---
**Glade of the Awakened Stones – Moments Later**
The runes spun faster now, weaving a dome of pale green energy around the trio. Brambles sprouted from the edges of the stone circle—thick vines with thorns as long as daggers, slithering like serpents as the forest's magic awakened.
"Okay, maybe it's not *exactly* a minor node," Lumi said, backing toward Garron. "It might be, like, level four. Or five. Possibly seven."
"You're making that up," Seris snapped, daggers drawn as a vine hissed past her head.
"Of course I am! I have no idea how the forest ranks its own murder-gardens!"
The voice echoed again, calm and ancient:
**"To proceed, offer your truths. Face what you hide… and survive."**
A patch of earth split open. A misty figure rose—faintly humanoid, formed from bark, vine, and glimmering motes of memory.
Lumi blinked. "Is that… a *regret wraith*?"
Garron tensed. "Explain."
"It feeds on unresolved emotions and… um… regrets. It becomes stronger based on how angsty you are!"
Seris stepped back slowly. "So… you're saying it'll get stronger just by being *near* you."
Lumi pouted. "I'm emotionally complex!"
The wraith turned toward them, its form stabilizing—now shaped like a younger Garron, bearing the same armor but cracked and broken, eyes hollow.
Garron's face went still.
---
**Elsewhere – Dragon's Perch**
Yuki and Sylvaeria watched from a spirit-formed window above the glade.
Sylvaeria tilted her head. "Oooh. A memory trial node. Haven't seen one of those in centuries."
"They're still functioning?" Yuki asked, mildly impressed. "I thought the forest had abandoned them."
"Apparently not. It seems our muscled friend is about to have a midlife crisis, live on stage."
Yuki flicked his tail. "How long do you think before the girl explodes something?"
"Three minutes, tops."
---
**Glade – Inside the Dome**
The wraith Garron stepped forward, speaking in a voice like leaves scraping against stone:
**"You never saved me. You never came back."**
Real Garron stood frozen.
Lumi's face fell. "Oh…"
Seris touched his arm. "Garron?"
"…My brother," he finally said, voice low. "The raid. I… I ran."
The wraith surged forward, its body thickening with bramble and grief.
"Nice going!" Lumi yelped. "It just evolved into *brother trauma form*!"
Garron grunted, grounding his stance. "Then I'll face it properly this time."
He charged, shield raised—not to strike, but to *endure*. As the wraith lashed out with thorned vines, he blocked and countered, each strike echoing with resolve rather than anger.
---
**Observation Tree**
Yuki raised a brow. "Impressive. Most break by now."
Sylvaeria nodded. "He's not here for greed. He carries weight. That makes him less predictable… and more interesting."
"Hmm. And the others?"
"Give it a minute."
---
**Trial – Phase Two**
The wraith howled and broke apart into glowing leaves. The dome trembled again.
**"One truth accepted. Two remain."**
This time, a second wraith appeared—smaller, darting, cloaked in shadows.
It shaped itself into a mirror of **Seris**, but her eyes were red, her hands soaked in spectral blood.
She tensed. "That's not me."
"Not anymore," Lumi muttered. "But you've got regrets too."
The real Seris narrowed her eyes. "Fine. Let's get this over with."
---