The ground shook. A root burst from the base of the tree, sending debris and darkness flying as if the forest itself were vomiting its fear. From the shadows emerged a misshapen creature, towering as high as a tower, composed of black branches, bleeding earth, and red eyes without pupils. It had no mouth, but its roar shattered the air like glass. A Fallen Ent, a spirit of nature corrupted by a power beyond mortal comprehension.
"What the hell is that?!" Flox shouted, raising his sword.
"A Cursed Guardian..." Dragaba said, his voice broken by the memory. "It was created to protect the seal... or destroy anyone who tries to break it."
Cata didn't wait for an order. She lunged forward with her Shinimoto flashing in a diagonal slash that struck the Ent's leg. A torrent of dark sap spurted out, but the creature didn't flinch.
Adrian prepared his spell: "Wall of Magno!" A protective wall of rock emerged in front of Cata, stopping a lash from the Ent.
"We won't hold out much longer!" exclaimed Cata. "Dragaba! Can you do something?"
Dragaba took a deep breath. She removed her torn coat, revealing what appeared to be a complex system of golden seals inscribed on her skin like living tattoos. One of them throbbed with pain, as if burning from within.
"I could... I could wipe it off the map with a sigh," she said, stepping forward. "But..."
She tried to concentrate her energy. A wave of primal power formed around his body. The air became dense. The leaves froze in midair. His hair floated as if the world denied it.
Then the seals glowed in unison... and knocked him down.
"AH!" Dragaba cried, falling to his knees, gasping as if his soul had been torn from him. Damn it! The seals... The seals are activated! I can't use even 0.1% of my power!
A blue spark was released from his palm, barely enough to create a small dagger of energy that dissolved in seconds.
"That was all?" said Flox, with a mixture of surprise and disappointment. "We're lost!"
"NO!" Cata shouted. She jumped onto the Ent, sliding down its arm made of living roots. She plunged her Shinimoto between the creature's "shoulders." A flash cut through the sky.
The Ent roared in pain, its torso breaking, but with a massive lash it threw Cata into the air. Adrian ran and caught her fall with a cushioning spell.
"Are you okay?!" he shouted.
"I'm just sore all over, nothing serious," Cata coughed, blood on her lips.
Dragua struggled to his feet, sweat dripping from his eyebrows. His body trembled with contained rage.
"These seals... are there to protect the world from me. But if I deactivate them without control, there will be nothing left."
"Then give us a direction!" Flox bellowed, dodging another attack. You know what this thing is, guide us!
Dragua closed his eyes. He felt the weak flow of his remaining power. With a trembling gesture, he touched the ground.
"There!" he shouted, pointing to a spot among the Ent's roots. "There's a hidden core under its chest, it looks like a black stone heart! Aim there!"
"Got it!" Flox channeled his light energy into his sword, a golden glow covering its blade. "By Catanuncio!"
He leaped with all the strength of his training. He masterfully dodged a blow, rolled down the Ent's arm like Cata had done before, and plunged his sword right where Dragaba had pointed.
A burst of light enveloped the forest.
The Ent screeched with a high-pitched, piercing sound. The dark magic dissipated like mist, and the creature collapsed, lifeless, leaving only ashes and dead roots.
Silence.
Cata stood up, Flox was panting, Adrian knelt down. Dragaba watched the smoke with a distant look, as if seeing through time.
"That power..." Adrian murmured. "It wasn't completely ours."
"No," Cata admitted, looking at Dragaba suspiciously. "But thanks to it, we won. Who are you really?"
Dragaba did not answer. Instead, he turned toward the dying tree, placed a hand on the trunk... and the seal covering it glowed faintly again.
"I am not who I was. Nor who I should be yet. But if this is awakening... then something much worse is coming."
And with that, the forest fell silent. But the echo of what had just happened... would soon reach the ears of the Kingdom of Azure.