Return of the Rootbearer
The paths within the Archive had changed.
Where once there were sealed doors and sleeping glyphs, now the walls bloomed with ancient light—vines glowing with memory, knowledge unfolding like petals.
Cuco stood in the center of it all, his back to the Mirror Pool, the Tome hovering beside him, pages fluttering without wind.
The blade hovered on his other side.
Silent.
But not dormant.
Alive.
Awake.
---
He extended his hand, and the roots answered.
From the earth, a cloak wove itself—threads of living bark and light that pulsed gently with his heartbeat.
Not armor. Not a disguise.
An extension of the Archive itself.
A sign.
The forest had chosen.
---
A whisper echoed from the old branches above:
> "You carry more than power now. You carry memory. You carry choice."
Cuco lowered his head.
He still didn't feel like a hero.
But he no longer felt like a mistake.
---
As he walked toward the exit of the Archive, the Tome closed gently behind him.
The blade followed.
And from the trees, spirits stirred—fragments of old Dreamers, memories that walked without shape, watching him with silent approval.
The gate opened.
The forest shifted.
And the Rootbearer began his return.
---
Far ahead, at the edges of the Circle, the Hollow moved.
A new vessel had awakened.
And it was waiting for Cuco to come home.