God’s Tree

The morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of damp earth and distant rain. Argolaith, Kaelred, and Malakar moved in near silence, their boots pressing into the soft ground as they traveled southwest.

The wilderness stretched endlessly before them—rolling hills, dense forests, jagged cliffs, and rivers that cut through the land like veins of silver.

It had been three days since Kaelred first felt the pull toward his tree, and with each passing hour, the feeling grew stronger.

But something else grew alongside it.

A deep, gnawing tension.

Kaelred hadn't spoken much about what he was feeling, but Argolaith had noticed the way his friend's expression darkened the closer they got.

It wasn't just excitement or anticipation.

It was something else.

Something heavier.

Malakar, of course, had noticed it too.

He was always watching—always calculating.

But, as usual, the lich said nothing, letting Kaelred wrestle with his thoughts in silence.

Until—

"Kaelred," Argolaith finally spoke up, breaking the quiet of their march.

Kaelred, who had been staring ahead with narrowed eyes, blinked as if pulled from deep thought.

"Yeah?"

Argolaith didn't slow his pace. "What's wrong?"

Kaelred exhaled, running a hand through his hair.

"It's… hard to explain," he admitted.

Malakar scoffed. "Then explain it poorly."

Kaelred shot him an unimpressed look, but sighed and continued.

"It's like… I'm being pulled toward something familiar and completely foreign at the same time."

Argolaith frowned. "Familiar how?"

Kaelred hesitated.

Then—

"…Like I've been there before."

Silence.

Argolaith exchanged a glance with Malakar, who, for once, looked intrigued rather than amused.

"You're saying you recognize a place you've never been to?" Argolaith asked carefully.

Kaelred gritted his teeth. "Yeah. That's what it feels like."

The three of them walked in silence for a moment before Malakar finally muttered, almost to himself—

"Interesting."

Argolaith glanced at him.

"You know something, don't you?"

Malakar smirked. "I always know something."

Argolaith rolled his eyes. "Then share with the class."

Malakar let out a low chuckle, his violet eyes glowing faintly.

"Perhaps later," he said. "For now, let's just focus on getting there, shall we?"

Kaelred exhaled sharply, shaking his head.

"Fine. Let's keep moving."

As the terrain changed, so did the feeling in the air.

The forest grew denser, but the trees weren't normal.

They were taller, thicker, their trunks twisting in unnatural patterns. Their leaves shimmered in colors that didn't belong to the natural spectrum—deep blues, flickering golds, blood-reds.

Even the sky seemed different.

The clouds moved slower.

The sunlight felt heavier.

It was as if they had crossed into a part of the world that had been forgotten by time.

Argolaith felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

"This place…"

Kaelred nodded. "Yeah. It feels different."

Malakar, however, was calm as ever.

"It's a place saturated with magic," he mused. "Somewhere old. Possibly older than the trees themselves."

Kaelred's fists clenched.

His tree was here.

He could feel it.

It wasn't far.

But—

There was something else here too.

Watching.

Waiting.

And it wasn't friendly.

The first attack came at night.

They had made camp near the edge of a ravine, where the ground was solid and the trees weren't too thick.

Argolaith had just finished setting up their fire when Kaelred froze, his entire body going rigid.

"…Something's coming."

Malakar's eyes flickered.

"Where?"

Kaelred didn't answer—because he didn't know.

It wasn't a sound.

It wasn't a scent.

It was just a feeling.

Argolaith gripped his sword, standing slowly.

Malakar moved to the shadows, his form half-fading into the darkness.

Then—

A low, guttural growl.

It came from the trees.

From all around them.

Argolaith's fingers tightened around his sword hilt.

"Show yourselves," he muttered.

Then, they did.

At first, they looked like wolves.

But as they stepped into the firelight, it became clear—

These were not wolves.

Their bodies were thin but unnaturally tall, their fur bristling with pulsing, bioluminescent veins.

Their faces were wrong.

Too many teeth.

