---
**Heartgrove – Moments Later**
The grove was silent except for the soft rustling of leaves. Yuki stood before the humans, wings slightly unfurled, eyes glowing like twin embers. He was both awe and threat incarnate, but he made no move to attack.
Lumi leaned into Elira, whispering, "On a scale of one to flaming doom, how doomed are we right now?"
Elira swallowed, then stepped forward, holding the spirit-seed in both hands. "We… came seeking knowledge. Not war."
Yuki's gaze shifted to her, the weight of his focus enough to press against her very soul.
**"The forest grants no gifts without reason. Why you?"**
"I… don't know yet," Elira admitted, voice trembling. "But the spirits guided us. And this seed responded to me."
Lumi gave a tiny wave. "Hi. I may have accidentally bonded with a squirrel ghost. Is that bad?"
Yuki's head tilted. "A… squirrel ghost?"
Sylvaeria's laughter echoed from a nearby branch. "She's not joking, by the way."
Yuki huffed through his nostrils. "Why am I not surprised?"
Seris stepped forward slowly. "If you're going to kill us, just do it. I hate waiting."
Yuki blinked at her. "Do all humans respond to awe with aggression?"
"No," Garron said, dragging her back by the collar. "Some of us respond with common sense. Please ignore her. She has a sharp tongue and even sharper trauma."
Yuki's rumbling chest vibrated the air. A sound followed—low, strange… laughter?
Sylvaeria gasped theatrically. "Oh my stars, he *laughed*! Quick, someone write this down. We're witnessing history!"
"Are you always this talkative?" Yuki asked dryly.
"Only when I'm entertained," she replied, spinning mid-air. "Besides, you need to relax. These humans are weird. Not dangerous."
Yuki's gaze returned to Elira. "You say the spirits chose you. Then they must see something I don't yet."
Elira met his eyes. "Will you let us stay?"
A long pause.
**"You may remain… under watch. This forest is changing, and I must know whether you are part of its healing… or its undoing."**
He turned, scales shimmering with spirit-light, and began walking toward the deeper grove.
Lumi gasped. "Wait. He walks away dramatically too? That's *my* thing!"
---
**Later – Forest Edge, Temporary Camp**
The party set up camp beneath enchanted trees. The spirit-seed rested in a bowl of crystal-clear water, pulsing gently. Elira sat nearby, still dazed.
"So," Garron said, chewing on some dry rations, "we didn't die. I call that a win."
Seris grunted. "I still don't trust him."
Lumi raised a brow. "You don't trust anyone with a vocabulary longer than three words."
"And yet I keep *you* around," Seris replied with a smirk.
Elira remained quiet. She stared at the seed, then up at the canopy where stars blinked between leaves.
"He's not what I expected," she whispered.
"Big, terrifying, ancient?" Garron asked.
Elira shook her head. "He's… burdened. Like the whole forest weighs on him."
---
**Meanwhile – Deeper Grove**
Yuki lay coiled around the roots of the Great Tree, eyes half-closed, watching spirit motes drift upward.
"She didn't flinch," he murmured.
Sylvaeria hovered beside him. "No. She met your eyes. That says something."
Yuki nodded slowly. "The forest responds to her. I felt it."
"Then perhaps she's the seed of change," Sylvaeria whispered.
Yuki was silent for a moment. Then, with a rare note of softness:
**"We'll see."**
---