Elarien tucked the glowing seed into a small pocket near her heart. It felt warm, like a tiny sun. The silver wolf watched her with calm eyes, then turned toward the tunnel that led upward.
It is time to leave the roots, he said. The sky is waiting.
They walked in silence through the winding path, which slowly began to rise. The earth grew dry again. The air smelled of pine and soft wind. After a while, Elarien noticed thin beams of sunlight peeking through cracks in the stone.
Her feet carried her forward with ease. She no longer felt heavy. She no longer felt unsure.
Finally, they reached a high cliff hidden deep in the forest. The trees here were older than anywhere else, their trunks so wide it would take five people holding hands to circle one. Above them, the sky opened wide and bright.
In the middle of the clearing stood tall stones carved with symbols that shimmered in the sun.
The Watchers had arrived.
They came not with sound or footsteps, but with presence. Each of them appeared at a different stone. Some were cloaked in feathers. Others wore robes made of vines and mist. One had a staff that sang with every movement. Another had eyes that glowed like fireflies.
Elarien stood at the center.
She was not afraid.
"You carry the seed," one of them said, their voice like a wind chime in the breeze.
"Yes," Elarien answered.
"You woke the Heart Tree," said another, whose face was hidden by leaves.
"I listened," she said. "And I spoke."
The Watchers looked at one another.
"Then the second bond is formed," they said together.
The air shimmered with quiet magic.
The silver wolf stepped forward.
You must now choose where your path begins. The Guardian learns not by being told, but by walking forward.
The Watchers raised their hands. Light formed between them. Three paths shimmered in the air.
The first was filled with light, warm and golden. Fields of flowers danced in the distance, and songs filled the air.
The second was made of shadows, still and silent, with deep stone paths and forgotten halls.
The third led to water, wide and deep, with stars reflected in the surface like mirrors.
Elarien looked at each one.
"They are all beautiful," she said.
The wolf nodded.
And each one holds a piece of your story. Which will you learn first?
Elarien closed her eyes. Her fingers brushed the seed at her chest. She thought of her mother, of Nana's stories, of the soft hum of the Heart Tree.
She opened her eyes.
"I will walk the path of water," she said.
The path shimmered brighter, and the other two faded away for now.
The Watchers bowed their heads.
Then go, child of voice and memory. Let the waters show you who you are.
Elarien stepped forward.
The forest did not close behind her.
It watched.
And it whispered.
She walks her own way now.