Chương 67: Chapter 56 – Harbinger of Desolation

Cade came back to consciousness slowly. At first there was only darkness and the dull awareness of his own breathing. Then a System notification flared faintly at the edge of his vision. He ignored it. His body felt… fine, surprisingly. Not great but fine. A little sore, like he had pushed himself too far in a workout. But there was no agony, no feeling of writhing tendrils inside his skin. He flexed his fingers experimentally. No pain. Cade lifted his hands in front of his face.

Thin red lines marked both palms, straight and narrow where he had cut himself with Pearl's spearhead. The lacerations had already sealed shut, leaving only faint traces behind. He pressed a thumb against one of the lines. Smooth. No tenderness or swelling. His reforged body had healed quickly—far quicker than he would have guessed, especially after losing that much blood. He remembered the dizziness, the way the crucible had nearly drained him dry.

Yet now there was nothing left but a faint stiffness in his muscles. He shifted and became aware of rough bark behind him. Cade glanced around and realized he was back in the hollow beneath the Great Tree. Except it wasn't the same hollow. The shallow pool was gone. In its place rose a massive root pillar, thick and newly formed, bark still uneven in places as if it had grown in a rush. It filled what had once been the center of the space. His back rested against it. Pearl must have brought him down.

He looked down and saw his tortoise shell carefully draped over his legs like a blanket. A faint, reluctant smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. She'd even thought to grab that. He turned his head slightly and saw Pearl sitting beside him, legs folded beneath her in her meditative posture. Her eyes were closed, expression serene. He didn't know what she was doing but he knew better than to interrupt her. He hated being pulled out of focus and he wouldn't do that to her.

Cade leaned his head back against the newly grown root pillar and exhaled slowly as he opened the System notification. Primordial Heartwood Rhizome (Juvenile) — Established An organism derived from the heartwood of the Great Tree has fused itself to your internal and metaphysical channels. Converts personal resources to produce living growth. Cade stared at the words and horror slowly spread across his face.

"What the fuck?!" he shouted before he could stop himself. A parasite. The Great Tree had implanted a parasite inside him. After everything he did, everything he accomplished. He'd made it through the mist maze. Cleansed corruption from the crucible. Torn a leech off the stormroot. And even fed the damn crucible his own blood so Pearl could complete her trial. And this was his reward? Was this some twisted dungeon mechanic? Some long con?

Had the Great Tree waited until he lowered his guard to shove part of itself into his body? He read through the notification again. Primordial. Heartwood. Rhizome. Converts personal resources to produce living growth. His stomach twisted. Was it feeding on him? Draining him? Using him as fertilizer? How long before it spread too far to remove? He felt suddenly, violently stupid for trusting an ancient tree just because it didn't immediately try to kill him like almost everything else had.

"Unbelievable," he said, panic creeping in around the edges of his thoughts. Was this his reward for completing the trials or just the next way this place planned to screw him over? It had to be a mistake. Maybe he was misinterpreting the System's words. There was no way this was intentional. No way the Great Tree's idea of a reward was to implant a parasitic part of itself inside of his body. Cade dismissed the notification and immediately turned toward Pearl.

She was still seated in meditation, golden light faintly flickering beneath her orange skin in slow, steady pulses. He didn't care.

"Pearl," he said sharply. No response. Panic tightened in his chest. How long did he have before this thing started spreading again? Before it dug deeper? Before it took control of something vital? He reached out and grabbed her shoulder, shaking her.

"Pearl. Wake up." Her eyes snapped open, irritation flashing for half a heartbeat before settling into focus.

"Cade," she began, calm but firm, "I am in the middle of—""The Great Tree implanted something in me," he cut in, voice tight.

"Some kind of parasite. It's called a Primordial Heartwood Rhizome. It says it fused itself to my internal and metaphysical channels." Pearl blinked once. Cade pushed on before she could speak, panic creeping in his voice.

"I don't know what it does. It says it converts my personal resources to produce living growth. I don't want it converting anything. I don't want a plant living inside me. We need to get it out." Her expression shifted.

"Slow down. Panicking will not improve your situation."