Too many eyes.

Kaelred exhaled sharply. "Great. Creepy forest, creepy monsters. What's next?"

Malakar's voice was calm, cold.

"They're watching. Judging. They won't attack until they believe they can win."

Argolaith narrowed his eyes.

"Then let's make them realize they can't."

The moment those words left his mouth—

The beasts attacked.

The first one lunged for Argolaith.

He moved instantly, sidestepping and slashing his sword in a sharp arc.

Steel met flesh.

The beast screeched, black ichor spilling from the wound.

Kaelred moved just as fast, daggers flashing, sinking into the neck of another.

Malakar, still half-hidden in the shadows, lifted a single hand.

Dark energy gathered.

And then—

Chains of darkness erupted from the ground, wrapping around one of the creatures, dragging it into the abyss.

Argolaith didn't have time to be impressed.

More were coming.

They fought for hours.

For every beast they cut down, two more appeared.

Argolaith's breath was ragged, his arms burning from exertion.

Kaelred had a deep gash on his leg but refused to slow down.

Even Malakar looked less amused than usual.

"This is getting tedious," the lich muttered.

Argolaith gritted his teeth.

They needed to end this.

Now.

Kaelred felt it first.

A shift.

A change in the air.

And then—

A deafening howl echoed through the trees.

The beasts froze.

Every single one of them turned their heads toward something unseen.

Then—

Without another sound—

They vanished.

Argolaith stood there, breathing hard, sword still raised.

"…What just happened?"

Malakar's expression was unreadable.

Kaelred, still catching his breath, shook his head.

"I don't know."

But one thing was certain—

Something bigger was waiting for them.

Something far worse.

And it was tied to Kaelred's tree.

The silence that followed the retreat of the creatures was unnatural.

Not a single leaf rustled.

Not a single branch cracked.

Even the wind itself seemed to halt, as though the very forest was holding its breath.

Argolaith kept his sword raised, muscles tense, scanning the tree line for any movement.

Kaelred's breathing was heavy, his leg wound still bleeding, but his grip on his daggers never faltered.

Malakar, for once, didn't speak.

He was watching.

Waiting.

Something had scared those creatures away.

And whatever it was—

It was still here.

Kaelred felt it first.

The pull toward his tree had shifted.

No longer a distant call, it was now a weight pressing against his chest.

The force of it made his knees weak, as if something was dragging him forward.

Then—

The ground shuddered.

A low vibration rumbled beneath their feet, subtle at first, but quickly growing stronger.

Argolaith steadied himself.

Kaelred clenched his jaw.

Malakar's expression remained unreadable, but his violet eyes flickered.

Then—

Out of the darkened treeline, something moved.

A shape far too large for the shadows it hid within.

And when it stepped forward, the very ground groaned under its weight.

It was massive.

Taller than any beast Argolaith had ever seen, yet not monstrous.

Its body was covered in stone-like plates, layered over thick sinew, and its eyes—

They weren't filled with malice.

Instead, they held knowledge.

Understanding.

Power.

Kaelred's fingers tightened around his weapons, but the creature made no move to attack.

Instead, it spoke.

A voice, deep and resounding, filled the space around them.

It wasn't made of words—

It was made of understanding.

A voice that spoke directly into the soul.

"You have come for the tree."

Kaelred swallowed hard.

"…Yeah. I have."

The sentinel's massive head tilted slightly.

"Then you must prove yourself."

The air shifted.

A ripple of magic unseen yet felt surged outward, making the trees tremble.

The sentinel's gaze locked onto Kaelred.

"You wish to claim the power of the Five Trees?"

Kaelred exhaled sharply.

"…Yes."

The creature's glowing gaze narrowed.

"Then you must be tested."

"Prove that you are worthy."

"Prove that your will is stronger than the chaos of the world."

Kaelred felt a cold chill creep down his spine.

He had seen Argolaith's trial.

Had watched him struggle, fight, and nearly fail.

Now—

It was his turn.