Jaswant sighed deeply.
"Rest in peace—"
But before he could finish, the ground trembled.
Roots tore free.
Something massive was awakening below.
---
A blinding red light burst from a giant tree at the forest's heart.
Unlike the others, its trunk was slick with blood — and in its center, an eye opened.
"Do not awaken me… bearer…" a deep, rasping voice thundered through the forest.
Jaswant stumbled back in fear —
But before he could retreat, sharp vines erupted from the soil, wrapping around his legs.
Thorns pierced deep into his flesh; he screamed in agony as the vines tightened.
"What are you?" he gasped.
"I am what remains unhealed…
I am the Heart of the Withered Grove! (Demonic tree)"
The voice roared, shaking the earth.
[Emergency Alert: Unknown Entity 'Heart of the Withered Grove' — Active.]
[Mission Updated — Flee or Purify.]
[Sub–Quest: 3rd has been activated ]
(
Hearing that, Jaswant cursed aloud,
"Oh, now you tell me to run? You couldn't say that earlier? If I ever meet whoever made this damned System, I'll deal with them before this cursed tree!"
He took a deep breath. Fear no longer held him — he had activated all his Essences earlier that day.
Summoning the Essence of Courage, he crushed the remnants of fear within.
Power surged through his veins, glowing green.
"So this is the true test…" he muttered.
He formed another sigil and raised his hand —
"Santāna — Vow of Life!"
"Restorative Energy — Activate!"
The ground split apart.
From within rose radiant green roots that lunged toward the blood-soaked tree now consuming the forest.
The sky turned crimson.
Ash filled the air.
And for the first time, Jaswant understood — Amravati's power could both create and destroy.
---
Just as his attack neared the demonic tree, a surge of red vines snatched his legs and hurled him backward.
He crashed against a dead trunk, his spell breaking midair.
Before he could recover, the dimension itself shuddered.
Venomous vines exploded from the soil, impaling the ground around him.
Jaswant threw up a hasty green shield — but the vines shattered it instantly, flinging him across the field.
He coughed blood; his body was battered and bleeding.
He lay on the ground, barely moving — his body screaming in pain, his strength fading.
The monstrous tree laughed, its voice echoing through the dead forest.
"What's wrong, bearer of the Santāna Tree?
Was that all your strength? Did you truly believe you could purify me with such feeble power?"
"Now… prepare to die. Even heaven must know that its future guardian perished here — so none shall dare return!"
The tree's cruel laughter filled the air.
Jaswant lay motionless, his consciousness slipping away — until a deep blue light enveloped him, lifting him into the air.
His eyes were shut, his breathing weak.
System announced:
Red Alert —
[Consciousness loss in 3 seconds.]
[Consciousness loss in 2 seconds.]
[Consciousness loss in 1 second]
Before the final alert, Jaswant already lost consciousness.
The blue energy around him burned everything it touched — the poisonous stench turned to steam and vanished.
The sheer heat of his aura scorched the air itself.
Even the demonic tree hesitated, sensing the terrifying surge of divine power.
But it recovered quickly, roaring in defiance and launching another devastating strike.
Its corrupted energy swept across the forest, decaying everything in its path.
Yet, when it reached Jaswant, the blue flames around him exploded outward, consuming the attack — and the energy vanished into nothing.
The tree froze.
"No… impossible! This power… it's yours, but it isn't yours! What have you hidden, bearer of Santāna?!"
While the tree raged in confusion, Jaswant — still unconscious — raised his hand, forming a glowing seal.
A brilliant green light erupted, blindingly bright, flooding the forest with divine energy.
As the light spread, agonized screams rose from the surrounding trees.
Then, slowly, silence.
The poisonous air cleared.
After half an hour, the once-bloody forest had turned lush and green again.
The demonic tree's aura faded; its crimson eye turned white.
Finally, the purified energy drifted back toward Jaswant, merging with the Santāna mark on his left palm.
[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully completed your 3rd Quest.]
All the surrounding energy flowed into him, and his body fell toward the ground —
but gentle green vines rose, catching him softly and laying him down.
The forest itself seemed to thank him.
After thousands of years of darkness and torment, the souls of the Withered Grove finally saw the light — through the hands of a single young man.
---
As the air settled, the dust slowly began to fade.
The rustling of the forest returned once more —
but now, there was something different in it —
a calm, sacred rhythm, like the heartbeat of life itself.
Jaswant lay upon the green grass,
his breathing steady again.
The wounds that had moments ago felt fatal
were now glowing faintly with a soft green light,
healing themselves slowly.
From the branches above, luminous droplets dripped down —
as if the forest itself was blessing him.
Gradually, he opened his eyes.
All around was silence —
yet within that silence was a strange presence,
something beyond understanding.
"Thank you, bearer…"
The voice startled Jaswant. He looked around, searching for its source.
But as he focused, he realized —
the voice hadn't come from outside;
it was echoing within him.
"Who…?" he whispered softly.
Then the air before him trembled, and a misty green aura gathered,
forming into the shape of a woman —
her body woven from leaves and vines,
her eyes filled with infinite serenity.
"I am the spirit of Santāna,"
she spoke, "the tree that gave birth to life itself."
Jaswant stared in silence,
awe and reverence swirling inside him.
"What you did here was not merely salvation,"
the spirit said, "you have rekindled the Flow."
"The Flow?" Jaswant asked.
"Yes — the Five Flows of Amravati —
five trees, five breaths,
that once formed the foundation of creation itself.
Santāna is one of them —
the heart of the flow that once pulsed with the stream of creation.
But the others remain silent…
for their balance has been broken."
She stepped closer —
and at her touch, the green mark on Jaswant's palm began to shine.
"This mark is not just a blessing now —
it is a burden of duty.
Your next journey will take you
to the place where creation and destruction meet."
Jaswant took a deep breath.
"You mean… the next tree?"
The spirit nodded.
"Yes. You must now go to the Forest of Harichandana —
where even time itself stands still."
With those words, her form turned into a beam of light
and merged back into the mark of Santāna.
After the spirit of the Santāna tree departed, Jaswant took a deep breath.
A strange calm descended upon him — as if the entire forest had exhaled with him.
He lay beneath a tree for a while, the cool earth and the gentle rustling of leaves soothing his thoughts.
The lingering warmth of the spirit slowly faded, replaced by a deep, steady quiet.
When he finally rose, his mind felt a little heavier, yet much clearer than before.
After giving the tree one last glance, he brushed the dust off his clothes, composed himself, and began walking back home — the path now familiar, yet somehow changed because of what he had experienced.