"Panicking feels appropriate right now," Cade shot back. She studied him briefly, gaze sweeping over his posture, his breathing, the faint red lines on his palms.

"You appear stable. Your essence does not feel corrupted."

"Corrupted isn't the problem," he said through clenched teeth.

"I have been infested." You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"I was in the middle of stabilizing the life essence granted to me from the trials," Pearl said, voice tightening slightly.

"You interrupted that process."

"Sorry," he snapped.

"I'll try to schedule my parasitic infection better next time." She opened her mouth to respond but before she could, Cade saw movement from behind her. His eyes shifted past her shoulder and locked onto one of the archways between the giant root pillars that circled the hollow. Cade's stomach dropped. A lumbering creature was creeping up on them. Cade's eyes narrowed and he triggered [Identify]. Ash Tortoise —??? That's not helpful. Cade thought as he cursed his nearly useless skill.

The Ash Tortoise was massive—easily a head taller than Cade—with thick, corded muscles bulging beneath ashen-white skin stretched tight over its frame. Its shell was darker than the rest of it, charcoal gray etched with jagged fissures that glowed faintly from within. It moved far too quickly for something of its size. Each step was heavy but precise, claws digging into the earth as it advanced with predatory focus.

And even from this distance, Cade could see the edges of its mouth curl upward into something disturbingly close to a smile. White flames flickered faintly along the corners of its mouth. Cade's breath hitched. For half a second he saw something else superimposed over it—the towering bulk of the Ashen Emperor, flames devouring everything they touched. He knew that fire. He knew what it could do to the massive body of the worm, what it could do to them. Cade surged into motion.

In one smooth movement he grabbed the tortoise shell from the ground and vaulted over Pearl, planting himself between her and the now charging tortoise. Pearl made a startled sound behind him.

"Cade—?" He didn't answer. The ash tortoise closed the distance rapidly, covering meters in heartbeats. It stopped a few paces away and drew in a deep, rumbling breath. White flames licked between its jaws.

"Stay close behind me," Cade yelled. The tortoise exhaled. A torrent of white fire erupted outward. Cade raised the shell and braced. The flames slammed into the curved surface, washing around it in a blinding surge. Heat roared past him, white light swallowing his vision—but none of it penetrated. The shell held. He felt no searing burn through his hands as the white fire split around the shield, spilling to either side. The blast lasted only seconds before sputtering out. Silence fell.

Pearl and Cade were untouched. But beside them the newly restored ninth root pillar burned with hungry white flames.

"Run," Cade said immediately, not taking his eyes off the ash tortoise.

"Get out of here. I'll hold it off."

"What?" Pearl's voice cracked.

"No."

"Go." The tortoise let out a low, rumbling chuckle. It vibrated through the hollow like stone grinding on stone.

"I am surprised," it said in a deep, gravelly voice.

"Such a mutated creature speaks the tortoise tongue." Cade blinked.

"I'm not speaking tortoise," he shot back automatically. The tortoise's ember-like eyes narrowed slightly.

"You are." Cade's stomach twisted. He didn't know how to speak tortoise. He had been speaking to Pearl and yet the tortoise understood him perfectly.

"How can you understand me?" Cade demanded. The tortoise snorted, a thin ribbon of smoke curling from its nostrils.

"Because you speak as we do." Its mouth peeled back in a slow grin.

"It does not matter. You will both burn the same." Pearl's breath had grown shallow behind him.

"The Ashen Front…" she whispered.

"Already? That is impossible…" Cade shifted his stance, keeping the shield angled between them and the creature.

"Pearl. Go. Now."

"I will not leave you," she snapped, though fear trembled through her voice.

"You have to." The tortoise took a deliberate step forward, claws grinding into the earth.

"I am Brahm," it declared.

"Harbinger of the Ashen Front. Destroyer. I have come to erase this perversion of life." Its gaze flicked toward the burning ninth root pillar with open disdain before returning to them.

"You will serve as kindling. Today is the day the Great Tree falls to desolation." Pearl made a small, strangled sound. Cade risked a glance back at her. She looked pale beneath her orange skin, eyes wide and unfocused.

"No frog has ever escaped a Destroyer," she whispered.

