Sylas's POV:
The monster was mid‑lunge.
Aeris saw its jaws open.
Rowan saw its claws spread.
Noctis saw the shadows tear.
And then—
The wind changed.
Not Aeris's wind.
Something older.
Deeper.
Rooted in the bones of the Hollow itself.
A pulse of green‑gold light tore through the clearing, so bright it carved the shadows apart. The air snapped like a breaking branch as vines erupted from the earth in a violent spiral.
They struck the monster mid‑air.
The impact cracked like thunder.
The creature was ripped off its trajectory and slammed into the stone wall with enough force to send dust raining from the cliffside.
Aeris stumbled back, clutching the Oracle tighter. Rowan froze. Noctis's wings flared wide, shadows bristling.
The vines recoiled, snapping back into the ground like serpents.
And someone stepped into the clearing.
He didn't walk.
He arrived — carried by the forest itself.
Leaves curled toward him.
Roots shifted beneath his feet.
The air bent around him like it recognized him.
Tall.
Steady.
Eyes glowing like starlight caught in moss.
Sylas.
The Forest Guardian.
He didn't look at the others.
Not yet.
His gaze locked on the monster as it dragged itself upright, snarling, furious.
"Stay behind me," Sylas said — soft, but carrying the weight of storms.
The creature lunged again.
Sylas lifted one hand.
The ground obeyed.
The earth split open beneath the monster with a deafening crack, roots snapping apart as a gaping maw of soil and stone swallowed the creature whole. It shrieked, claws scraping against the collapsing earth.
Sylas closed his fist.
The ground sealed shut.
Silence.
Aeris's breath caught. Rowan stared. Noctis's shadows flickered in stunned disbelief.
Only then did Sylas turn toward them.
His eyes softened the moment they landed on the Oracle in Aeris's arms — a tenderness so deep it made Aeris instinctively tighten his hold.
Sylas stopped a few steps away, hands raised in peace.
"I won't harm him," he said quietly. "I'm here to help."
Aeris stepped back, wind curling protectively around his ankles. "He's unconscious. He won't wake up."
Noctis moved in closer, shadows coiling possessively. "And we don't know you."
Sylas's expression didn't change — calm, steady, patient. "You don't have to trust me. But he needs aid only I can give."
He glanced at the sealed earth, then at the trembling trees.
"And we can't stay here. The Hollow will send more."
Rowan winced, gripping his side. "Then where do we go?"
Sylas looked toward the deeper forest — toward a place only he seemed to sense.
"There's a refuge not far from here," he said. "Someone waits there who can help all of you."
His gaze returned to the Oracle, softening again.
"But we must move. Now."
Aeris swallowed hard, holding the Oracle closer.
Noctis's wings tightened.
Rowan nodded weakly.
Sylas extended a hand — not to take the Oracle, but to guide them.
"Follow me."