The silver branches trembled as Lyara pressed her palm against the ancient Heartwood. The Luminar Stone embedded in the bark flared, sensing her presence. Behind her, the vulture-cloaked warlocks of the Dusk Order closed in, their staffs crackling with shadowfire.
Lyara whispered the incantation. Roots surged like living serpents, ensnaring the warlocks mid-step. Shadows writhed as they fought, but she had no time to watch. The Heartwood hummed beneath her fingers, its magic incomplete.
She reached into her satchel, retrieving the last Suntear Crystal. The dying moonlight gleamed over its surface. Placing it into the Heartwood’s hollow, she felt a jolt as golden light erupted like a dawn breaking within the tree. The air warmed. The warlocks shrieked, their magic burning away.
Breathless, Lyara stepped back. The Heartwood pulsed stronger now, its luminous veins spreading outward. The Withering had been stopped—for now. But deep in the winds, a darker power stirred.
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