"We are dead." Cade turned fully for half a second and grabbed her shoulder, forcing her to look at him.

"Hey. Stop." Her eyes locked onto his.

"Listen to me," he said firmly.

"You're faster than me and you can Mistweave. If we both run, it'll catch us. If you run and I distract it, you'll make it."

"I will not leave you to die," she said, voice shaking. He forced a grin onto his face.

"I survived the Ashen Wastes," he said.

"I've got the shell of an ash tortoise. It can't burn me. I'll hold it for a few seconds. You hit the mists. Once you're gone, I'll bail. I've got a plan." That part was a lie but she didn't need to know that. Brahm let out a booming laugh.

"Plan? You think you have a plan?" Cade ignored him.

"Pearl," he said more quietly, eyes steady.

"Go. Don't let this thing turn you into fuel for whatever 'path of desolation' crap it's chasing." Her breathing stuttered. Terror warred with trust in her expression.

"Go," he repeated. For a long heartbeat she hesitated. Then she nodded once. Cade gave her a reassuring smile he didn't feel, spun her around, and gave her a firm push away from the tortoise.

"Run and don't look back. Keep running until you make it back to the village" Pearl staggered forward, then broke into a sprint toward the distant mist barrier. Cade turned back toward Brahm. White flames flickered faintly at the edges of the tortoise's mouth. The ninth root pillar crackled beside him as it continued to burn. Cade lifted the shell and squared his shoulders.

"Alright," he muttered.

"Let's see what you've got." Cade stepped sideways, putting distance between himself and the burning root pillar. He raised the ash tortoise shell in his left hand.

"Hey!" he shouted at Brahm.

"You want to destroy something? Try me." The ash tortoise's eyes narrowed. Smoke curled from its nostrils as it exhaled sharply.

"If you wish to die alone, mutated one, I will honor your challenge." Its mouth peeled back in a grin.

"And when you are ash under my feet, I will hunt the frog." Cade's jaw tightened.

"Oh yeah? What makes you think you can beat me?" The next instant, Brahm moved. Cade barely registered the shift in weight before the massive tortoise launched forward. It crossed the distance between them in a blur of ashen muscle and clawed feet. It was way too fast. Cade had always associated tortoises with slow, deliberate movement. Brahm shattered that assumption in less than a second. The ground cracked beneath the impact of its charge as it barreled toward him. Cade braced but he felt no impact.

Brahm had stopped his charge just inches from Cade. He planted his claws, lifted his head, and inhaled sharply through his nostrils. His chest expanded grotesquely, then he exhaled. White fire erupted from his mouth in a roaring torrent. Cade fully ducked behind the shell just in time as the flames struck the shield with explosive force. For a heartbeat, all he could see was white. A blinding, colorless wave enveloped him—like a star stripped of warmth and mercy.

It roared against the shell, spreading outward, trying to wrap around its edges. Cade crouched lower, angling the shell to catch the brunt of it. Still, white flames licked around the rim and washed across his exposed arms. He waited for the heat, for his skin to blister, for the pain that would soon overwhelm his senses. But none came. There was pressure but no burning sensation. It felt more like a cool breeze rather than a raging fire enveloping him. Cade held firm.

After fifteen full seconds of uninterrupted, bleach-white destruction, the flames finally sputtered out, fading into thick smoke that coiled upward toward the hollow's ceiling. Silence followed. Smoke filled the space between them, thick and acrid. Cade remained crouched behind the shield for a moment longer, heart hammering in his ears. Then he slowly straightened. The ground where he had stood was pure white, cracked and glassy but he was untouched. The shell was untouched. Across from him, Brahm stared.

The smug grin had vanished. Smoke drifted from the tortoise's mouth as his eyes narrowed.

"Well," Brahm rumbled slowly.

"That is… interesting." Cade rolled his shoulder once, testing his body. Everything felt intact. He allowed himself a small smirk.

"Yeah," he said.

"Those flames were nothing compared to the Ashen Emperor's." Brahm's eyes narrowed at the remark. Then he lowered his head slightly, claws digging into the ground again.

"You are no ordinary prey," the Destroyer said.

"Good. This will be more enjoyable."