Chapter 8: Shadows Beneath Glassvale
Riven sat cross-legged under the moonlight, his breathing calm, but his spirit chaotic.
The battle against the sealed beast had left him changed. Not in strength—his cultivation had only grown slightly—but in resonance. Ever since he had activated the Fivefold Binding Array, something within him stirred with purpose.
The five elemental roots in his soul had grown clearer. More vivid.
But now... they whispered.
Not words. Not visions.
Just... pull.
He couldn't explain it. Not to Kara. Not to Yen. Not even to Elysia, whose eyes were too sharp not to notice.
Whatever happened that day—it wasn't over.
The next morning, the team was summoned by Instructor Halden.
They expected praise. Maybe a reward. But what waited in the crystal chamber was something else entirely.
A cold-faced woman in black-red robes stood beside a spirit mirror, her hair streaked with gray, her eyes distant and piercing.
Halden gave no introduction. He simply gestured to the mirror.
Inside, it showed the border region of Glassvale—once a vibrant minor realm known for its spirit-silk trees and wind-forged cliffs.
Now?
Ash.
The trees were pale. The rivers ran still. Even the qi in the air was silent.
Yen's lips parted. "That's... death. But not rot. The realm's laws aren't broken... they're just gone."
Vera stepped forward, biting her thumb lightly. "Something drained its spirit veins directly."
Elysia's gaze sharpened. "Like a devouring beast?"
"No." Riven's voice was quiet. "Like something waiting."
The woman finally spoke.
"A darkness has touched Glassvale," she said. "Not poison. Not beast. Something older. The Elders believe a seal was broken within its core."
Halden nodded. "And you five are to go investigate."
Fenrik folded his arms. "Us again, huh?"
"You five succeeded where inner disciples failed. Your formation—your bond—is rare."
Riven said nothing. But he felt it too.
Something about their group clicked during that battle.
Five elements. Five wills.
Something deeper than coincidence.
They descended into Glassvale that night.
The teleportation was smooth, but when their feet touched the earth… Riven almost reeled.
It was like stepping into a graveyard of spiritual intent.
No wind. No birds. No rustling of leaves.
Even the ground forgot how to echo.
Kara knelt and brushed her fingers across the soil. "Nothing grows here anymore."
Vera's face twisted in pain. "The qi is too still. Like it's been... silenced."
They moved slowly through the gray woods. The trees weren't dead—but they weren't alive either.
And then, they found the village.
Or what was left of it.
Empty homes. Banners faded by unnatural time. Dried incense on broken altars.
But in the square sat a child.
Eyes glazed. Breathing shallow.
Riven approached. So did Elysia.
She knelt first. "What's your name?"
No answer.
He blinked.
Then turned and looked straight at Riven.
And said:
"The roots are listening."
Then slumped forward into unconsciousness.
They set up camp beside the old shrine.
Yen drew boundary runes while Kara checked the child's pulse.
"He's alive," she said. "But his spirit… it's frayed. Like he's heard voices for too long."
"Spiritual contamination?" Elysia asked.
Vera shook her head. "No. This is deeper. His soul didn't crack. It changed direction."
They all turned toward Riven.
He said nothing.
But within his soul, the Fivefold Tree pulsed again.
One branch—the lightning root—glowed brighter than the others.
That night, Riven sat alone beneath the shrine's willow.
He meditated. But he did not cultivate.
He listened.
And faintly, so faintly he almost thought it imagined, he heard it again—
"The roots are listening."
Not from the world.
From within.