Nyla sat on the edge of her bed, staring down at her trembling hands. Her small room, carved into the bark of an ancient tree home, was quiet, too quiet. The vines that usually swayed gently at the windows now hung limp. A single lantern flickered in the corner, casting long shadows across the wooden floor.
Her necklace, her great-grandmother's, rested against her chest, still firmly warm. It pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat.
She touched it gently.
In a blink, a soft gust stirred through the room, though the windows were shut. Leaves from the potted plants near her desk rustled.
And then light.
A green shimmer rippled from the necklace outward, crawling up her body like ivy. Her simple clothes shifted, thread and fabric melting away, reshaping into something alive. Her sleeves turned into leafy patterns, and her boots were formed from woven bark and moss. Her tunic flowed with vines etched into the seams, glowing faintly with forest runes.
She gasped.
"What is happening to me...?" she whispered.
She stood slowly, and as her bare feet touched down, a swirl of small green sparks danced outward like dewdrops in the moonlight.
Then she heard it.
The voices again. Not loud. Not clear. But there.
"Daughter of Earth... the roots remember..."
They echoed softly in the corners of her mind. Braided with wind, spoken by voices older than time.
Her door creaked open by itself. No footsteps. No wind
Drawn by something unspoken, Nyla stepped carefully to the window.
Her breath caught.
Soaring silently in the moonlit sky was a massive bird, feathers like burning embers streaked with red and bronze. Its wings cut across the clouds with quiet authority, trailing sparks in the air.
The bird circled once, then stopped mid-air, hovering. It turned its head sharply and looked directly at her.
It turned, gliding toward the northern cliffs beyond the village.
Nyla didn't hesitate.
She slipped on her boots, tightened her now green cloak, and sprinted for the door. Down the winding stairs, past the quiet homes, and toward the edge of the world.