Morning in the Hollow was unlike any other. Sunlight filtered through leaves so thick with age they glowed amber-green, and the air carried a hush, not from quiet, but reverence. Ren sat near the ancient tree, staring at the Azure Seed in his palm.
It pulsed gently. Calmer than the other two, as if it didn't seek to dominate or reshape him—but to connect.
System Sync Update
Tri-Seed Framework Initiated
Current Seeds:
— Verdant Seed of Emergence (Growth)
— Ashen Seed of Reclamation (Decay)
— Azure Seed of Resonance (Harmony)
Status: Stable
New Module Unlocked: Seed Network – Passive Awareness Grid
He didn't fully understand what that meant yet, but the Hollow seemed to. As he stood, the trees bent ever so slightly toward him. Not in fear. Not submission. Acknowledgement.
He returned to camp.
Kael was sharpening his axe, though he looked like he hadn't slept. "You're not going to believe this," he said as Ren approached. "Half the forest moved last night. Trees actually shifted their roots."
Ren nodded. "I found the Azure Seed."
Kael raised a brow. "That's three."
"Yeah. And something tells me the others are waking up now."
Kael's face darkened. "Then we better move faster."
Ren turned to the center of the camp. Around the fire sat the core of the Green Wake—Ilis, the Beastkin twins, Marrow the silent shade, and Meka, their young artificer.
Ilis stood. "You've changed."
"I had to," Ren said.
"You'll have to change more."
She gestured, and a large scroll unrolled before them—a map, but not of kingdoms or cities. It charted ley lines, ancient crossings, and the buried scars of the world.
Ilis tapped three points.
"Here. These are the next probable seed chambers. Dormant. But not for long. We've monitored their frequencies since the Cataclysm."
Kael looked over her shoulder. "That one's near the Sunken Spiral. That's fractured terrain. A nightmare to travel."
"And this one," Meka pointed, "it pulses wrong. Like someone's already trying to twist it."
Ren nodded slowly. "Then we split."
"No," Ilis said firmly. "We stay together. You're the only Seedbearer showing full stabilization. If something goes wrong…"
He didn't argue. Not now. The Hollow had already shown how fragile that balance could be.
System Update – Campaign Phase: Echo of the Sixth Root
Regional Missions Unlocked:
Spiral Descent (Eastern Crevasse) – Threat Tier: High
Blightmirror Basin (South Forest) – Threat Tier: Critical
Verdant Vault (North Reach) – Threat Tier: Unknown
Teaming Bonus Enabled
Shared Traits: Echo Resistance / Seed Affinity Boost
Objective: Reclaim or Seal
Ren chose the Spiral first.
It took them two days to reach its edge. The terrain changed from rich soil to cracked stone. Trees grew sideways, and light bent oddly in the mist.
The entrance lay beneath a shattered obelisk, half-buried in glassy dirt.
Kael checked his weapon. "Same plan?"
"No plan," Ren said. "Just keep me alive."
They descended together.
Inside, the Spiral was nothing like the Hollow. The walls were scarred, blackened, as if fire and memory had fused them into obsidian. Every step echoed like a threat.
Then: movement.
From the darkness, a figure emerged—its skin crystalline, eyes glowing red, limbs sharp with bone-like armor.
Entity Identified: Echo Guardian – Corrupted
Origin: Failed Seedbearer
Affliction: Resonance Collapse
Status: Hostile
Adaptive Trait: Memory Mirror – Reflects Recent Combat Patterns
The air turned electric. The creature lunged.
Kael moved to intercept, but the Guardian anticipated. His axe met air. Then the thing struck, not with strength—but perfect mimicry.
Kael fell back, bleeding.
Ren activated the Resonance Trait.
Seed Resonance – Level 1
Effect: Echo Dampening Field – 20% reduced mimicry efficiency
System Note: Target over-adapted. Stability: Fragile.
Ren didn't fight with power. He changed rhythm. Patterns. Breathing.
He attacked like someone unlearning their own moves, until the Guardian stuttered, lagged.
Then it cracked.
With a burst of azure light, the mimic shell shattered, and the being beneath—half-formed, human once—crumbled.
Mission Progress: 34%
Spiral Descent Path Cleared
Seed Chamber In Sight
The chamber pulsed ahead.
Ilis turned to Ren. "You've adapted again."
He looked at his hands. The Azure Seed had fused slightly with his palm, its veins like rivers under his skin.
"I don't think I'm just adapting," he said. "I think the seeds are remembering something through me."
She gave a small nod. "Then whatever comes next—we'll need to remember too."
They entered the next sanctum.
And deep within, the forest watched.