The trunk opened into a hollow chamber.
The walls were silver bark, pulsing with the same slow heartbeat. Roots hung from the ceiling like veins. The floor was soft, covered in moss that glowed faintly. At the center of the chamber stood the Treant Boss.
It was massive—three times the size of the other Treants. Its bark was dark, almost black. Its tendrils were thick as tree trunks, coiled around its body like sleeping serpents. Its blank face was cracked, and through the cracks, a pale core glowed.
The core pulsed. The heartbeat.
Nathan analyzed with Hunter's Insight. The core was buried deep, protected by layers of bark. Fire would burn through it. Ice would slow it down. But neither would be enough alone.
"Elise, Shiro—you're the key," Nathan said. "Fire and ice. We'll cover you."
Elise nodded. She raised Aurora's Heart. The staff's aurora light pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat. The Frost Golem stood behind her, its crystalline body gleaming in the dim light.
