. I am in your trees. I am in your shadows."
Kieran spat. "He merged with the molten bedrock."
The Shadowblade stood, blades drawn. "Then we must—"
But that was when the first sign of Korran's corruption appeared.
A tree beside them split open from the inside.
Dark sap spilled like oil. Branches contorted into claws. Eyes—burning cracks of molten orange—opened across its bark.
The Ironroot had been infected.
And now it began turning against itself.
The creature roared, a sound of wood snapping mixed with the hiss of molten stone. Black branches shot toward Kieran, slashing like spears.
Kieran rolled aside, summoning the forest's energy—but it resisted. Not because it refused to obey, but because it was confused, writhing under Korran's corruption.
The forest was fighting itself.
"Kieran!" the Shadowblade shouted, cutting through a corrupted branch. "If the infection spreads—"
"It'll destroy the entire Ironroot…" Kieran finished breathlessly.
And without the Ironroot, he would lose everything.
His power.
His bond.
His purpose.
Another tree-mutant lunged from behind, tendrils of molten sap whipping outward.
"BACK!" Kieran roared.
He slammed his palm on the ground. The good roots beneath him responded immediately, surging upward like a barrier, shielding the two of them. But they struggled, cracks spreading across their bark.
The corruption was spreading faster than the forest could heal.
The Shadowblade dodged another molten strike and shouted, "If Korran's body was destroyed, how is he still—"
"He never died," Kieran growled. "Korran is a Titanbound. They're born of the earth's core itself. His body was only a shell…"
"And now he's inside the forest?"
Kieran nodded grimly. "He's trying to turn the Ironroot into his throne."
Before they could say more, the ground exploded as a gigantic corrupted root burst upward. Lava dripped from its thorns. Molten veins ran through its bark, pulsing with hatred.
The root swung like a whip.
Kieran blocked with his sword—ironwood energy flared—but the impact sent him flying into a tree. Pain exploded across his ribs.
"KIERAN!" Shadowblade dashed toward him.
He raised a hand. "Stay… behind me." His breath shook. "The forest is confused. It doesn't know friend from foe."
"But you can control it—"
"No." His voice was hollow. "I can't."
Because Korran was fighting him from within the Ironroot's own veins.
Dark roots erupted, forming a ring around them, trapping them. Shadows twisted in pain, unable to attack without hurting themselves. Even the air smelled wrong—burnt sap and molten sulfur.
The corrupted trees stalked closer.
"Kieran," Shadowblade said softly, blades drawn. "There's too many."
Kieran exhaled shakily. "Then I'll make them remember me."
He pressed his hand to the ground.
"IRONROOT… REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE!"
A shockwave of green-black energy pulsed outward, rippling across the ground. The corrupted roots froze—some trembling, some retreating—but several resisted violently.
Korran's laughter echoed through the forest, twisting the air.
"You cannot cleanse what I HAVE CLAIMED!"
A corrupted trunk slammed into Kieran, flinging him across the clearing. He crashed into a stone pillar, coughing blood.
"KIERAN!" Shadowblade rushed toward him—
—and a corrupted branch wrapped around their waist, lifting them into the air.
They struggled, slicing at the molten bark—but the branch tightened, cracking Shadowblade's ribs.
Kieran rose slowly, wiping blood off his lips, eyes burning.
"Let them go."
Korran's voice slithered through the trees.
"No."
Shadowblade choked, coughing blood. "K-Kieran… it's okay—"
"NO!" Kieran roared.
He summoned the Ironroot.
This time, it answered fully.
The ground beneath him erupted with green-black light. Roots surged upward, spiraling around his body like armor. Shadows wrapped around his arms like living gauntlets.
Kieran's heartbeat merged with the forest's.
The corrupted roots trembled.
"Korran… you don't control this forest," Kieran snarled, sword igniting with Ironroot essence.
"You corrupt it."
And corruption can be cut away.
With a roar, he dashed forward—faster than shadow, faster than wind. His blade tore through molten branches, severing them clean. Sap and lava sprayed across the clearing.
Shadowblade fell, gasping for air. Kieran caught them before they hit the ground, gently lowering them.
"You're safe," he whispered.
"Not… yet…" they muttered weakly, pointing.
The corrupted roots pulled together, fusing into a monstrous form—a towering creature of blackened bark and molten veins, four arms, glowing fissures, and a face that resembled Korran's molten skull.
The Molten Root Titan.
Korran's voice boomed through it:
"YOU CANNOT SAVE YOUR FOREST. YOU CANNOT SAVE YOURSELF. AND YOU CANNOT SAVE THEM!"
The monster charged.
Kieran planted his feet and raised his sword, Ironroot energy crackling like lightning.
But the Titan's first strike shattered the ground beneath him, launching him backwards. His back slammed into a tree, breath torn from his lungs.
"Kieran—" the Shadowblade tried to rise but collapsed again.
Kieran forced himself up. "Stay down. I've got this."
The Molten Root Titan roared, rushing forward again, fists blazing red.
Kieran met the attack head-on.
Roots surged at his command.
Shadows hardened into shields.
But the Titan's molten fists smashed through everything.
His shadow shield shattered.
His root armor splintered.
His chest exploded with pain as he was hurled across the clearing.
He hit the ground face-first.
The world blurred.
Blood pooled under him.
The forest's heartbeat dimmed.
Shadows trembled, afraid.
And Korran whispered:
"You are nothing but a child wearing the skin of a king."
Kieran's fingers twitched.
No.
He wasn't a king.
He was the forest.
He dragged himself up, coughing blood, vision spinning—but his eyes burned with something new.
Not fear.
Not rage.
Resolve.
He sucked in a breath and slammed both palms into the ground.
"IRONROOT—ALL OF YOU—WITH ME!"
The forest answered with a scream.
Pure Ironroot energy erupted outward—green, black, ancient, alive. Roots surged and wrapped around the Titan's limbs. Shadows stabbed into molten cracks. The earth split open, swallowing the monster's legs.
Korran's voice roared in desperation:
"YOU CANNOT HOLD ME!"
"I CAN," Kieran whispered through blood, "because the forest chose me."
He lifted his sword.
Ironroot essence flooded into it until the blade blazed like a star of green and obsidian.
With a final roar, Kieran charged, leaping high, sword raised overhead.
The Titan tried to break free—
—but it was too late.
Kieran brought the blade down.
A shockwave tore the clearing apart.
Light exploded.
Molten bark split.
Korran screamed.
The Titan shattered—splitting into a thousand burning fragments.
And silence fell.
Kieran collapsed to his knees, panting, soaked in sap and blood. The forest shuddered in relief. Shadows curled around him protectively.
The Shadowblade limped over, holding their ribs, managing a weak smirk.
"You… win ugly."
Kieran laughed weakly. "Winning is enough."
But even as the forest began to heal…
Korran's voice whispered from deep underground:
"This is far from over. I am not defeated. I am only beginning…"
Kieran's smile faded.
The real war had only just started.