The howl reverberated through the trees like a physical shockwave, rattling the leaves and sending flocks of luminous insects scattering into the sky. Evan felt it in his chest—in his bones—like something ancient was calling for blood.
Lyriana didn't hesitate. "Move!"
She pulled him into a sprint, weaving through the twisting roots and towering trunks. Evan matched her pace, Wildstep guiding his feet where instinct alone would have failed.
"What was that?" he asked, breath sharp.
"Not Warden. Not Shadebound," Lyriana said, scanning the forest as she ran. "Something larger. Something the corruption mutated."
"You sound less calm than usual."
"That is because I am not calm."
"Oh." Evan swallowed. "Good to know."
Branches cracked somewhere behind them. Something was moving—fast.
Lyriana suddenly dragged him behind a root-arch and pressed him low. "Listen."
Evan held his breath.
The forest had gone utterly silent.
Then—A heavy, wet breathing sound echoed through the clearing.
Slow.Labored.Hungry.
Lyriana's hand tightened on his wrist.
"Stay down."
The creature stepped into view.
It was taller than an ogre, hunched, with limbs too long and muscles too taut beneath cracked, bark-like flesh. Branches jutted from its back like broken ribs. Its head resembled a wolf's skull—elongated, cracked, glowing from within with dim, corrupted violet light.
Evan whispered, "What is that?"
Lyriana's voice was barely audible. "A Verdant Guardian… twisted far beyond Shadebinding."
"A guardian? Like the one we saw dead?"
"This one didn't die."Her jaw set."It transformed."
The creature sniffed the air. Its glowing eye-sockets narrowed.
It had caught their scent.
Lyriana reached for an arrow.
Evan grabbed her wrist. "You shoot, it listens. It tracks. We die."
Lyriana's eyes flashed. "Then what do you propose?"
Evan swallowed. "Something stupid."
He rose slowly from behind the root.
Lyriana hissed, "Evan—!"
He lifted a hand—Bloomfire flickering weakly.
The creature's head snapped toward the light.
It roared—charging.
Lyriana leapt from cover—
"Evan!"
The beast hurtled toward him.
Too fast.Too strong.Too close.
He braced.
Lyriana's arm seized his collar—
And she flung him sideways with inhuman strength.
The beast crashed down where he had stood, splintering roots.
Evan hit the ground hard—but alive.
"LYRIANA!"
She was already sprinting circular patterns around the beast, firing arrows with lethal precision. Each shot struck nerves, joints, weak points—slowing, distracting, guiding it away from him.
"GET UP!" she shouted. "MOVE!"
He scrambled to his feet and summoned Bloomfire. The flames felt different now—sharper, more refined, shaped by the Soulpetal.
He thrust both palms forward.
"BLOOMFIRE—BURST!"
A wave of crimson-gold flame erupted outward, arcs of purifying light slicing through drifting corruption.
The beast shrieked, stumbling.
Lyriana leapt over it, blades flashing.
The moment she landed beside Evan, breath heaving, she grabbed his shoulder.
"You are reckless," she said.
"You're welcome."
She glared. But her grip stayed firm.
The beast rose again, shaking off burned bark and shattered bone.
"We need to finish it," Evan said.
Lyriana nodded. "Together."
The beast charged again.
Lyriana met it with blinding precision—dodging a massive swing, sliding beneath one arm, and slashing upward along exposed sinew. Evan unleashed arcs of Bloomfire, purifying corruption faster than the creature could regenerate.
Their movements synced naturally.
Evan launched a pillar of flame—Lyriana vaulted over it, using the heat to propel herself—Her blades flashed—Evan amplified them with a blast of crimson heat—She cut straight through a corrupted tendon—The creature staggered.
But it wasn't done.
It slammed a twisted limb into the ground, sending a shockwave of corrupted energy outward.
The blast hit Evan full-force—hurling him into a tree.
The world blurred.
Pain seared through his ribs.
He gasped, unable to rise. "Ly… Lyriana…"
His vision cleared just enough to see the beast towering over him—raising a jagged, root-like claw.
Lyriana screamed his name.
"EVAN!"
She sprinted—faster than he'd ever seen her move.
The claw descended.
