The word “Choose” echoed like a command inside Quinn’s chest, resonating with the deep pull of something ancient and unfinished.
The Blood Tree stood before them—monolithic, pulsing with power that hummed beneath their feet. The hollow carved at its roots glowed faintly, as if it remembered every soul it had ever taken… or given back.
Quinn gripped Rowan tighter. “He’s just a child.”
The tree didn’t answer. Neither did Kaelen.
Jace placed a hand against the bark, and his breath hitched. “He’s in there, Quinn. Both of them. I can feel their bond… tangled like roots.”
Quinn shook his head. “There has to be another way. We can’t just let a tree decide what happens to our son.”
“This isn’t just a tree,” Kairis said from behind them, her sudden presence almost unearthly. “It is the last r
