Near the southern border of the Runewood, Elven Queen Elarya stood before a massive, ancient tree unlike any other in the forest.
Its gnarled bark glowed like molten rock, pulsing with a lava-like sheen. Its leaves shimmered a deep, ember-red—flickering like tongues of fire in the wind.
From a distance, the tree looked as though it were ablaze, defying the lush greenery that surrounded it. Not a single plant or tree grew within thirty meters of it; the intense heat radiating from the bark incinerated anything that dared to get close. Only Elarya, with her natural hightened resistance to elemental forces, could stand in its presence without harm.
This was the Emberwood Tree, a forbidden place watched under the strictest secrecy. No elf was allowed to trespass near it. By her decree, it was off-limits—not just because of the searing danger, but because of the secret it held.
