I didn't sleep that night.
Not because I wasn't tired—every inch of my body ached—but because the memory wouldn't stop replaying in my head.
That tree.
That whisper.
That heartbeat that didn't belong to anything human.
The moment I touched the bark, it was like the whole forest had blinked. Like something old and half-dead had stirred, just slightly, and noticed me.
And I hated the fact that some part of me… had noticed it back.
The vine around my wrist was still blackened at the tip. It hadn't hurt me. Not really. But it was a reminder. A warning. A message, maybe.
I just didn't know in what language.
By morning, the forest felt different.
Birdsong had returned, but it was cautious. The breeze shifted directions every few minutes like it couldn't make up its mind. Even the light through the trees looked wrong—too sharp, too watchful.
I stepped outside, squinting against the glare.
The moment my foot hit the grass, the System pinged.
[Passive Scan: Active.]
[Lifeform Detected – Proximity: 15 meters.]
I tensed.
"What kind of lifeform?"
[Scanning...]
[Species: Unknown.]
[Classification: Observer.]
I froze. "Observer? As in... watching?"
[Yes.]
A chill ran down my spine.
I turned slowly, eyes scanning the treeline.
Nothing moved.
No sound. No footsteps. Just the steady hum of the forest pretending not to care.
But it did care.
I could feel it now, like a second pulse just under my skin. A tension in the roots. A watching, waiting breath.
Something out there had seen me touch the tree.
And it hadn't walked away.
I tightened my grip on the nearest stick. Still my only weapon.
Still adorable.
"Do I run?" I whispered.
[System Tip: You can try. It'll probably enjoy the chase.]
"Very comforting."
[You're welcome.]
I took a cautious step backwards.
Another ping.
[Observer moving. Proximity: 13 meters.]
"Okay. Okay. Think."
I reached into the Vital Thread—the same warm hum I used to feel the deer's wound, the vine's pulse, the lizard's heartbeat. I pushed it outward.
Nothing.
The forest blocked me.
The connection that had always come easy now met resistance, like the threads had been tangled or… cut.
[Life Energy Field – Partially disrupted.]
[Cause: Unknown interference.]
"I hate that word."
[Unknown?]
"Yes."
Another ping.
[Observer moving. Proximity: 11 meters.]
I backed toward the hut. My legs knew the way even if the rest of me wanted to bolt into the trees and never stop running.
The forest creaked.
A leaf fell near my foot.
Too deliberate.
Too slow.
I turned and ran.
Not far. Just to the stream. The only place nearby with some visibility and no blind spots. If I was being watched, I wanted it to see me coming.
I reached the water's edge and spun around, gasping.
Nothing.
Then a breeze rolled through.
The trees whispered.
And from the shadows... it stepped out.
Not a beast.
Not a man.
Something in-between.
It had the shape of a person, roughly. But its skin was bark. Its eyes glowed faintly green. And its chest pulsed once with a dim, thudding light, like it shared the same energy I did.
It didn't speak.
It just watched me.
Then the System activated.
[New Entity Identified: Verdant Echo.]
[Nature: Guardian.]
[Affinity: Lifebound.]
[Status: Dormant-linked.]
[Intent: Unknown.]
[Threat Level: Moderate.]
[Behavior: Non-aggressive... for now.]
I stared.
It stared back.
Its head tilted slightly, and vines shifted along its shoulder like muscle.
"What do you want?" I asked.
No answer.
I tried to reach out with my energy again.
Still blocked.
Then the creature lifted its hand.
A root curled upward from the ground between us and etched a symbol into the dirt—a spiral of three circles.
The same spiral I'd seen at the base of the Dormant Tree.
Recognition hit like a punch.
"You're from it," I breathed.
It nodded once.
Then slowly... it turned and began to walk away.
Not toward the hut.
Not toward the tree.
But deeper. East. Into the forest where the light barely reached.
And it paused.
Waiting.
I took a step forward.
Then another.
The System pinged again.
[Optional Quest Updated: Roots of the Forgotten.]
[New Directive: Follow the Echo.]
[Warning: Path may alter existing abilities.]
[Reward: Seed of Insight (???).]
[Risk: You already know the answer.]
I stared at the green symbol in the dirt.
At the forest that no longer felt entirely mine.
Then I looked down at my wrist, where the vine had curled again, hiding the burn like it wanted to protect me.
"Alright," I whispered. "Let's see how deep this goes."
And I followed.