Lyriana threw herself between them—
—and her blade intercepted the strike with a ringing shock that cracked the ground beneath her feet.
"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HIM!" she roared.
Her aura flared—green and silver—the forest itself responding to her fury.
The beast recoiled, momentarily stunned.
Evan forced himself up—Bloomfire igniting around him, not from strength but from something deeper. Something primal.
He reached toward Lyriana. "On my mark!"
She nodded instantly.
They moved as one.
Evan thrust both hands forward—Lyriana leapt—
"NOW!"
A torrent of Bloomfire erupted in a massive arc.
Lyriana used the blast as a platform—running across its surface like a streak of silver light—
She plunged both blades into the beast's skull.
A flash—A scream—A shockwave of purified energy—
And the beast collapsed, dissolving into ashen petals.
Silence fell.
Lyriana dropped to her knees.
Evan rushed to her. "Lyriana—are you—?"
She threw her arms around him.
Hard.
Pulling him close, pressing her face into his shoulder.
"You almost died," she whispered, voice shaking.
"So did you," he murmured back.
He held her tightly, feeling her heartbeat racing against his chest. Her breath trembled.
"I told you not to face danger alone," she whispered.
"And I told you I wouldn't."
Her arms tightened further. She wasn't just hugging him.
She was holding on.
When she finally pulled back, she remained close—hands still on his shoulders, forehead nearly touching his.
Her voice was low, trembling with spent adrenaline and emotion she couldn't hide:
"When I saw it strike you… something inside me—broke."
Evan brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Lyriana…"
She didn't look away.
"I am a ranger," she murmured. "I am trained to remain composed. To think. To be calm."
"You were calm," he said softly.
"No."Her eyes shone with a vulnerability she rarely showed."I was terrified."
She lifted a hand and placed it over his chest—over his Emberheart.
"You burn so brightly," she whispered. "Too brightly. You draw danger like moths to flame."
Evan placed his hand over hers.
"And yet you keep standing in front of me," he said. "Why?"
Lyriana exhaled—a sound somewhere between surrender and longing.
"I do not know," she admitted."But when I saw you fall… I realized I could lose you. And that thought frightens me more than the Warden, more than corruption, more than anything."
Evan swallowed hard.
Slowly—hesitantly—he lifted her chin.
Their faces inches apart.Breaths mingling.Eyes locked.
"Lyriana…"
Her voice was a whisper of confession:
"Do not leave me again."
He didn't.
He leaned in.
And she met him halfway.
Their lips touched—soft, desperate, warm.
Lyriana's hands slid up around his neck—an unguarded, instinctive embrace. Evan's arms circled her waist, pulling her close.
She kissed him with surprising intensity—as though holding back emotion for too long,as though afraid he might vanish if she didn't anchor him.
Her breath trembled.Her fingers curled in his hair.She pressed closer, as if trying to melt into him entirely.
The forest quieted.The air warmed with Bloomfire's glow.Their auras intertwined—silver and crimson.
When they finally parted, Lyriana didn't move far.
Her forehead rested against his.Her voice was a fragile whisper:
"Evan… I cannot deny it anymore."
"Deny what?"
"You."A soft, shaking exhale."And what I feel for you."
Evan smiled—small, tender. "Then don't."
She closed her eyes—relief flooding her features.
He brushed his thumb across her cheek. "We'll face everything together."
She nodded, leaning into his touch.
"Yes," she whispered. "Together."
Her hand slid down his arm, fingers threading with his.
The contact felt natural. Fated.
But Lyriana was Lyriana—and after a moment, she collected herself, though her eyes were still soft.
"We cannot stay here," she murmured. "The corruption is spreading faster than expected. And the Warden grows nearer."
"Where do we go?"
She squeezed his hand gently.
"To my people," she said. "To the Celestgrove Council.They must hear of this corruption…and of you."
Evan hesitated. "Your—your entire council?"
"Yes." She stepped closer, her voice lowering."And I will not let them harm you. Not now. Not ever."
Their hands remained intertwined as they started walking.
The first kiss had changed something between them—something real, irreversible.
Their bond had deepened.
And the world around them—shaken by corruption, ancient Wardens, and Evan's growing Concept—would soon feel the consequences.