The forest shook as the Snake Tree revealed its heart.
Roots tore free from the ground in violent arcs, smashing stones to dust. Branches whipped through the air like living blades, carving grooves into nearby trunks. The faint green glow of the core pulsed deep within the tangled mass at the center, each pulse sending ripples through the soil beneath their feet.
Anna did not hesitate.
She stepped forward, planting her spear firmly into the earth, shoulders squared, eyes locked on the towering trunk. The moment she moved, the Snake Tree reacted—branches snapping toward her with furious speed, roots coiling upward in an attempt to bind her legs.
"David!" she shouted without turning. "When I draw its attention—go! Don't look back!"
David's heart slammed against his ribs.
"Mom—"
"Now!"
Anna surged forward.
She pulled the spear free and launched herself into the monster's range, spinning and striking in rapid succession. Her movements were sharp and economical, every attack designed not to kill but to provoke. She stabbed deep into the bark, twisted, and tore free, sending vibrations through the trunk.
The Snake Tree responded instantly.
A storm of branches descended upon her position.
Anna ducked, rolled, and slid across the forest floor, her spear flashing as she severed or deflected strikes that would have crushed bone. A thick root wrapped around her waist, lifting her briefly off the ground before she drove the spear's butt into it, channeling energy with a harsh grunt. The root cracked and recoiled, flinging her backward.
She landed hard—but upright.
"Focus on me," she muttered, slamming the spear into the trunk again.
The Snake Tree did focus on her.
Its branches shifted, angling inward. Roots withdrew from David's side, redirecting toward the more immediate threat. The ground beneath Anna churned as the monster attempted to swallow her whole.
That was the opening.
David moved.
He didn't shout. He didn't hesitate.
He ran.
Every lesson Anna had drilled into him surged forward at once—footwork, timing, angles, restraint. He kept low, weaving between snapping branches, stepping where roots had just withdrawn. His blade stayed close to his body, conserving strength, waiting.
The core pulsed brighter as he approached.
That's it, he thought. That's everything.
A branch lashed toward his head.
David ducked and slid, feeling bark scrape his hair. Another strike came from the side—he deflected it, using the momentum to spin forward, boots digging into the soft earth.
He was close now.
Too close.
The Snake Tree sensed him.
With terrifying speed, a massive root erupted from the ground directly beneath David, slamming into his side. Pain exploded through his ribs as he was flung several meters away, crashing hard against a tree trunk.
The impact drove the breath from his lungs.
Stars burst behind his eyes.
For a heartbeat, the world spun.
"David!" Anna's voice cut through the chaos, sharp with fear.
David tried to stand.
Pain screamed in protest.
His left side burned fiercely, each breath sending fresh agony through his chest. He pressed a trembling hand against his ribs and felt warmth—blood seeping through torn fabric.
The Snake Tree did not wait.
Branches converged, closing in like a cage.
Anna broke from her position instantly, abandoning her assault to rush toward him. She cut through two branches, then a third—but the monster surged harder, enraged now, roots bursting upward to block her path.
"Get up!" she shouted. "David, get up!"
David forced air into his lungs.
Move.
He rolled aside just as a branch smashed down where he had lain. Bark exploded into splinters. The shockwave rattled his bones.
He pushed himself to his knees.
Pain roared.
Fear clawed at him.
But beneath it—something else burned.
If I fall now… she dies.
The thought was cold. Clear.
David clenched his teeth and stood.
The Snake Tree struck again.
A branch whipped toward his chest, faster than before.
He reacted on instinct.
Instead of retreating, he stepped into the strike.
The branch grazed his shoulder, tearing flesh, but his blade was already moving—sliding along the bark, following the curve, redirecting its force. He twisted his body and used the branch's momentum to propel himself forward.
Straight toward the core.
The monster roared silently, roots surging in desperation.
Too slow.
David leapt.
For a brief, weightless instant, the world narrowed to a single point of glowing green light.
He drove his blade forward with everything he had left.
The steel pierced through tangled roots and sank into the core.
The reaction was immediate.
A violent surge of energy exploded outward, throwing David backward as the core shattered into fragments of fading light. The forest screamed—trees groaning, roots thrashing wildly—then fell silent all at once.
The Snake Tree collapsed.
Branches dropped lifelessly to the ground. Roots shriveled and retracted into the soil like dead serpents.
David hit the ground hard and slid several feet before stopping.
Silence followed.
Heavy. Unreal.
For a moment, he lay there, staring at the dark canopy above, chest heaving. Then—slowly—he realized something.
He was breathing.
He released a long, trembling breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.
"David!"
Anna was at his side in seconds, dropping to her knees beside him. Her hands moved quickly, checking his ribs, shoulders, arms. Her face was pale beneath the grime, eyes sharp with worry.
"Where are you hurt?" she demanded. "Answer me."
"My… side," David managed, wincing. "But—it's not deep."
She pressed gently near his ribs. David hissed but shook his head.
"Cracked, maybe bruised," she said, relief flickering across her features. "No puncture. No internal bleeding I can feel."
She met his eyes. "You scared me."
David forced a weak smile. "Sorry."
She exhaled sharply and rested her forehead against his for a brief second—then pulled back, already moving.
"Stay still," she ordered. "I'll finish this."
Anna stood and approached the fallen trunk.
The Snake Tree lay split open, its core chamber shattered, faint wisps of green energy dissipating into the night. She knelt and reached deep into the tangled roots, fingers searching carefully.
Then she found it.
A Tier Two Snake Tree Core—smaller than expected, cracked along one edge, but still glowing faintly with contained power.
Anna pulled it free and turned back immediately.
She placed it into David's hands without hesitation.
"Take it," she said. "You earned it."
The moment the core touched his skin, warmth spread through him, gentle but insistent. His dantian stirred painfully, like a closed door being pushed from the other side.
David's fingers tightened around it.
"I thought…" he began, then stopped. "I thought I was too slow."
Anna shook her head. "You were fast enough when it mattered."
She helped him sit up, supporting his back as he steadied his breathing.
"You trusted your instincts," she continued. "That's more important than speed."
David looked at the shattered remains of the Snake Tree, then back at the glowing core in his hands.
For the first time, the fear that had followed him since childhood loosened its grip.
He had stepped forward.
He had chosen to fight.
And the world—cruel as it was—had not crushed him for it.
"Let's go home," Anna said softly.
David nodded.
They rose together, mother and son, leaving behind the corpse of a Tier Two monster—and carrying with them a fragile, glowing hope that might finally change their fate.