---
**Moments Later – Ancient Grove**
Yuki stepped ahead, muscles tense beneath his shimmering scales. The scent of the fading presence still lingered—burnt cedar and something older, like bone dust soaked in spirit essence.
"That wasn't just a projection," he said, eyes scanning the space. "It was real."
Sylvaeria hovered above the grove, her form shimmering as she extended her senses. "It wasn't entirely present either. A fractured soul? Or a sealed memory, still half-asleep…"
Elira squinted toward the monolith. "Is it bad that I'm getting 'evil forest god returning to eat the world' vibes?"
Yuki muttered, "That's the *optimistic* reading."
The runes on the monolith pulsed faintly, reacting to Elira's presence. Sylvaeria turned sharply.
"…It's attuning to her."
Elira raised her hands. "Wait, wait, wait—why *me*? I didn't sign any soul contracts. I didn't touch the creepy wood thing. I just walked in!"
Yuki snorted. "You're the one who keeps picking up flowers, communing with spirits, and wandering toward cursed glows. Maybe the forest thinks you're into this sort of thing."
"I *like nature*! Not haunted necro-shrubs!"
---
**Meanwhile – Nearby Canopy Watchpoint**
Kael was moving fast. He and Lumi had picked up Elira's trail—not difficult with how heavily the spiritual energy bent around it. Birds avoided the path. The wind didn't blow there.
"Do you feel that?" Lumi asked.
"Yeah," Kael replied, hand on his blade. "It's like we're being pulled forward and warned away at the same time."
"Like being invited to a cursed tea party."
Kael smirked. "Let's hope Elira didn't drink the ghost tea."
---
**Back in the Grove**
Yuki stepped close to the monolith. As his claw hovered above one of the sigils, a flicker of flame rose from the stone—pale gold and almost transparent.
A voice whispered from it:
**"O Flame Without Form… Keeper of Balance… Heed Us."**
Yuki's eyes widened. "That's… Draconic. *Old* Draconic."
Sylvaeria gasped. "That language hasn't been spoken in ten thousand years…"
Elira blinked. "Wait, you guys have a *dragon* language? Like, proper words? Not just roars and dramatic thunder?"
Yuki growled. "Of course we do. You think we communicated through interpretive fire-dancing?"
Elira shrugged. "I mean, it would explain a lot."
---
**Suddenly – A Pulse**
The monolith flared.
A ring of spectral fire spread out around them, forming a boundary. From the trees beyond, shadows began to step forward—figures of twisted bark and flickering spirit-light.
Sylvaeria's eyes narrowed. "Flamebound Echoes. These are memories given shape. Guardians."
Yuki moved to shield Elira. "Stay behind me."
But Elira didn't flinch. Something deep inside her stirred—a pulse in her chest, like a second heartbeat. Her eyes shimmered faintly green.
The guardians paused.
Then… knelt.
Sylvaeria gasped.
"They recognize her."
Yuki didn't lower his guard. "Or they recognize what's *inside* her."
Elira looked between them, bewildered. "Okay, *someone* explain why I suddenly have tree ghosts bowing to me like I'm some kind of fairy queen."
Sylvaeria floated forward, expression grim. "Because something ancient is awakening, and you're not just a guest in this forest anymore."
---
**Final Scene**
As the guardians faded, leaving behind wisps of memory and forgotten words, Yuki turned to the monolith. His gaze burned.
"We need to go deeper," he said. "There's more beneath this grove."
Elira sighed. "Of course there is. Because nothing in this forest has a bottom. Next thing you'll tell me is we're standing on a buried spirit dungeon."
Sylvaeria hesitated.
"…That's not entirely wrong."
Elira facepalmed. "Of course it's not."
---