The deeper they walked into the corrupted forest, the more wrong everything felt.
Not normal wrong.
Not "this tree looks weird" wrong.
But cosmic wrong — the kind of wrong that made Soren feel like the forest was staring back.
The air thickened.
The shadows deepened.
The ground pulsed beneath their feet like a heartbeat.
Soren whispered, "I hate this place."
The fox chirped, but even its glow seemed dimmer.
Kael tightened his grip on his spear. "We're close."
"I DON'T WANT TO BE CLOSE."
Aldric smirked. "Too late."
Lira's frost‑wolf pressed closer to her leg, ears pinned back. "Something is ahead."
Soren clutched the fox. "I don't want something ahead. I want nothing ahead. Nothing is safe. Nothing is peaceful. Nothing doesn't try to kill me."
The fox nuzzled him.
Soren sighed. "Okay. Fine. Let's go see the horrible thing."
The Clearing That Shouldn't Exist
The forest opened suddenly into a circular clearing.
Perfectly circular.
Too circular.
Soren froze. "No. No no no. Nature doesn't do circles. Circles are bad. Circles mean magic. Magic means danger. Danger means me screaming."
Kael stepped forward cautiously. "Stay alert."
"I AM ALERT. I AM TOO ALERT. I AM ALERT TO THE POINT OF SUFFERING."
Aldric muttered, "Good."
Lira whispered, "Look."
At the center of the clearing was a tree.
Or what used to be a tree.
Now it was twisted, hollow, and glowing with a sickly red light. Its roots pulsed like veins. Its branches curled inward like claws.
Soren whispered, "I hate this place."
The fox's glow flickered.
Soren panicked. "NO. NO FLICKERING. YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO FLICKER."
The fox chirped weakly.
Kael frowned. "It's reacting to the corruption."
Lira nodded. "It's stronger here."
Aldric cracked his knuckles. "Let it be."
Soren grabbed his arm. "STOP INVITING EVIL."
The Vision
As they stepped closer, the ground pulsed again — harder this time.
A wave of energy rippled outward.
Soren staggered. "WHAT WAS THAT."
Kael steadied him. "A resonance pulse."
Soren pointed at the tree. "FROM THAT THING?!"
Lira nodded. "Yes."
Aldric grinned. "Finally."
Soren screamed. "STOP SAYING FINALLY."
The fox leapt from Soren's shoulder and approached the corrupted tree.
Soren panicked. "BUDDY NO—COME BACK—YOU'RE SMALL—YOU'RE PRECIOUS—YOU'RE MY EMOTIONAL SUPPORT—"
The fox ignored him.
Its two tails glowed.
Brighter.
Brighter.
Brighter—
Light burst outward.
Soren's vision went white.
He stumbled, clutching his head as images flooded his mind.
Not memories.
Not dreams.
Something else.
A forest burning.
A beast screaming.
A figure cloaked in shadow.
A hand touching the corrupted tree.
A surge of red energy.
A voice whispering—
"Find me."
Soren gasped and fell to his knees.
Kael grabbed him. "Soren!"
Lira knelt beside him. "What happened?"
Aldric frowned. "You look like death."
Soren wheezed. "I SAW SOMETHING. I SAW EVERYTHING. I SAW TOO MUCH. I HATE THIS PLACE."
The fox returned to his side, chirping softly.
Soren hugged him. "DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN."
The fox chirped apologetically.
The Realisation
Kael helped him stand. "What did you see?"
Soren shook his head. "I don't know. A person. A shadow. A voice. Something touched the tree. Something caused this."
Lira's eyes widened. "A person?"
Aldric growled. "So this wasn't natural."
Soren pointed at the corrupted tree. "NOTHING ABOUT THIS IS NATURAL."
Kael looked at the fox. "It reacted to your bond."
Soren groaned. "I don't want my bond to react. I want my bond to be quiet. And normal. And not connected to cursed trees."
The fox chirped.
Soren sighed. "Okay. Fine. Maybe a little connected."
The Forest Responds
The ground trembled again.
Harder.
Louder.
The corrupted tree pulsed violently.
Soren screamed. "NO. NO MORE PULSING. PULSING IS BAD."
Kael raised his spear. "Something's coming."
Lira summoned frost.
Aldric ignited his fists.
The fox's glow sharpened.
Soren whispered, "I hate this place."
The forest around them shifted.
Branches twisted.
Shadows thickened.
Shapes moved.
Something was waking up.
Something big.
Something wrong.
Soren whispered, "I REALLY hate this place."
And the corrupted forest answered.