God’s Tree

His foot caught a root. A crack echoed—louder than it should have. He hit the ground with a curse, his satchel clanking with potion vials and gear.

Every Saint Beast stirred.

The grove shuddered.

Wings twitched. Jaws opened just slightly. And then—eyes.

Not visible before, but now glowing, in sets of three or four across each beast's head. All at once, the grove filled with the sound of low, multi-toned growling.

Kaelred scrambled back. "I've made a horrible mistake."

Argolaith stepped forward, hand on his sword. "Hold."

None of the beasts moved to attack.

Instead, one of the smaller ones—still easily the size of a warhorse—stepped forward. Its wings were more batlike than skeletal, its limbs leaner, and its horns shorter than the others. Its breath came slow. Deliberate.

And then—

It spoke.

Not in voice.

But in thought.

"The one who falls," it said, its tone childlike, curious. "Are you a hunter?"

Kaelred blinked. "Uh… no?"

The beast's head tilted, bones cracking as it moved.

"You smell of herbs. Fire. And laughter."

"I—uh—thanks?"

Argolaith stepped forward, hand raised to signal calm. "We mean no harm. We didn't know this grove existed."

The beast turned to Argolaith, then to Thae'Zirak. A low chuffing sound echoed—somewhere between a growl and a chuckle.

"You carry the mark. The forest remembers you."

Then, the young beast looked back at Kaelred.

"Can I travel with you?"

The grove fell deathly still again.

Kaelred pointed to himself. "Wait. Me?"

"Yes."

Kaelred looked at Argolaith. "Do… do I get a say in this?"

Argolaith smirked. "I think you already gave it when you fell."

Malakar watched the exchange, intrigued. "This is rare. They do not leave the grove unless drawn."

Kaelred groaned. "This is gonna be like having a terrifying pet, isn't it?"

The young Saint Beast stepped closer, brushing against Kaelred's side like a massive, leathery cat. It blinked multiple eyes, all glowing faintly.

"I will not eat you. Unless you betray the forest."

"…Noted."

The other beasts settled back into slumber, one by one, wings folding, heads lowering. The grove calmed again. The golden motes returned, drifting through the air like blessing and warning in one.

Argolaith stepped beside Kaelred. "Name it?"

Kaelred looked at the creature beside him. It was watching him intently, like a shadow made curious.

He hesitated.

Then said, "How about… Naruul?"

The beast tilted its head again.

"That name will do."

The path beyond the grove narrowed again—though Naruul, now padding beside Kaelred with silent, graceful strides, walked as if he belonged among them. His wings folded neatly across his back, and his sleek, six-legged form glided between roots and branches with eerie ease.

The group moved in a hush.

Even Kaelred, who had initially groaned about his "new terrifying companion," had grown quiet, glancing sideways at the beast every few steps. Naruul didn't speak much. He didn't seem to need to.

But eventually, the silence broke.

As the trees thinned just slightly and a breeze passed overhead, Naruul's many glowing eyes turned toward Argolaith.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

Argolaith glanced over his shoulder. "South. Through the Forsaken Forest. Toward a town."

The group continued walking.

Naruul's tail flicked behind him.

"What town?"

Argolaith didn't hesitate. "Seminah. That's where I'm from."

For a moment, nothing changed.

Then—

Naruul stopped.

So suddenly that Kaelred stumbled forward a step before realizing the beast wasn't beside him anymore.

Naruul's wings flared slightly. His claws scraped the earth. And then he did something none of them had ever seen a Saint Beast do:

He shrieked.

A raw, primal sound—sharp and high, like a hawk's cry amplified through a chorus of steel. It echoed through the trees, scattering birds, rustling leaves, and shaking moss from the limbs overhead.

Kaelred spun. "What the—?"

Thae'Zirak took a defensive step forward, claws at the ready.

Malakar froze.

Argolaith turned fully toward the beast. "Naruul. What is it?"

Naruul crouched low, wings curling protectively, eyes glowing bright as fire. He did not answer immediately.

"That place…" he said at last.

"That name…"

Everyone waited.

"A god lives there."

For a heartbeat, no one spoke.

Then Kaelred muttered, "A what now?"

Naruul slowly raised his head, though his posture remained coiled like a cornered predator.

"A god of knowledge. It… it does not sleep. It does not speak. But it once released an aura… long ago."

The forest around them stilled.

"It touched every creature in the Forsaken Forest. Every beast. Every blood-bound remnant. Even the roots quivered."

Naruul's voice had no tremor, but the air around him hummed with quiet fear.

"It was not rage. It was not hunger. It was… warning."

"A single message carried through the ley-lines and bones of the land."

"Do not approach the quiet place."

Malakar's voice was low. "And that quiet place… was Seminah."

Naruul nodded slowly. "I never knew its name. But I recognize the taste of it now in your voice."

Argolaith took a breath, steadying his thoughts. "You're sure?"

"Yes."

Kaelred looked at Argolaith with a tight expression. "You lived there. Your whole childhood. And no one mentioned there was a god hiding under the floorboards?"

"No," Argolaith said. "But…"

He paused.

"There were always strange things. People didn't leave town often. Travelers avoided it. The air near the forest edge was too still. Athos—he always said the town was protected, but I thought that meant secluded. Not divine."

Thae'Zirak stepped forward, wings half-folded. "If a god resides in Seminah, then it has cloaked itself well. Gods do not often take interest in the mortal world without reason."

Malakar added, "Perhaps it sleeps. Or perhaps it waits."

Naruul took a hesitant step forward. "If it sees me, it may not allow me near."

Argolaith looked to the Saint Beast. "Then you don't have to come."

"I want to," Naruul said immediately. "But I will not walk ahead. Not toward that place. Not yet."

The group stood in a tense silence, the forest pressing in around them once more.

A god.

In Seminah.

A god of knowledge.

Kaelred broke the quiet with a shaky laugh. "You know… I always knew you were weird, Argolaith. Just didn't realize you were 'accidentally grew up in a divine hot zone' weird."

Argolaith didn't smile.

His blue eyes were sharp. Focused. "If something's there… I'll find out. I need to go back. Not just for me. For all of us."

Thae'Zirak gave a slow nod. "Then we continue. But with open eyes."

Naruul lowered his wings slightly, voice soft. "If we draw too close, and I begin to feel it again… I will hide. I cannot challenge what warned the roots to be still."

Argolaith nodded. "That's fine. I won't ask you to."

They walked again.

But now, with every step—

They weren't just heading home.

They were heading into the domain of a god.