The Dying Tree
1074 Words
Chapter 13
The tunnel beneath the roots stretched endlessly through darkness.
Ancient glowing veins pulsed through the walls like the heartbeat of the Tree of Life itself. But with every passing minute, more of that golden light faded into black corruption.
The tree was weakening.
Fast.
The group moved quickly through the underground pathway while the cavern behind them collapsed deeper into the earth.
Liam carried Selene carefully despite the chaos surrounding them. Her breathing had become shallow, and dark veins continued spreading beneath her skin.
Aretha stayed close beside them.
Fear twisted painfully inside her chest.
Everything was happening too fast.
One day ago, she had been an ordinary girl grieving her father.
Now ancient creatures were awakening beneath the world, magical kingdoms stood on the edge of war, and somehow—
Everyone expected her to save them.
Or destroy them.
Nyra flew slightly ahead through the tunnel, metallic wings glowing faintly in the darkness.
“I see an opening up ahead!”
Orion nodded sharply.
“Move faster.”
Another tremor shook the roots around them.
Dust fell from the ceiling while distant roars echoed beneath the earth.
Vorthakai was moving.
And every step the ancient creature took seemed to shake the entire city.
Caspian swallowed nervously.
“That thing is definitely too big to exist.”
“No argument there,” Nyra muttered.
Elias remained unusually quiet.
His silver eyes flickered every few seconds as visions continued attacking his mind uncontrollably.
Blood.
Fire.
The Tree splitting apart.
Then something worse—
Aretha standing beside Allan Dark beneath a black sky.
Together.
He clenched his fists tightly.
No.
That future could not happen.
Could it?
Suddenly, the tunnel ahead opened.
Everyone emerged beneath the Tree of Life itself.
And froze.
The sacred grounds of Greenfield Lumierre had become a nightmare.
The enormous Tree of Life towered above the city as corruption spread across its ancient bark like black veins. Once-glowing golden leaves now flickered weakly between light and shadow.
Large roots had burst through the earth across the entire forest.
Buildings made of living wood had collapsed.
Fairy soldiers filled the skies battling corrupted creatures while Virdians desperately tried healing dying roots with nature magic.
But nothing worked.
The corruption kept spreading.
Citizens ran through the streets in panic.
And above everything—
Dark clouds swirled violently around the Tree of Life.
The sacred heart of Lumierre was dying.
Aretha stared upward in horror.
“It’s worse than I thought…”
Evelyne rushed toward them immediately through the chaos.
Relief crossed her face when she saw Aretha alive.
But it disappeared the moment she noticed Selene.
“Oh no…”
Liam gently lowered Selene onto the grass beneath the roots.
Evelyne touched her daughter’s face carefully, pain filling her ancient eyes.
“The curse is consuming her faster now.”
Aretha knelt beside them desperately.
“There has to be a cure!”
Evelyne remained silent too long.
That silence answered everything.
“No…” Aretha whispered.
Selene forced a weak smile.
“Don’t cry, little star.”
The nickname nearly broke her completely.
Her father used to call her that too.
Before tears could fully fall—
A massive roar echoed across Greenfield Lumierre.
Everyone looked up.
Vorthakai burst from beneath the academy ruins in an explosion of stone and roots.
The ancient beast rose into the storm-covered sky, enormous wings spreading over the city like darkness itself.
People screamed.
Fairy soldiers immediately flew toward it.
“Protect the Tree!”
Magic exploded across the skies.
Fire.
Water.
Light.
Dozens of attacks slammed into Vorthakai’s scales—
And did absolutely nothing.
The creature roared again, shaking the city beneath it.
But strangely—
It did not attack the civilians.
It moved toward the Tree.
Toward the corruption spreading through the roots.
Allan appeared beside Orion, watching carefully.
“It’s searching for the source.”
Orion’s eyes narrowed.
“What source?”
Allan looked toward the spreading darkness.
“The corruption is controlling the roots somehow.”
Fenrir emerged from the underground tunnel moments later, his massive form drawing fearful reactions from nearby citizens.
“The corruption is not natural,” the guardian rumbled.
“It is being fed.”
Everyone looked toward him.
“Fed by what?” Nyra asked.
Before Fenrir could answer—
A terrible scream echoed through the sacred grounds.
One of the Virdians collapsed near the tree roots as black corruption suddenly spread across his body.
Then another.
And another.
The roots beneath the city were infecting people now.
Panic spread instantly.
Orion shouted commands to nearby soldiers.
“Quarantine the corrupted!”
But it was already too late.
The infected citizens slowly stood again.
Their eyes completely black.
Corrupted.
Controlled.
And then—
They attacked.
Chaos exploded across Greenfield Lumierre.
Citizens screamed and fled while corrupted victims lunged violently at everyone nearby.
Fairy soldiers were forced to fight civilians they once protected.
Nyra cursed sharply.
“This day just keeps getting worse!”
Liam immediately shielded Aretha and Selene as corrupted citizens rushed toward them.
Caspian summoned massive walls of water to push the attackers back while Orion and Allan fought side by side against the spreading corruption.
It should have looked impossible.
The future king of Lumierre and the heir of the Dark Lord City fighting together.
Yet in this moment—
Neither side cared about ancient hatred anymore.
Because survival came first.
Then suddenly—
The Tree of Life pulsed violently.
BOOOOM!
Golden energy exploded across Greenfield Lumierre.
Everyone froze.
The corruption stopped moving briefly.
And deep within the giant tree—
A hidden doorway slowly opened.
Ancient roots separated at the center of the trunk, revealing glowing stairs spiraling upward inside the Tree of Life itself.
Fenrir stared upward immediately.
“The Heart Chamber…”
Evelyne’s face filled with shock.
“It hasn’t opened in centuries.”
Aretha felt the pull instantly.
Strong.
Ancient.
Calling directly to her.
The whispers returned softly.
“Come to the heart…”
“The balance awaits…”
Allan noticed her expression.
“It’s calling you.”
Aretha looked toward the glowing entrance inside the tree.
Fear and curiosity twisted together inside her chest.
Then Fenrir spoke words that silenced everyone.
“The source of the corruption is inside the Tree.”
Silence fell heavily around them.
Because if the corruption had already reached the Heart Chamber—
Then Lumierre was far closer to destruction than anyone realized.
- Writer
